It is a real pleasure to comment on the Scripture passage which is dearest to my heart. Sometimes you Catholics from birth must wonder if the passages you use to support Catholic teaching are really convincing, or if you like them because they support positions you already hold. I am telling you today that they are convincing, and that today’s Gospel was the final step in my conversion to the Catholic Church.
Secular Upbringing
I grew up in a radical secular family. My mother’s father was an atheistic college professor. Her mother, a New Age adherent long before New Age was popular. My parents lived in Santa Cruz in the 60’s and supported Gene McCarthy for president in ’68. My father then got a job at a college in southern Oregon, where I grew up.
Before my sophomore year one of my friends spent the night. And, as we talked late into the night, tried to persuade me to become a Christian. I refuted him from what I thought was a scientific point of view, saying that God does not exist.
After that conversation, though, I realized that I had never really thought seriously about God before. I followed my friend’s suggestion and began reading the Bible (my librarian parents had many books, including an old King James Bible in the house).
In the following weeks and months, I continued reading, coming to pray and to believe. I told almost no one about this, certainly not my family or friends. I started thinking that I should attend church, but told myself I would wait until I moved away to college. Meanwhile, I grew in the spiritual life.
My First Lent
Shortly before my senior year, I happened to be watching television when they interrupted the program to announce the election of Pope John Paul I. This was my first contact with the Catholic faith. The following Ash Wednesday, when I heard of the practice of keeping Lent, I decided to give up science fiction and spend my spare time reading instead, about Christianity in the encyclopedia.
During that Lent I learned that the Catholic Church has existed since the time of Christ, and that the other churches in the West began 1500 years after Christ. I read articles about Protestant churches whose early members claimed that times were so bad before the Reformation that only one in 10,000 people would be saved. More impressive was the historical continuity of the Catholic Church.
I was particularly struck with the authoritative teaching and interpretation of Scripture given by the popes. When I finally read, in an article about the papacy, that Matthew 16:18 is used to support the claims of the Catholic Church, I went to the Bible and re-read today’s Gospel. I then decided that when I started going to a church, it would be to a Catholic church.
My First Mass
Suddenly I no longer felt fear about proclaiming my new faith. I looked up the address of our town’s Catholic church on the Internet (just kidding, it was really the yellow pages) and biked out to it for my first Mass.
It was the Sunday after Easter, now known as Divine Mercy Sunday. The Lord in His great mercy drew me to His Church and has kept me here. The following Easter I was baptized, confirmed and received First Communion.
Recently my bishop appointed me as pastor of a church dedicated to St. Peter. How great is that!?
Great journey. Thank you for sharing.
That friend who spent the night at your house, did exactly what God called him to do. Apart from his faithfulness you might have languished in a secular cycle. Divine Providence called you, but He used that friend, who consented to evangelize a future priest.
Have you kept in touch with that friend? Does he know of the ripples he caused when he threw a rock in your water that night?
What a beautiful story of coming to christ.
Father Michael, thank you for sharing a glimpse into your conversion journey! It’s always a blessing to read of how people come to know the Lord, from far ‘outside the fold.’ How interesting that your parents were librarians! The library (and literature) was the means of my conversion to faith. I’ve sometimes noted that if a person is left in the library long enough, it’s only a matter of time before he/she becomes Catholic…!