Bible Lover's Blog, Matthew Chapter's 1-8 - 2/27/2026

My Methodology:

I have several main areas of focus for my studies:

1. To record the sequence of events and teachings across chapters, from Jesus’s birth through His death and resurrection. By no means do I intend to list every event, just the ones that I find help me have a sense of the flow and context of Jesus’s life as offered in the Gospel of St. Matthew. When I say main events that occurred, I include miracles.
2. The first appearance of key figures in the story of Jesus. I’m focused on “good guys” here, not the bad guys.
3. I’ll catalog Jesus’s parable teachings, including in which chapter each of the 20 parables is found. It may not be anything extraordinary, but perhaps by doing so I’ll gain insight into the evolution of Jesus’s ministry. I won’t try to re-teach the meanings, those are well done in countless books. For the purpose of this study my interest is the location within Matthew’s gospel.
4. St. Matthew goes to great lengths in his telling of the gospel to point out, either directly or by allusion, the ways that Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophesies, especially those of the prophet Isaiah. In preparation for my own reading and study of Isaiah at some point in the future, I’ll identify instances in the Gospel of St. Matthew where he references or alludes to Isaiah. Because the references and inferences to them are numerous, I’m going to include the Psalms, too.

5. I’m interested in instances in which Jesus’s actions institute Sacraments of the Catholic Church.
6. I’ll choose one line from each chapter that speaks directly to me about my faith in Jesus. Wherever Jesus is quoted, I’ll use an italicized red font. I like words of Jesus in red in my Bible, so why not in my notes here on my blog, right?

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Chapter 1 - Genealogy, Birth of Christ 

Key Figure(s) First Appearance:

• Joseph
• The Angel of the Lord*
• Mary, the Blessed Mother
• Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, my Savior, our Lord

*Note: In the Gospel of St. Luke, the angel is Gabriel. I wonder if the angel in St. Matthew’s gospel is Gabriel or some other angel.

• Genealogy - The genealogy of 42 generations includes Abraham and Isaac, and David. Matthew refers to Joseph as “the husband of Mary”, not as the father of Jesus. 
• Birth of Jesus - The angel appears to Joseph, tells him not to fear to take Mary as his wife, and to name Him Jesus, fulfilling the words of the prophet (Isaiah).

References from the prophet Isaiah and Psalms:

Matthew 1:22-23 directly calls upon the text of Isaiah 7:14 - “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.”

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

• Matthew 1:21 - "…she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

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Chapter 2 - Three Wise Man, Flight to Egypt, Return From Egypt

Main Events or Subjects:

• The 3 Wise Men’s visit. The angel warned them against going back to Herod in a dream, so after they visited the Holy Family and Baby Jesus, they left so via a route to avoid him.
• The angel warned Joseph to take the Holy Family and flee to Egypt to escape Herod.
• After Herod’s death, the angel told Joseph in a dream it was safe to do so, so the Holy Family returns to Galilee and Nazareth.

References from the prophet Isaiah and Psalms:

• Matthew 2:23 alludes to Isiah 11:1-2 - “He shall be called a Nazarene.” This seems to allude to “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch* shall grow out of his roots, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.” A bit convoluted, but ‘nester’ is the Hebrew word for branch, and nester is similar to Nazareth in the ancient language. Some prophets used the symbol of a branch to represent the Messiah. - This correlation with Isaiah is more strained than some others, just in my opinion. I do not deny it, but it is not crystal clear.

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

Matthew 2:11 - …and going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.

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Chapter 3 - Jesus Baptized, Father in Heaven Speaks, the Trinity Appears for the First Time

Key figure(s) First Appearance:

• John the Baptist
• The Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove)
• God the Father’s voice from Heaven

Main Events or Subjects:

• John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus in the Jordan. This marks the beginning of Jesus’s public life.  
• The Holy Spirit descends like a dove and alighted on Him.
• The Father speaks. He calls Jesus His beloved Son. The Father only speaks twice in all of Matthew’s gospel, here in Chapter 3 and at the Transfiguration in Chapter 17.
• Matthew 3:16-17 - With the dove’s descent and the Father’s voice at Jesus’s baptism, it is the first manifestation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit described together in the Bible.

