Lenten Reflection

For Lent, Catholics ponder taking the road less traveled on faith journey

MADISON  What does it mean to “take the road less traveled” as Catholics, witnessing to our faith in today’s world?

It might mean delaying the start of a career to become a missionary or getting married instead of following the modern trend of cohabitating, which stands in direct contrast to a society that increasing does not share our Catholic faith or values. These were some of the powerful insights that local Catholics — ranging from young adults to middle-aged adults — offered up during an interactive evening of Lenten reflection, “Life on Purpose: the Road Less Traveled,” on Feb. 25 at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard here.

“People, who take the road less traveled can live a purposeful life,” said Father Paul Manning, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan vicar for evangelization, who led the intimate reflection and discussion about conversion, sacrifice, prayer and saving love, guided by imagery and language in Scripture, poetry and art. “This invites us to enter into the spirit of the holy season of Lent.”

The title of the evening, “The Road Less Traveled,” originates from two sources: the title of a book by M. Scott Peck and the title of a poem by Robert Frost. Father Manning and the participants read Frost’s poem, which speaks about a person, who comes to a fork in the road and chooses the lesser-traveled path, which he claims famously “made all the difference.” The audience viewed several artistic renderings of the poem, many offering their own religious interpretations.

“Our Catholic faith is the road less traveled,” said Kristy Goulart of St. Joseph Parish, Mendham who moved with her husband and four daughters 23 years ago to Mendham and was thinking about going to another Christian church. “But I wanted to keep my family Catholic. I believe in the Eucharist. I couldn’t leave [the Church],” she said.

Then, a young woman spoke about putting herself “in God’s plan” and deciding to postpone her career to become a missionary. She said that following the Lord’s will has made her “a stronger believer in the Catholic Church and evangelizer” and “more equipped for life.”

God’s path brings some men to the priesthood — but often not before bringing up concerns about commitment. Father Manning talked about attending a retreat as a seminarian and being struck with the overwhelming fear that “[as a priest] I will wake up alone for the rest of my life.” Then, the Lord asked him, “Do you love me today? How about tomorrow?” Father Manning answered, “Yes, Lord, and I will.” Then, God told him, “Think about giving me your todays and tomorrows to come,” the priest said.

“Commitment today and tomorrow makes it [living out our Catholic beliefs] happen. It’s the creative, loving ‘yes’ [to God] that makes the big piece possible,” Father Manning said.

From the audience, SOLT Father Derek Anderson, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Dover, and diocesan director of catechetics, explained that the priesthood “was not a path I originally thought that I would be walking down” — a path that seemed narrow and difficult to navigate to him.

“But after knowing that it [priesthood] was the next step that I was to take and stepping out on faith onto that path less traveled, the path began to widen,” Father Anderson said. “I never would have chosen anything but the priesthood. I was made for it,” he said.

An older woman spoke about following the path less chosen, when she attended a Methodist college. On Sundays, she felt lonely, because many of her friends went to other Christian churches, while she went to Catholic Mass. “Something kept drawing me closer to the Eucharist,” she said.

Scripture also speaks of the less-worn path. In Mark 10: 52, Jesus heals a man, who then follows him on the road less traveled. In Matt 7:13, Jesus proclaims that most people will enter eternity through a wide gate of destruction, while for the few, “narrow is the gate that leads to life,” said Father Manning, who then asked the audience why few people chose to walk the lesser-worn path.

“People fear the path, because it’s different,” said Monique Caron, young adult coordinator at St. Paul’s. Then, Carolyn D’Andrea of St. Paul’s struck a reassuring tone, noting, “God only gives us what we can handle. It’s important to step on that road.”

Often, the journey on that road less traveled requires us make great a sacrifice. Participants explored this notion in the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. In the verse, the poet expresses belated appreciation for the sacrifices of his father, causing him to remark famously, “What did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices.” David Matthews from St. Michael Parish, Cranford, noted that, “When we are young, we don’t realize how much that our parents love us,” a level of commitment that often involves suffering.

“Suffering without purpose is just suffering. When we offer our suffering up to God and for other people, it becomes holy. We bear the crosses of Christ and of others,” said Father Manning, who remembered when he was a little boy that his infirm grandmother once made a great and rare effort to climb a steep staircase to check on his well-being. “It’s sacramental moments like those that teach about God and his sacrificial love — about Jesus who climbed up on a Cross to tell us how much he loves us,” he said.

Last week’s “The Road Less Traveled” reflection marks the latest in St. Paul’s “Life on Purpose” events, which “invite people to ponder life and its meaning in a lighthearted way” and “meet people where they are at.”

Information: (973) 377-1004 or visit www.insidethewalls.org