February CEM POC Newsletter 2026 Comfortable in the Discomfort

Wow... it's hard to believe that Lent is here, a little earlier than normal... are you ready?? In a world that is obsessed with comfort and self-centeredness, the Church presents us with a very countercultural experience of sacrifice and self-denial. Lent shows us that following Jesus is not to choose the path of least resistance; it is to accept an invitation that stretches the soul.

Jesus says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." Luke 9:23–24

This is not poetic window dressing—it is a sober description of discipleship. By contrast, the world that we live in embraces a different idea of spirituality that says, "If anyone would follow God, let them pamper themselves, take up their pillow and follow your heart!" Even in Catholic circles we hear that voice speaking. Be it sharing the faith, serving the poor, tithing, or loving our enemies, the biggest excuse for not doing something that Jesus encourages us to do is, "I'm not comfortable doing that!" as if comfort is the ultimate aim of life and not Heaven. But discomfort, when embraced in faith, becomes a holy teacher. It strips away illusions of self-sufficiency and reminds us that salvation is not about self-optimization, but self-gift.

When Mary agreed to bear the Savior of the world, there was discomfort linked to her "yes." When it came time to give birth, she did so in a strange land, in the most unsanitary conditions of a stable where animals feed and eliminate. That was just the beginning.

Jesus affirms this truth on the Cross, where His love is shown not in ease, but in sacrifice. Christ did not redeem the world from a position of safety; He entered fully into uncomfortable suffering, rejection, and humiliation. So when we encounter discomfort—whether through sacrifice, obedience, fasting, forgiveness, or standing for truth—we are not being punished. We are being conformed.

These moments unite us more closely to the suffering Christ and allow His grace to work in places we would otherwise keep closed. Discomfort becomes the narrow gate through which deeper love passes.

Every believer in the first years of the Church gave witness to this truth as they endured incredible discomfort in the dark and cold catacombs where they worshiped without the benefit of comfortable pews and well-trained choirs, and in fear of persecution. Every martyr paid the ultimate price with their lives in very uncomfortable deaths so that we could practice our faith publicly and without fear.

We know that the pursuit of comfort is actually killing us. No one likes a spoiled child,

and many of the health problems in our day stem from our insatiable love of "comfort food." Mental health professionals warn us against the "dopamine comfort hit" that our toxic preoccupation with social media, entertainment, and technology generates.

How many families have been wounded when parents spend hours at work, all in the pursuit of MORE...and MORE when less would actually be better so much of the time.

This is why the Church yearly provides us with 40 days that remind us that comfort is NOT the aim of the serious Christian. Without a doubt, Jesus is a comforter of the afflicted and "discomfort" for discomfort's sake is NOT what Jesus expects either. But during the Lenten season, we're challenged to set aside our own comfortable agenda and to open our hearts to the Holy Discomfort that leads us to Jesus. So let's embrace the sacrifice of less food, the call to give a little more financially to the work of the Church and the challenge to spend less time on technology and more time in prayer with Jesus. Let's remind the world that love IS stronger than fear and that hope is born precisely where comfort ends. In taking up the Cross, we do not lose our lives—we finally find them. God really is good and through the Church's Lenten season, He challenges us to be better than we thought we could be. Make this Lenten season a rich one and allow the beauty and grace of God to pour into your life in a new and deeper way. See you at Easter!!

SPOTLIGHT on Ethan Ward

Originally From: Irondale, Alabama

Serving With: FOCUS Ministries at Howard University

Studied: Global Business at Troy University

About Ethan

Ethan is a convert to the Catholic faith from a non-denominational background.

Growing up, he always went to church with his family, but when he got to college, he knew that he had to make the decision to choose his faith for himself, so he began searching for a new "church home."

During this search, he started to struggle with his mental health until a friend he played basketball with invited him to a Bible study that he was leading. Entering that Bible study, he quickly realized that this wasn't an ordinary Bible study—it was a Catholic Bible study.

