By Joel Padgett
Connecting Liturgy and Life
Editor’s note: For 2026, the weekly “Connecting Faith and Life” column has been renamed “Connecting Liturgy and Life.” The column consists of reflections on Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which focuses on the Liturgy and the Sacraments.
cf. CCC 1427-1439
There are a few phrases that I often find myself repeating. One of them is: “It’s a process.” In general, I think that our society is often hyper-focused on end results. Don’t get me wrong. Results are important. They are often the purpose for which we actually do something. However, when we hyper-focus on the end result, there is the danger of devaluing the process of arriving there. Somewhat ironically, this can have the unintended consequence of damaging what would have otherwise been a good result. For those who enjoy cooking, for example, you know that some meals simply can’t be rushed. A healthy process often involves quality time and attentive dedication that is not well respected by immediate gratification.
Process and result also matter on a supernatural level. God created us for union with him, beginning in this life and reaching its completion in heaven. Communion with God — alongside all of the angels and saints — is the end goal. However, we often describe the process with a different term: conversion. Even if you are able to point to a certain “conversion moment” in your life, you probably also recognize that conversion is never a once-and-done. This is due to the fact that the process of conversion actually entails two distinct but interconnected aspects: initial conversion and ongoing conversion.
Obviously, Jesus wants us to obtain our end goal of union with him. It’s a primary reason for his Incarnation. But he also wants us to pay attention to process. The Gospels tell us that Jesus went about proclaiming, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). This “repent and believe” is connected to what is called a person’s initial or — more technically — “first and fundamental” conversion. It is primarily aimed at “those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel.” Typically, “the primary place for the first and fundamental conversion” is baptism, since “it is by faith in the Gospel and by Baptism that one renounces evil and gains salvation” (CCC 1427). People who were baptized as infants may have different experiences of their first conversion. For some, it may be that they feel like they have always believed in Christ and that their belief has never really called into question. For others, they may have experienced a more marked “conversion moment” at a later moment in life.
Regardless of how a person experiences their first and fundamental conversion, Christ’s call to conversion always goes beyond an initial moment. Indeed, it must continue to “resound in our lives” as Christians. This ongoing conversion, or continual conversion, is sometimes referred to as “second conversion,” and it is aimed toward the process of an ongoing conversion of our hearts — our very selves — to God. It must be for us — and for the whole Church — an “uninterrupted task” as we are “always in need of purification … penance and renewal” (CCC 1428).
The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” lists a number of elements — many of them quite practical — that conversion entails. Interesting enough, these elements are both a fruit of conversion and a catalyst for further conversion. I think it would be well worth prayerfully meditating upon them. Here are some of the ones it lists:
— “fasting, prayer, and almsgiving … effort at reconciliation with one’s neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one’s neighbor … the practice of charity” (CCC 1434)
— “gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defense of justice and right, … the admission of faults to one’s brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, … acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution … taking up one’s cross each day and following Jesus” (CCC 1435)
When we sincerely look at all that ongoing conversion entails, it can appear daunting, and understandably so. Without God’s grace, it would indeed be impossible, but — as Scripture tells us — God’s “grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9) and “for God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). It’s important to keep the “endeavor of conversion is not just a human work.” Above all, we are “drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first” (CCC 1428). Praise God that he never tires of strengthening us by his grace and drawing our hearts ever more fully unto himself!