Every year it seems easier to become overwhelmed by the challenges and needs of the world, the community, our parishes, 
our poor, so much so that we never move out in faith to fill any of those needs. But every journey begins with the first step. The journey of faith is no different. If God can feed thousands with a few loaves of bread why do we doubt what God can do with our meager efforts?
A source of encouragement for me has been Dorothy Day, social activist, writer, Catholic convert and woman of great faith who believed that the Gospel call to holiness was possible for all of us. She wrote,"People say, 'What is the sense of our small effort?' They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time."
She keeps me walking, and building with my little bits and pieces, even on those days when I feel like, "What's the use?"
Chris Barbalis photo on Unsplash.