God is so great!

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Erethorn

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As some of you already know, I’ve been taking steps to be admited into the Catholic Church.

I’ve been meeting weekly with the parish priest in a sort of RCIA or cathehesis.

These meetings lasted until three weeks ago, when the priest told me I was ready and asked me to look for him next week, after the Sunday Mass.

That Sunday (two weeks ago) he told me my written petition to the Bishop was approved and has returned to him, and therefore there was no obstacle any more to my entering the Church. However, he said he would contact me during the next several weeks, to inform me on the exact date, either before or after Easter.

So, this was two weeks ago, and I’ve been waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

However, because of various reasons, during these last weeks I almost didn’t pray (perhaps one or two times).

Today I managed to put aside a chunk of time and I prayed the Rosary. I’ve prayed the Rosary before, but it never seemed easy or very rewarding.

Today, for some reason, it all changed. I was able to concentrate on the mysteries, the Hail Mary’s flowed as if they were coming from my heart and not my lips, I was filled with love for The Blessed Virgin, Christ and His Father. I felt I wanted the prayer to never end.

As I was ready to start the fourth decade, I envisioned Christ being crucified, and I felt such an intense feeling of gratitude, and sorrow at the same time, I grasped the rosary so hard I was afraid I would break it.

And right then the phone rang. It was the call I’ve been waiting, the priest telling me I would be admited into the Church on Good Friday, after the celebration of the Passion.

I know it could all be dismissed a a mere coincidence. But for me, it is a small but beautiful sign from God.

I am so happy.

God bless.
 
God is so great !–All the time! Welcome, Thank you, and Congratulations!
 
The Almighty God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be praised! And, congratulations!
 
God is soooooooooo great!! Holy Week is amazing!! You will have a Good Friday you will never forget…welcome to the family!
 
wow!!! this is amazing!!! praise God! 😃

it’s been so incredible reading about your journey 🙂

Let us know how it goes!

God bless!!!
 
Welcome to the Church. Congratulations!!

God is indeed so good! Praise the Lord!
 
I love how God did that! He is so good!

This reminds me of how God has used signs to impact my family with Catholicism’s truth. My Protestant sister was close to Gnosticism in overspiritualizing many elements of Christianity, so the Lord taught her that the Eucharist is truly Christ’s Flesh and Blood. She accepted Transubstantiation on the Day of Epiphany, the day Christ came into the world in the flesh. This was all the more remarkable because I’d done very, very little in talking about Transubstantiation with her. It truly was Christ imparting this truth to her soul. It was the first major Catholic doctrine she accepted, and it was radically in contradiction of her most dangerous beliefs, and it came without my doing much at all, and it came on the day of Epiphany, the day we celebrate our Lord’s having become Incarnate in the flesh.

This reminds me also of how my brother embraced the teaching of the Papacy. The Mass Gospel reading on the day he became deeply open to that teaching said, “Jesus looked on them as sheep without a shepherd. And then He came to them and taught them many things.” He did exactly that for my brother. It was the perfect reading for what was happening in his soul.

God is so gloriously good to us.

And I’m sure the signs you received were genuinely from Him 🙂 :).
 
And, today, I edited my profile, changing the religion to Catholic 🙂

Yes, I’ve been admited into the Church.

The cerermony itself was very simple. The priest wrote my name in some sort of big book he has, and then he went with me before the altar and I recited the Niceean Creed, he shook my hand and welcomed me. I shall go to confession tomorrow and I’ll be able to receive Christ during the Easter Vigil.

What was way more complicated, however, was the three hours leading up to the ceremony. I kept reading here, on CAF, about the devil’s attempts to keep people away from the Church and people having last minute changes of heart. I never thought it would happen to me, though.

So, I went to the Good Friday service - the ceremony of my admission was to take place after the service.

As I entered the church, I was bristling with excitement.

As soon as the celebration began, I started having second thoughts. As the service progressed, my doubts increased in intensity. The people in the pews looked silly to me. The readings from the Bible and the prayers, meaningless. The church itself was ugly. I was making the mistake of my life. I was an idiot for being here. I was stupid for having enjoyed the Mass before. It was all dubious. I wanted to go out and get away from all of it. For the first time since my conversion began, I was really about to give it up.