Jesus’s Institution of the Sacraments:

Baptism: 3:13-17

• Although this is NOT the actual institution of Baptism, which is in Chapter 28, by being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus sets the example. If even Jesus himself was baptized, then who should NOT be or doesn’t need to be baptized?

References from the prophet Isaiah and Psalms:

• Matthew 3:3 directly references Isaiah 40:3 - Matthew: “Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.” Isaiah: “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
• Matthew 3:16-17 alludes to Isaiah 42:1 - Matthew: “and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and behold, a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” Isaiah: “Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my should delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

• Matthew 3:17 - …a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

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Chapter 4 - Temptation, Ministry Begins, the First Apostles

Key figure(s) First Appearance:

• Disciples Simon/Peter (also called Cephus), Andrew, James, John

Main Events or Subjects

• Jesus spends 40 days fasting, and is tempted by Satan. Satan is rebuked, and afterward Jesus is tended to by angels. - It is interesting that the Baptism and God the Father’s expression of pleasure with Jesus at the end of Chapter 3 is followed immediately by an encounter with Satan to open Chapter 4.
• Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee, preaching the gospel and healing every disease and infirmity. Great crowds begin following Him.
• Jesus calls his first disciples to follow Him: Simon/Peter and Andrew, his brother and James the son of Zebedee and John his brother.

References from the prophet Isaiah and Psalms:


• In Matthew 4:6, Satan directly quotes Psalm 91:11-12 during the temptation. “He will give his angels charge of you and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
• Matthew 4:14-16 quotes the words of Isaiah 9:1-2 directly. Matthew: “that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali,. Toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.” - The words aren’t exactly the same, but there is no mistaking the reference.

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

• Matthew 4:19 - “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

—————

Chapter 5 - The Sermon on the Mount

Main Events or Subjects:

• The Sermon on the Mount begins. The sermon spans 3 chapters in their entirety: Matthew Chapters 5-7
• Jesus preaches the Beatitudes, verses 2-12
• Jesus’s first Parable: The Salt and Light, verses 13-16

References from the prophet Isaiah and Psalms:

• Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” is an allusion to Isaiah 61:1, 4 in which He who has the “Spirit of the Lord God upon” him, “to comfort all who mourn.”

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

• Matthew 5:16 - “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to the Father who is in heaven.”

—————

Chapter 6 - The Sermon on the Mount Continues

Main Events or Subjects:

Extensive teachings by Jesus

• Matthew 6:9-12 Jesus teaches us to pray the “Our Father,” also called “the Lord’s Prayer.” I note that the Doxology, “For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and forever,” is NOT included in this translation of the Bible.

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

• Matthew 6:14 - “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you…”

—————

Chapter 7 - The Sermon on the Mount Conclusion

Main Events or Subjects

• More extensive teaching by Jesus
• Further instruction on prayer Matthew 7:7-11

References from the prophet Isaiah and Psalms:

• Matthew 7:23 Jesus’s words make strong allusion to Psalm 6:8. “Depart from me, you evildoers.”

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

• Matthew 7:7 - “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

—————

Chapter 8 - Jesus Performs Miracles, Calms the Stormy Sea

Main Events or Subjects:

Jesus performs numerous miracles:

• Heals a man with Leprocy
• Heals the Centurion’s servant
• Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law
• Calms the stormy sea - “Oh, men of little faith.”
• Heals two demon possessed men

References from the prophet Isaiah and Psalms:

• Matthew 8:17 directly states the healings are to fulfill Isaiah: “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Isaiah 53:4 reads: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”

One Line That Speaks to My Faith in Jesus:

• Matthew 8:8 - The words of the Centurion, incorporated almost verbatim into the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

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How It's Going, My Faith Journey Update - 2/22/2026

For most of my life, I've heard and read the Bible. Some people think us Catholics aren't "Bible believing Christians." They're wrong, but to be fair, we Catholics also adhere to a tradition rich with religious and biblical scholarship, and accept the Magisterium (i.e. the authority) of the Catholic Church. If outsiders watch us practice, they don't see the Bible as the centerpiece that their tradition may make it. If the Bible is allegedly missing in our Church, if it's hiding in there, it's hiding in full and plain sight. How can you miss it?

