Eye of the Tiber: The Epic Conclusion

Well, this Sunday, February 9th at 9am, I will be receive my first communion and my confirmation, and then it'll have been official, I'll be a Catholic for real. It was almost a year ago I made the decision public, and a lot has happened since then. So let me just round up some final thoughts here, and that'll be that for this long confession of faith.

The most important thing that has happened since my last post is that Ariana reached out to me, and we are reconciled. Friends, even! My last post seemed to be a sincere and honest letting go. I was seriously accepting the idea that I would not be seeing her anymore, yet, God has put placed her back in my life. This is seriously something of a long story, but this will seriously suffice. I get teary eyed just thinking about it.

In my regular attendance of Holy Innocents, I have discovered that I actually have a lot of family that also attend, and we have rekindled a relationship. Honestly, in my sinful heart, I despised them. Why? Because I despised my dad, and they're all on my dad's side of the family. But, God has somehow thawed my heart and we greet each other with smiles, hugs, and full hearts. This would not have happened if it were not for my conversion and attending this particular parish.

My little brother and sister, having them see me pray more as a result of my decision to be a good faithful Catholic, have also made a habit on their part to pray over dinner. I did not know this until I came home early from work one day, and they insist they pray. This came as a shock to me, but my mother explained to me that they had been doing this on a regular basis when I wasn't around. Thankfully, my life has changed noticeably.

I've found a community of brothers (and sisters) that I feel I can really relate to. My previous experiences had anti-intellectual sentiments and policies. Opus Dei and their Tilden House at UCLA has given me everything a nerd like me could want. Mindful Catholics, a Library, and Family. They're really a family there, and it's exactly what I needed. It's providence that my best Catholic friend Alfredo already attends there regularly, and my priest is already associated with Opus Dei. It all came together perfectly.

I've convinced my friend Leehans to convert. I talked to him the summer before he left to UCLA, and figuring I only had one shot at it, he told me, "Well, you've convinced me to be Catholic." He is also over at Tilden frequently. Even more incredible is that I have two people from the ICOC also converting! Danielle and Brandon from the West are being received into the Church Easter service. As much as I would love to have credit for this, I cannot. I hadn't seen them in years, and Danielle contacted me out of the blue and told me she had left the ICOC and was going to join the Catholic Church. Her journey is completely independent of mine or any of my influence. Truly, God is awesome. I met an awesome girl Rebecca, also a convert from the ICOC to the Church.  She encouraged my soul. I hope that this small band of former ICOC members can encourage my friend James Johnson to also convert, as he has yet to make his final decision concerning the Church (update: He has entered the church!)

That being said, I do want to thank a number of people. First, Brian Plymell. It was his duty to stop me from joining the Church, and he tried. He didn't come close to stopping me, nothing he said made me pause, but I acknowledge that he really tried. I'm glad he did his duty, even if he ultimately failed. I see that as a sign of love. But where he lacked, Brock Weigum and David Toft definitely compensated. They were not in the ICOC, but Calvinists. And if you're going to find a good anti-Catholic argument, it's going to come from the Calvinists! David honestly stumped me once. It was a clear knock out, but I was able to recover and find the answer to his argument. They were willing to meet me where I was at, and they came close to stopping me. I'm grateful for their efforts. It shows a respect for my intellectual needs. And while we ended up disagreeing, we still remain good friends. That much can't be really said about my former assembly, most of whom have shunned me. Clearly, I am not loved nor welcome back to the ICOC. And Devin deserves a lot of credit. I can't imagine what went through his mind when I was going through the latter part of my studies and these last few months of preparing to be reconciled with the Church. It couldn't have been easy, but I'm glad he, and a handful of others (you know who you are), have stuck with me. I know he was worried that I would leave him, but I'm not lame like that. Father Peter also deserves a lot of thanks for being totally patient with me and really meeting me where I'm at. I totally underestimate that guy, I'm sure. Everyone tells me how awesome he is. I don't have any other priest to compare him to, so I'm really lucky to have found him. Jordan Monge also deserves a shout out. She promised me a Protestant-Catholic showdown, and I delighted in our exchange. I wouldn't have felt intellectually honest without her gracing me with a sharp conversation (update: Jordan is now Catholic too!). Everyone who has put up with my crap, all the names I forgot, you're all awesome too.

Finally, I really need to thank Father Robert Sirico, who got the ball rolling on this roller-coaster of a journey. It's been a crazy two years. If he didn't open his mouth, I don't know where I'd be! I'll be in the Church, finally. Won't you come too?

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Eye of the Tiber Part 1 
Part 2
Part 3 
Part 4
Part 5