All are called to holiness, and holy people alone can renew humanity — St. (Pope) John Paul II.

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In the middle of this sea of gorgeous faces (above) sits Wendy Pottratz. She’s the mom in this beautiful family, and a woman of deep, inspiring faith. I have only recently come to know her a bit better.

Wendy and I work together on the Gospel of Life committee at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church. When she joined our group, she made an immediate impact with her holiness as well as her leadership and passion for our pro-life ministry. We are also both parents with children attending Guerin Catholic High School. Wendy is sunny, articulate, witty, and an authentic lover of the Lord. I find her energy and passion inspiring!

Several months back, I agreed to take on a writing and editing role for the high school’s new “parent to parent” newsletter. I mentioned to Wendy that the principal and chaplain at GC were both interested in us running something which might help parents navigate the terrain when it comes to overseeing teens and their technology. She promptly volunteered to contribute a piece that spoke to this topic from the perspective of spirituality and our responsibility as parents.

Today, I finally read her work and it made me sit down my iced tea and take a deep breath. I said a prayer and thanked Jesus for sending this wise mom into my life. When she suggested to the readers in this article (that I am editing now) that it might be wise to ask oneself as a parent if a child would watch a particular program, YouTube video, or use the app if Jesus was sitting on the couch with them…? Well, she made me think. She talked about how we vowed before God at their baptisms to keep our children safe from the poison of sin, and she suggested that our concern should be whether or not our decisions as parents are glorifying God.

I’m going to be brutally honest. It’s been a while since I’ve given consideration to how I might stand before the Lord and answer to God about baptismal promises. Heck, I barely remember my kids baptism days. I was probably sleeping standing up with baby spit up all over my shoulder. It’s a blur. That’s the thing about Wendy. When I am around her, I leave her thinking MORE about Jesus and less about myself and my own petty concerns and excuses. Her goodness and faithfulness is fruitful. She helps me remember who I am and to whom I ultimately belong.

Thank you, Wendy, for sharing your sunshine and your beautiful, faithful heart…with all of us in your path. You inspire in me a desire to love the Lord a little more each time I see you!

“For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)