Hi Father, 

Just a quick note to say thank you for being such a faithful shepherd and friend. Your homilies are always thought provoking and prayerful for me and have been truly life changing. I know *John (name changed for privacy) has been talking with you about me starting RCIA. I never thought I’d want to be catholic... I thought I had control over this. I would go to mass and think of every objection I could. I didn’t understand why everything had to be so uniform. Why did every mass have to be the same? Why are we thoughtlessly responding in the same way every time. Why is every mass solely focused on the Eucharist. It felt insincere. All the tradition seemed unnecessary. 

As an evangelical Protestant you can see where I’m coming from... I was used to what now feels like a large bible study. Until now my faith was mainly built on my feelings. Can you sense the pride here? Many times when John and I would talk about our “differences” I would cry, I hated having this divide between us but I was also unwilling to just “become catholic”.  I knew I had to learn WHAT I believed and WHY so I could defend myself. I started praying the same prayer every mass to be shown and led to the truth, whatever that was. I prayed during the liturgy of the Eucharist  that God would break down my unbelief, to be like Peter rather than Judas.  That is it was truly his body and blood than why would I not want (and need!) to receive. As I’ve dug deeper into learning about the origins of Catholics as well as Protestants I began to feel a divide within myself. There is something more. 

A few weeks ago when you preached on the bodily reality of the Eucharist I wept the whole time. Finally, I understood all of it. Gods miraculous presence in the bread and wine is not a symbolic remembrance but a humble and gracious gift for us to receive in a very really unity with Him. How can I continue to grow in my faith without ever receiving my Lord in this way? I now have an indescribable fire for the Catholic mass. For the rich traditional roots and the reverence. God showed me that there is no place for him in a pride centered life. As soon as I stopped being defensive and opened the door to Him, my whole outlook changed and I am Forever grateful. This reality has made my faith now a bodily reality and not mere feeling. It has shifted in me a desire, stronger than ever, to live for God. It has also made me disgustingly aware of all the sin in my life... big and small. A humbling experience for sure. 

So I just wanted to say thank you for being a part of this journey with me and John and I cant wait to learn more about the faith and establish my roots in the Catholic Church with the “holiest priest in California"! John and I are so grateful for your service and thankful to be a part of your parish.