Not Just Wearing the Jersey
A Call to Catholics Already in the Fight
There’s a familiar and growing trend today: people who proudly identify as Catholic while rarely — if ever — practicing the faith. They treasure the cultural identity, the family memories, the warm associations… but not the sacraments, not the moral transformation, not the mission of the Gospel. They are “cultural Catholics.” They aren’t all bad. Sometimes Cultural Catholicism is the thread they hold on to that keeps them connected to the Church; a thread that could lead them back to the Church. But there are also Cultural Catholic who aren’t holding on to a thread at all, their Catholic Identity is just lip service.
While we pray for them and want them home, this reflection isn’t directed at them. This is for those who are already showing up.
Those who make room in their week for Mass. Those who pull into the parish parking lot even on the days when every excuse whispers “not today.” Those who choose Confession even when it means admitting what’s uncomfortable. Those who pray when no one sees — who wrestle, who repent, who keep beginning again.
You already know what it means to be on the field, not just in the stands. You’ve chosen not only the Catholic identity, but the life that comes with it. And because of that, I want to encourage you.
Your Faithfulness Isn’t Small — It Moves Heaven
We live in a world drowning in moral, philosophical, and spiritual confusion. In that world, simply remaining faithful is an act of rebellion against the darkness. Each time you choose honesty over convenience, virtue over vice, worship over comfort, charity over cynicism, you are pushing back the night. You may not feel like a warrior, but Hell knows exactly who you are. Your quiet fidelity has eternal weight.
And though the headlines will overlook you, Heaven never does. The saints are cheering for you along side God.
You Give the Church Her Credibility
A Church full of cultural Catholics can shout its doctrines all day long, but who will listen if no one is living them? Who will believe it if it’s just lip service? The Gospel becomes believable only when hearts are changed, and the people who take this faith seriously are the ones who make that witness possible. You don’t demonstrate the credibility and power of the faith by your arguments, but by your lives. The best evidence for the evil of communism is the communist uprising. The best evidence for the goodness and power of the Catholic Faith is her saints (or her saints-in-the-making).
The Church’s reputation in the world is upheld by those who are letting Christ reshape them, daily and painfully. That means you.
Holiness Is Hard for a Reason
Being Catholic isn’t supposed to be easy the moment you start taking it seriously. If the path feels steep, that’s a sign you’re on it. The saints didn’t get holy by being comfortable. They were refined by surrender, by virtuous habit, by perseverance. Christ doesn’t ask for admiration. He asks for change. And real change demands we cooperate with grace, even when it hurts.
Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re failing more than you’re succeeding. But only those who are fighting notice the wounds. The ones who are coasting rarely feel the weight of their armor.
Take heart: if Catholic life feels like work, it’s working.
Keep Going. We Need You.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your efforts matter because the world seems so loud and your life so ordinary, please hear this: your fidelity strengthens the entire Body of Christ. Your hidden yeses honor the martyrs. Your struggles remind the Church what discipleship actually looks like. Your obedience is helping keep the light of the Gospel shining in a world that has forgotten the sun.
So do not stop. Do not settle. Do not think for a moment that God is overlooking what costs you something. The banner you hold? You’ve earned the right to carry it and you keep earning that right every time you rise again and continue the climb toward Heaven.
Stay in the fight.
There is glory on the other side of this struggle — and you are bringing others there with you.
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