My Ascension Press Note Taking Bible.

For me, I am happy to say that I'm finding it rewarding, I can use the word fun even, to study sacred scripture and learn more and more. A little insight into my Bible study as it is evolving into practice. As I've stated before, I started my study with the Gospel of St. Matthew. I'm learning all about it: when it was written, the context as written, all kinds of stuff. I first read the text itself, from my Ascension Press Great Adventure Bible. I love this Bible. It's a note-taking version, and when something stands out to me I often will highlight it and make notes in the margin. I did a prayerful reading first time through, reading a chapter per day. It's remarkable how often, throughout that first 4 weeks of reading, that the Gospel of St. Matthew came up in daily Mass readings or Sunday homilies. This also happens often from my reading in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I enjoy seeing how the Church's precepts are manifest in and drawn from sacred scripture. And lastly, but far from least, places where the Liturgy draws from scripture are a shining light within the gospel as I read it.

One example, just before we receive Communion during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest says: "Behold, the Lamb of God. Happy are we who are called to His supper." The congregation replies, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." So, reading Chapter 8 of the Gospel of St. Matthew, there was a centurion who asks Jesus to cure his servant. When Jesus asks the centurion to take Him to him, the centurion replies: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed." It sounds familiar for a reason. I can't help but think of the gospel as the congregation's words are spoken, and I can't not think of Holy Communion when I read the passage. I'm finding many of these connections and I fall more in love with Jesus as each is added to my acumen.

The St. Ignatius has extensive footnotes, meaningful, educational, contextual.

OK, back to my study. After I finished, I commenced to re-read the same gospel, this time from my St. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, which has accompanying notes that are almost staggering in volume and significance. Again and again I found reason to flip to Old Testament books to see the connection between ancient prophesy and foreshadows and the recorded story of Christ in Matthew. Similarly, as I read, I was often back in the Great Adventure, adding notes based on my learning. Second time through was really great. The fact that both the note taking and study Bible are in the same translation, Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition (which they abbreviate RSV-2CE) was cool. The example page I posted, above, is about 1/3 gospel, and 2/3 notes.

Speaking of versions, we have 5 Bibles in our home, comprised of 4 translations. Which is kind of funny, because the next step in my study of Matthew, is reading the 350 page Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture volume on The Gospel of Matthew. It's in a 5th, different translation, called the New American Bible, or NAB. It's the same book, same story. The total number of translations across all publishers of all Bibles, Catholic or no, is mind boggling. This book just further enriches my understanding, with more references to Old Testament and explanations of historical context and Church application throughout. I'm about halfway through.

I can't tell you how rewarding and deeply spiritual it is to read Matthew, or to hear it discussed on YouTube or at Mass, with the study as a foundation. My personal spiritual and prayerful reading of this Gospel is different now. I'm never going to be one quoting memorized verses or calling out chapter and verse citations in discussion in the amazing way some of my Protestant friends can and do. But I do know I get it, and I thirst to get more and more and more. At this rate, each Gospel is a near 3-month curriculum. I love the way this is going. I love knowing, understanding, and this sense I get as I come across things I've studied that this resides in me. If Jesus is the Word, by absorbing this book and taking it in, then a little bit of Jesus is in me. I couldn't be happier. I'm drinking it up, thirsty for more.

It's so nice to be home. Maybe the Bible isn't our centerpiece. What it is is a 2000 year old cornerstone of the Church our Savior founded. The gates of Hell sure have tried, but they haven't prevailed yet.

Back with another edition of My Spiritual Journey in a week or so.

Best wishes, friends. May God bless us all.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 

Another Perfect Circle - 2/15/2026

It happened again. Everything I'm working on on my faith journey came together. It all fit together perfectly, intersecting in the most right places, and all in beautiful harmony.

This past Thursday I read the Chapter of the book I'm working on that dives into the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 5.

