Whenever we fall, we must begin again

Recently, I was preparing for a presentation where I would tell the Domino’s story to some Naples-based business leaders and local business students. When I spoke with the organizer, he told me the audience loves to hear stories about successes and failures — to which I responded that I could give a talk for hours about all my failures.
 
While I said that in a joking way, it really is true. Yet, as successful CEOs, most of you can attest to the fact that you are not defined as much by what (or how many) mistakes you have made in your career as by how you have responded to those mistakes. There is a certain tenacity that is required in business: a determination to never quit.

As I thought about this, I saw a parallel in the spiritual life. There is a Latin phrase, nunc coepi, which is translated to mean “now I begin.” The phrase is attributed to Venerable Bruno Lanteri, a 19th-century Italian priest. He wrote, “If I should fall even a thousand times a day, a thousand times, with peaceful repentance, I will say immediately, nunc coepi.” He used this phrase to encourage those trying to live good and holy lives in the face of their limitations and sinful human nature, which are a part of each of us.
 
You may be familiar with variations of this, such as “rise, begin again” or simply “begin again.” Nunc coepi resonates with me because Venerable Bruno is telling us not to give up.
 
Yet, from a spiritual perspective, I think we should resist the temptation to fall into self-reliance. My understanding of what Venerable Bruno is saying is we should be ever mindful of the mercy and forgiveness of God that He makes available to us, particularly in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Then, when we fall, confident in Christ’s mercy, we can rise, begin again — because as long as we keep getting up, going to Confession (staying in the state of sanctifying grace), we stay connected to God and can continue to grow closer to Him.
 
Put another way, I have heard it said that we can learn much from the differences between how Judas and St. Peter responded to their betrayal and denial of Christ. While Judas despaired, Peter repented: he got up and began again.

I am greatly encouraged by this quote from Venerable Bruno: “A saint is not someone who never sins, but one who sins less and less frequently, and gets up more and more quickly.”

TOM MONAGHAN is Legatus’ founder, chairman, and CEO.