Finding grace in every joy and challenge

by Adam Storey | January 16, 2024

My family and I ended 2023 with a wedding, as we were privileged to witness dear friends enter into the sacrament of marriage. 

The wedding was out of town. We rented a house with other close friends, so the whole weekend was filled with fellowship, laughter, and excitement. 

Kara and I left the weekend feeling filled up; it was a gift to us to enter the New Year on such a high note. Whether it was watching the profound joy in the bride and groom’s eyes, or laughing with friends at our rental house, or dancing with my four-year-old daughter non-stop at the reception (she wouldn’t even let her mom cut in), the whole weekend was marked by a deep freedom and a profound hope. 

This couple, and the whole wedding, was a reminder to us that “Holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” (Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” 9). 

Now, the guests probably wouldn’t attribute any particular holiness to themselves, but this was the “ordinary holiness” that Pope Francis often speaks of. It was an example of a dependence on God and a confidence in him that can transform every aspect of our lives, even the most mundane. 

The community was a living witness to Pope Francis’ observation that “to depend on God sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to recognize our great dignity.”   

This is not to say the wedding guests were perfect, or completely detached from the daily struggles of life. In fact, one of the joys of the weekend was an opportunity to talk with our friends about struggles, trials, and questions on our hearts. 
Instead, it was a reminder that even in the midst of struggles, the Lord invites us to freedom and joy, and that this is an invitation extended to us all.

The wedding truly was a gift, which helped set 2024 off on the right foot for my family.

My prayer for this year is that we can continue to walk in this graced awareness, this freedom and joy which comes from the love of Jesus. 

And I pray that all of us may recognize that grace in our lives, in every circumstance and trial! 

Adam Storey is on the Evangelization & Mission team. He can be reached at 515-237-5056 or astorey@dmdiocese.org.