‘Find Your Greatness’

MORRIS PLAINS  Catholics everywhere, strive to be all you can be as people of faith this Lent by, among other things, getting more into the habit being generous — big-hearted like the late Albert Lexie, a shoeshine man who became a hero to UMPC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

From 1982 to 2013, Lexie, a Catholic who died last year, collected his fee for polishing costumers’ shoes along with tips and donated all his tips — a total of more than $200,000 — so that poor children could receive medical treatment at the hospital.

On March 30, Allen Hunt of the Dynamic Catholic Institute visited St. Virgil Parish here to talk, in part, about Lexie, who he said lived out one of the four important habits — generosity — that all Catholics should adopt to become their best selves. That day during his sold-out presentation, “Find Your Greatness,” Hunt spoke about these four faith-strengthening habits — also including prayer, study and evangelization — that bestselling Catholic author Matthew Kelly identifies in his book “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic.”

“God’s purpose is to make your soul great. This life is preparation for the next — to be with God — so begin with the end in mind,” Hunt, a bestselling Catholic author and renowned speaker like Kelly, founder of the Kentucky-based Dynamic Catholic, told 600 people — including clergy, religious and laity of the Diocese during his talk in a St. Virgil Church, filled to standing-room only. He also encouraged the audience to start by focusing on working on one of these four habits this Lent. “When you change your habits, you change your life. The Lord has a great destiny for you. These habits will help propel you toward that,” he said.

During the four-hour event, Hunt, a former Protestant minister who converted to Catholicism, illuminated his presentations about Kelly’s four habits with stories — some funny, others poignant — from Scripture, his personal life or news accounts. Sharing St. Virgil’s altar with Hunt was George Lower, a singer-songwriter with more than 20 years’ experience in leading worship in Catholic parishes, who led the congregation in singing contemporary songs of praise. In his talk, Hunt outlined the following four habits of a dynamic Catholic:

• Prayer, which he called “FaceTime with God” — referring to the popular video-call application on cell phones — to develop a deeper intimacy with him. He urged Catholics to commit to a daily routine of prayer by starting small: praying for 10 minutes a day. They should set a time, maybe in the morning to help center them for the busy day ahead; a place, maybe their deck, an easy chair or an adoration chapel; and a structure for prayer, maybe silent meditation or reflection on the daily Mass readings, Hunt told attenders.

“Enter into the classroom of silence [of prayer] in a noisy world. Listen for the Lord’s voice in the silence. Ask him, ‘God, what do you want?’ ”, said Hunt, who suggested that Catholics incrementally add minutes to their daily prayer time. “It will begin to change you into what God wants you to be,” he said.

• Study, which helps us counter the often negative messages that the media promotes, including those related to the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. Catholics should commit to study for 14 minutes a day — attending a Bible study, listening to Catholic radio or compact discs, watching Catholic TV or videos or reading Catholic books. With the power of the Holy Spirit, these materials can help conform our minds to the loving and merciful ways of God, Hunt said.

“The study of the Catholic faith will help us to recognize the will of God and to think the way that he wants us to think,” Hunt said.

• Generosity. It should motivate Catholics everywhere to get involved in social justice just knowing that most of the world’s people live in substandard housing and half of them are malnourished. Catholics here in the U.S. — blessed with material wealth — can extend God’s mercy to poor by setting aside a small amount of their monthly income for charity, Hunt said.

“Most of Jesus’ teachings are about money. We are earthly beings and we love our stuff. But the more attached that you are to stuff, the more that you get detached from Jesus. Where you put your money shows what you value most,” Hunt said. “Jesus doesn’t want your money; he wants your heart. You can’t serve God and stuff at the same time,” he said.

• Evangelization — spreading the Gospel — which basically involves “one beggar telling another beggar, where to find bread.” In sharing the “Good News,” try to find common ground with people — maybe, who have experienced substance abuse or cancer in their families — by first offering them some counsel, Hunt said.

“St. Paul writes about the law of the harvest: if you want more [crop yield], then give it away. So if you want more faith in your life, then give it away,” said Hunt, who urged Catholics to help other people deepen their faith, such as working with children in their parishes on their first Holy Communion; joining a mission trip; or giving people Catholic books, videos or CDs to digest. “If you give your faith away, you will get back more than you ever imagined,” he said.

Coordinating the “Find Your Greatness” presentation for St. Virgil’s was Chuck Havers, grand knight of Bishop McLaughlin Council 3495, Knights of Columbus, with help from other parish ministries and faithful. He welcomed the audience at the start of the event, which took place with the support of Father Lancelot Reis, St. Virgil’s pastor. Dynamic Catholic seeks to “re-energize the Catholic Church in America by developing world-class resources and to inspire people to rediscover the genius of Catholicism,” according to its website, www.dynamiccatholic.com.

After Hunt’s presentation on March 30, Nina Rangel, coordinator of St. Virgil’s children’s music ministry, told The Beacon that she pledges to put in more time studying the Catholic faith.

“Hunt broke down the four habits of dynamic Catholics to make it easier for us to do it ourselves,” Rangel said. “I’m leaving spiritually charged,” she said.

Hunt’s message also resonated with Elena Santoliquido of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, South Orange. She works in the Development Office for the Newark Archdiocese. Santoliquido told The Beacon that she wants to work on developing a more structured prayer life.

“Hunt was very engaging. I learned a lot. I took a lot away to apply to my own life,” Santoliquido said.