How We are Called.

I sat in a room with the RCIA director. This was a sort of intake process.
"So what brings you here?" He asked with pen and note pad in hand.
"Well, I was baptized Catholic but that was it. We never went to church. I decided I would like to complete my formation." I responded.
"Ah, I see, I see. So what is it about the Catholic Church that attracts you? "
"Well, I was at this Catholic wedding..."
"Ah yes, yes, that's usually what happens." he chuckled. "It's either a wedding or funeral. So, what happened at this wedding that made you decide to become Catholic?"
"Well... it was during communion, the priest held up the bread and I suddenly was fixated and I felt like I wanted to cry."
"Wow!" He exclaimed, " Did you have any idea what that was?"
"No."
"Did you want to go up and receive communion?"
"I did but somehow I knew I shouldn't."
"Amazing, amazing. Do you think you could share this story with the others?"
"Uh... I don't know. I don't think I'd feel comfortable sharing this." I responded sheepishly
"Well, I hope you do decide to at some point. You didn't even know that was our Lord up there? That's amazing."

It is amazing and at the same time my story is not unique. I've heard similar accounts from other converts that somehow find themselves at a Catholic Mass. The music and the priest might not be anything special. Sometimes it can be downright dull. But suddenly, the priest holds up the host and they, like me were transfixed. They, like me, had no clue what the cardboard like wafer was. Unexpectedly, they had an encounter with Jesus Christ who beckoned them to come closer.

I like to hear stories of converts because often times it's like reliving my own conversion. I'm reminded that what happened at that wedding wasn't just me being caught up in the emotions of it being a wedding. I remember the priest was kind of a buzz kill anyway. He would kind of lecture the couple about how it wasn't always going to be easy and they were going to have to endure the trials. I thought to myself how the priest had the audacity to give them marriage advice when he's never been married himself. I wasn't particularly open to becoming Catholic at the time. I was pretty liberal and thought the Church was old fashion and not in tune with the "real" world. I thought if I was going to become Christian it would be episcopalian because they were so much looser and less uptight.
But somehow through my indignation toward the priest and the Catholic Church, Jesus still busted through my hard shell and said "Come."

Less than a year later I was a fully confirmed Catholic. The barriers I had up were broken down. The funny thing is for many of us converts, there usually are quite a lot of barriers. I don't know of anyone that just  breezed through it and immediately accepted everything the Church taught right away. For myself, I was going to find a church that thought like me and conformed to me. Instead, it was the other way around.
All because of that one moment when the priest held up that host and said.

"This is the Lamb of God. Happy are those who are called to His supper."

Suddenly, I found myself wanting to partake in His supper. He wanted me to partake in it too. I couldn't refuse no matter how hard it would be.