My study of St. Matthew's Gospel continues, using the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Last Thursday, I studied Chapter 5, which is the first of three chapters in Matthew well known as "the Sermon on the Mount." Jesus starts with the famous Beatitudes, and then gives authoritative instruction to His followers on following Jewish religious law. It's an important passage, and Chapters 5 - 7 warrant considerable time and attention. Prior to this beautiful re-awakening of my faith, I was, of course. well acquainted with the Beatitudes portion of the Sermon, and the "Our Father" from Chapter 6, but truthfully, most of the rest of the sermon hasn't sunk in for me the way it probably ought to have. I am working hard to rectify that.

On Friday, Taking a break from my study of Chapter 6, I looked on YouTube. I caught a very moving and meaningful video by Ana Munley on her YouTube Channel, "After Mass." In it, Ana reacts to an emotional message from actor James Van Der Beek (Dawson Creek). I really didn't know who James was until I heard that he had passed away last week. I saw a reel with his face going around online, but I didn't watch it, as I didn't know him or what it was about. Now I do. James' message and Ana's reaction to it are worth a few minutes. Take it in. Their messages are powerful. Trust me, James and Ana say it better than I can.

Ana Munley Reacts to James Van Der Beek 

Ana's response to when James spoke in an effort to accommodate people who don't have God or believe in Him was powerful in my ears. It IS from God that we enjoy our life, and from whom all dignity and meaning come. God loves us the same, whether we're having a good day, a bad day, we're well or sick, in our worst situation and at hour best self, God's love is immense and remains unchanged, no matter where we're at in our journey. Brava Ana. (Bravo is for boys, and brava is for girls.)

This morning, don't you know, at Mass the Gospel reading was... guess... of course, Matthew, 5:17-37, from the very same Sermon on the Mount I've been studying. I was able to hear the Gospel with new ears, having studied the passage using my Ignatius Catholic Study Bible last month, and the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture just last week. Then, after the Gospel reading, Father Steven turned on his microphone and began to preach.

A(nother) beautiful homily. The brilliant Father Steven Olds. He really is. Father talked about the scripture and how it fits in our lives as Christians. As we move into the Liturgical Season of Lent, he talked about how God loves us, no matter what... when we sin, fall short, always. I am not kidding, had he given this homily as a response to the Ana Munley After Mass video I linked above, it would have made perfect, absolute sense: a cohesive, natural follow on to help drive the point home. When God puts words into my ears over and over, maybe I oughta listen. Ya think?

I can't help but think the circle was perfect again: my (very) recent reading and study of Matthew and the Matthew Chapter 5 Gospel reading today. Then Father Steven's homily on that Gospel and his words a perfect dovetail back to Ana's comments on God and His unwavering love for us... congruous, harmony.

Sometimes I think God may be talking to me. Other times, I'm quite certain of it.

This is "other times."

On an unrelated note: a man who I don't know had a medical emergency during Mass. He had to be taken out on a rolling stretcher by Charlotte County EMS. I don't know him or his condition, but I hope he is well this evening. He'll be in my prayers.

Have a lovely evening, friends. May God bless us all. Goodnight.

Almost Lent - 2/14/2026

Happy St. Valentines Day, friends. With the way the Liturgical Year falls here in 2026, it falls on the last weekend before Lent begins on Wednesday. I'm still working on a plan for my personal Lenten observances. Last night I went through the calendar and also latest the Sacred Heart Mass Bulletin, to try and formulate a schedule. I also found that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) publishes a Lenten Calendar, which is helpful. Some observations, and things I learned that I didn't know before:

1. Ash Wednesday isn't a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics. Despite it NOT being a required day for Mass, Sacred Heart has 4 Masses scheduled: 7, 9, 11 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. That's a busy schedule for a day when Mass isn't required.

2. Catholics don't eat meat on Friday's during Lent (at least, we're not supposed to), and Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting. I knew both those things, but what I didn't know, is that the USCCB only calls for fasting up to one's 60th birthday. I did not know that. So, I can eat all the fish, mac and cheese, and peanut butter (crunchy, always) sandwiches I want and still be within the rules.

