Becoming a Catholic by Heart

In the 6 months after being a part of that non-denominational Christian society, I felt caught up in different beliefs. I fell into a time of confusion and a spiritual downfall. I knew I was a Catholic. I had what I thought were Catholic beliefs, however the way that I was reading the Bible, didn't support my Catholic views. I started asking my mum about questions about the Catholic Church, and why we practice and believe in certain things. She never judged me for asking those questions (even though I should have known the answers after years of being a Catholic.) But I still wasn’t sure that I should be in a church that I felt at the time didn’t live up to the teachings in the Bible.

(*Please note – this is my own experience of reading the Bible and the Catholic faith. I hadn’t done research yet about the Catholic faith)

Every chance I got, I prayed, watched YouTube videos, read articles to seek out the truth about the Catholic faith. But the biggest question on my list, “Do Catholics actually proclaim the Bible?”. Then one day it hit me. I was reading the Gospel of Matthew and I saw a verse that we say during Mass, Matthew 8:8, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Then I saw another verse, then another. I realized that all during Mass, we proclaim the words of Scripture, not just during the “Liturgy of the Word” part of the Mass.

22 years old and I just found all of this out. As time went on, I saw the Bible filled with Catholic teachings and beliefs. I found it extraordinary.

However, at the same time, I still didn't understand the Eucharist. I was disinterested in learning about it; It seemed boring and too confusing. It wasn't until a friend tried to explain it to me that I felt like I understood it more; so that next week during Mass, I went up to receive Communion. The experience didn't seem much to me. However, the Sunday after I decided to stay in my seat while everyone else went up. I had never felt a genuine yearning for goodness until that moment. I realized receiving the Eucharist during the last few weeks had given me spiritual peace. I sat there with tears in my eyes while everyone went up without me. I felt I was missing out and that God was calling me to come to Him by taking Christ's body and blood. This experience was life-changing for me. God helped me to believe in Him more through this experience, especially through reading John 6, and the Last Supper accounts. These opened my eyes to understanding the real presence.

I began a strong interest in listening and watching conversion stories of people who entered the church. I found all of these stories really encouraging as many of the individuals were very anti-Catholic beforehand. Their commitment to studying God's Word, Church history, and the current Catholic Church's teachings greatly inspire me.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I would have stayed a Catholic after first learning about the Bible if it wasn’t for the help of these converts, as even though I knew the Catholics doctrines, I didn’t know how they were rooted in the Scriptures. I owe a lot to these men and women.