Parishioners listen as Michael Cemeno speaks on how he turned his faith and his life around so that he personally came to know God. Cemeno was the first speaker in a four-part Lenten series sponsored by St. Joseph Parish in Joliet.

JOLIET—Have you ever spoken to someone with such a strong faith and love for the Lord that you wondered why you couldn’t have a faith that strong?

Michael Cemeno spoke to 160 people Feb. 13 at St. Joseph Parish in Joliet and told them that every one of them could live out their lives with passion and purpose. He told them that each and every one of them could develop a closer relationship with God because he had.

The father of five, Cemeno is the founder of “Fishers of Men,” a Catholic lay apostolate to help men build their faith to impact families. He also serves as the regional director of SportsLeaders, which offers training for coaches to develop athletes into men and women of virtue and is a regional coordinator and teacher for Men’s Fraternity.

“Any opportunity to speak on the Lord is a great blessing to me,” Cemeno told the audience. “I am passionate about my love for the Lord and what the Lord has done in my life.”

A teacher at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Cemeno said he was raised a Catholic and attended church every Sunday and would listen to the readings, but would forget the message as soon as he exited the church. He shared a story about how his father attended a religious seminar and how the event changed his father’s life.

“After (he attended) he could share with fire about the spirit of God in his heart,” Cemeno said of his father’s experience. “I saw my father’s love for the Lord change and it changed the course of our family’s lives. The heart of a family begins with the father. When a father is changed, the family is changed and the marriage is changed.”

At the age of 31, Cemeno realized he wanted to change his faith life, but was fearful of what would happen to him if his faith grew stronger. Nevertheless, he attended a Catholic men’s conference and accepted the fact that he had to change how he viewed his faith.

“Joy, peace and happiness are the fruits of the spirit of God. I didn’t have them, but, man, did I want them,” Cemeno explained. “After that conference, I got on my knees and I prayed, ‘I want to know you, Lord. I don’t want to know about you. I want to know you.’ And that began a journey where I took my faith and I owned it. I grabbed a hold of it and knew that God had a plan for me. I began to embrace the Lord and it filled me up like a fountain overflowing.”

Saying he knew a lot about Christ, but didn’t have a relationship with him, Cemeno said for the first time in his life he began to study the word of God, beginning with the Bible. He also started to receive the sacraments frequently, including attending daily Mass.

“Now I go to daily Mass because I love the Lord and I want to see him every day in the Eucharist,” he said. “We are privileged to be able to go to Mass daily. I read books on growing in faith all the time because I love the Lord. He (God) instilled in me an insatiable desire to get to know him better.”

Just like in the story of the prodigal son, Cemeno said when anyone turns toward God he has his arms outstretched and is running toward them to wrap them in a warm embrace. God is ready to kill the fatted calf for anyone who returns to him.

Cemeno also told the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after they had eaten the forbidden fruit. God called out to Adam and asked where he was.

“God knew where he was,” Cemeno said. “He wanted Adam to take responsibility for his own actions. He wanted Adam to know he was squandering his life. God asked Adam, ‘Where are you?’ It’s a question to ask ourselves during Lent. It’s a great question God asks us during Lent to shake us up a bit. We should take inventory of our lives and our journey.”

Although he was around faith all his life, Cemeno admitted he never embraced his faith. He said he had to jump off a cliff, take a leap of faith and he had to surrender to God.

“I got down on my knees and asked for help and I began to change my life. I started to get away from things that were addictive or destructive in my life and I began to steer myself away from them.

“I needed to get down on my knees and pray with my faith,” he said. “I had to go on the journey, but I was afraid. God called me and he went on the journey with me. God embraced me and my life took a whole different path.”

Reading the Bible is important to changing lives. Cemeno said the Bible is a book of transformation, but a book that should be discussed and shared with others.

“When we read it, it changes us,” he said. “But we need to connect with others who will help us, pray for us and support us” when reading it.

“Faith is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Cemeno said. “The purpose of my life now is to know God, to love God and to serve God.”

Cemeno spoke at the first of a four-part St. Thomas More lecture series sponsored by the Joliet parish. Other scheduled speakers during Lent are Sheila Liaugminas of Relevant Radio on Feb. 20; Father Charles Becker who will speak Feb. 27 on the “Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and on March 5 Bishop J. Peter Sartain will discuss “Penance and Reconciliation.” Lectures run from 7 to 8 p.m. in the church. Prelude music and confessions begin at 6:30 p.m. those evenings.