COLUMBIA—Chris Stefanick uses a current turn of phrase to describe how true faith in Christ and His love envelops every part of our lives.
“There are no safe spaces in Christianity,” Stefanick told a large crowd at the Basilica of St. Peter on Jan. 24.
It was the second night of his REBOOT session, a two-hour event that challenges people to realize the enormity of Christ’s love for them and to change their lives because of it.
Stefanick is an author and speaker who founded the Denver-based Real Life Catholic, a nonprofit that is headquarters for his multi-faceted ministry that encourages people to live a bold faith.
He spreads his message through speaking engagements, videos, radio spots and his EWTN show, “Real Life Catholic,” which spotlights everyday people living out their faith.
Stefanick took his REBOOT program to the Basilica for the first time and tickets for both nights sold out.
He encouraged the crowd to realize they are part of an ongoing “love story” between God and every human being He has created, and the fact they are made in God’s image makes them worthwhile and important, no matter who they are or their circumstances in life.
He offers five habits people should adopt to change their lives: love yourself, pray, share the faith, prioritize friendship and reboot. People often hear the word reboot in relation to technology, where it means to restart a computer system. Stefanick uses it to encourage people to make a clean break with things in their life that prevent them from being the person they want to be.
The most important part of the reboot process is to let go of past sins, hurts and regrets.
“You have the right to forget yesterday,” Stefanick said. “The only person with the power to hold yesterday over your head is you.”
Sometimes letting go of negative influences from the past can be tough, he said. He acknowledged it sometimes requires an action as blunt as cutting off contact with a friend who is a negative influence, or radically changing your daily routine to avoid situations that involve a bad habit or bad moral choices. He encourages taking advantage of the sacrament of confession in order to stop dwelling on past sins and nagging faults.
To learn more about Stefanick’s work, visit www.RealLifeCatholic.com.
Miscellany/Christina Lee Knauss: Chris Stefanick, an internationally-known speaker and author, addresses a crowd at the Basilica of St. Peter in Columbia as part of his REBOOT event on Jan. 24.
