People are constantly tempted to be lesser versions of themselves, but God wants everyone to reach their "holy" full potential, says Catholic international speaker and writer Matthew Kelly.

It's a message the 33-year-old native Australian and best-selling author has delivered to more than two million people who have attended his talks and seminars in more than 50 countries over the last decade. His inspirational books, including four currently on the Catholic Best-Sellers list, have collectively sold more than 750,000 copies.

Interviewed by phone last week in between giving retreats at Sacred Heart Church in Coronado and Our Lady of Refuge Church in Long Beach, Kelly said Catholicism is infinitely relevant in a culture plagued by a "poverty of love."

"People don't understand that the purpose of God's rules is for us to become the best version of ourselves," said Kelly. In order to give ourselves in love, we must first possess ourselves, and that requires self-discipline and practice, according to Kelly.

The spiritual discipline of fasting, he tells his audiences, is a great help in gaining self possession. Fasting helps people overcome addictive behavior in a culture celebrating self-gratification. "In our society, we're free to do anything we want, but are we free not to have a drink?" Kelly rhetorically asks in his Aussie-accented, humor-laced talk on fasting.

"We have got to show the demonstrable relevance of Catholicism to modern secular culture. We're living in a Catholic ghetto; that wasn't the original plan at all," said Kelly.

As Kelly explained in his book, "Rediscovering Catholicism" published in 2002, the "seven pillars of Catholic spirituality --- confession, Mass, Scripture, fasting, spiritual reading, the rosary and contemplation --- combine two thousand years of spiritual wisdom and exercises to help individuals attain holiness.

"Everything makes sense in relation to God's dream for us to become the best version of ourselves," says Kelly. It's no coincidence, he points out, that saints through the ages followed the seven pillars. Saints were successful in practicing spiritual habits that resulted in holiness --- the goal of every Christian life.

"Only a small percentage of Catholics understood Vatican II's universal call to holiness," says Kelly.

Spiritual journey
Kelly's spiritual awakening began as a teenager in Sydney when an adult male friend of his family encouraged him to investigate his Catholic faith by studying the Gospels and attending daily Mass.

"He set me on a spiritual path. He was a lay Catholic in his mid-30s who really tried to live his faith," said Kelly, the fourth of eight athletic boys. Kelly spent a year reading the Gospels and going to evening Masses at his parish.

In his freshman year as a business major at the University of Western Sydney, he started reading western spiritual classics and lives of the saints. He was particularly inspired by John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, John Vianney, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius Loyola, Francis de Sales and Mother Teresa.

During sophomore year, Kelly was asked to speak to a gathering of teens about his philosophy and personal experiences as a follower of Christ. More requests followed, and Kelly asked permission from school officials to take a leave of absence.

"In my mind, I thought I would be gone for six months, but I never went back to business school," said Kelly. The 20-year-old began an Australian speaking tour in the fall of 1993 and a few months later was invited to speak in Ireland. A video made from his Irish talks led to international exposure, resulting in a speaking tour of 21 countries the following year.

At age 22, his breakthrough book, "A Call to Joy: Living in the Presence of God" published by Harper Collins, sold a respectable 30,000 hardcover copies. However, management changes and a reprioritizing of projects at the publisher led Kelly to eventually buy back the book rights.

He currently self-publishes under Beacon Publishing. His newest book, "The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Art of Loving and the Joy of Being Loved," was released in late 2005 from Simon & Schuster. In early December 2004, "The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose" debuted on the New York Times' Best Seller list at Number 9.

"I am continually surprised at the response to my books," said Kelly. A major reason for his success, he believes, is the reality that "people today desperately need to be inspired."

Schools project
This year, Kelly estimates he will speak to 60,000 junior high and high school students who will all receive a free book courtesy of The Matthew Kelly Foundation's Schools Project. The cost is underwritten by a percentage of Kelly's book sale profits and free will donations taken at his speaking engagements.

A permanent resident of the U.S. for five years based in Cincinnati, Kelly said he hopes to marry someday and raise a family. An international travel schedule offers "unique challenges when it comes to dating," he admitted. However, he is grateful for his many family members and friends scattered around the world.

Besides his speaking engagements, Kelly leads retreats. Executives from companies such as Procter & Gamble, Avon and McDonald's have signed up for his business retreats teaching participants how to do strategic planning for their own lives with a focus on balancing priorities.

For many years, Kelly has also led a summer retreat to Fatima; in August, he was accompanied by 96 people from 24 states. Kelly's next book project was partially inspired by the retreatants' conversations, which often revolved around workplace issues.

"People are really struggling in the workplace.… They are disillusioned and disengaged," said Kelly. "We have to teach people to bring meaning to their work. When we work hard, we develop character. That's been in our Catholic tradition for 2,000 years," said Kelly.

For further information on Matthew Kelly, log on to www.matthewkelly.org.