Question for converts: What's your story?

[Eucharisted]

I was ten years old. I didn’t believe in God or any religious, spiritual, or supernatural thing. I received a blue Bible on my tenth birthday called ‘The Good News Bible’. I didn’t like it; I thought it was ugly and had a stupid name, so I left it. It sat on the table in the living room for a long while. But one day, I felt impelled - not by some force but only by my curiosity - to read it, to see what this strange book was all about. So I knelt at the table (it was a low table, so I had to kneel, even though I hate to kneel because it hurts my knees) and opened up the Bible to a random page. I thought it was a very stupid book, what with the name Matthew on the top of each page, footnotes at the bottom of each page, and the text in columns. It was very different from any other book I had ever read before! But I began to read about a man named Jesus being scourged at the pillar. As I read further the story, my heart began to open to this man. Pontius Pilate said he was innocent - why was this innocent man being made to suffer so? The man was condemned to death, and had to walk to where he would die. I wanted to comfort this man at this point, to bring him consolation for such cruel and unjust punishment. I turned the page and read about Jesus’ crucifixion. My eyes filled up with tears. I had never read a story like this before! I remember I looked at a picture at the top of the page, and it was a sketch of Jesus on the Cross, seen from a bird’s eye-view. I felt so much compassion for this man that in my mind I cried out: Jesus!

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, like lightning, and a man appeared above the table. He wore a white garment and had his right hand raised in a strange gesture, which years later I would learn was a sign of blessing. He was a very beautiful man, dazzling bright, and he spoke to me in a strong yet gentle voice.

“Nicholas, do you wish to console me?” he asked.

“Who are you, sir?” I replied.

“I am Jesus.”

“Sir, why did you have to suffer and die like that?”

“Nicholas, do you wish to console me?”

Suddenly I saw myself sharing in Jesus’ suffering: being condemned to death, dragging a cross to a little hill, and there being crucified.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Than enter my Church and suffer for me.”

At those last three words, I understood that I would not only be suffering for Jesus but also with Jesus. The man vanished: first his feet, than his body, and finally, his face. I looked to the left and saw another man, also dazzling bright, but he was not like Jesus - this man looked like someone wrapped up in a sheet. He had a golden arrow on a golden bow, and pointed the arrow at me and shot it. The arrow went right through my heart, and in an instant three things happened at once: I fell in love with God, I was filled with a peace I had never experienced before, and I was overwhelmed with a joy I had never experienced before. The man vanished, and than a female voice, motherly and gracious, spoke.

“Do not be afraid. I and my Son will be with you always, even to the end.”

 

[Jerry_Parker]

J.H. Cooper,

Thanks for your words. Yes, if there ever were days when conversion to the Roman Church would have been too solely on aesthetic grounds, it is not now! The Roman Catholic liturgy of the Eucharist according to the Novus Ordo is a disgrace and a real hindrance; so many Protestant liturgies are fuller and more historic than the 1970 Mass.

The crux (forgive any pun) of the matter is whether there is life and truth sufficient to command allegiance to what has become overall a rather tacky and tatty institution, the Roman Catholic Church. If despite all the shabby ugliness, mediocrity, and worse, the R.C. Church is the True Church, then one has to cede to its claims. I have no such doubts about the Eastern Orthodox Church, but I need to know that the R.C.C. really is what it claims to be and is not simply a formerly imposing institution “on the skids”, liturgically, morally, and in other ways, which is so much what it appears to be outwardly. Apart from all the decline in norms of worship, the clerical homosex scandals alone are damning, or seemingly so, to the Church’s claims.

I suppose that beneath the grime of its institutional face, despite the appalling infantilisation of its post-Vat II fatuity, the R.C.C. does beckon to one to whom the claims of conscience, the eternal ones, not those of today’s institution, must be heeded. However, the R.C.C. really must “get its act together”: many souls are perishing because it is so outwardly tawdry. On the other hand, as a tawdry sinner myself, how can I be sure that I am one to judge?

