They had a turn around a GREAT awakening in their soul as to who the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit really was and none of the descriptions included the words I always acquainted with them — distant, mean, vengeful. Nope, instead I learned the Triune God is loving, truly loving, merciful, trustworthy and faithful – just to name a few of the infinite God’s characteristics.

While I am awed and fascinated by conversion stories be it former atheist, agnostic or baptist minister, I am most drawn to how faithful people are set on fire for the faith or even how those cradle Catholics keep from drifting away.  This is my story.

A small town suburban girl with divorced parents, low self-esteem, and moderate means who attended 9 years of Catechism, went to Mass for most of the school year while in what we called CCD, and then usually just Christmas and Easter after Confirmation (aka “church graduation”).  Also, I have no recollection of ever being in Mass with my Father, though I know he went because one Christmas Eve I had to wait a whole painstaking hour for him to come home for me to open my traditional one-gift on that special night.

There were no bibles in my home until 8th grade catechism class when I received this red covered nearly see-through paper thin paged New American Bible as part of Confirmation prep.  Praying as a family took place only during really scary thunderstorms and occasionally before bed.

God was scary, death was petrifying, and Hell was real – until I hit my teen years, then I was convinced hell was our time on earth, I would never have an abortionbut who was I to dictate what a person does with their body, and actually participating in religious activities like Church was for old people who were closer to death than I and needed to have that safety net in place IN CASE that hell place I once believed existed after death really was real.

A Christmas gift of The Purpose Driven Life along with an invitation to start a bible study at a new friend’s home would change the course of my life forever.  There I would be introduced to Scripture  and begin to see the magnificent and mystical  workings of the Holy Spirit in my life.

The noise in my head once negative soliloquies  with myself morphed into hope filled dialogues with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (as well as the Blessed Mother, some new Saintly friends and my Guardian Angel).

That invitation lead to so many more – each initiated by Christ but acted through either another person or a particular situation.  In hindsight I can see how each invitation was instrumental in bringing me to a deeper faith, helping to grow and shape my understanding of God and heavenly things, as well as support me to remain a faithful person.

St. Paul teaches those things we have been comforted in, God will use to comfort others in similar situations this has been true in my life with retreats to teach about the peace of forgiveness, embrace JOY and learning cling to the hope that comes from trusting in God.  Invited by God to answer yes to the mission He had for me – allowed me the incredible blessing of being an adoptive mom, Catholic radio host, podcaster, and writer, as well as to meet the most amazing people sharing this journey to heaven who teach me so much about God’s love, mercy and faithfulness.

I long to shake my Catholic family tree and awaken hardened or deaden hearts to the beauty, hope and fullness that comes with living a sacramental, scriptural, and prayer filled Christian life.

Those three things make up the “Grace Trifecta” and without one of the pieces of that faith puzzle I would be incomplete.  Invitation brought Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation and a great appreciation of the Mass into my life; each transforming who I was to who I am — and even further to who I WANT to be. It is this sacramental piece that fills my heart with the greatest desire to tell my Catholic story of faith.  It is the gift of grace in the sacraments that I understood the least, and that I now see I benefit the most. It is this element of the Catholic faith that some how missed in all those years of considering myself Catholic — but really I wasn’t and my heart ached for something that was there all along.

All Rights Reserved 2015, 2018 Allison Gingras
Images Public Domain on Pixabay.com ​and Copyright Gracewatch.Media

The Stay Connected series is also the perfect CONNECTING BOOK between your longer spiritual reading or bible studies.  Jesus wants to spend time with you every single day.  I  know I personally do much better at accomplishing this important goal when I have a good book to guide that time.