Peoples of all Faiths, please share your story with us

[PJM]

Dear friends in Christ,

It took me MANY years to learn grasp and then actually allow God to have control of my life. But oh! what a difference it has made.

I thought that it might be spiritually beneficial to share some of our personal experiences of GOD interacting in our lives, as signs of Faith, of Hope and of Charity.

Such can be from the minute and seemingly insignificant, to life changing events.

God Bless you, and thanks for sharing

Patrick.

 

[chloebelle]

I was raised by a non-denominational mother and an atheist (but supportive/respectful of all other beliefs) father. My mother wasn’t around much to guide me spiritually, however she did give me my first taste of Christianity. She taught me that Jesus was the son of God, the creation story, kid-friendly versions of parables, and the “Now I lay Me Down To sleep” prayer. She passed away when I was 10 so I never got the chance to have any deep conversations about it with her, but she talked about God in general a lot. However, she had a very bad drug problem, and because this drained our finances, my dad was at work almost always, so more often than not I was under the care of my childhood best friend’s mom. (She passed away just last year, God rest her soul.) This woman was a devout Catholic. I remember being so intrigued by all of the rosaries and Catholic art she had, etc. She was very involved with the local parish in my hometown (which is predominantly Catholic, so 90% of the kids I knew and their families also were. I literally lived on a street named after the parish.) so I was there and at mass often. I remember mass giving me an instant feeling of peace. However, she eventually moved to another state, her daughter and I were no longer close. I put that in the back of my mind and was agnostic/atheist for many many years. I only really “prayed” when I wanted something, and if I didn’t get it clearly that meant there was no God.
However, on Easter of last year, I felt a change in myself. I randomly felt the urge to pray, and when I did, I got an answer, which isn't something I'd ever experienced before. I researched different denominations, but completely dismissed Catholicism because at the time I was very very pro-choice and the church's stance made no sense to me. However, something kept drawing me back to it. The more I researched, the more I got to like the Catholic Church and respect it's viewpoint on different issues. For example, I now look back on my old logic regarding abortion and have no idea what I was thinking or how I could view it any other way. I eventually stopped resisting and bought a Catholic edition bible and a copy of the catechism. I also made this account. :) Now, I read as much as I can and attend mass frequently. As of now, my plan is to enroll in RCIA come September. :thumbsup:

 

[PJM]

I was raised by a non-denominational mother and an atheist (but supportive/respectful of all other beliefs) father. My mother wasn’t around much to guide me spiritually, however she did give me my first taste of Christianity. She taught me that Jesus was the son of God, the creation story, kid-friendly versions of parables, and the “Now I lay Me Down To sleep” prayer. She passed away when I was 10 so I never got the chance to have any deep conversations about it with her, but she talked about God in general a lot. However, she had a very bad drug problem, and because this drained our finances, my dad was at work almost always, so more often than not I was under the care of my childhood best friend’s mom. (She passed away just last year, God rest her soul.) This woman was a devout Catholic. I remember being so intrigued by all of the rosaries and Catholic art she had, etc. She was very involved with the local parish in my hometown (which is predominantly Catholic, so 90% of the kids I knew and their families also were. I literally lived on a street named after the parish.) so I was there and at mass often. I remember mass giving me an instant feeling of peace. However, she eventually moved to another state, her daughter and I were no longer close. I put that in the back of my mind and was agnostic/atheist for many many years. I only really “prayed” when I wanted something, and if I didn’t get it clearly that meant there was no God.

However, on Easter of last year, I felt a change in myself. I randomly felt the urge to pray, and when I did, I got an answer, which isn't something I'd ever experienced before. I researched different denominations, but  completely dismissed Catholicism because at the time I was very very pro-choice and the church's stance made no sense to me. However, something kept drawing me back to it. The more I researched, the more I got to like the Catholic Church and respect it's viewpoint on different issues. For example, I now look back on my old logic regarding abortion and have no idea what I was thinking or how I could view it any other way. I eventually stopped resisting and bought a Catholic edition bible and a copy of the catechism. I also made this account. :) Now, I read as much as I can and attend mass frequently. As of now, my plan is to enroll in RCIA come September. :thumbsup:

THANK YOU so very much for sahring!

Please be looking for the Private Message I sent you

Patrick the OP} PJM here on CAF