The Purest Feeling

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” It seems simple enough, doesn’t it? I still had a hard time with it. No matter what I did I couldn’t seem to find God. I grew deeply discouraged and gave up seeking Him for a while. I wouldn’t say that I abandoned faith, but I definitely did not seek it.

All that changed one day when a kind old priest invited me to attend Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. I’ll never forget that man. I was in the military at the time and I went to go speak with a chaplain about some of my troubles. He was the only one available at the time so we sat down and talked. After hearing what I told him he simply invited me into the Church. I thought that he was crazy. I wasn’t Catholic. In fact, I was sort of anti-Catholic. What was he doing asking me to join the Church? Through all this remembered that I took a leap of faith coming to the Chaplain’s office in the first place so I said a quick prayer. That prayer changed my life. I told God that I trusted him by going to the chaplain to begin with so I’ll do whatever he tells me (sound familiar?). I was confirmed the following Easter.

I found a way to draw near to God. Catholic spirituality is very defined, much more so than my Bible study and Hillsong Protestant background. I found freedom within those rules, much as St. Paul said there is freedom in being a slave to Christ. I found a way to draw near to God, nearer than I ever thought was possible.

Catholics, we have a tremendous gift in our faith. God gave us a wonderful deposit through his Church from the Liturgy of the Hours to Eucharistic Adoration, and even receiving the Blessed Sacrament itself. Don’t take it for granted. Use what you have. Draw near to Christ through his Church and he will most assuredly draw near to you.

God bless us all.