Jerry Parker

 

[Junebug999]

The following is my story of “returning” to the Catholic Church. I say “returning” because centuries ago my ancestors made a choice to leave the Church. Through centuries of time, my ancestors drifted from one Protestant-type church to another until I was born and raised in a Protestant Church that was stripped of sacraments and taught me error. It is only through God’s grace, and the love of my Heavenly Mother that the scales were taken from my eyes and I was able to learn that the Catholic Church is Christ’s representative on earth, One Church, Holy and Apostolic. Again, this conversion has happened to me not because of anything I have done but because of God’s grace. I am just hoping with God’s grace, I will be the first descendant to “return” to the Church, and I hope and pray through God’s grace my family and all who have fallen away will return also.
I first wrote about my conversion to someone on Catholic Answers.com who asked me to tell about it.
I decided to answer your question about my conversion in a separate thread. You had asked on another thread if I would take time to share my story. (I will apologize for typos or sentence structure, will also apologize for rambling, but here it is.
I was raised in a Baptist family, Dad was a Baptist preacher, a “Landmark Baptist”. They spent as much time railing against the Church as they taught what they believed. It’s the “Profess Jesus as Lord and Savior, choose baptism and then you’re good to go to Heaven,” and you spend the rest of your life “assured of your bus pass to Heaven” so to speak. Because my parents went to seminary, my mom studied Old Testament, and she used to explain the Old Testament in detail to us kids. Also, my siblings and I went to all adult Bible studies with them because our parents didn’t hire babysitters. So, I knew my Bible, knew all the standard anti-Catholic stuff, etc., but even as a little kid I used to doubt some things.
For instance, when something awful would be said about the motivation for a woman who had chosen to be a nun in the Catholic Church, I knew in my heart something was very wrong about that. Logic seemed to me that if a woman chose to serve God instead of having the comforts of a family and husband, that was a wonderful thing to do. If I heard something said about a priests robes, inside I would think, “but they look like what the robes were like worn by the Jewish priests and the Levites.” The same goes for the alter, incense, etc.
So, raised Baptist, was a Baptist in the local church (church pianist even)…but I always wondered and doubted Baptist Church history. You see I was taught that all things ended at the end of the original apostles. But from my reading of the Bible that didn’t make sense. It never made sense to me that the curtain (so to speak) would come down at the end of the Apostles then fast forward to just a few hundred years ago and some guy named John Smyth would now decide for all future generations what we would believe?
Also, scripture like “and the traditions of the church” bothered me. Oh, and “Thou art ROCK and on this ROCK I will build my church…” that REALLY bothered me always. Because you can find 5 thousand bajillion types of Baptists churches – aren’t there something like 34,000 PLUS protestant type churches??? If those (or one of those 34,000 PLUS churches is Christ’s Church – Christ’s representative on earth – If that is the case then it would look to me klike the gates of HELL is winning!!!
It always seemed to me that if Christ said something so important at “Thou art ROCK and on this ROCK I will build…” that that would mean something SOMETHING HUGE!!! Did Christ ever pull back on words??? He always said what he meant and meant what he said, and I didn’t think when he said that he meant for that to “end when the last apostle died.” Anyhooooo, these were questions that always ran around in this little Baptist head…soooooooooo
…fast forward to 1985, and my Catholic friends Rod and Holly had their first baby and I went to the baptism. My first Mass, and I saw Christ in the Mass. Having been always told it was all a lot of hocuspocus mumbojumbo, I instantly recognized Christ – the……
REAL PRESENCE – was there. I understood the ceremony because of my understanding of ancient Jewish ceremony from the stories I had grown up with about the Old Testament.
Having grown up being told the Church did not care about the Bible, but in that first Mass I heard a Psalm read, another Bible reading AND the Gospel was read – and the Gospel was so sacred that people STOOD to hear it. I was amazed. STRUCK! It was like love at first sight.
So, I was going through an adoption process through a Protestant adoption agency at the time and was told not to muddy things up by declaring I was converting to Catholicism and raising my adopted child in the Church, so after the adoption was final I signed me up for RCIA and baptism class for my son, EXCEPT my husband declared he did not want his son raised in the Church, he wanted him raised Protestant. After a discussion with the priest, it was decided to not have this family divided over Catholic vs Protestant Church, and I went to Protestant chuch, me, my husband, and son. At times I quietly excused myself when anti-Catholic things were said.
soooooooooooooo fast foward to 2008. Now my son is 17, he does not go to Protestant Church, he has attended some church at the local parish with his Catholic girlfriend, There are some things he does not understand or like about the Catholic Church (so those things are a matter of prayer and God will guide him, you can pray too) (Son or husband are not wanting to hear anything about the Church right now either, so I’m just praying. – Husband does not really care for any church right now…sigh – but God will take care of that, let’s just pray.)

