Come and See
My story began with my Dad’s trust and faith in God. He professed his fear left when he ‘accepted God as his Lord and saviour’. My personal experience of his evangelizing, I have to admit to you, and eventually directly to him, made me want to run for the hills. It overwhelmed me and I felt trapped. Once I explained I felt that way, he understood my lack of curiosity. He changed his approach and my curiosity exploded. His life lived that way, eventually made me wonder if I could be so led in such grace. This first called my heart. I needed to study! I studied many doctrines over my lifetime and Catholicism called me most deeply!
To understand the theology of the Catholic Church, for me, profoundly experiencing Christ’s unconditional love for me, through the Eucharist in mass, was where it really happened. In spite of being a lifelong seeker of goodness and God, it has taken me until now to begin to understand the vastness and complexity of Catholicism.
For months, on and off, I sat at mass in the Virgin’s chapel. It was there that the mystery of the Eucharist became real to me, as a present moment experience, not heresay or daydream. The very flesh and blood of Jesus in every mass! Christ's act of giving His life, all done for me. My grateful, humbled heart then headed out looking for how to begin a life reaching toward sainthood.
This passion led me to RCIA. In RCIA I’ve experienced intellectually and spiritually, how my Dad's grace, service and love for others, is manifest. My new community of sainthood seekers has created a new reality of God’s love. RCIA is giving me the basic understanding and tools I've been looking for all along. I’ve just begun. I’m on a new, much less fearful life journey now toward sainthood, and love for others.
I’d say to you, if you were curious what this is : ‘Come and see’. We will welcome you with open arms and journey along beside you. It’s a real thing!
You’ll recognize me by the tears of happy gratitude in my eyes.
Respectfully submitted,
Rhonda L
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
