CHOOSING A PATH
Certain video games are designed so that certain outcomes are no longer possible based on the actions you take. This is particularly true for role playing games (RPGs) where you make choices on how to customize your character and missions. I remember playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and I could choose whether to make my character lean towards the dark side or light side of the Force. But I had to choose carefully because the game’s plot would change based on my decisions.
Like an RPG, I think we often feel like our life decisions close and open various possibilities. That’s true to a certain extent. Buying a house, choosing a career, and getting married certainly put us on a certain track. But what about happiness? What about fulfillment? Sometimes, we feel like obtaining true happiness and peace is forever out of our reach due to our choices and circumstances.
We too often believe that our choices can make achieving happiness impossible. Maybe we have some self-destructive vices and addictions. We think we are too far down the road of self-destruction that we are forever cut off from joy and peace. Perhaps we’ve done some terrible things and think that not even God can bring us back. We are like Darth Vader in Star Wars believing it’s too late to turn from our dark ways.
THERE’S ALWAYS A PATH TO HAPPINESS
The great thing about our Catholic faith is that, unlike an RPG, there is always a path to peace and happiness. God never completely closes the road to grace and eventually Heaven. There are so many unhappy souls out there that don’t understand they can always come back into God’s grace as if they never left. Sure, the path back may be harder and longer for some. After all, some of us have more damage to repair. But the victory will be the same for all of us once in Heaven no matter the paths we took to get there.
Saint Bartolo Longo‘s story shows us that everyone can return to God’s loving grace no matter how far they fall. Born in 1841 in southern Italy, he was raised in a devout Catholic family. However, after his mother’s death when he was ten, he began to drift away from his faith.
While studying law at the University of Naples, Longo became involved in the occult and eventually became a Satanic priest! His involvement in Satanism led him to a state of deep depression, anxiety, and paranoia. Concerned for his well-being, his family sought help from a devout Catholic professor, Vincenzo Pepe.
Pepe introduced Longo to a Dominican priest, Father Alberto Radente, who guided him back to the Catholic faith. Longo’s conversion was marked by his devotion to the Rosary, and he eventually became a third-order Dominican. He dedicated his life to promoting the Rosary and restoring the faith of the people in Pompeii. Longo’s journey from Satanism to sainthood is a powerful testament to the transformative power of faith and redemption.
THE LONG ROAD TO HAPPINESS
If Saint Bartolo Longo could travel from Satanic priest to saint, surely God has a way for any of us to find true happiness. I like to turn to the Fifth Joyful Mystery when thinking about our faith journey. Mary and Joseph searched for Jesus for three sorrowful days before finding him. We too, sometimes need to search in sorrow before finding Jesus in our lives. We may take all sorts of wrong turns, but if we have faith in God’s plan, even those wrong turns will ultimately bring us victory in God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
Since I’m listening to the Bible in a Year, I’m hearing stories from the Old Testament of how God never abandoned the Israelites no matter how far they strayed. He always left a path open for them. It wasn’t always a clear path and certainly not an easy one. They experienced trials and tribulations at the hands of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. God used these terrible pagan rulers like Nebuchadnezzar to ultimately redeem humanity through His son Jesus. Salvation certainly wasn’t an easy road starting from Adam and Eve’s disobedience and culminating with Jesus’ resurrection.
We need to remember that while the road can be a long and difficult one, God never closes it completely. The people who end up in Hell are the ones who stop or turn back. They know the road eventually leads to true happiness but don’t choose to go down it. When we pray the Rosary, two things happen. The road towards God’s Kingdom becomes a little easier with the help of Mary and the Heavenly court. And we can better see glimpses of that final victory out on the horizon. If you ever feel stuck, please pick up that Rosary and take a step in the right direction.