to be continued…

 

[Junebug999]

The continuation of the story…

Soooooooooo, I have had a hard time getting to RCIA because I have been on Swing Shift the last few years, so I was travelling in my car and listening to Catholic Radio, either joining with the prayers or enjoying hearing the speaker. Now when I would hear the speaker talk about the Church and its teachings, I would mentally compare everything through a screen, weigh each thing, balance each thing against what I knew Protestant/Baptist doctrine was. Well, this one day when I was driving and listening I realized God was calling me to no longer view the Church and its teachings through a Protestant screen, but to come in faith as a child would, believing, accepting the teachings of the Church. I was driving in the car and said out loud something to the effect of, “Lord I will follow you to your Church. I will accept the teachings of your Church as truth, and I will come as a child, in faith.” (something like that). I prayed for a way to get to RCIA classes, and suddenly at my job I was put on day shift for a while.

Now here I am. Catholic Answerts.com has been wonderful to answer my questions I have had, and I really enjoy the fellowship with other believers. I have had some icky things said by a couple people in my personal life, but I listen with grace and just pray for them. What they have said I just figure is a cross to bear, but that has made me enjoy the fellowship of my new friends at CA.com or my RCIA class all the more. My friends at RCIA, and teachers Gary, Fred and Meg have been wonderful. Meg met me at a Mass and whispered some things in my ear that helped me with understanding. She had me go forward for a Blessing. A Eucharistic minister gave me a blessing. It was very wonderful, even a little overwhelming.
I called the Baptist Church I was baptized in for a baptism certificate and was told they do not have a record of my baptism, so it looks like I will be baptized in the Church. I started RCIA recently, so will begin officially in this Fall with Meg, Gary, and Fred teaching me. It’s going to be a beautiful journey.
So…cradle Baptist called to His Church. I just hope, and I always pray for unity of all believers (have been praying this way since 1985). I would love for all believers who profess that Jesus Christ is Lord to heed God’s call to go to the one, true, and Apostolic (Amen) church. It just feels like home! Praise God

PS – my sis is now attending Mass and will be joining the Church. And my son and hub attended Mass with me this last Sunday evening.!!!

 

[Eucharisted]

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories, and I mean this for everyone who has posted and everyone who will post

 

[NonCatholic]

I have not converted yet. I am a baptist, and I have been reading alot on the catholic church. I am at a point in my life where I feel I have one arm in the baptist church and the other in the catholic church. I was told about the RCIA classes, but was told you do not gain alot from them. I do have a very dear friend that is a good catholic, and he has been helping me to understand the catholic beliefs…Is the RCIA classes really necessary??.

You may want to read Hebrews chapter 7 and 8, then ask yourself if the priesthood is truly of the order of Melchizedek, pay careful attention to one of the comparative contrasts that distinguishes Melchizedek from the Aaronic priesthood, which is Melchizedek lives continually and has no genealogy, which is saying it has no beginning nor end, which is why Christ is the only one that meets this qualification. This is one reason it is superior.

