- Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:59 am
#102583
My friends in Christ - A cradle Catholic, raised in Catholic schools until age 10, I nonetheless fell away as a teenager. There had been an early conviction that I had a vocation to the Religious life, but my parents were horrified and actively discouraged me. I didn't have the guts to go with the Holy Spirit on that one, but our Lord and His Mother did not give up on me.
My journey took me through Protestant denominations, Quaker beliefs, Latter Day Saints, Paganism, Buddhism and, finally, I converted to the Conservative branch of the Jewish faith. Seeking, seeking, seeking... but nonetheless empty.
Then my beloved father became ill in his final illness. It was 7 months of a series of unfortunate events and I became his medical caretaker. Dad was always a devout Catholic and even when he no longer attended Mass, he prayed with a special devotion to Our Lady. He was the kindest, most gentle person I ever knew. Dad was not happy when I converted to Judaism, but he was no less loving toward me. He enjoyed sick visits with the rabbi from my synagogue as well as the hospital's priest chaplains.
The day came that my father, conscious to the end, died with the full Sacraments of the Church. I will never forget the privilege of attending him in his last days. After he passed, something amazing happened.
Dad kept showing up in my dreams, and I experienced a weird hunger, almost a desperation for the Holy Sacraments. There was an urgency about these dreams that did not diminish over the months after his death. I finally went to a local parish and poured my heart out to a wise and understanding priest. This priest accepted me back into the Church.
In the 3 years since then, God the Father, Jesus & the Holy Spirit, and all the Angels and Saints are my daily companions. I have the privilege to attend Mass every day. I am still a rotten sinner, and say and do things I regret all the time, but grace is strengthening me day by day.
Dad showed up in a recent dream. He was in the pew ahead of me in church. He turned around and gave me that mischievous grin and wink of his. Thanks Dad and... thank you Father, Son & Holy Spirit!
My journey took me through Protestant denominations, Quaker beliefs, Latter Day Saints, Paganism, Buddhism and, finally, I converted to the Conservative branch of the Jewish faith. Seeking, seeking, seeking... but nonetheless empty.
Then my beloved father became ill in his final illness. It was 7 months of a series of unfortunate events and I became his medical caretaker. Dad was always a devout Catholic and even when he no longer attended Mass, he prayed with a special devotion to Our Lady. He was the kindest, most gentle person I ever knew. Dad was not happy when I converted to Judaism, but he was no less loving toward me. He enjoyed sick visits with the rabbi from my synagogue as well as the hospital's priest chaplains.
The day came that my father, conscious to the end, died with the full Sacraments of the Church. I will never forget the privilege of attending him in his last days. After he passed, something amazing happened.
Dad kept showing up in my dreams, and I experienced a weird hunger, almost a desperation for the Holy Sacraments. There was an urgency about these dreams that did not diminish over the months after his death. I finally went to a local parish and poured my heart out to a wise and understanding priest. This priest accepted me back into the Church.
In the 3 years since then, God the Father, Jesus & the Holy Spirit, and all the Angels and Saints are my daily companions. I have the privilege to attend Mass every day. I am still a rotten sinner, and say and do things I regret all the time, but grace is strengthening me day by day.
Dad showed up in a recent dream. He was in the pew ahead of me in church. He turned around and gave me that mischievous grin and wink of his. Thanks Dad and... thank you Father, Son & Holy Spirit!
"He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Upon Him was the chastisement that makes us whole; by His stripes we were healed." Isaiah 53:5
