Message from Fr. James - November 8, 2026

Manifest Holiness and Vocation

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

I ate a Dove chocolate square, and the message printed in the wrapper said, “Manifest it and you’ll make it happen.” “Manifest” has become a popular verb. Teens, athletes, and all kinds of people are trying to “manifest” the future outcomes they desire. That’s the basic idea.

That’s basically what’s so sad about it. If you “manifest” it, then you are the only one doing it, and you are the only one knowing that you are doing it. It’s not shared. It’s not communal. It’s all up to you. Manifesting is actually a very lonely way to live. An athlete was interviewed after winning a championship, and she said, “I manifested this since I was a teenager.” What about her teammates? Weren’t they also desiring it, sacrificing for it, and praying for it? Did she do all that by herself? Did she make all that happen? It’s as if no one else understood her. It’s almost as if no one else really existed. It’s as if she didn’t need anyone else.

That is what’s so unrealistic about manifesting. The truth, rather, is that I did not make myself. Someone else placed me in reality because I was wanted and chosen to be a part of it. The most obvious evidence given to me is that I did not make myself. I needed someone else in order to be me.

Finally, “Manifest it and you’ll make it happen” is just not very interesting. It is more interesting to wonder at the things I cannot make. That is science. That is also religion. Science is our relationship with the world even as we are a part of the world. Religion is our relationship with God even as God is a part of the world. I did not do that. God did that!

You could try to “manifest” things in your life, but the alternative is better. You can let God call for things in your life. That is living your life as a vocation. “Holiness” is the attitude that my life is a vocation. Let me put it this way: Mary did not manifest being the mother of God. Vocations are interesting, realistic, and happy, as your life is meant to be. In your life, you still have the responsibility and the ability to make meaningful decisions – for example – to receive sacraments, to become a priest, to become a nun, or to become a religious brother. Your personal freedom and happiness don’t fit inside a Dove chocolate wrapper. They fit inside God’s vocation for you, which is a gift and a mystery.

In Christ,

Fr. James