Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christopher Closeup

Home
Catholic
Religious Music & Entertainment
Never Call Yourself a ‘Bad Person,’ but Rather ‘a Saint-in-Training’

Never Call Yourself a ‘Bad Person,’ but Rather ‘a Saint-in-Training’

Last updated on: May 10, 2016 at 8:04 am by Tony Rossi

Never Call Yourself a ‘Bad Person,’ but Rather ‘a Saint-in-Training’ 2016-05-10T08:04:51-05:00 Tony Rossi

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Never call yourself a bad person, but rather “a saint-in-training.”

That’s the advice of former Director of The Christophers Father John Catoir, and it’s a truth he learned from his years counseling people as part of his priestly ministry.

Father Catoir led The Christophers from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, and the job was a dream come true for him. I recently interviewed him on “Christopher Closeup,” and we took a short stroll down memory lane. He recalled being a fan of the Christopher message since he watched early Christopher films in grammar school. On his 18th birthday, his father gave him a copy of the book “You Can Change the World,” by The Christophers’ founder, Maryknoll Father James Keller, and that sealed the deal.

Father Catoir liked Father Keller’s message that it wasn’t good enough to simply find fault with the world; you had to work to make it better because that’s what God wants you – and all of us – to do. This idea was “empowering” and “supernatural” because it gave you “a sense that God put you on earth for a reason. You have a purpose.”

When Father Catoir initially heard that the job of leading The Christophers was available, he talked himself out of applying because he thought he’d never get it. Three weeks later, he felt an impulse, which he attributes to God’s grace, to apply anyway. The rest is history.

It’s ironic that someone as devoted to spreading a message of joy and positive thinking as Father Catoir was almost derailed by negative thinking. But he learned from his mistake, and has been sharing his wisdom with the rest of the world through TV, radio appearances, and newspaper columns ever since.

Father Catoir notes that “doctors have lots of evidence to show that negative thinking will destroy your mental health.” Many hours of counseling ordinary people about their problems, as well as several years leading a ministry for recovering addicts called Eva’s Village, allowed him to see that evidence first hand.

He said, “If you have a belief that you’re not a good person, even though you’re trying to be good, that undermines your mental health—and it has to be rooted out. If you can’t say you’re a saint, you can say, ‘I’m a saint-in-training. I’m a good person, and I’m trying to get better.’ But there’s no way that you should say you’re a bad person because God made you, and everything God made is good.”

That divine goodness at the core of everything is a reason for joy, and Father Catoir has made it a point to be a messenger of joy — which is also the name of his website. This was largely influenced by Pope John Paull II’s emphasis on joy as an integral part of Christian living – and furthered by Father Catoir’s study of the gospels.

He explained, “Jesus said, ‘Be not afraid.’ And those words are repeated in the Bible 365 times from the beginning to the end, and Jesus made it a monumental point in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘Do not be afraid…Do not be anxious.’ The point was to trust the Lord, trust in His love. I found that if you didn’t express joy, there was something wrong with you. Dorothy Day called thanksgiving for God’s love ‘the duty of delight.’ We have so much going for us, God has given us so many gifts. What can you help do but be joyful and be grateful? And it changes your life, it takes you out of the blues!”

Ultimately, Father Catoir has learned that joy is a choice, so he chooses to approach life that way despite the problems that have come with aging.

Father Catoir concludes, “In the past, when I would get into a dark mood, I would pray to the Lord to lift me out of it. And as a priest, I’d often go to the hospital and visit patients. Helping others is a big way to get rid of the blues. To tell you the truth, I don’t hit any real dark moments in life [anymore] because I live in the spirit of joy, so help me God. I’m an old man, I’m 84. I’ve had three knee replacements, I don’t walk too well. And from the neck up, I’m fantastic every other day! (laughs) But I’m at a point where I could die at any time. I have a heart condition, but I’m happy as a clam! I can’t tell you I’m ready to go, but I’m gonna do as much good as I can until I am taken.”

(To listen to my full interview with Father John Catoir, click on the podcast link):

Stay in touch! Like The Christophers on Facebook:

The Christophers

Previous Post

May 4, 2016

When a Homeless Man Says He Will Pray For You

Next Post

May 12, 2016 How Sports Can Help You Win at Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Act One American Idol Andy Griffith Show Audrey Assad Baseball Bible Books Catholic Charities Christmas Christopher Awards Christopher Closeup Christopher News Notes Current Events Down syndrome Education Father Jonathan Morris Father Keller Films Forgiveness Fringe Government Hallmark History Holidays Humor Inspiration Leadership Lost Marriage Media Medical Military Movies Music NY Med Once Upon a Time Once Upon a Time Parenting Patheos Movie Club Person of Interest Politics Pope Francis Prayer Pro Life Saints Senior Citizens Signed Sealed Delivered Special Needs Sports Three Minutes a Day TV Uncategorized Volunteering Women Youth

Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Paul's first missionary journey was with Silas.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE