Anniversaries

It looks like today is the anniversary of two things, not just the one I was going to post about originally!

June 27th is my blog-iversary.  It has been 2 years today of blogging.

More importantly, today is the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and it's the 15th anniversary of the day I decided to make the Commitment and heed The Call to convert to Catholicism.  It's even the same cycle year, so the readings were the same:

Gospel

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled,

he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,

and he sent messengers ahead of him.

On the way they entered a Samaritan village

to prepare for his reception there,

but they would not welcome him

because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven

to consume them?”

Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,

“I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus answered him,

“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

And to another he said, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.

But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,

but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow

and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”    Luke 9:51-62


The words in italics are the ones that really got to me.  I had been inching closer to the Catholic Church for a while, both literally and figuratively.  Dh likes to mention that I inched closer and closer to the kneeler until one day I actually knelt!  He had been patiently praying and answering my questions without seeming too anxious.  As my doubts were removed one by one, it seemed that the only real stumbling block that remained was.....No, not Mary.  That was a pretty easy one for me!----it was my family.  


I asked God in prayer, repeatedly, to show me what I was supposed to do, and I'm pretty sure He answered all those prayers.  But you know how thick-headed we can be, and I ignored all of the answers until He beat me over the head with this one, which was pretty much exactly what I needed to hear.  


Our priest talked about "Capital C Commitment" during his homily.  I thought it was funny that 15 years later, my pastor today talked about Commitment, too.    I don't know, maybe that gospel reading screams "commitment," but I thought it was a nice coincidence!


I asked Him repeatedly to guide me.  Now, I thank Him repeatedly for showing me the way and giving me the courage and conviction I needed to Commit myself to Him and His Church.


And my family survived the shock.  


Thanks for listening and sharing my joy with me!