The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
Pentecost, inspirations and gifts of Spirit
Born Protestant, Nancy Ward was an introverted bookworm. At age 15, her prayer under a tree during a retreat in New Mexico changed her life! A “thunderbolt of love” when she met her Catholic husband-to-be led her even deeper into God’s embrace. See how Nancy shed her shyness, chose conversion, and stepped out to proclaim God’s graces, in this episode of Jesus My Savior.
Old Sally taught me that evangelization is not about me or how well I can convince those lonely souls on the fringes of the church that they need God, but about sharing what God has done in my life.
No one can refute the experience of my personal encounter with Christ! As for you, think of all the life lessons God has taught you through your God-moments!
By Celeste Smith I grew up in a small Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Every Sunday, my mother would make sure that all five of my brothers and sisters and I were dressed in our Sunday best and march us down the street toward our little church. My grandparents, aunts and uncles attended and sang...
“The Holy Spirit meets us where we are. And that is always in our prayer life and our family relationships. That’s our priority and where he’s most interested in dealing with us.” “The Holy Spirit speaks to us in special ways where our hearts are invested. For me, it’s always been my writing. My prayer journal has developed into a dialog with him. “In retrospect, I can see how the Holy Spirit works in my life and in all our lives. It helps me to minister to people that don’t understand how He can guide us.”
Stop and think for a moment. There are a zillion more lay Catholics in the world than there are priests and religious. It is we lay people who hold the key to the evangelization of the world. This is one of the most overlooked exhortations of Vatican II. Instead of rushing to fill “quasi liturgical roles,” we lay folk were challenged to evangelize the environments which are unique to us (and not readily accessible to our priests and religious) – our homes and extended family, our businesses and work environments (including our employees and co-workers) and the various athletic, charitable, entertainment, fraternal, political, professional and social organizations in which we participate.
Evangelization is part and parcel of being a Christian, but sharing our faith is not simply a chore to be carried out. When we share our faith stories with others, not only do we grow as Christians, but we encourage others and give glory to God.
We are not evangelizing for our own glory, but to glorify God. Sharing our story is not about showing how pious or holy we have become, but how God’s love for us has transformed us. We acknowledge his power and might in showing how he has been able to bring good even out of our neglect and sin.
I was first baptized as a Protestant and later conditionally baptized as a Catholic (as was the custom before Vatican II). For me, the effects of baptism have been a tremendous source of joy. That’s when I was adopted as a beloved daughter of God, equipped as a follower, commissioned to witness, freed from original sin, made a temple of his glory, empowered by the Holy Spirit, welcomed into the Church, and lovingly placed into the river of my faith story.
My baptism gave me my identity in Christ and began God’s work in my life. May I never “dry out” and turn away from being his beloved daughter, whom he continues to transform.
By Dolores Love When our children were in grade school, a dear Daughter of Charity, Sister Mary Virginia Clarke, who helped get our own charismatic prayer group started, moved out to the Mexican border to work full time with Fr. Rick Thomas in full-time ministry to the poor in El Paso. She invited families...