The Current The power of kindness and other life lessons from a priest
Mar 19, 2026
Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author who amplifies marginalized Catholics, shares stories from his life and ministries. He reflects on humility learned in low-wage jobs. He talks about finding God in the margins, kindness as an antidote to cruelty, hospitality toward migrants, and the power of building friendships across divides.
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From GE Employee To Drawn To Monastic Life
- James Martin was an average kid who studied business at the University of Pennsylvania and worked at General Electric before feeling a vocational pull away from corporate life.
- A TV documentary about Thomas Merton and reading The Seven-Story Mountain ignited a longing for religious life that led him to explore the Jesuits.
Friend's Death Sparked A Shift From Doubt To Relationship
- The death of Martin's college roommate Brad led him briefly to reject God, sitting in the pew thinking "I'm done with God."
- A friend's practice of thanking God for Brad's life shifted Martin toward a relationship with God that could hold anger and gratitude amid tragedy.
Practice Habits From Summer Jobs
- Work taught Martin concrete habits: show up on time, ask for help, be persistent, and accept not knowing how to do things.
- He traces these lessons from early jobs like paperboy, dishwasher, caddy and collecting payments, which built his work ethic.
