In key moments throughout my life, the Lord has not been subtle. For example, God called me in 2019 away from my job at a local network news affiliate to work for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. I did not seek the job, but it clearly seemed the next step for my career, faith, and growing family. In February of this year, I was again asked to fill a role I had not desired or imagined. Although my time as interim editor has been brief, it was a clear call from the Lord to serve Him. He asked me to keep this publication going during a time of significant change in our Archdiocese—with the retirement of Archbishop Schnurr and the installation of Archbishop Casey—and in the worldwide Church—with the passing of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV.

At those specific moments, my path forward was clear, and my “Yes” to God was easy. He handed me my next move; all I had to do was accept. Despite these reassuring steps, however, most individual days between them were marked with doubt, when the Lord’s voice did not feel loud, confident, and convincing. My “Yes” wavered in confidence because I didn’t know the next right step. I was unsure whether I was doing the right things—and if I was doing anything right.

Hearing my overwhelming feelings during Reconciliation, my confessor offered this advice: tend only the plot God has given to my care. He reminded me that, while God asks for all I have, He also provides all the grace needed to carry out His plans.

So, on the days when I feel neither called nor equipped, when the next step isn’t obvious, I can still say, “Yes.” Even if I am not confident that I am doing God’s will today, I can rest in the words of Caryll Houselander from her book The Reed of God:

Sometimes it may seem to us that there is no purpose in our lives. That going day after day for years to this office or that school or factory is nothing more than waste or weariness. But it may be that God has sent us there because, but for us, Christ would not be there. If our being there means that Christ is there, that alone makes it worthwhile.

There are still days when the small garden God has given over to my cultivation seems too large to tend, with weeds growing faster and stronger than the tender flowers I try to nurture. There are days where I fear I’ve failed at every endeavor and rejected the precious gifts God offered me. And there are days when I question why He thought me capable of handling so much.

But then, there are days when I can see Christ working through me. I see the green shoots poking through the soil that my hands tilled. God shows me that He was working below the surface to grow a garden for His glory, if only I can be patient enough to wait for the flowers to bloom. The Lord of the harvest provides.

This is my last time writing to you from the editor’s desk. Just as God made it clear when he wanted me to step in, it’s clear now that it’s time for me to step back. It is with joy that I hand over The Catholic Telegraph to our new editorial director’s care. I look forward to David Cooley’s leadership in guiding the magazine in its mission to share the good news with the faithful of our archdiocese. May the Lord of the harvest guide his hands. Thank you for allowing me to write to you these last few months. I can already see the garden taking shape.

Margaret Swensen

[email protected]

This article appeared in the June 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.