… All those things that I thought were distractions from the Cross actually lead us back to the Cross. Holy water reminds us of our Baptism. Candles remind us that the Lord is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Incense rising up remind us of our prayers rising up to the Lord. Statues of Saints remind us of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the Church. As for Mary, she is not worshipped as so many non-Catholics think, rather venerated as one might hold up one’s own mother in the highest regard. Yes, bit by bit I started connecting the dots and understanding why Catholics do what they do at Mass…“Our Jewish Roots.” I thought to myself, “By golly, they have it right!” But what about the Eucharist? As a young person we had communion perhaps on the first Sunday of every month and it was very reverent, but only symbolic. What was the big deal about Communion in the Catholic Church, then? I found out the answer to that question at the RCIA retreat in Prescott, Az about one month before coming into the Church at the Easter Vigil, 2005. A deacon explained what goes on every time a priest consecrates the Host which has a funny name called Epiclesis. The priest calls down the Holy Spirit to transform the elements into the Real Presence of Christ. For a nano-second I thought to myself, this is just some hocus- pocus. However, in the very next nano-second, I had to accept it because by denying Transubstantiation, I would be denying the power of the Holy Spirit which is something that I absolutely could not and would not do under any circumstance. Once I came to the stunning realization of the Real Presence, it changed my life from that point forward. No longer was communion ever going to be merely symbolic. Rather, every time I accepted Communion in a worthy fashion, I abided with the promise that Christ lived in me, and I lived in Him. Therefore, and henceforth, I had a DUTY to be a 24/7 Christian, as opposed to a one-day-a-week Christian. That was nearly four years ago and now as I approach my 65th birthday, I can honestly testify that I still love celebrating Mass and try to approach each Mass as if it’s my first one, as if it’s my last one, as if it’s my only one, in order to keep it fresh. Also, as a priest once observed during a homily, “No one ever said being Catholic would be easy. If you want something easy, become Unitarian.” (Editorial note: my brother is.) Other helpful aids during the course of my RCIA journey included Scott Hahn’s conversion cd, or any book written by him, as well as “Surprised ByTruth,” a compilation of conversion stories put together by Patrick Madrid. Now I attend Mass as often as possible, take Communion to the infirmed as a Minister of Care, attend an ecumenical Bible study, etc. Funny thing is that my wife now thinks I am “too Catholic.” Just trying to make up for lost time, honey.
