(LifeSiteNews) — Like most Catholic men, I have asked God to help me grow in virtue and become more like St. Joseph. But one Christmas Eve, God answered my prayer in an unexpected, and enlightening, way.
A few years ago, we bought my oldest son a toy kitchen. Of course, it was not one of those single, plastic kitchens that just needed the stickers put on, but rather a set composed of, and this is a rough estimate, 15,000 pieces. The “wood” is also that cheap, soft wood that you can’t use a power drill on because it will rip it apart.
As I began putting it together over a five- or six-hour period, I did become a bit frustrated as I may or may not be inclined to do, at having to spend my Christmas Eve and day off of work putting together this kitchen.
Since we were trying to surprise my son with it, I also had to work on it upstairs away from him and my wife so I was pretty much alone upstairs with just the kitchen, myself, and Sensus Fidelium talks. I like Fr. Ripperger talks as much as the next LifeSiteNews reader, but there is a certain point when I can only listen to so many YouTube videos.
And then I had a realization – how often had I prayed to be more like St. Joseph, and now God was giving me an opportunity to be a tradesman like him, in a way – and on Christmas Eve, too!
Of course, putting together a toy kitchen from cheap plastic and fake wood from China is not exactly like fashioning a makeshift home in a cave in Bethlehem for the birth of our Savior using rudimentary tools.
But the truth is that in today’s modern age, with our comforts and relative safety, few have the exact same opportunity to live like martyrs or other saints of old.
So here is the broader point – when we pray to grow in virtue, we should be open to the ways God will answer our prayers.
Maybe we think naively that God will just make it so we’re more patient, or don’t struggle with a particular sinful inclination, or just in a general way we become better people.
The truth is that we are given opportunities every day to live like saints if we keep our eyes, and heart, open. When we pray for God to make us more like saints, we should not think that will make our life easier – instead, God might be calling us to live a more difficult life, like the brave and holy people before us. Even if “a more difficult life” is still going to be relatively easy compared to early Christians.
How many of us think we would totally have been willing to be martyred in the 2nd century but won’t have a difficult conversation with a friend or family member? Or likewise, how many of us think we would have stayed at the foot of the cross with Christ, but have never spent one hour praying outside of an abortion facility for the women, men, and babies most in need? I’m definitely guilty.
This Christmas season, and as we head into the new year, we should be open to the ways God is answering our prayers and pushing us to live a holier life.
