Learn from Your Difficulties

This morning after a long-overdue moment of prayer and after reading the homily of Father Andrés Pérez Díaz of the Archdiocese of Ovieda, Spain on the third Sunday of Advent, I have realized something that I want to share with you. I will leave a link so you can visit Father Andrés’ blog and read his homily in it’s entirety. Father Andrés Pérez Díaz

Father Andrés spoke about Luke 3, 10-18 where the people begin to ask John the Baptist, “what must we do then?” The message of this passage is greater than the explicitly written. Father Andrés shares the testimony of a young man who was studying and preparing to become a leader of the Buddhist religion, but after a difficult experience now finds himself in a Catholic seminary.

This story hit close to home for me, because it is so similar to something I am going through in my own life. It has been exactly a year-and-a-half since I was baptized in the waters of salvation. I have learned much of the Lord and my life has changed drastically. (You may read the full story of my conversion to Catholicism here – My Conversion) Well now it just so happens that the people who had supported me in that process of conversion have now found the “living Christ” in a Protestant church. And even though I wish them the best, it hasn’t been easy for my wife and I, because these people are her parents with whom we currently share a home.

The story of this young man, who is about my age, helped alot and now I understand why I am going through this. As he says, I also believe that there are things we can learn from other religions, sects, and denominations. For example, in my case I have found the need to pick up my Bible and study it even more to be able to defend myself from the anti-Catholic comments that I hear with much more frequency. My wife and I are in our second year of the Instituto de Formación Biblico in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, an advanced spanish Bible study. There we have learned so much and we continue learning more through our own experiences at home.

Another thing that saddens me, is how some people call only the members of their congregation “brother.” But if we are all brothers in Christ and part of the body of Christ, why doesn’t that Christian brotherhood exist between us all. For me it’s sad to see the separation and I believe that God would say the same, but what can we do to change this world-wide problem? I believe that the solutions to all of our problems always start from the bottom, and that change proceeds from an idea. So today I declare the change in my life and I will do what I can to better the relationship between my in-laws and myself, which is the first step to helping the relationship between Protestants and Catholics.

Well for me it’s been a learning experience and I am now thankful for the opportunity to be in this situation, even though sometimes it is difficult. Thanks and blessings to Father Andrés for sharing this beautiful story. I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to guide me down this wonderful path and that my words will serve as inspiration for others.

Photo by Peter Suneson