 Looking at the calendar and at the bulletin, some of the traditional Lenten observances and practices that I will participate in:

• I'll get my ashes at Mass on Ash Wednesday
• I'll go to Confession at lest once during Lent
• At least once I'll pray the Rosary in the church. They do this at 7:55 a.m. 
• On that same day or days, I'll attend daily Mass right after at 8:30 a.m.
• At least once I'll pray the Stations of the Cross, which they do every Friday at 5:00 p.m.
• At least once I'll join other parishioners in Eucharistic Adoration, which they do Fridays from 9-10 a.m.

 Some things I'll do personally for Lent:

• I'll watch Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ during Lent
• I'll do some charitable giving or service. I'm still deciding what I'll do or to whom we'll give.
• I'll continue my normal (newly normal, considering my recent reversion situation) prayer and Bible study routine.
• I'll make an extra effort to be even more fully present at Mass. I've done really well in this regard, but I can try to be even more so. With every bit of Bible study and reading the Catechism, I find my appreciation of and spiritual connection to the Mass increases. I will try to make this trend continue, especially as a focus during Lent.

Not a lot more to report this Valentine's Day, 2026, Caroline and I are celebrating our 45th VD together. I am blessed and thankful.

Have a great day, friends. May God richly bless you, your family, and your friends.

Salt, Lamplight, and Perfect Circles - 2/9/2026

In Catholicism, daily and Sunday Mass readings are selected and mandated for the whole of the Church. The technical word they use is "the Lectionary." I think Anglicans, Episcopalians, and some other churches follow the prescribed readings, too. I sometimes read the daily and Sunday readings, either from the Daily Roman Missal, which is pretty cool, or from the little Catholic prayer and Mass reading magazine, Magnificat.

My Daily Roman Missal. 2508 pages. I love it, but it's a little much to carry to Mass.

Magnificat is cool because it's pocket size and easy to take to Mass or anywhere.

Something I sometimes like to do, in conjunction with the daily or Sunday Gospel reading, in addition to reading it for myself, is to listen to the Daily Exegesis from an app called Hallow. In the Daily Exegesis, a biblical scholar, whose Australian accent is quite pleasant to listen to, actually, gives a breakdown of the Gospel reading from the Lectionary every day. Yesterday's Gospel was from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 13-16, part of The Sermon on the Mount. It's a well known passage, one for simplicity sake I'll call it Salt and Lamps.

I do enjoy Hallow's Daily Exegesis. Very much.

 

Here's the passage in the translation they use at Mass:

Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses it's taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled undefoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." 

The teaching here is simple: It's how we live, how we act, how others see our example. I'm reminded of a quote I remember from St. Francis of Assissi: "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." Jesus' message is that our faith is more than what we believe. If it's not readily apparent in how we live, then it's no more than flavorless salt is an enhancement to food or no more illuminating than is a covered lamp.

I went to Mass, and on the way out, grabbed the bulletin. You gotta grab a bulletin, don't you? How else can you prove to mom that you actually went to church, right?

Yesterday's Bulletin - "You are the salt of the earth" Matthew 5:13 on the cover.

I got the message, even in the take home bulletin.

This morning, while I was waiting for  my sweet wife, Caroline, who was having a minor medical procedure, I scrolled Facebook over coffee, and then I did my morning prayers and some reading in the car.

I came across a post by a dear friend, Renee. (you know who you are!) Renee posted something by someone called Pastor Brandon, which I think very, very clearly aligns with the message from the Gospel of St. Matthew there in Chapter 5. It didn't use the salt and lamp words in it, but it was no doubt a bullseye on that target. At least as I saw it. Salt and Lamps.

The Gospel reading was from Matthew. As would of course be the case, I've been reading Matthew, too. Deeply, prayerfully, and with a desire to draw closer to Jesus through understanding and through that understanding, allowing myself to have a conversion of my heart. As a part of my study of Matthew, I realized I want more. So, I ordered a book titled "The Gospel of Matthew". It's from the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series, and the author is fairly well know in Catholic biblical scholarly circles. It's part of an entire series. The famous Dr. Scott Hahn is the engine behind it,

My current study. 300+ pages on the Gospel of Matthew.

