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Culmination of My Long Journey
- Jason Schalow
As I near the
culmination of my long journey towards our Lord’s altar, I feel that I can
truly echo the words of the Gospel acclamation with great confidence: Praise
to You Lord Jesus Christ, King of Endless Glory!
Looking back, I realize my journey of faith began more than twelve years
ago, that the Good Shepherd began leading me down the long path before I
even recognized what path I was traveling. It was a long and treacherous
road, from the stark spiritual emptiness of the atheism and materialism in
which I was raised, bringing me almost to the brink of perdition itself and
then, with great and abundant Grace, calling out to me and allowing me to
see the marks of His hand in the midst of my trials and successes, that the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords had indeed spread roses in my path all along
in order that He might obtain the salvation of one lost and wounded lamb.
It
was this realization, with its mixture of overflowing joy at the vast love
of God and overwhelming sadness at having spurned that love for so long,
that finally moved me to ask my wife of six years (herself a fallen-away
Catholic) and two children to come with me to seek Christ in His Holy
Church. She immediately became excited and began to contact and visit the
local parishes in order to find the one that seemed like the best new home
for our family. With God’s help she chose wisely. Thus, it was with a
combination of awe and fear that on Palm Sunday of last year I entered
through the doors of Sacred Heart Parish and into, certainly not the first
Mass I had ever attended (I had seen my share of weddings, funerals and
First Holy Communions with friends and relatives), but the very first Holy
Mass I had ever attended as a believer. I was not disappointed. From the
very first moment to the very last, I was enrapt with wonder such that I had
never experienced before. When the priest held up the host and proclaimed
Him as the Lamb of God I knew I had found the Truth and that my life had
changed forever.
Providence had truly smiled on me that day in more ways than one. As it
happened, I had walked into exactly the church and Mass time attended by one
of my close co-workers. As she said the next day at work, seeing me come
down the aisle toward the altar for a blessing from the priest, she ‘almost
fell out of the pew’. She helped me to find the information I needed to
enroll in the RCIA program and would later become my sponsor.
Truth be told, however, it was with some initial reservations that I entered
the RCIA program. This was not a result of any doubts I had about Christ
and His Church, but rather, on the contrary, in that long period between my
first Holy Week and the beginning of the classes in August I had read with
great enthusiasm everything I could get my hands on—the Catechism, various
writings of the Saints and of course the Holy Scriptures themselves, I was
ready, or so I thought, to enter the Church right then and I secretly
dreaded the thought of months of classes about things I had already
learned. May Almighty God forgive me for my pride and ignorance!
I quickly
came to realize that my RCIA experience was going to be so much more than
some sort of final hurdle to be overcome, it was to be a capstone for all
the experience of the last twelve years and a cornerstone for a new life of
faith. I truly thank God for the RCIA team: Deacon John, Anne, Irene and
Angela. They have not only been exceptional catechists, but even more they
have been exceptional Christians—through their honesty and faith they helped
me to realize the final piece of the puzzle that I had been missing. I had
walked through the doors of the Church that Palm Sunday with some faith and
some knowledge and some desire, but I had not real concept of true
discipleship or how to approach it. Through their witness as disciples they
have truly given us a great example of life in Christ and have lead me to
understand just how much more I needed to learn!
I thank God, as well, for my
fellow candidates and catechumens in the RCIA program. Through them, I was
able to see mirrors of my own journey and see the way Christ truly works
wonders in individual lives. I have literally seen some come from
skepticism and unbelief to true and fervent faith in such a short period
that I can account it as nothing less than miraculous.
The real
truth is that in the beginning, deep in my heart, as a somewhat introverted
and solitary person, the thought of spending so much time doing ‘group
activities’ with so may people I didn’t know caused a lot of my apprehension
at starting the RCIA program. To my great surprise, the prayers,
encouragement and fellowship of this great group of people has not been some
sort of ‘burden’ to endure, but rather a real source support in my journey
and the best practical example of Christian life in practice that one could
hope to see. Many of my classmates have endured serious trials in the
Lord’s name and in pursuit of His Grace, and this dedication and faith has
been a constant source of inspiration.
So, as
the Easter Vigil quickly approaches, I have come to reflect not on
historical facts and Church Doctrine, although these are certainly
important, nor on a personal and singular relationship between the Creator
and myself, though this too is of great value, but on the awesome salvific
plan of the Almighty Living God and its true manifestation right here at
Sacred Heart. The great work of the Church, its divine mandate to preach,
teach and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is not a
relic of history or mere words in Scripture but a living vocation being
lived out among us and through us. The community of Christ’s disciples is
still present after two millennia and through it Almighty God is, in His
infinite mercy, creating new saints, not one at a time, but in great
bunches, like grapes on a strong vine.
So, if
you hear the gossip of the world imply that the Holy Catholic Church is in
decline, or that it is some relic of the Middle Ages, stand firm in your
knowledge that this is a lie. The grand work of God’s Salvation, the
faith-filled and apostolic church of the scriptures and the reality of the
Holy Spirit’s miraculous gifts are all very much alive and well and we have
a part in all of them. I have them to thank for the salvation of not only
my soul, but the souls of my wife, two children and all of my RCIA
classmates as well. And all of this just in the tiny, dusty corner of the
world called Lancaster, California.
Thanks
and Praise to the Lord Jesus Christ! |
