I spent many years, convinced that I had tried everything to try and believe. Looking back, I can now say that I tried almost nothing. I hadn’t read scripture, or truly prayed for guidance. But I THOUGHT I tried it all. So I drifted further and further away.
Then I was watching the news during the installation of Pope Francis. He was in St. Peter’s Square when he approached a man who had significant health and cognitive challenges. The man lit up with the Light of Christ. My unbelieving eyes could not explain what I had seen, but I knew it was something more powerful then man.
Several weeks later, I was watching the Sunday morning news programs. George Stephanopolas was interviewing Cardinal Dolan about the new Pope. Cardinal Dolan was answering a question about evangelization when he said something very profound. He said, “We must first accept that some people have a church problem. And the church hasn’t always been perfect. But nobody has a Jesus problem. His message hasn’t changed in 2000 years, and it’s a message of love, mercy, and care for each other.” (I paraphrase, of course).
It made me take a new and deeper look. I came to accept that I never gave Jesus Christ a chance, because I never opened my heart. I created a cartoonish idea of what church was. I spent years looking for evidence of hypocrisy. I didn’t yet know all that I did not know. With an open heart I began to learn. The saints were only names on builds most of my life. As I learned about them, it changed everything. I had dismissed the life of Jesus as a “good story.” It was more difficult for me to dismiss the hardships suffered by the Apostles. As I learned of their lives, I came to understand they did all they did because they had encountered God on earth. My faith has only grown from there. Thank you for asking, I’d share my story anytime. I thank God for loving me by sharing my story of His love for me whenever I can.
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