He was confused and had so many questions afterward, so he asked the leader about it. The leader began to share his own story of growing up and converting to the Catholic Church from the Lutheran Church. This led to a heated discussion and inspired Ethan to take a deeper dive into his questions about the Catholic Church on his own.

He eventually attended Mass and later went to a SEEK Conference sponsored by FOCUS. It was the presence of the Blessed Sacrament that made the biggest impact on him.

He felt called to become Catholic, but his parents and former pastor tried to talk him out of it, saying that it was "the white man's religion."

He joined the Catholic Church anyway and eventually made the decision to apply to become a FOCUS missionary while also wrestling with a job offer as an Underwriter at the headquarters of an insurance firm in Massachusetts.

Once he was accepted as a missionary, he turned down the job and began preparing for life on the mission field.

Ethan's Thank-You Video

"Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."

2 Corinthians 4:17

SPOTLIGHT on

Oscar Velazquez

Originally From: Jalisco, Mexico

Serving With: Saint Paul's Outreach (SPO) at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas

Studied: Finance at Washington State University

About Oscar:

Oscar was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and moved to a small town on the Yakama Reservation in the Yakima Valley of Washington State soon after birth.

As a cradle Catholic, he always knew who God was, but for many years his relationship with God was distant. He checked the boxes—going to Mass, praying before bed—but he hadn't truly encountered the living Christ in a way that changed how he lived.

In high school, he thought he had everything: good grades, friends, a girlfriend, and sports. But sadly, his identity was built on shaky ground—on performance, approval, and relationships.

It wasn't until college that everything began to shift. His college journey began in the middle of the COVID years, so he started at a local community college, which also gave him the opportunity to start a band using his guitar skills. This opened up a world of parties, bars, clubs, and stage attention that ultimately left him feeling empty.

The band collapsed, and soon afterward he lost his grandmother, who had been an enormous influence in his life.

As he was preparing to transfer to the university, he felt that something had to change and that the change was connected to his faith. He ordered a Bible, but he didn't really read it—he just kept it with him. He felt that this was enough.

At the university, he encountered the ministry of Saint Paul's Outreach (SPO), where he met young people who were deeply invested in their faith. Because they were so welcoming and inviting, they slowly drew him into the community, and his walls of resistance to the faith began to fall.

They didn't just invite him to events—they invited him into their lives. They prayed with him, challenged him, and reminded him who he was in Christ. They loved him like Christ.

Because of their witness, he discovered the joy of being a beloved son of God.

Oscar's Thank-You Video

The CEM POC Growth Initiative Challenge

In my last newsletter, I mentioned that we are taking concrete steps to increase our ability to support more missionaries by increasing the flow of support into our ministry. We've hired a part time development coordinator who is doing an amazing job of pursuing funds through outreach to other grants and foundations. Our experience has shown, however, that nothing compares to the value of individuals like yourselves! You make a huge sacrifice when you send us your donations large or small. I am personally enormously grateful and humbled by your partnership with us in this important work of evangelization. Thank you so much for all that you do and for your grace filled generosity. Know that I pray for you all regularly.

As supporters of the grant, I would also encourage you (humbly begging) to help us to find new donors through your own circle of influence. Word of mouth and personal contact is essential if we want to take our ministry to the next level. You may know of 2-3 other like minded friends or family members who may be open to supporting us. Please speak to them on our behalf. Perhaps your Church/Pastor would be open to a visit to recruit donors from your congregation...I'm willing to travel. We are looking for fellowship groups, civic organizations or places of work that would be open to supporting our efforts. Your voice and your influence matters and as we increase our efforts to find funds I would challenge you to prayerfully consider connecting us through your influence to help us to grow. Now more than ever we need these young voices building bridges of mercy and grace that lead home to Christ. My the angels of God direct our efforts to serve the Church during this Lenten Season!

Contact at: www.cempoc.org or email us: mario@cempoc.org or laurie_b@cempoc.org