I just received it yesterday evening. In fact, while everyone else was watching the Super Bowl Halftime Show (or not watching it), I was thumbing through it, excited to get started. And get started I did, as I sat in the car this a.m. waiting to hear Caroline was ready. I started with the Introduction. The Introduction, on Page 26 and 27, read almost verbatim as did the Pastor Brandon post that Renee put on Facebook earlier, about how faith is about more than words. It was kind of uncanny, how perfectly aligned the message here was to that of Pastor Brandon. It all seemed s perfectly harmonious, so perfectly arranged, in tune, and on beat. I felt the synergy as I read further. And then, there it was...

"This is what it means for disciples to be "the salt of the earth" 5:13 and "the light of the world." 5:14

In order to complete what turned out to be a perfect circle, the Introduction passage I'm telling you about finished with "salt" and "light." Salt and Lamps. Of course it did. How could it not?

My takeaway is simple. I can't just have my faith. I have to learn to live it. I need to find ways to 'stay salty' and to let the light of my faith shine, and in more than just words. I do feel, for my personal faith journey (this blog is literally titled My Faith Journey), that these words are necessary, but if this is the only way you recognize my Christianity, then I'm coming up short.

Have a great day, friends. I hope that you are richly blessed, as am I.

 

I Am Home - 2/7/2026

As I've mentioned before, my reversion journey journey started with a video I saw on YouTube. A young woman named Justine Donahue gave a beautiful testimony about how she went from being a devoted and active Evangelical to Catholicism. Her story wasn't my story, but it caught my interest, and as I listened, it became the spark that re-lit the fire of my faith.

A couple of days ago, I was surfing YouTube for some inspirational Catholic content. I came across a video by a woman named Ana Munley. I've watched a few of her videos before. Her stuff is really good, but usually it's not exactly in line with where I am currently in my spiritual journey. But the title of the video I came across is, "My Catholic Reversion Story." That got my attention. That seemed like something I might be able to relate to, so I gave it a click. I'll include a link. I recommend it, especially if you're like I was, a Catholic, just not practicing. On the sidelines. Sitting a faithful life out. Maybe like me you were lazy, making excuses, and avoiding addressing what is, no other way to say this, your sinful self. That was me.

The more I listened to Ana, the more I could relate to her story. Sure, the issues in my life aren't the same as hers, but I do think our faith walk came very close to following in the same footsteps. Here's what she had to say:

After Mass with Ana Munley

Ana Munley. I like her YouTube channel, "After Mass".

Let me share some of her words from early in the video that resonated within me. I encourage you, if you're touched by this little sample, to watch in its entirety:

"I never actually stopped belonging to..."  Me? Same.

"Drifting through indifference." Those words very accurately describe me in my dormant, idle state. I was drifting through life, untethered from a God and a Church deep down I always believed in.

"He (her husband) had started praying." Me? My beautiful wife Caroline's prayer was a trigger for me. She prays devoutly and without fail every morning. It is a beautiful thing for me to see, and it surely is a major factor in my own reversion story. Her prayers a constant reminder of where I wasn't but ought to have been.

"I saw myself in all those sins... They weren't Catholic technicalities. They were soul level realities, eternal realities."  Yes, we are talking not only about here and now, but about eternity. Yes, I am a sinner. For me, there is only one way to turn to turn away from sin.

"What if I died today?" Yikes! What if? 

And here was the magic words that for me echo what I felt when I heard Justine Donahue's testimony. Ana said it beautifully, describing the same "call home" that I heard: "And for the first time in a very long time, I felt conviction. Not shame, not panic, conviction, That quiet steady ache in your heart that says, 'You are not OK, and you need to come home'"

"You need to come home."

"You need to come home."

"You need to come home."

Yes, Jesus, my Lord and my God. I am home.

Also, while I'm on it, I'd like to share the video, that along with Caroline's beautiful example in daily prayer, called me home. Justine's story wasn't a perfect parallel to my own, not as much perhaps as Ana's is. But here is Justine Donahue's beautiful testimony: 

Justine Donahue - This video was the spark.

Justine Donahue, whose ministry is called "Theology of Conversion." Look her up.

 

Have a blessed day, friends.