Today, July 16, is the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Today is also significant for me because on this day two years ago, I came Home to the Catholic Church. I could clearly remember that afternoon when, after years of being an Evangelical Christian, I rediscovered the Faith of my childhood and saw it like for the very first time. It was like stumbling upon a pearl of great price.
That afternoon, I heard no angelic voices, no trumpets sounding, not even choirs singing - only my repentant sobbing and the sweet words of absolution I never heard for many years. I have no enough space here to narrate the entire story of my joirney from being a nominal Catholic, a born again Christian, and then a renewed Catholic. However, I have promised myself
…show more content…
I don't even know how to begin writing it. Sometimes, there are moments in a man's life when he faces so much truth, beauty, and goodness that he couldn't even begin to express it. I was like a child breathlessly marveling the beauty of a world that is so vast and mysterious for him.
It was not a simple journey. I had to make certain decisions that meant big changes in my life. While for some the decision to be Catholic again was not a big deal at all, it meant the whole world for me. When I decided to "accept Christ as my Lord and Savior" on December 7, 2011, I resolved to follow Him wherever He would lead me - even to a vocation as a minister of His Gospel.
It was not an easy choice. For many times, I ignored the multiple calls of the Spirit asking me, "Have you honestly tried to understand the Faith that you have abandoned?" For many times I have avoided asking many questions and seeking for answers out of pride and that belief that I don't need any religion or creed but just a "personal relationship with Christ" - that I don't need any doctrines or traditions but just my own understanding of the Bible through prayer and
…show more content…
Many of those who know me to be a Protestant have been shocked and concerned, thinking that the Devil has deceived me, that I gave in to too much intellectualism, that I have made a grave error which could bring me to Hell.
A good number of old friends stopped talking with me like they did before and one even told me that he couldn't be at "equal yoke" with me now that I am a Catholic and an "unbeliever." Yes, it was a painful decision, but that became for me a wellspring of eternal joy as I have "truly received" once again in the Most Holy Eucharist the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord and Savior.
I still love all of my non-Catholic friends who have misunderstood my choice. Through them I have first discovered the "joy of the gospel." Through their silent witness, I have encountered the beauty of what C.S. Lewis called "mere Christianity." I am deeply indebted to all my Evangelical friends for they truly helped me to know and love the Lord. I couldn't blame them for all the pains I had for they only did what they thought to be the right thing to do. They, too, had acted for the love and devotion to our Lord. I pray for all of them that they may continue loving God and His people, serving Him in total surrender without any reservations. I hope that through my book, I may be able to testify to the goodness of God in my journey of