Satisfied Hearts
One day Terry was sweeping his floors, getting ready to mop, when the doorbell rang. It was Fr. Sal from down the street. Fr. Sal was bald, walked with a...
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
“What’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life…it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.” —Scottie Scheffler after winning the 2025 British Open
The Biggest Problem in the World
One day Terry was sweeping his floors, getting ready to mop, when the doorbell rang. It was Fr. Sal from down the street. Fr. Sal was bald, walked with a slight limp, but had a youthful twinkle in his eye.
“Terry,” he said, “let’s go for a walk.”
“Just let me mop the floor real quick, Father, and I’ll be right with you.”
They strolled to a nearby park and sat on a bench. Fr. Sal turned to Terry and asked, “What’s the biggest problem in the world?”
Terry blinked. He could tell there was a “right” answer, but had no idea what it might be. He gave it a shot: “Sin, Father?”
“Well yes,” said Fr. Sal, “but what’s at the root of sin?”
“Selfishness. Disordered self-love?”
Fr. Sal nodded. “Yes, but even before that. What’s the biggest problem in the world?”
Terry racked his brain, finally conceding: “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
“Ah,” Fr. Sal smiled, “the biggest problem is formation.”
What Is Formation?
Formation is the process of becoming the person God made you to be—and living the life He meant for you to live.
The biggest problem for most of us isn’t where we’re at. If you’re reading this, you’re likely in a decent place. Maybe even a good one. Perhaps you’ve walked through fire and come out stronger. And yet… maybe you’ve hit a plateau. You start to think:
“I’ve arrived. This is it. It can’t get better than this.”
That sense of arrival is spiritual death. Because all living things are meant to grow.
This is not to belittle your journey. It’s to name the ache you already feel: you’re not done yet. There’s another level. There’s always another level.
The 4 Thirsts
St. John Paul II, with his deep insight into the human heart, named four universal thirsts—four inner hungers placed there by God Himself:
1. Intimacy with God
2. Virtuous communion with others
3. A clear vision of reality
4. A sense of meaning or purpose
These thirsts are hardwired into you. You can try to ignore them, numb them, or drown them out with busyness, shallow relationships, distractions, or even religious busywork—but those are just spiritual junk food. They cannot satisfy. They never will.
The 3 Kinds of Christians
In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola describes three kinds of believers:
1. Big talkers – They say all the right things, but constantly procrastinate, make excuses, and play the blame game.
2. Grudging givers – They’ll surrender something to God if absolutely necessary, but they’re still clinging tightly to their comfort, plans, and possessions.
3. Tremendous lovers – These are the free ones. Detaching from created goods, they’re ready to follow God anywhere, anytime, no matter the cost.
So ask yourself:
Up till now, who have you been?
Starting today, who do you want to be?
The 4 Pillars of Formation
To satisfy those four thirsts, JP2 proposed four dimensions of growth—four “pillars” of human and spiritual formation:
1. Spiritual formation – satisfies our thirst for intimacy with God.
2. Human formation – satisfies our thirst for virtuous relationships.
3. Intellectual formation – satisfies our thirst for a vision of reality.
4. Apostolic formation – satisfies our thirst for meaning and mission.
If we want full hearts, we need to feed the hunger. Otherwise, we’re just talking a good game. And it’s not enough to say you want to be a radical disciple. You have to train like one.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” —Jesus (Luke 6:46)
Training Isn’t Glamorous
What Jesus tells us to do is often the spiritual equivalent of “eat your vegetables.” It’s not glamorous. Not exciting. It doesn’t always feel good. But it is good for you. It will help you grow—to become wiser, stronger, more compassionate, more human… more divine.
And just like vegetables, formation can be doctored. If butter or ketchup helps your kids eat their broccoli, you use it—because you care about their growth and don’t want them to suffer unnecessarily.
Jesus doesn’t want you to suffer unnecessarily either. But He does want you to grow. Which is why He built a hunger for growth into your very soul. You can’t escape it. But you can learn to respond to it intentionally.
Try Something
Here’s the good news: You don’t have to have it all figured out. There’s a foolproof way to discover what God wants you to do next—try something.
Yes, just like when you make your kids try the food they’re convinced they’ll hate—just try. Especially when it comes to your intimacy with God:
- Maybe you’ve tried daily Mass but couldn’t make it work.
- Maybe you’ve tried journaling.
- Maybe you’ve tried incense, icons, devotionals, or pilgrimages.
- Maybe your most prayerful moments come sitting with coffee at sunrise.
Maybe. Maybe not. The point is: try it. Run the experiment. Then check the fruit.
“When it comes to prayer, sisters, try everything.” —St. Teresa of Avila
Conclusion: Satisfied Hearts Begin with Hungry Souls
You were made to hunger. Not for fleeting pleasures or surface-level comfort, but for the deep, soul-shaping fulfillment that only comes through formation. And here’s the promise: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
If your heart is restless, if your life feels dry or directionless, that hunger is not a sign of failure—it’s a sign of life. God has planted it there to call you deeper, further, higher.
So don’t ignore it. Don’t numb it. Don’t settle.
Start somewhere. Anywhere. Try something. Eat the vegetables. Do the reps. Take the walk. Say the prayer. Ask the hard question. Have the honest conversation.
Because the moment you choose to grow is the moment you come alive.
Let your hunger lead you to the One who alone can satisfy.
