I drive a lot.
To put that in perspective, over the past 31 months, I logged around 48,000 miles, roughly twice around the world, so to speak. There are the typical 2 to 3 hour commutes to assignments in the tri-state area, and then there are the marathon, 10+ hour jaunts, like from Indianapolis to New Jersey, or the Navajo Nation to Palm Desert. It’s a lot of coffee. A lot of fuel.
And a lot of podcasts.
Podcasts are amazing. You can listen to experts on pretty much anything and go as deep into a subject as you want. Of course, I listen to countless Catholic Podcasts, like Fr. David Michael Moses, Bishop Barron and Pints with Aquinas. But I also like to listen to podcasts that talk about exceptionalism; people who’ve achieved amazing things in any genre. I like to hear about what drives them, their background, their training, and their lifestyle. It’s fascinating. From the Marc Andreessens to the Michael Jordans of the world, it’s inspiring to see the heights one can rise to with discipline and an unrelenting spirit.
Recently I’d traveled to Los Angeles to cover the visit of the Relics of St. Therese of Lisieux to the area, and while driving I would listen to podcasts and audiobooks about her life to immerse myself in her story. And she is certainly an exceptional person. What struck me wasn’t just her holiness, but the fierce discipline and spirit behind it—the same kind of focused intensity I’d been hearing about in all those podcasts about worldly champions.
My initial interest in her came by way of her sister Celine, aka: Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face, whose groundbreaking skills with the ancient camera she had gave us the photos of St. Therese that we now know and love.
In the corner of my tiny office, there’s a photo of young Celine with some cousins and friends. In it they’re standing on a bridge with a collection of rifles laughing and having a good time.
I’m fascinated by the entire scene it portrays…including the rifles.
When I was a kid, shooting was second nature. I’d achieved several little medals with a well-worn, single-shot, bolt-action .22, and I fondly remember shooting clays with my father at the Sportsman’s Center in Croton. I’ll never forget the first time we returned home from the range. “Little Jeffrey”, probably about 10, came bursting in the house, beaming, not wasting a single second to tell my Mom about the incredible time we had and how loud that new Winchester Model 1200 was. I was about a minute into my highly animated tale of adventure when my mother’s smile faded from her face and turned to a look of horror. She pulled back my shirt lapel on the right side, revealing my completely black and blue shoulder, which was immediately followed by a deafening “RIICCCHHHARDDD!!!” Needless to say, my humbly apologetic father had a recoil pad installed on the stock later that week.
But back to the present.
I arrived home from LA and settled into my car in the Philadelphia International Airport Economy lot, an hour and half drive ahead of me to home, I opened up Spotify and saw a podcast by Cam Hanes who’s one of the best bow hunters in the world. I know little to nothing about bow hunting. (Also, his son, Truett, holds the world pull-up record.) On the podcast he would be speaking with a young woman, Lena Miculek, who has 10X world champion titles in shooting, and a plethora of other accomplishments. “Sure, why not,” I thought.
To make a long story, or more like a long podcast, short as it was a nearly two-hours long, both her mom and dad are world champions and world record holders as well. As she described the life she lived —the discipline, the focus, the training —it was clear that she, like so many other ultra-high achievers, had a passion and drive that had led her to heights few others ever reach.
Fascinating, I thought.
So as I dropped my gear in my office later that night, I glanced at the photo of the gun-toting posse led by Celine on the wall and smiled. I wondered for a moment how good a shot she was.
Then I thought about her sister, Therese, the Saint, whose life I’d just immersed myself in. And that’s not unironic, because everything Celine did invited us to know her sister and her “little way.”
I never thought of saints in terms of “award-winning,” but there are some parallels, especially if you translate that to “exceptionalism,” of which she indeed defines. Spiritual exceptionalism. The kind of exceptionalism that lasts through all eternity. The kind that matters most.
Lena Miculek trains for hours every day, analyzing every shot, adjusting her stance by millimeters, controlling her breathing down to the second. Therese did the same thing, but with her soul. She called it her “little way”—turning every mundane moment into target practice for perfect love. Picking up a pin from the floor became an act of love. Smiling at a difficult sister in the convent when she wanted to snap back—that was her perfect shot under pressure.
World champions have coaches studying their every move. Therese had Jesus, and she studied His every Word with the intensity of an Olympic athlete reviewing game tape. She didn’t just read the Gospel; she lived it, breathed it, adjusted her spiritual stance according to it.
And just like those podcasts where champions talk about visualization and mental preparation, Therese spent hours in prayer, preparing her heart for the next opportunity to choose love over irritation, patience over frustration, generosity over selfishness. She wasn’t aiming for medals that would tarnish or records that would eventually be broken. She was training for an eternal crown.
The discipline was the same. The daily grind was the same. The difference? Her arena was a small Carmelite convent in Lisieux, and her achievement was becoming so exceptional at love that she’d be declared a Doctor of the Church, her “little way” transforming millions of souls over a century after her death at just 24.
Because the thing that all of the saints excel at can be summed up in one word.
Love.
They strive to love God with all their strength. They strive to love those around them as God loves them.
And as Therese would say, so perfectly: “My vocation is Love!”
I’ll keep on listening to these podcasts about exceptional people from all walks of life. Because it shows what’s possible if we truly commit ourselves, and often there are lessons that translate well to the spiritual realm.
And is it possible to be a great marksman, or athlete, or artist, and a great saint? I don’t see why not.
But if you had to choose only one thing to be exceptional at...
Choose Love.
Upcoming Relic Pilgrimage Stops:
Visit https://stthereseusa2025.com/ for more details
San Antonio, Texas & Carmels throughout the South (October 31-November 14)
Holy Hill, Wisconsin (November 15-18)
Washington, DC and surrounding areas (November 19-30)
Miami, Florida (December 1-8)
And you can learn more about the lives of the Martin sisters and their Saintly parents here: https://archives.carmeldelisieux.fr/en/
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You have my heartfelt thanks for your generosity and support, and please keep me in your prayers, and know of mine for each of you. God Bless, Jeff