Ask yourself the question is this more in line of Catholic teaching or the Baptist, which does not have an altar, tabernacle or priesthood. Ask yourself which comes from God and which is a shadow of the levitical priesthood, then make an informed decision.

Do not take my word for this; you must pray to God and seek His guidance through His holy word.

 

[survive]

The people at the Pentecostal megachurch helped me in every way they could: took care of me when I was sick, fed me, (and how they fed me), gave me bags of good clothes, coached me on responsible behavior, held me when I needed it, talked out all kinds of ideas with me, included and trained me in Bible journaling, helped me so much, and taught me how to speak up about my faith… it seemed like I’d found the perfect church and family/community, and that they would surely teach me the truth there. My dream was to become a missionary doing great things for God, making my time on earth really worth every bit of trouble I’d caused and resources I’d wasted in my life. I wanted to be a giver. I wanted a better world, and to live in God’s will, and to know what is true and how to share the truth with everyone, and affirmation in those goals from everyone around me when I got home/back to church/friends’ houses.
I found a job, struggled to be a reliable responsible worker, found a little place to live of my own, struggled to be a blessing to the neighborhood, and struggled to find opportunities to witness in my life and serve in the church. Church friends helped me move, filled my space with furnishings of every kind, came by to hug me and congratulate me and see if I was OK. I didn’t stop to wonder if they knew what they were talking about. They tended to give good advice in general. They read the Bible. They had great faith and lived good lives; wasn’t that proof that they were in touch with God?
Then we learned from the head pastor and the prophets/subpastors, who didn’t always tell us when they were speaking prophecy and when they were speaking for themselves and their own personal opinions, that we had to make the church grow. Not only that, it would mean a drastic overhaul of our organization. We would need to learn much about submission and teamwork. Everyone must volunteer. We needed to be in sync: Bible study, small groups, cell groups, women’s potlucks, every aspect was to tighten up and fit a system the pastors had been going to conferences to get into.
I worried that the lack of wiggle room in these schedulings of our spiritual lives meant some of us could lose part of our individuality for a while.
But my friends were still themselves. The biker still wore tight jeans and the singers still burst into song in the street. I still got compliments on my serious mind. It was OK so far.
Continued.

 

[ncgolf]

Catholic? What? Let’s take this test again. Catholic again. Ok, let’s research Catholicism. Interesting. Interesting. I agree. Yep, I believe that too. Ok. Catholic it is. Called up the local RCC and started RCIA class and that’s where I’m at now. Glad I did it

I hope you do some writing in whatever parish you end up … you have a effortless, breezy style … that is fun to read.

God Bless.

 

[ncgolf]

Hope you don’t mind but I will post a different take on the OP … I was born in a Catholic home with both my parents and grandparents devout Catholics so no problem there.

The problem was me … I had to try to be my own man on my own terms so in college, this is not uncommon, I decided to just quit going to Mass and just not do any religion thing. I pretty much stayed that way for 22 years … it is painful to admit that. All I really wanted was to make a good living and see what I could see with no strings attached.

As I look back … I was just lazy … spirtually lazy.

What happened … had kids so nominally went back but not really trying but a few things happened in a short time. My wife and I went to a New Years Eve party where I got into a discussion with an atheist and admitted I was Catholic but had no real defense against his belief since really had put no effort into my faith. Ding … if you don’t want to feel like an idiot … bone up … 2nd item I remember my sister in law questioning the real presence in the Eucharist … and I could not help her … ding … if you don’t want to feel like an idiot … bone up.

The third was what I call a miracle … big for me but really small in the scheme of things so bear with me. I was driving home from work in NC in the summer … AC went out in mya car and my normal 45 minute commute took almost 2 hours due to an accident or something. Needless to say I was steaming when I pulled in the driveway. At the time I my kids were 1, 3 and 5. I knew I was a lit piece of TNT ready to just go off … so I asked Jesus in the car to take away my anger … that is all. I then went in the house and guess what happened, nothing. There was no blow-up but I did not recognize this till I went to bed and remembered what I asked for … and for the removal of anger I had to forget. It is only by grace I was allowed to see what Jesus had done. I was grateful … and yet sad because right then I knew in my heart I had been careless and thankless for what He had done for me. I was just a spoiled brat who happened to be about 42.

