In the life of a Catholic woman in business, distraction can masquerade as responsibility. Messages, meetings, client demands, research, family obligations, financial pressures, and new ideas all compete for our attention. We may be working constantly while becoming increasingly fragmented within. We react quickly but discern poorly, completing tasks without remembering what all the activity is meant to serve.

I believe we must say yes to situations that are uncomfortable. Truly living as a Catholic in today’s society can be pretty uncomfortable, but I believe we can learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and maybe that is truly how God created us to be.

To understand the importance of St. Verena’s living witness to the faith, we must understand the world she was born into. Imagine choosing Christianity, not only as your faith tradition, but as your political and social environment as well. Then imagine that Christians were regularly arrested, taken to Rome, and martyred before a roaring crowd, amassed to watch you suffer and die.

While we met Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in the Gospels, we don’t learn much about them, other than they were close friends and disciples of Jesus. We don’t know how they met Jesus or whether they were related to Him. Yet, our Church has designated July 29th as the day we celebrate their lives and the impact they have had on our faith.

Joseph’s chastity, and his purity of heart, which includes but goes beyond just physical purity, enabled him to embrace God’s will, no matter the apparent cost to himself or the strenuousness of the undertaking. The pure, unadulterated gaze of Joseph’s heart upon God made it extremely sensitive and supple to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, as revealed to him by God’s messenger angels.

Risk demands faith. And faith is what activates God’s providence in our lives. Go boldly into new spaces that take you out of your comfort zone. One thing I know for sure, God is ready and waiting to meet you there.