Receiving the gift of faith, how can I even begin to share the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my life? I was lost, something big was missing in my life and I tried to fill the void with things that secular society offers as good, some of which are sinful and I had no idea were hurting me far more than helping me. I sometimes joke around and say I was lucky I wasn’t baptized as a baby, because I sure needed that clean slate being baptized as an adult.
Most of us have heard it said that all people have a God-shaped hole in
their heart, which of course can only be filled by Him. I was blessed to have a friend in the sixth grade who took me to her protestant youth group. The tiny amount I learned about Jesus there, was enough to keep me hoping and praying to Him and wanting to know more about Him. Growing up I heard a little about my father’s grandmother, Rose, being Catholic. I like to
think she must have been praying the rosary for me, in fact, I’m sure she prayed it for the entire family, but it seems many of her prayers went unanswered because we have experienced a lot of tragedy and loss. However, this is one of the mysteries in life, how God allows bad things to happen as a result of our free will, it takes strong faith not to lose heart in the face of adversity, to continue to hope in God, that the consequences of
sin that hurt innocent people will see justice one day. Without my faith in Jesus, I would have no hope, God knew what He was doing when He sent Jesus to us to show us real love, to help us begin to understand truth and to show us the right way to live. I found unconditional love in the confessional.
At times it seems like a miracle that I have survived, let alone that I became a serious Catholic. One of the most powerful things I did on my faith journey was read The Life of St. Catherine of Siena, written by a priest who was very close to her, Blessed Raymond of Capua. St. Catherine used to say to him, “Father, I’m hungry! For the love of God, give my soul its food!” The way she spoke of Jesus, the way she spoke of receiving Holy Communion completely changed me. I just celebrated my tenth year as a Catholic. I came into the church at the Easter Vigil 2008 at the age of 27 and chose St. Catherine of Siena for my Confirmation. My RCIA journey, led by Sr. Moira Macpherson
and her wonderful team planted many seeds, which are still growing. I continue to learn every day, and the more I learn the more I realize how little I know: the Bible, the Catechism, history, tradition, devotions, inspiring saints; I will never run out of things to learn!