I proceeded to my first confession in years and then re commited myself to my Lord and my faith. I look back and do not see the same person anymore … and I realize how Jesus can take whatever train wreck of a life we have led and turn it around.

Conversions do not happen just to non-Catholics … they happen to Catholics too.

 

[NonCatholic]

Hope you don’t mind but I will post a different take on the OP … I was born in a Catholic home with both my parents and grandparents devout Catholics so no problem there.

The problem was me … I had to try to be my own man on my own terms so in college, this is not uncommon, I decided to just quit going to Mass and just not do any religion thing. I pretty much stayed that way for 22 years … it is painful to admit that. All I really wanted was to make a good living and see what I could see with no strings attached.

As I look back … I was just lazy … spirtually lazy.

What happened … had kids so nominally went back but not really trying but a few things happened in a short time. My wife and I went to a New Years Eve party where I got into a discussion with an atheist and admitted I was Catholic but had no real defense against his belief since really had put no effort into my faith. Ding … if you don’t want to feel like an idiot … bone up … 2nd item I remember my sister in law questioning the real presence in the Eucharist … and I could not help her … ding … if you don’t want to feel like an idiot … bone up.

The third was what I call a miracle … big for me but really small in the scheme of things so bear with me. I was driving home from work in NC in the summer … AC went out in mya car and my normal 45 minute commute took almost 2 hours due to an accident or something. Needless to say I was steaming when I pulled in the driveway. At the time I my kids were 1, 3 and 5. I knew I was a lit piece of TNT ready to just go off … so I asked Jesus in the car to take away my anger … that is all. I then went in the house and guess what happened, nothing. There was no blow-up but I did not recognize this till I went to bed and remembered what I asked for … and for the removal of anger I had to forget. It is only by grace I was allowed to see what Jesus had done. I was grateful … and yet sad because right then I knew in my heart I had been careless and thankless for what He had done for me. I was just a spoiled brat who happened to be about 42.

I proceeded to my first confession in years and then re commited myself to my Lord and my faith. I look back and do not see the same person anymore … and I realize how Jesus can take whatever train wreck of a life we have led and turn it around.

Conversions do not happen just to non-Catholics … they happen to Catholics too.

I can vouch for that, I have 2 aunts that were raised Catholic and left for many many years and now they are both entrenched Catholics. I also have an Uncle that is of the Latin rite. He’s a Vatican I staunch supporter and rejects Vatican II. I don’t understand all of that, but that the way he is.

 

[ncgolf]

I can vouch for that, I have 2 aunts that were raised Catholic and left for many many years and now they are both entrenched Catholics. I also have an Uncle that is of the Latin rite. He’s a Vatican I staunch supporter and rejects Vatican II. I don’t understand all of that, but that the way he is.

It’s the prodigal son in action … he let’s leave, wallow in the pig stye … and instead of kicking us when we’re down … is happy to see us again … it seems people who have seen the depths see the heights in a whole new son-light.

 

[NonCatholic]

It’s the prodigal son in action … he let’s leave, wallow in the pig stye … and instead of kicking us when we’re down … is happy to see us again … it seems people who have seen the depths see the heights in a whole new son-light.

Hi NC, That was poetic. God bless you!

 

[Memaw]

Hope you don’t mind but I will post a different take on the OP … I was born in a Catholic home with both my parents and grandparents devout Catholics so no problem there.

The problem was me … I had to try to be my own man on my own terms so in college, this is not uncommon, I decided to just quit going to Mass and just not do any religion thing. I pretty much stayed that way for 22 years … it is painful to admit that. All I really wanted was to make a good living and see what I could see with no strings attached.

