Catholicism does not call us to be passive. It calls us to act, to respond, to wake up, writes Peter Kasko
We often find ourselves working with all sorts of people in the workplace. Some are friendly, others not so much, and others yet – well, let’s just say they don’t care about anything or anyone. One such colleague of mine is like a guardian: looking out for me, spoiling me with treats and sharing bits of wisdom and life experience. There’s a quiet strength in the way this person carries themselves, like someone who’s weathered more storms than they let on. Just having this person around makes the day feel a little lighter – like knowing someone’s always in your corner.
This guardian often uses the familiar expression, “if you snooze, you lose.” It’s a rather poetic way of saying that hesitation or delay can cause you to miss out on something good. Recently, it got me thinking in the context of my faith and Christian background. As practicing Catholics, we are called to many things – sharing the Good News with the world around us, or taking up our daily crosses and following Jesus, to name but a few. But before I go any further, let me backtrack a little in this little essay.
Commitment
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how hard commitment can be, especially in the world we live in now. Everything moves so fast, and we are constantly told to keep our options opened, to not settle, to always be ready for the next best thing. I have felt that pull myself – whether it was hesitating to say yes to a meaningful thing or holding back because I was afraid of the cost and making a fool of myself. And this caused me to question my dedication. Unfortunately, this mindset doesn’t just stay in the small stuff. It creeps into bigger things like relationships, career or personal projects. And it most certainly creeps into how I live my faith.
The truth is, that mindset tends to become a recurring theme: a tendency to waver, to remain in a state of indecision, rather than fully committing myself. Some of us, if not most, certainly experienced a similar moment, where this lack of commitment leaves us feeling adrift, unable to anchor ourselves firmly to one path. We tell ourselves our intentions are good, yet when the moment arrives to take decisive action, we falter. I falter. The disciples faltered. Peter, most famously, denied Jesus three times – just moments after boldly declaring he would never leave His side, even offering his life. And this internal conflict, this fear of the definitive, keeps me – keeps us – suspended in a lukewarm existence.
Some time ago, I joined a small study group on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. At first, I thought it would be a nice way to brush up on what I already knew, maybe deepen my understanding a bit. But as we began reading and discussing together, something unexpected happened – I realised just how high the bar is set for us as Catholics. Page after page, teaching after teaching, I was struck by the depth, the challenge, and the beauty of the life we are called to live. I did not see it, I was blind. I had been living with a vague sense of faith, but I was oblivious to the bigger picture – the call to holiness, to virtue, to mission. It was humbling, almost jarring. But it was also awakening.
It brought to mind the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Mat 7, 13-14)
Discipleship
This passage is a clear call for intentional discipleship. It is a call to choose virtue, self-sacrifice and obedience to God in a world that often promotes the direct opposite. At first, it feels like an invitation, not a warning. It is a reminder that Christian life is not meant to blend in with the world, but stand apart, often uncomfortably so. And maybe I had been drifting too long on the broad road, assuming I was fine, lulled by the comforting idea that simply being a “good person” was enough – while quietly missing the narrow, costly beauty of the path Christ calls us to.
God speaks in real time. He moves in the here and now. And if I am always waiting for the perfect moment, I might sleep through the one He is offering me”
That realisation stirred something in me. I looked back at moments in my life – nudges I ignored or invitations from God I treated as optional or postponed indefinitely. Not because I didn’t care, but because I kept telling myself there would be time. Later. When I’m more prepared. Suddenly, “if you snooze, you lose” hit me on a much deeper level. It wasn’t just about procrastinating on everyday tasks. It was about spiritual slumber, missing the grace of the present moment. The truth is, God speaks in real time. He moves in the here and now. And if I am always waiting for the perfect moment, I might sleep through the one He is offering me.
You see, Catholicism does not call us to be passive – it calls us to act, to respond, to wake up. The Catechism reminds us that faith is both a gift and response. (CCC 166) It is not enough to admire the truth from a distance, we are invited to step into it, even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. Especially then.
This all was highlighted to me this past Sunday, the Divine Mercy Sunday. At Mass we heard the Gospel according to John, where the risen Jesus appears to his disciples, breathes the Holy Spirit upon them, and says: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” It’s such a simple, powerful moment – He doesn’t just comfort them, He commissions them. And he does the same with us. We are not meant to stay behind locked doors of fear or doubt. We are sent. We are empowered. We are called.
Catechism
I could not help but think of my catechism study group. Week by week, our conversations and shared reflections have quietly shaped us, challenged us and helped us our faith with new eyes. Helped me to see my faith with new eyes. I am grateful for that small circle of people who kept and keep showing up, wrestling with big truths, and supporting one another as we all try – imperfectly – to walk the narrow path together as sisters and brothers in Christ. And to this I invite all of you – to walk together the narrow path as we seek to follow Christ more closely each day.
Peter Kasko is a core team member of Living Water prayer group, which meets every Wednesday at 7:15pm in St Teresa’s Church, Clarendon Street, Dublin, and has a passion for Theology and Patristics.
