To be a just man or woman is to be a person who turns outward to other people seeing them as God sees them, which is of course with perfect and unwavering charity.

The church consistently teaches that all persons have both a fundamental right and a responsibility to have their voice heard in the public square, to promote human dignity and build the common good of society. Pope Leo XIV reiterated as much in his recent exhortation,”Dilexi Te.”

I never know what to say, but I know how to be present. And I have to hope that that’s enough.

It’s important to keep in mind that the concept of “vocation” is ultimately not about sorting ourselves or others into boxes, but rather is about discerning and embracing God’s will for us in our own unique life situation — whether or not that fits tidily into one of the above-mentioned categories.

At the bare minimum, it means that we subordinate all claims of political authority to the Lordship of Christ.

The irony of Newman being given this rare honor just now lies in the fact that the unity of the Church is threatened by recrudescent ultramontanism: not the old, 19th-century reactionary model, but a new hybrid combining Catholic progressivism in the realm of ideas with liberal authoritarianism in Church governance.

Independence, new faces and the weight of discernment can be overwhelming. But through prayer, adoration and reception of the Eucharist, I’ve learned to trust that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

In his first exhortation, “Dilexi Te” (“I Have Loved You”), Pope Leo XIV wrote movingly of Christ’s love for the poor and of our calling as Catholics also to love and serve the poor. His exhortation hit home personally.

Creating Christians who are whole human beings is all of our jobs. But it’s yours first.

I won’t miss those skeletons on the neighborhood lawns. But I treasure remembering how close we are to our beloved, living and dead.