November 2019

   SINNERS!!! This is what I thought of Catholicism for the first 27 years of my life. Basically, I thought if you were Catholic there was no way for you to enter the kingdom of God.  Boy, was I wrong!  When Father asked me to share my faith journey with the Parish, I was immediately nervous and wondering if I should even agree to do this.  Trying to put words on paper was difficult; however, as I began to write, I felt a sense of humility and thankfulness for where I am today. 

   My journey begins growing up with absolutely no interest in God.  Sure, I believed that there was something, but I didn’t care enough to find out what it was.  This continued until one my friends asked me if I was “SAVED” and invited me to church.  After rejecting him numerous times, I finally agreed – on the condition that he would leave me alone. Well, shortly after that, I was SAVED, started to attend church, and began studying the Christian faith. For the next 10 years, I attended every Protestant church you could imagine. I loved my Protestant faith; it was energetic, fun, and satisfied my thirst for knowledge through study. However, unbeknownst to me, I was becoming more focused on why my Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ faith was right and Catholicism was wrong.  Catholics worship statues, Catholics pray to Mary and the Saints, Catholics must ask a priest for forgiveness instead of going straight to Jesus. These were just a few of my misconceptions.

   As time went on, I eventually met the love of my life, Leigh.  She was, and is, the most beautiful, loving, and caring person I had ever met.  I was in love, but she was Catholic and I was deeply troubled by this.  Although this was a big concern for me, I was determined to “SAVE” her.  After many lengthy conversations and basically begging her to attend church with me, she finally agreed.  I was so happy and excited to show her what a “real church” was all about.   We attended several Protestant churches over the next month.  Each sermon included something negative about the Catholic faith and I took each opportunity to follow up with more challenging questions.  One Sunday after church we sat in the car and Leigh remained silent.  When I asked what was wrong, she took a deep breath, looked at me, and said, “Over the past month, I have attended your church and sat next to you while they bashed my faith repeatedly, yet YOU have never offered to attend mass with me nor attempted to understand the Catholic faith.”  She was right…  So, I decided to attend her church, but was still determined to prove her wrong.  Well, once again the joke was on me.

   Over several months, we attended a small Catholic church.  I was frustrated I couldn’t receive communion and didn’t understand why Catholics prayed to Mary and the Saints, but Sunday spaghetti dinners sure were delicious.  Slowly, I began to realize that everything I was ever told about the Catholic faith was wrong.  It wasn’t until I started reading more about the Catholic faith and asking more questions that I began to truly appreciate the church. Two books in particular (given to me by my wife’s friends) were very influential in growing my faith: “Rome Sweet Home” by Scott Hahn and “Surprised by Truth” by Patrick Madrid. Wow!! These guys went through exactly what I was going through.  They explained what the mass was all about, what the Eucharist truly was, and that praying to Mary or the Saints was like asking a buddy to pray for you.  My faith grew stronger over the next five years; however, I was still not a member of the Catholic faith. 

   My turning point was the day I decided to attend mass and take it all in.  I stood in the back of church and was fixated on what I had read and studied about the mass.  It was beautiful! Everyone was kneeling in the presence of God, praying as one family to Christ, and receiving the body of Christ---not just bread and wine, but the actual body of Christ! My spiritual life changed forever that day. 

   My spiritual path is one that needs further growth.  To this day, I am thankful for my Protestant faith as it taught me so much and started my journey. I have been truly blessed by the people I met, the books I was given, and the path Christ set before me.  I believe Scott Hahn summed up my journey best when he wrote, “The horror turns to surprise, and surprise turns to delight, and bliss, and fire, and a desire to share all this with others. Loneliness fades away as one discovers more people who have also been surprised by truth.”