I watched the Journey Home this weekend on EWTN (I love this show!) and was pleasantly surprised to see it was a Sweden edition. Normally the host talks to priests, nuns, men, and women who at some point in their lives, converted to the Catholic faith. I don't really consider myself a convert since I have always technically been Catholic, but I can really relate to many of the people on the show and the trials they faced spiritually before coming to a stable place. I'm hesitant to state I am 100% settled in my faith because each time in the past I felt grounded, something came up to make me question the Catholic Church or the practice of the OT law.
Anyways, this particular episode was AWESOME. The guests were a two married, normal, everyday Swedes who *obviously* converted. The thing with Sweden is it is predominately Protestant and most of its citizens are baptised into the Swedish Lutheran Church and live very secular lives after. The woman, Lisa Wetterberg, was born into an atheist family who never taught her about God so that "she could decided her religion later" and her husband Magnus was born Lutheran and didn't give much thought to religion in her adult years. Lisa, during her young adult years, converted to Catholicism and soon after met Magnus. Although he did convert years after their marriage, they married with very different religious views...she said "he is a catholic, he just doesn't know it yet".
When I heard that I was like "awwww" however, now looking back, that could have been a dangerous move. We are called to be equally yolked...and I know the Church says an interfaith couple can marry as long as the children are raised Catholic, but I could never do that. I was "with" a certain guy for a while and he even proposed to me this summer, but I knew I couldn't take any further steps with a non-Christian. I know so many Christian/Catholic women who married a non-religious man and slowly, I watched their own faiths decline. Are any of you married/dating someone who doesn't believe in your faith? Do you just pray for their conversion, do you fight a lot? I always wonder if, and secretly hope, he will (the guy above) find God someday, but I feel as if it is almost futile. Maybe I am wasting my time waiting when I should be concentrating on my own faith and eventually looking elsewhere. I know I am very young still, but it's hard to get past these old feelings.
Which brings me into the next part in which Lisa said she was very passionate in her early years and would cry at mass or during prayer. I started praying the rosary this week and last night I had a really moving experience. Just as the words came out of my mouth, I started to cry. I was reading the mysteries for the day as I prayed each bead and it just triggered some inner urgency within me, like I was praying for family and friends' souls. The Fatima prayer really fired my own requests, seeing as how the words paralleled my own intentions. This was a rare experience for me because I have never really gotten "emotional" during prayer, but if felt so real; like I was connected to heaven. This is extra weird seeing as I have always been wary of the rosary. Do any of you say the rosary? Everyday? Or what about the Chaplet of Divine Mercy? (I love this one, but I have lost my momentum by saying it everyday) Or do you have reservations about these prayers?
I hope to continue my prayers and my "Lust" for my faith as Lisa quipped in the Journey Home, but I also hope to achieve the "true love" that can endure the hard times, the questioning, and the trials that await me in the future.
I hope you all had and are having a great week!
May YHVH bless you with Great Shalom :)
-R.A
4 comments:
I have serious reservations about even venerating the saints, much less addressing prayers or even requests for intercession to them. They are in the hereafter and I believe the Bible forbids attempts to communicate with people who are in the hereafter. I also believe that Jesus is our only mediator and advocate, and that even he wanted us to address ourselves not to Him, but our Father in Heaven. In his name, yes, but nonetheless... In other words, I believe one is playing with hellfire (in the form of idolatry) if one's prayer life consists of anything but prayer to God the Father in Jesus' name.
yes, but then why do humans ask each other to pray for us when an obstacle arises? I've asked for prayers here and Christians never speak out against that. And if you believe death was destroyed by Christ then the body of Christ (all the souls of those who believe) is living. It's like asking for prayers from someone alive.
I support you. I too believe in the Holy Rosary and it's promise. I try my best too to live a holy life the best that I could and I want to be surrounded by people who think the same way.
I have to say that I've seen mixed (religion)marriages that have worked out very well... I agree that its not the best idea or the perfect example of what marriage should be... but they can work without causing one to lose faith. However, seeing some that have turned out that way discouraged me from going that route early on.
I haven't ever seen this show despite it being the type of thing I know I would enjoy... I probably should!
As for the Rosary... I love it. Unfortunately I don't pray it as often as I should. I keep trying to do so more often and failing. Hopefully I'll get where I want to be eventually.
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