Emily Dalsky
In a certain sense, I didn’t become Catholic because I chose it; I was chosen. Jesus explains: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” (Jn 15:16). I desired to embrace the Catholic faith in response to the Lord’s personal invitation. My being Catholic, then, is drawn up into the gratuity of God: “for without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).
There is some anti-logic to this notion of gratuity, at least from a contemporary worldview. At a time when self-creation has become one of our greatest cultural values, the idea of receiving our existence and even destiny from anyone but ourselves can seem antithetical to flourishing. Yet, I could deeply —and finally — rest when I realized I did not have to create myself to garner my value or worth; I am a beloved daughter. Not only could I peacefully receive myself from the Father, I also did not have to figure everything out — another predominant lie that besets us today.
I was born into a Catholic family but did not know Jesus personally. While I was respectful of the Church, I was not gung-ho. So, when my middle school catechist promoted a Catholic youth summer conference to my class, in retrospect, I wonder why I ever decided to attend — save for grace. But the Lord used my openness: That conference provided my first real encounter with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and life subsequently blossomed into living technicolor. The truth that God is personal — indeed, a community of persons in the Trinity — and died for love of me, and created me purposefully, set my heart ablaze. With this newfound vision, I knew things had to change. My tastes in music, clothing, pastimes and friendships shifted. And by grace and the support of many good Catholics, my faith deepened.
As my relationship with the Lord grew, so did my desire to share the Gospel. I spent several summers on mission serving young people across the country. I began full-time ministry work in a parish setting. I see being Catholic synonymous with mission. If we do not go out and share the Good News, the Church will die, the Word will go silent. God is, in some mysterious way, dependent on us to share his salvific message to the world. I have felt this great commission deeply since befriending the Lord.
Why do I remain Catholic? “To whom else shall we go?” (Jn 6:68). I’ve seen and tasted too much of the Lord’s goodness to go back. Jesus has chosen me — as he has chosen all of us — to bear fruit that will last. To find myself gratuitously part of this theo-drama fills me with a sense of duty and hope. I wish only to be faithful as he has been faithful to me.
Dalsky, 26, is originally from central Wisconsin. She is an active member at Holy Family in St. Louis Park. A graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Dalsky serves at Nativity of Mary in Bloomington as director of evangelization and faith formation. She enjoys reading, hiking and listening to the Hillbilly Thomists.
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