 |
Name
Joe Keefler |
|
Hometown
Stowe, Massachusetts |
Occupation
Husband, father, software engineer, amateur
soccer player |
Introduction
Joe Keefler plays soccer to win. Not because
he is especially good at it or because he is
paid to do so, but because that’s how
he lives his life: by throwing all his effort
into his activities to offer them to God.
Joe is a successful software engineer with a
great sense of humor. He appreciates St. Josemaria’s
teachings on turning ordinary activities into
prayer by doing them well.
What attracted you to the Spirituality
of St. Josemaria?
I wanted a way to be holy and Catholic, without
becoming a priest or joining a religious order.
St. Josemaria seemed to be the only one speaking
to me. He offered me a secular spirituality:
one that kept me in society, with no pressure
to leave my job and move to Zimbabwe. Other
people always talked about “vocations”
being only priestly or religious vocations.
This type of talk left me (and 95% of other
Christians) out in the cold. I can’t be
a priest or a monk. I’m a husband and
a father. I have a vocation, too.
What do you feel you have now that
you didn’t have before you met the Spirituality
of St. Josemaria?
St. Josemaria’s spirituality gave me a
roadmap, more structure and more apostolic zeal.
I also have a much broader view of the Catholic
Church and of Christianity in general. I can
dialogue with non-Catholics more effectively
because I can see many elements of the Truth
in other theologies without being threatened
by them.
Has it helped you get through difficult
times?
My wife and I lost one of our six children.
I can’t even express in words how difficult
it was. No one should bury their own child.
But our faith in God never faltered. Somehow
by embracing this very difficult cross, we are
closer to God, closer to each other and we see
everything else as less important. It puts life
in perspective.
Are you a happier because of St. Josemaria’s
Spirituality?
There’s no question that I am happier
after meeting Opus Dei and St. Josemaria. I’m
less attached to the things that don’t
really matter. I know where to devote my time
and energy: my family, my relationship with
God and winning souls for Christ through personal
friendships. My profession is very important,
but it is not an end in itself: only a means
to an end. It doesn’t matter where I work
or what I do as long as I pour effort into it,
do it well and offer it up with the Mass.
