“After seven years in the religious life, I still am weak and imperfect. I always feel, however, the same bold confidence of becoming a great saint because I don’t count on my merits since I have none, but I trust in Him who is Virtue and Holiness” (St. Thérèse of Lisieux).

If It Can’t Be Measured, Does It Matter?

It was recently performance review time at work. Since we are a university, our year follows the students’ schedule: We set our performance goals in the fall and follow up on them periodically throughout the year, leading up to our final review in late spring. The slightest mention of this process elicits groans from everyone. No one enjoys this process, but we can't improve what we don’t measure, so it’s SMART goals for the win.

I think it's safe to say that we are a society that loves to track and measure. We measure our steps, our calories, and our heart rates. I have a bed that tracks my sleep. We have artificial intelligence that tells us when we need new filters on our central heating, when we’re low on milk, and when we need to order dog food. We measure how long we spend on our phones (too long), how fast we run, and how many miles we’ve logged on our Peloton bikes. We track and measure our work, home, health, and lives.

How do I track my faith journey? How do I measure that? Do I get a bumper sticker after I pray my 10,000th rosary? Is there a punch card for confession? How do I know if I’m improving if I don’t measure my progress? Can I track my way into heaven?

The short answer is “No, of course not.” Unlike the pictures we’ve seen of the giant book that St. Peter checks as we get to the gates of heaven, there is no performance management tool to measure our faith, no checkmarks in the “done” column.

Does this mean that what we do doesn’t matter? If we can't measure our faith, should we even go to confession or attend Mass or pray?

Evaluating Effort

Like millions of others, I've been listening to the Bible in a Year podcast from Ascension Press. Father Mike’s reflection on day 335 last year shook me. That day’s reading included this passage:

“Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

On the podcast, Father Mike talked about the commitment that runners have to their sport. They measure every calorie they consume. They spend hundreds of dollars on shoes and equipment and countless hours in training to shave off a few seconds of their time. Do we give this level of effort to our faith journey? Ouch, Father Mike. Ouch.

I work on a beautiful college campus that happens to be in a snow belt section of the Midwest. It's cold here, my friends. And snowy. I marvel at the runners who do their thing when it's 10 degrees with 20-mile-per-hour winds. They’ve prepared well, and a little snow and wind will not stop them from reaching their goals. What’s stopping me? If I had to walk to Mass in 10-degree weather with 20-mile-per-hour winds, would I do it?

Our priest has told us that each decision we make gets us one step closer to God or one step further away. Instead of thinking about a task to check off, maybe we should flip our thinking to, “What can I do today that gets me one step closer?” and, “How can I love and honor God today?”

Recently, someone told me that I was “almost too Catholic.” I was flattered; it’s the biggest compliment you could give me. If others can see that I’m living my faith by my actions and words, maybe that’s measure enough.

Cathi Kennedy is passionate about building relationships. At the University of Notre Dame, she advises graduate students for the Mendoza College of Business. Her background is in marketing and communications, and she recently received her MBA. Impassioned writer, voracious reader, aspiring knitter. Married to a musician and mom to two amazing sons. Cathi is a convert to Catholicism and seeks to learn something new about her faith every day. Connect with Cathi: LinkedIn • Instagram • Facebook • Blog