September 4, 2008

By Dr. Mary C. McDonald

Secretary of Education, Superintendent of Catholic Schools

The label "Overnight Success" has been mistakenly used to describe someone whose achievement is actually the result of a lifetime of hard work, sacrifices, and making right choices.

From everything I heard, or experienced, being an overnight success takes a long time, much longer than one night. It is true that the world may quickly become aware of someone's success, but the long, hard struggle that led to the achievement is the real accomplishment. Ask anyone who has won an Olympic medal, overcome an addiction, found a cure for a disease, or celebrated a fiftieth anniversary, if they just started their quest the day before. Success at anything is never as easy as it looks.

Do you remember when you learned to tie your shoes, ride a bike, read? Did you give up because it took time and patience, or did you just keep working at it until you succeeded? We are all still working at something. The only difference is that the number and intensity of the things we struggle with now may require a lot more time, practice, prayer, and patience, with ourselves and others.

I guess it is patience, that quiet, persevering trust in the slow work of the Lord, that is the key to the success of the process of the transformation of ourselves from what we are, to what we can become, to be the person that God intends us to be. The most difficult lesson to learn just might be that it is never too late for any of us.

The spiritual journey requires the toughest training, and the most patience. Our pursuit of goodness will not be an overnight success. When we strive to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Mt 6:33) it won't be easy. We can be sure of a lifetime of hard work, sacrifices, and making right choices. But the reward is eternal, and the success of others inspires us along the way.

When the going gets rough, we look for those overnight successes, those ambassadors of hope, those spiritual role models who have been in similar situations, to inspire us to keep going, to try a little harder, a little longer.

In my life I have learned from the example of everyone from famous saints, to nameless sinners, and good Samaritans. And all of them, with the possible exception of the Good Thief, took longer than overnight to succeed in their quest for their heavenly reward. Just ask St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Monica, St. Peter, the woman at the well, the prodigal son, about how long the journey took. Delay does not mean disaster when we put our success in God's hands, and not in decisions that involve only worldly success.

So, when it comes to the only success that really counts, our eternal reward, we must commit ourselves to a lifelong journey with Christ, struggles and all, that will be recognized in His welcome home.