Thanks for sharing your story. It is high on my list of favorites because it is so real and so sincere. God bless you and Amber and your family as your journey of holiness continues.
Your experience back in 4th grade with the Sign of Peace is the most beautiful part of this story for me. As a cradle Catholic, I’ve never looked at the Sign of Peace through the eyes of a non-Catholic child before. It has certainly opened my heart and mind towards something I felt unnecessary and distracting. Pax ✌️
I remember before they had the Kiss of Peace. I was about 12 and they said they were gonna start it. I thought to myself “there’s no way I’m kissing anyone.” LoL
Kiss of peace is totally biblical, Roman 16:16 and it’s still done in the Traditional Latin Mass. Sadly. I share the same experience I saw no point in this kiss, or sign of peace especially when Our Lord is present at the Alter already..I even hope that it was removed from the liturgy 😞 but slowly the Lord has been letting me see how important something small as a sign of peace can be. 🙏 Thank you for your testimony
I saw a Journey Home with the Wican recently (don't remember her name but I'm sure you can find her by searching that) she said the sign of peace moved her the most at first Mass and she cried while talking about it. She said, while breaking down, she was thinking in that moment "I used to mock and make fun of you people, why are you wishing me peace?"
Thank you for sharing your journey. It is especially helpful to hear of your addiction & brokenness. God is merciful & makes all of it worth it to find Him and come home. I appreciate you being here !
You have a beautiful story! I can personally relate at 18minutes:30, sucking back vast quantities of alcohol to cover internal pain! The drinking became worse, til I had my moment, and I knew I needed to quit. And I can relate to the part of not wanting AA and knowing deep down that I didn't need AA. By the grace of God and a lot of prayer, it's been almost two years since I touched alcohol; except for a few spiritually nourishing drops every week at the Eucharist. Thanks for the courage in sharing your story!
Just picking-up on the psychological aspect of the Sacrament of Confession, the Sacrament of Confession is essentially a sacrament that imparts the Holy Spirit and sanctifying grace when used properly. This means that sometimes you may use the Sacrament properly but suffer psychological damage through it, because it is not essentially about psychological healing, it is primarily about the Holy Spirit which doesn't necessarily mean psychological healing: our religion isn't simply a psychological balm. Often there is psychological healing in Confession (which is mentioned I think in the Catechism). I have always really liked these Journey Home programmes, and have found them to be psychologically healing. We're probably hardwired to respond to stories like these. And the JH theme music is great, comforting, and homely. I used to watch these programmes when Marcus Grodi was the presenter, and it's great to see that his son has taken over. With parallels to the Sacrament of Confession, these programmes can both involve psychological healing, and constitute being a sacramental, as well as send G-d's grace to us.
Everybody speak of her mum with religion, real mothers matter for the faith of the family. I will try workhard when I will be parent, then think about relationship between Mary and Jesus. While many Christians are against. Remember is Mary asked Jesus about the wine is finished in the wedding. And Jesus deed it, same Mary told disciples whatever Jesus will tell u do it. Mary organizes the occasions. Upto date, she still appears to get us organized amezing, she deed it in Kenya 🇰🇪 subukia, I have videos, for so I have witnessed ❤
I'm stuck on several things. One is the desultory drifting from one group to another (baptist to Church of Christ to Anglican to RC? I think I missed a couple. What will be next?). Another was forgetting to mention the Catholic primary school and above all the father's conversion to RC at that time. Above all though was the circle of friends passing bread and wine around leading to a deep mystical experience. So is a priest necessary to confect the elements or not? It seems like either the theory of priestly confection is false, or the mystical experience has nothing to do with the Eucharist: perhaps a demonic manifestation?
Pope St. John Paul writes in his encyclical on the Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia) that the Eucharist is both a symbol as well as also being the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. Protestant celebrations of the Last Supper share with Catholics, the symbolic aspect of the Eucharist. Insofar as celebrating only the symbolic aspect can be virtuous (Catholics can accept such Protestant celebrations as Protestants do not claim that what they do causes the bread and wine to change), we can say that his experience during his Last Supper celebration may well have been genuinely mystical, genuinely from G-d, that pointed the way to something of a greater celebration of the Last Supper, where there is both symbol and the Real Presence, that is the Eucharist (according to the Catholic understanding). As for the supposed desultory drifting, the Holy Spirit can direct you to go to all kinds of places: He is like the wind (take note of some of the lives of the Old Testament prophets, for example). The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is holy, good and true in these other denominations (official Church teaching), so the Holy Spirit may direct you into these other denominations, maybe as some kind of 'stepping stone'. What may be next? Perhaps the Holy Spirit will direct them into a special ministry or religious movement within the Catholic Church, perhaps as another part of their journey.
