This article originally appeared in The Vantage student newspaper, published April 25, 2024.
Written by Elise Helfrich, guest writer
My time at Newman has definitely shaped the way that I live and how I view the world. Among many other things, I have learned the value of investing in relationships and not getting too caught up in work, and I am more committed than ever to infusing my faith into everyday life.
As Father Adam Grelinger would say, this is all “His-story.” Our lives and our history book knowledge is all intertwined with Salvation History. They are one and the same, and we cannot fully understand the world and our place in it without God.
That principle is something that I am very excited to live out in my future career. For a while, though, I struggled with reconciling two of my main passions: my Catholic faith and dental health care. I worried about feeling fulfilled in a career that is usually a secular one, devoid of space for God. After much prayer, thought and conversation, it finally hit me: Who says I have to follow the way that it has often been done? Why can’t I make faith the center of my day in a medical field?
Science and health care might be areas with a secular reputation, but that’s largely because there is a shortage of employees who live out their faith boldly — and it doesn’t have to be that way. I want to do my part in changing that standard, and I encourage all of you to join me.
We were made to live vocationally, not occupationally, and we need to work towards a world that prioritizes who we are rather than what we do. We are all called to different paths in life, but all of our vocations include living our faith well and sharing it with others.
We were made to live vocationally, not occupationally, and we need to work toward a world that prioritizes who we are rather than what we do.
Elise Helfrich
In short, our vocation is to become saints. No matter what profession you’re currently in or are going into, you can find ways to be Christ to others, even if that simply means serving joyfully with the love of God. Our world and our culture is in desperate need for a relationship with Christ, and it is our job to make that happen.
Such change comes about in everyday moments with regular people like you and me. We need holy teachers, coaches, lawyers, etc. who will radically live the faith and be missionaries in their own cities.
Is it a difficult task? Absolutely. Are we going to be frustrated and discouraged at times? Most likely. But is it worth it? Without question. Nothing easy was ever worth doing, as they say, and we need to work towards sainthood in every facet of our lives so that we can help others become saints with us. That is how we can transform society.
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