As I look back … I was just lazy … spirtually lazy.

What happened … had kids so nominally went back but not really trying but a few things happened in a short time. My wife and I went to a New Years Eve party where I got into a discussion with an atheist and admitted I was Catholic but had no real defense against his belief since really had put no effort into my faith. Ding … if you don’t want to feel like an idiot … bone up … 2nd item I remember my sister in law questioning the real presence in the Eucharist … and I could not help her … ding … if you don’t want to feel like an idiot … bone up.

The third was what I call a miracle … big for me but really small in the scheme of things so bear with me. I was driving home from work in NC in the summer … AC went out in mya car and my normal 45 minute commute took almost 2 hours due to an accident or something. Needless to say I was steaming when I pulled in the driveway. At the time I my kids were 1, 3 and 5. I knew I was a lit piece of TNT ready to just go off … so I asked Jesus in the car to take away my anger … that is all. I then went in the house and guess what happened, nothing. There was no blow-up but I did not recognize this till I went to bed and remembered what I asked for … and for the removal of anger I had to forget. It is only by grace I was allowed to see what Jesus had done. I was grateful … and yet sad because right then I knew in my heart I had been careless and thankless for what He had done for me. I was just a spoiled brat who happened to be about 42.

I proceeded to my first confession in years and then re- committed myself to my Lord and my faith. I look back and do not see the same person anymore … and I realize how Jesus can take whatever train wreck of a life we have led and turn it around.

Conversions do not happen just to non-Catholics … they happen to Catholics too.

Ain’t that the truth, Thanks, ncgolf and Thank GOD for HIS Grace.

 

[Memaw]

The people at the Pentecostal megachurch helped me in every way they could: took care of me when I was sick, fed me, (and how they fed me), gave me bags of good clothes, coached me on responsible behavior, held me when I needed it, talked out all kinds of ideas with me, included and trained me in Bible journaling, helped me so much, and taught me how to speak up about my faith… it seemed like I’d found the perfect church and family/community, and that they would surely teach me the truth there. My dream was to become a missionary doing great things for God, making my time on earth really worth every bit of trouble I’d caused and resources I’d wasted in my life. I wanted to be a giver. I wanted a better world, and to live in God’s will, and to know what is true and how to share the truth with everyone, and affirmation in those goals from everyone around me when I got home/back to church/friends’ houses.
I found a job, struggled to be a reliable responsible worker, found a little place to live of my own, struggled to be a blessing to the neighborhood, and struggled to find opportunities to witness in my life and serve in the church. Church friends helped me move, filled my space with furnishings of every kind, came by to hug me and congratulate me and see if I was OK. I didn’t stop to wonder if they knew what they were talking about. They tended to give good advice in general. They read the Bible. They had great faith and lived good lives; wasn’t that proof that they were in touch with God?
Then we learned from the head pastor and the prophets/subpastors, who didn’t always tell us when they were speaking prophecy and when they were speaking for themselves and their own personal opinions, that we had to make the church grow. Not only that, it would mean a drastic overhaul of our organization. We would need to learn much about submission and teamwork. Everyone must volunteer. We needed to be in sync: Bible study, small groups, cell groups, women’s potlucks, every aspect was to tighten up and fit a system the pastors had been going to conferences to get into.
I worried that the lack of wiggle room in these schedulings of our spiritual lives meant some of us could lose part of our individuality for a while.
But my friends were still themselves. The biker still wore tight jeans and the singers still burst into song in the street. I still got compliments on my serious mind. It was OK so far.
Continued.

Come on survive, you’ve got my attention, now I want to know the REST of the story!!!

 

[NonCatholic]

Come on survive, you’ve got my attention, now I want to know the REST of the story!!!

Ditto!

