The entire phrase is actually, “Nunc Coepi” 

Nunc Coepi. It began in the quiet cells of medieval monasteries, where monks wrestled daily with discipline, prayer, and the slow work of sanctifying their souls. These monks faced the same struggle we all do, failing, falling short, and starting over again. They realized that the path to holiness isn’t perfection; it’s perseverance. And so they wrote in the margins of their manuscripts, in their journals, in their prayers:

“Nunc Coepi.” “Now I begin.”

A simple phrase. But a powerful reminder that every day, every moment, is a chance to start again. Because life isn’t about never failing. It’s not about having it all figured out. We will stumble. We will fall short. But here’s the key: falling short is not the end. Every failure is an invitation. Every mistake a lesson.

There’s a quiet kind of perseverance that often goes unseen. Think of someone who keeps falling into the same mistake, losing their temper, giving in to distraction, choosing to miss Mass. They mean to change. They resolve to do better. And yet, a few days later, they’re right back where they started. It can feel discouraging, even exhausting. But then, instead of giving up, they do something simple and powerful… they go to Confession. Not because they’ve finally “fixed” themselves, but because they haven’t. They walk in with the same struggle… and walk out with grace. And maybe the next time, they fall again, but something is different. They rise a little faster. They return a little sooner.

Maybe, a moment arises where embarrassment creeps in: How can I go to confession again with the same sins? This thought echoes the instinct of our first parents, Adam and Eve. We tell ourselves out of shame, as they did… to hide. Or like the disciples after the crucifixion, locked in the upper room, ashamed of our denials. But there is no hiding from God. Instead, Christ meets us with the same words He spoke to those who abandoned him, “Peace Be With You.”

So, we must instead, say Nunc Coepi, “Now I Begin.”  This is the hidden path of perseverance. Not perfection, but return. Not never falling, but never staying down. Confession is not a place for the perfect, it is the place where we learn how to begin again. Where failure is not the end, but the doorway back.

A nun from 20th century Poland, St. Faustina Kowalska wrote a diary of a series of visions she received in her small convent cell from Jesus. The most striking message, the overarching outpouring from these visions was one of love and especially of God’s mercy. Jesus said "the greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy” and also “My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world.” Word’s that should remind us, Christ’s ocean of mercy is always greater than our sins.

In the now famous painting Jesus instructed St. Faustina to have painted, Jesus requested a simple inscription, “Jesus, I Trust in You.” In the end so many of our failures aren’t tied driven by a desire to do evil, but instead a quiet, internal “what’s the difference?” In a way we begin to doubt choosing good really matters. We justify our actions, blur the lines, and slowly allow compromise to take root. And that is why the reminder of the words “Jesus, I Trust in You” matters so much. Because they meet that moment directly, head-on. That if said enough, prayed enough, those words will start to overcome the deceitful voice saying “what’s the difference?” Through this message of endless mercy, Christ revealed a love that seeks us out precisely in our brokenness. A love that is always ready to restore, to forgive, to begin again.

And every time we do rise, we train our soul, strengthen our heart, and move closer to God. Bruno Lanteri states: “A saint is not someone who never sins but one who sins less and less frequently and gets up more and more quickly.”

Holiness isn’t about never failing. It’s about persevering. It’s about starting again, over and over, with courage and intention. Go to confession regularly. The more faithfully you return, the more you realize the beautiful forgiving power of God. You might still stumble. But every time, get up, rise and whisper to yourself: Nunc Coepi. Now I Begin

Because with each new beginning, you move closer to the person God created you to be. Perseverance is the path of saints. And saints… are built one brave beginning at a time.

A saint is a sinner who keeps trying

St. Josemaria Escriva