When I was twenty-one, I was bound for death. I was living like the prodigal son, filled with things of this world and not of the Lord. I returned home, and my mother sensed something was wrong. She invited me to confession. I gave a long confession with much crying and tears—and Jesus forgave my sins and showed me that He loved me and had good plans for me.

Three weeks later, I received a call from Fr. Mike Scanlon, then-president of Steubenville University. I had applied there to escape my sins, but they had denied my acceptance. Now, Fr. Mike felt the Lord wanted me to be at Steubenville. So, I went!

Fr. Mike became my spiritual director and taught me about the Holy Spirit—a person longing for relationship, like the Father and Son. He taught me about opening myself up to the Lord. Once, Fr. Mike woke up in the middle of the night and the Lord asked him to go to the perpetual Adoration chapel. When he got there, the Eucharist was gone. The Holy Spirit prompted him to drive into town and turn left on this street, right on that street, into this driveway, up to this house, through the door, and up the stairs. He listened the whole time. He opened a door and saw a satanic ritual was about to take place.

Fr. Mike said, “Give Him back.” They handed the Eucharist over, and Fr. Mike left.

The Lord wants to give us that same power to hear Him and respond. We have a responsibility to speak and act when the Lord asks us to. After graduation, the Lord called me to work in campus ministry. I wanted to know it was his will, because I was unsure about working at a very liberal school. The Lord inspired me with the story of Ezekiel, saying, “Even if they don’t listen to you, they will know that I have sent one to be among them.”

It wasn’t my job to fix things or bring healing. That’s the Lord’s job. I just had to open myself up and say, “Come and be here, Lord.”

That time became such a gift! On a mission trip, I prayed with people who received the Lord’s healing, and we saw multiplication of food and conversions of students who had not been catechized or even baptized. It was beautiful, because we were seeking more. That’s what I want for my life: more of the Holy Spirit and more of his glory, every day. The Lord wants that for us as well.

As I drove my children to school one day, I felt prompted to ask the Lord to help us seek his voice. We prayed, “Jesus, who do You want us to love today?”

Then, I asked them to listen to his reply in their hearts. My son said that the Lord wanted him to be loving to a certain boy who did not have many friends. Later that day, that boy was chosen last when they picked teams for soccer. Then, some kids began making fun of him. My son knew the Holy Spirit wanted him to talk to the boy, so he went over and said, “It’s so good you’re here. I’m glad you’re on my team.”

These are simple things, but my son is six, and he was obedient to what the Holy Spirit asked. There are souls at stake who don’t know the glory of the Holy Spirit. We are called to show them love, joy, and wonders, and to speak words of knowledge and prophecy into their lives. We must invite the Lord to break through—by means of our own vulnerability, humility, and obedience—so that this country becomes a beacon of blazing fire for the Lord.

This article is condensed from a talk given at the 2025 Lift Jesus Higher Rally in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can listen to it here. The article originally appeared in Renewal Ministries’ June 2025 newsletter.