 

[Snerticus]

I had to break this up into two parts. I tend to be long-winded in my writing, but I wanted to be thorough in my conversion story:

I was raised Catholic. My parents at the time were nominal Catholics, but at least they went to church every Sunday. I went through my Sunday Catechism classes (although I don’t remember much about them except for a nun hitting a kid named Jon on the back of his hand with a ruler for spelling his name J-O-N instead of J-O-H-N.) I belonged to a Brownie group when I was really young, an age before I received my first Holy Communion, and for our field trip we went to a local Catholic Church to mass. I got up like everyone else at Communion but had no idea where I was going. I then received my first Holy Communion, though I doubt it was valid.

Up until I went to college, I just went to church on Sundays because I was supposed to, not because I wanted to. I didn’t understand it and it was boring. I knew the language by rote, but didn’t know what it meant. I received all my sacraments like I was supposed to. I went to college and rejoiced that I didn’t have to go to church anymore. I briefly took up witchcraft, but it didn’t agree with me. So I went back to… well… nothing. Years went by, I graduated. More years went by and when I was 29, I got married to a Catholic man. Well, he was about as Catholic as I was at that point, which was NOT. We didn’t concern ourselves with the silliness of a religion, and didn’t even think about God. Four years later, I had been in counseling for at least two years to determine if I wanted a divorce. Then something happened between me and a manager at my workplace. I decided I’d better get that divorce now if my counselor agreed it was prudent. About this time I had a locution. There was a voice of a man and I saw in my mind a chalk sketch of an old man’s face with a long white beard. There were typed words underneath the face and the words coincided with what was being said. As far as I can remember, the voice said in a gentle way of authority “You are desecrating my temple and turning it into garbage”. I thought about it a while, and even had to look up the word desecrate. I learned what it meant and I knew Who it was that was speaking to me. But after about a day I ignored it, just tossed it aside and put it right out of my mind. I asked my husband for a divorce. I kept on in my relationship with my boss. I got depressed because things were not working out the way I thought (DUH!). Main management at work forced me to take 3 months of sick leave to get out of my rut. When I got back, my relationship had pretty much gone to pot, and my divorce was pretty much finalized. My life was ruined.

My mom gave me a Chaplet of Divine Mercy and I just tossed it aside. I was still agnostic, I suppose, if that’s what I was at all. I thought she was silly for even giving it to me. It didn’t take but a week or two until I picked it up again and decided “what the heck, what would it hurt?” I had to of course get myself a rosary, but after I recited it, everything seemed a little bit different to me. EVERYTHING. It was the way I viewed things now. I think God was creeping back into my life. But I still wasn’t out of the water yet, as Satan had other plans. He wasn’t giving me up without a fight. Things turned out bad after my extra-marital relationship dissolved. I got real depressed. I overdosed one night on 30 pills. Before I fell asleep from the effects of the pills, I screamed as I cried out to God. GOD HELP ME PLEASE!!! Then I don’t remember anything of that night except waking up in an ambulance for a few minutes being yelled at to drink some charcoal stuff and then waking up again the next day in the hospital.

 

[Snerticus]

(continued)

God had saved me, and I knew it then. I started reading St. Faustina and her life story. I loved her and wanted to be just like her. I started thinking about the religious life. I also was more peaceful and there were (and still are) many times when I sit and relax and just think about God. Nothing in particular, just God. And I get this peaceful content feeling. The kind where you know everything is the way it’s supposed to be and everything is going turn out fine. I even had a period where I just looked up to heaven and thought … well…. thought …. nothing. Actually I didn’t have one idea or thought in my head and yet I knew I was communicating with God and He back with me. I was practically having a whole conversation without knowing it, but feeling like I just finished a discourse with God. It was the most awesome thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I haven’t been able to do it since. Then there were little things that a normal person would scoff at… I’d be angry at something and one time I was so upset I kept saying to myself “no one loves me or even cares about me, everyone is against me and hates me!” Then I heard my printer turn on and start printing. I took the piece of paper out of my printer and looked at it. I had this overwhelming feeling of love at that point – and on the paper I saw a heart printed out in the upper left hand corner. You know, those little wingding symbols the computer prints out sometimes when the connection to the printer is wonky. Well, it was just a heart, nothing else, and I knew exactly who sent it to me. Just when I needed it most.

