Dom Quaglia
I didn’t hate going to Mass. My mom took me every Sunday, whether I wanted to or not. Our priest, Fr Nolan, always gave a thoughtful homily and ended Mass with a joke. Most of them were funny. Then, they gave us free donuts and I got to see some friends. Beyond that, my faith had nothing to do with how I operated my life. I followed my imagination and my impulses, not any moral code. Church was a thing we attended. Cool. I thought that was all there was to it.
One of my neighborhood friends was active at the local Life Teen parish. He wore Jesus shirts and we made fun of him for it. Finally, after months of pestering, he convinced me to come on a retreat with him. He said there was good food, a lake swing, and a favorable guy-to-girl ratio. Once we got there, we harassed our small group leader relentlessly, stealing his copy of the weekend schedule. There was something on Saturday night called “Adoration”. We didn’t know what it was, but seeing as there were two hours allotted for it, we assumed it was a movie. We showed up with blankets and snacks.
What followed was one of the most memorable and impactful nights of my life… and I had absolutely no idea what was going on. It was dark and I could hear some people crying. There was a guy playing acoustic guitar and singing. The priest walked around with the Eucharist from Mass, which made me uncomfortable because I wasn’t sure if that was allowed. Still, something happened inside. I encountered Love itself, even though I couldn’t tell you how. When the session was over, I left the group and just walked around under the stars reflecting… reflecting about God for the first time. I didn’t know what I just experienced, but I knew there was something to this ‘faith’ thing I didn’t understand yet. And even more, there was something to this ‘life’ thing I wasn’t getting yet.
Starting that day, I’ve been on a journey to know and love Jesus. I began to read about Him in Scripture. I began to learn to pray. I surrounded myself with people who wanted to do the same. I decided I wanted Him to be part of my life and that I wanted to be more like Him.
“Decision” comes from the Latin word meaning “to cut off”. Deciding to follow Christ is not just adding a new commitment to your life. Firstly, it’s cutting off your attachment to some other things. It is immense joy but not without sacrifice. I have tried and failed every day for the last 15 years. But what I knew immediately was that I wanted to share this journey with others, share about my experiences, and share about Jesus. This mission has brought me speaking to tens of thousands of people in nearly every state in the US and 10 different countries. I’m not a theologian, a model citizen, or a saint. I just talk about my life with Jesus.
The ups and downs haven’t disappointed. I’ve seen the world on this journey, but not without a lot of sleepless nights, turbulent flights, and showers in sinks. I’ve made lifelong friends on this journey, but not without losing a few companions who weren’t on board with my life choices. I met my wife on this journey, but not without some messes and heartbreak along the way. In fact, in the time since I decided to follow Jesus, my parents got divorced, I moved away from home, I got sued, I got in a car accident, I lost a job, my father passed away, and I’ve made more mistakes than I could count. But all the way through, there has been a steady stream of indescribable joy as the Lord kept inviting me back to Himself.
As I step into the next phase of my journey, transitioning from full-time ministry to real estate, one thing is constant: pursuit of Jesus. That’s all that matters. Seasons come and go. Jobs come and go. Even people do. But in every season, Jesus never changes. He constantly invites us to Himself. To love our neighbors and strangers alike. To give and not count the cost. There’s no limit to the wonders of His love that we can explore. Each day is another day to say yes.