After the service, I went down on my knees and prayed. I prayed and I prayed and I asked the Lord for strenght to go through with the ceremony.

At some point, I remembered my prayer during Christmass, when I asked Jesus to be also born in my heart, as he was born in the world so long ago.

And then it became clear, I started to cry and said - “You were born into my heart, and today, the day we celebrate your Passion and your death, You have also died a little in my heart. Please allow me to help a little bit, by my actions, to your resurection, which I know, and I believe, will take place three days from now”.

And by the time I finished my prayer, it was time to speak to the priest, and to recite the Creed. And now, thanks be to Jesus, I’m a Catholic.

I feel at peace.

I wish to thank everyone here who supported me with your words and prayers.
God Bless you all.
 
What a wonderful story to read on Good Friday!

Congratulations!
 
Erethorn said:
What was way more complicated, however, was the three hours leading up to the ceremony. I kept reading here, on CAF, about the devil’s attempts to keep people away from the Church and people having last minute changes of heart. I never thought it would happen to me, though.
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Wow, yikes! What a blatant and horrible enemy attack. I’m so glad God helped you and you persevered!

Just wait till your first Eucharist! 😃
 
This is wonderful! I am so happy for you. 🙂
Erethorn said:
As soon as the celebration began, I started having second thoughts. As the service progressed, my doubts increased in intensity. The people in the pews looked silly to me. The readings from the Bible and the prayers, meaningless. The church itself was ugly. I was making the mistake of my life. I was an idiot for being here. I was stupid for having enjoyed the Mass before. It was all dubious. I wanted to go out and get away from all of it.
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This is how I have been feeling for the last three weeks. Seems to get worse every day. I hope that soon the Lord will grant some of His peace to me as He has to you. Thank you for posting this, as it gives me hope that these feelings will not last forever.
 
Student09, I am not in a hurry to call it a demonic attack. But whatever it was, satan or my own weakness, it went away by means of prayer.

It was a horrible feeling, though. I was literally shaking, as if from fever. At one point, I grasped my keys, in my pocket, so hard and so long that I hurt the palm of my hand. And then it occured to me that it would be appropriate to offer this torment, small as it is, to Christ, alongside with His own suffering. It seemed proper to suffer, so that later on, the joy of being admitted into the Church, and then, the Joy of Easter, should be complete.

But no, there’s no way such feelings could last forever. No feeling lasts forever. Not the good ones, not the bad ones. New feelings will come. Some good, some bad.

However, the feelings are not what I am after. If they were, I would have gone towards drugs. I am in in for the Truth. And I choose to believe that the Truth is Jesus Christ.
 
"Erethorn:
However, the feelings are not what I am after. If they were, I would have gone towards drugs. I am in in for the Truth. And I choose to believe that the Truth is Jesus Christ.
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👍
Student09 said:
This is how I have been feeling for the last three weeks. Seems to get worse every day. I hope that soon the Lord will grant some of His peace to me as He has to you. Thank you for posting this, as it gives me hope that these feelings will not last forever.
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The enemy tries hard to keep people away from Jesus. It is extremely common to experience some form of suffering, often severe, on the way into the Catholic Church. I experienced that for months all the way up to the moment of receiving the Sacraments, but like Erethorn, it went away as soon as I received Confirmation. I don’t know what will happen in your case, but hang in there!

I’ve been trying to brace my brother for this suffering that so frequently hits new converts, because he’s become excited about Catholicism and is planning to convert. I don’t know if he’s taking my efforts to prepare him seriously right now, but I’m praying for him and for you.

The Lord is the only one any of us can go to for spiritual healing, so this narrow path is the only one available to any soul that seeks peace. You only have a few more hours to wait to receive Jesus’ Flesh and Blood. :hug1:

Everything you’ve described of your conversion process reminds me so strongly of my own. Let me just tell you from inside the city, the spiritual rewards of union with God are SO worth all the sufferings! And this joy that is waiting for you in Christ is only a hint of the joy that we will receive at life’s end!

God and His angels are with you. :knight1:
 
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