Little things like this keep happening to me and I’m so grateful. I came back to the Church slowly but consistently up until Sept 11, 2001. At which time I started to go to daily mass for obvious reasons. I read Church documents and Saints’ writings. As a matter of fact, I downloaded something from St. Theresa of Avila from EWTN one day and started reading it. OMG!!! What she was describing was happening to me!!! Praise God, I know why and what is going on!!! I finally realized I was home and I never want to leave this – the Church that Christ has left us – again. I may lapse every now and then and maybe our communications (between me and the Lord) haven’t been as ample as they used to, but I know God loves me and wants me to be where I am, striving more and more towards Him. Every now and then something happens that I see God’s hand in reminding me He’s still there… because I’m pretty sure I’m the kind of person that needs constant reassurance. I’m glad He sees that too, as I appreciate every instance that He comes to me; either to protect, comfort, and yes, even chastise me. I love it when He does the latter especially because I know He cares.

Suffering has been a major part of my coming home experience. I never knew where to place suffering, as it seemed useless to me. But now that I am home I welcome it because I feel I can contribute “what Christ lacked on the cross” and use it in whatever cause He needs it to go to.

I had discerned the call to religious life for many years privately. But I decided that God wants me to live a non consecrated life, to show others somehow that everyday people have His love and mercy and they too can be saints in today’s chaotic and secular world. Although I’ve tried verbally defending my faith to others, it seems I always end up just making someone even more angry than when we start the conversation. I don’t know how I’m going to accomplish my task, but I’m faithful that in God’s providence He will guide me through my mission, even if I don’t understand what it is.

 

[Snerticus]

Sorry for boring everyone, I don’t get to talk to people much about my conversion as you can probably tell.

I hope that’s the longest post I will ever put on a thread! I promise to try hard not to babble and bore anyone again.

 

[umamei]

Sorry for boring everyone, I don’t get to talk to people much about my conversion as you can probably tell.

I hope that’s the longest post I will ever put on a thread! I promise to try hard not to babble and bore anyone again.

Your story isn’t boring! It’s a very intense story, and I can see from reading it how much you went through on your way back to the Church. I suffered too, quite a bit (albeit never to the point of suicidal impulses) before coming to the Catholic Church. I’m glad we both found our ways out of that though.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Imcarol,

The Baptists are so far removed from anything that one could consider catholic (or Catholic) that it is surprising to me, a Lutheran, that you feel that you have a foot in each camp. The Baptists have no sacraments (their “ordinances” being construed in a way that makes of them mere acts of human piety without any conveyance objectively of grace at all, much less Christ’s regenerating Grace in Holy Baptism, and His Real Presence in the Eucharist).

We Lutherans, as well as Anglicans, and even Reformed and Presbyterian who take seriously their own Confessions (respectively, the Three Forms of Unity and the Westminster Standards), have varying conceptions of the objective nature and validity of the sacraments, but Baptists resolutely deny all of that. Baptists have no valid Holy Orders, having renounced the sacraments, even that of ordination, to which at least some Protestants cling however precariously.

What separates the Baptist sects from Islam, apart from an uncredal (hence inadequately founded) allegiance to the doctrine of the Trinity?

No, if you are Baptist, Roman Catholicism is so utterly different from what the Baptists espouse, that you should have less difficulty than a Lutheran, an Anglican, or even a Bucerian-tinged Calivinist in embracing Catholicism.

However, I understand the social pressures, nostalgia, and other matters of the heart that make change slow, even if as a Lutheran, it is hard to think of the Baptist System as even minimally worthy of such hesitations. Go for it, girl! Become Catholic. May we both arrive at Christ’s Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in its fulness!

Jerry Parker