There are a lot successful businessmen and women here at Saint Andrew and one of the strategies I've learned from working with them is the benefit of knowing a single aspect of a subject really well. Rather than trying to do everything, know everything, or solve everything, there is wisdom in excelling at one thing better than anyone else. For example, it could be perfecting a specific medical procedure or becoming an expert in a niche application of law—one that’s often overlooked in fields like real estate, corporate management, or taxation. I’ve seen many parishioners succeed by doing one thing exceptionally well, rather than trying to juggle a multitude of tasks that anyone could do with the framework of generic mediocrity. 

The proverb that explains this is that it is better to go an inch wide and a mile deep than a mile wide and an inch deep. Mathematicians will argue that the volume of the equation is the same, but most of us know the premise. For a human being, the exhaustion of covering a great distance is harder than being responsible for a small area and covering that area well. (May all Chicago sports teams pick up on this in the coming year!)

This perspective isn't just true in business or academia or government management, it is also true in our spiritual life. Our spiritual lives can be dominated by the desire to play "cover all" as if it were participating in a bingo game. The idea of doing "more" or doing "better" gets translated as more prayers, more devotions, more religious items, more, more, more... It is tempting in the season of Lent to get misguided by the premise that you need to add more width in your spiritual life. ie. Last year I gave up coffee for Lent, this year I'm going to give up coffee and meat, and sugar.... and I'll probably just end up miserable and unsuccessful. 

Instead of trying to add more width, how about trying to add more depth? Instead of trying to cover everything, why not just try to do one thing well? 

I hope that there are a few heads nodding with a sense of affirmation and openness to the suggestion. But then comes the question "How?" In a world that programs us to only skim the surface, especially spiritually, how do we go deep? 

The insight I bear from my own experience is to invite you to slow down and allow enough to be enough. If your commitment is to pray the rosary, then really pray it. Take time. Don't rush. If your commitment is to not drink coffee this Lent, then every time you habitually reach for that cup of coffee, slow down and appreciate the decision that you have made and are making. I think the activity that is least productive in our spiritual life is to repress or bypass what you are doing just to get it over with. That's just skimming the surface and going for "more" by going for supposed "width." Instead, slow down, realize what you are doing, and be mindful of why you made that decision and what you hope it will bring to your spiritual life. Go deeper. That will allow you to own the space of your own spiritual growth and ultimately arrive at the "more" that you seek.  

I'd be remiss if I didn't add onto this reflection that I believe a profound way to go deeper would be to attend and participate in both or one of the two nights of our parish mission this Sunday and Monday. Our speaker who is recognized internationally will be guiding us on a journey of going deeper and developing the emotional, mental, and spiritual skills that lead us to deeper resiliency. I may be contradicting myself by inviting you to do another thing this Lent, especially if you weren't planning on it, but I urge you to come because I know it will not be something that just skims the surface. It will help provide insight in how you can find the depth we often pass over in our everyday, busy lives. 

Please join us! 

Dare to be Resilient - The parish mission will be held on Sunday, March 30, 2025 from 6:00pm to 7:30om and on Monday, March 31, 2025 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm held in the parish chapel - 3557 N. Hermitage.

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