A Life Worth a Million Times More (Father Simon Says)

On Fr. Simon Says, Fr. Simon introduced St. John Henry Newman, the missionary priest who came to America to serve German Catholics who had no priests, and eventually became bishop of Philadelphia. Newman’s heart shows in what he said after baptizing his first baby: “It’s worth a million times more if this baby dies in the grace of the sacrament.” For him, a lifetime of struggles was worth it if even one soul reached Heaven. Fr. Simon contrasts that clarity with the temptation to reduce Church life to endless meetings. “The meetings are the servant of the mission. The mission is to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.” Administration matters, but it must serve evangelization and, most powerfully, the sacramental life. Why the sacraments? Because Catholic faith is incarnational. “I’m not just a soul trapped in a body. My body is me.” God uses water, oil, bread, and wine to preach the Gospel to the whole person, even our flesh because “the Word became flesh.” St. John Newman never lost that priestly focus. As Fr. Simon says, “he was a priest from the day he was ordained to the day he died.” The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.