it all began with a coin…

In late 2020, Jesus broke into my world and pierced my soul like an arrow. From that point on, zeal for his house consumed me. It led me to ditch my old ways, and I became a new creation, falling in love with Catholic spirituality. I attended Franciscan University for my last two years of college, continuing my basketball career and earning a degree in theology. At this point, my soul was secure in the Father’s love, but my body still groaned for healing. Signs of dysfunction began to manifest, such as acne that ravaged my entire body and spells of fatigue and cold sweats that would put me to the ground. It impacted my confidence, my relationship with others, my athletic performance, and even my prayer life. I felt stuck.

Like everyone else, I was immediately placed on medication. What should have been a couple-week stint became a 6-month stretch of antibiotic abuse. After graduating from school and becoming frustrated with the vengeful return of all my health issues, I wiped the slate clean and started from scratch. I locked myself away and explored the never-ending rabbit hole of nutritional science. A new light of redemption dawned. My acne cleared, I regained vitality, and for once in my life, my body and soul clicked. Conditioned to believe that health was determined solely by my genes, I was amazed that just a few small changes could have such a profound effect on the way I lived.

Fast forward two years. Freshly married, my wife and I are galavanting through Florida to celebrate. We naturally flock to all the major religious sites in the area, including the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. There in that very gift shop a new world had been unlocked. I discovered a coin. And upon this coin was etched an image of St. Augustine with an apocryphal quote often attributed to him on the backside. Although he never said these words himself, the saying was an immediate catalyst for the creation of Leaven, and it has been its unofficial mantra ever since. It read:

Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever. Take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.

Ah, after searching for years to understand this practical integration between body and soul, I found one sentence that perfectly captured an authentically Catholic approach to whole-person health and holiness. Being immersed in the sacraments and the books, Leaven was formed, along with the concept of hylomorphic health. I am convinced this is not a product of my own mind but rather of the divine intelligence, for we are earthen vessels for His heavenly glory. I am eager to see how Leaven might be an avenue of Christ’s healing for all men, as it was for me. Although we must die eventually, we should not live these years on earth buried within the tomb of illness. As Christ told Lazarus, Christ is also telling you, “Come out!”