I, too, am blessed to be an adult convert. Have been so for some 31 years now–about half of my life. Married for 37 years to a life-long Catholic, she never overtly evangelized me but led me to the faith through the example of her life of love & charity.

In 1999 I had the good fortune to attend a Cursillo weekend. Ever since then I have been keenly interested in the challenge of integrating our faith into all areas of my life. It was on that weekend that I was first introduced to the teaching that the laity has an essential role to play in the foremost mission of the Church, which is to bring Christ to the world.

The Cursillo movement teaches a particular method of advancing that goal which I have found to be most effective. First, there is the tripod of prayer, study and action. We commit ourselves to developing a routine of daily prayer, frequent participation in the sacraments and regular spiritual direction. Similarly, we commit to daily study of our faith–especially of sacred scripture. Lastly, we commit to making an effort each day to share the light of Christ with another person in some way, great or small.

The movement also teaches that the most effective way to evangelize is “make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.” It recognizes that the most effective way to turn another towards a deeper love of our Lord is by taking the time necessary to develop a relationship that will allow meaningful sharing on matters of such importance.

Finally, there is what is called the “perseverance method.” Knowing that the challenge of living such a life–as you describe it, an integrated Catholic life–is difficult, we meet with other members of the movement on a weekly basis to share how well or poorly we have kept our commitments over the past week. It is hard to explain just how much these weekly meetings have meant to me. The 4 friends with whom I have been meeting for many years keep me grounded, accountable and inspired.

In connection with the study commitment, I, too, have found the writings of St. Jose Maria Escriva to be extraordinarily helpful. In particular, I enjoy his homily on St. Joseph’s Workshop in “Christ Is Passing By” and have read it several times. Others to whom I have recommended it have told me how much they like it. Scott Hahn’s book, “Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace,” is also a resource to which I have turned frequently for encouragement & inspiration. Very soon, I will add your works to my collection.

Over the past several years, it has occurred to me that if I would be so bold as to try to bring a friend to Christ I should know Christ very, very well. In my daily lectio divina prayer with the Mass readings for the day, therefore, I ask Jesus to reveal Himself more fully to me, especially as He was when He was working in Joseph’s workshop. Since I continue to work a full work week and expect to do so for many more years, it seems to me that it is profitable for me to model my living out of my faith on the example of Christ the worker as well as Christ during his public ministry.

I am encouraged to believe that this understanding is correct by the consistent teaching of Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict that the highest priority of any prayer, practice, ritual or effort at evangelization must be knowledge of the person of Christ.

And I think the Lord has answered my prayers. Not in visions, apparitions, voices or similar experiences; but in the thoughts, ideas & promptings that occur to me. Without going into detail because I believe that Jesus invites everyone to come to know Him through their own encounter with Him in prayer, it suffices to say that the “workingman’s Christ” that I am coming to know is an enormously appealing friend to me. He is someone I would love to introduce others to know.

On a more mundane level, I might also note that I live in the New Orleans area. Have lived here all of my life except when I was in college. Therefore, I experienced the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Our house was flooded, but my workplace was not. One of the blessings that I received from that experience was a deeper appreciation and understanding of just how important my “ordinary work” can be if approached with a Christ-like attitude. Before the storm, I saw my work primarily as a way to provide for myself and my family. Afterwards, it was so very clear to me that the profits I earned benefited not just myself and my family, but the entire staff of the firm for which I worked. In fact, they depended on me. Ever since, I have approached my daily work with that appreciation and have found that doing so makes it so very much more meaningful. I am fairly well convinced that when our Lord was living his so called “hidden life” as a working man, His holiness consisted in part of a similar attitude towards His work.

Please continue your wonderful work. I look forward to visiting your website frequently and encouraging others to do likewise. It is now part of my “study” commitment.

Warmest regards,

Bill