Fr. Kevin often shares that some of the biggest lessons in his spiritual life came from the most unexpected moments. One of those moments happened back when he was studying to be a priest in Detroit. Coming from quiet, safe, small-town Ottawa, Detroit was a whole new world—gritty, recovering from bankruptcy, and full of contrasts.
About a year into his time there, Fr. Kevin witnessed a shooting right in front of his car. Total shock. Panic. A moment where everything slowed down and fear took over. And afterward, he did exactly what many of us do when something traumatic happens: he kept it to himself. For a year and a half.
He didn’t want to worry his family or make them afraid for him. But when he finally told them—especially his mom—their response surprised him. They weren’t upset about Detroit. They were simply sad he’d carried that burden alone. That conversation ended up being a moment of real healing for him.
In the gospel he preached on, Jesus does something similar—He challenges people who are admiring the beauty of the temple by telling them it’s all coming down. Not because He wants to scare them, but because He knows life will shake us. Our “temples”—our security, our plans, our stability—won’t always hold.
Fr. Kevin connects this to our tendency to hide our struggles, even from God. We tell ourselves we shouldn't burden others. We think we need polished prayers or perfect words. But the message he highlights is simple: God isn’t scandalized by anything we’ve experienced. God already knows—and still wants us to reach out honestly.
For Fr. Kevin, that’s where real transformation starts. When we stop pretending, stop hiding, and let God meet us exactly where we’re hurting. That’s when His creative, life-giving power can actually fill the space we’ve been trying to manage alone.
Fr. Kevin often reminds people of one truth he had to learn the hard way:
“You are a beloved child of God, and God delights in you.”
And sometimes the first step toward believing that is simply choosing not to carry things alone anymore.