July 21, 2025 // Perspective

Tailgating God and Forming Holy Habits

Ken Hallenius

Recently, my bride and I pulled up behind a car at a stoplight that had a bumper sticker that read, “Do you follow Christ this closely?” We both laughed at the message that was clearly meant to encourage a safe driving distance, but it got me wondering: Am I living the Christian life in such a way that I could nudge my car a little bit closer? Or even jump in their car?

I was reminded of the old joke about how we know that Honda makes the official car of the Church. St. Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “Let the members of the Church be of one Accord.”

If you are anything like me, then at times you have known what it is like to be really close to Jesus, to feel His constant and consoling presence, to listen to the readings at Mass and feel like He is speaking directly to you through the Scriptures and the homily, to be able to approach the altar for holy Communion with confidence that His body and blood will give you the grace and strength you need to face the challenges of your pilgrim journey through life. “Just a closer walk with Thee, Lord Jesus let it be,” as the old Gospel song goes.

On the other hand, perhaps like me you also have known periods of spiritual dryness, when you are more conscious of how the challenges of life have seemingly beaten you, when in the face of temptation you have sinned and not relied upon the grace that Christ offers, and instead of looking forward to receiving holy Communion, you search the parish bulletin to find out when the Sacrament of Penance is offered.

Take heart. Some of the greatest saints in history have shared these same experiences as you and me. They, too, had periods of both knowing the imminent presence of God and also the feeling that God was far away. In a letter to her spiritual director, St. Teresa of Calcutta wrote, “When I try to raise my thoughts to heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul.” Her namesake, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, experienced a “night of faith” for more than a year before her death, in which she felt that Jesus was absent, giving rise to her occasional doubt about the existence of God. Even for the saints, life is not all smiles and roses.

Learning this has been a great consolation to me. I find hope in knowing that even when I feel like I’ve failed in my walk as a disciple of Jesus Christ, that some of His greatest disciples did so as well. Discovering that I’m not the first sinner doesn’t excuse my actions, it doesn’t wave away the gravity of my sins, but it does reassure me that God remains faithful even when I fail, that His salvation is still on offer, always. God continues to gently call, to offer His grace, and to assure me of His love through the sacraments – most especially the sacraments of penance and the holy Eucharist.

One important lesson we can take from the saints, especially those who experienced occasional periods of spiritual dryness, is that perseverance makes all the difference. They kept performing the Christian duty to pray and act with love toward their brothers and sisters around them, even if they didn’t feel like they were “getting anything out of it.” As Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbor but is in fact the inexhaustible source of that service.”

I have a habit of praying the Rosary when I drive to work each morning. I keep my beads in the cupholder of my car and pick them up as I shift into reverse to head down the driveway. Some mornings, I don’t necessarily feel like praying, but when I see that the beads are there, I pick them up anyway. Usually by the time I’m a couple of Hail Marys into the first mystery, I am fully invested and present to the prayer, even if I began half-heartedly. At the moment, I may not be conscious that God is drawing me closer to Himself through prayer, but His grace is real and present, reassuring me that God is real and present. This is the fruit of perseverance, assisted by habit. All because one day I put a set of rosary beads in my cupholder and put them back when I’m done so they’re ready for my next commute.

What habits can you develop that will set you up for success in your Christian life? How can you surround yourself with reminders to pray, to perform acts of mercy for others, and to share the love of God with everyone you meet? What routines can you establish that might allow you to tailgate the car ahead of you as closely as you follow Jesus Christ?

Drive safely. And be of one Accord.

Ken Hallenius and his wife, Julie, are parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in South Bend.