No matter where we began in our journey of faith, we are all in need of ongoing conversion. Living the Catholic faith is not a one-time decision, but a call to convert our hearts each day, that we may be ever more conformed to Christ. Because of this, we can often look back on our journey and point to certain people or things that brought us to the faith, or helped us deepen our relationship with Christ.
About a year ago, a listener named Rene called in to The Patrick Madrid Show to share his story of how listening to Patrick’s show helped bring him back to the Catholic Church. During their conversation, Patrick asked Rene a question that really stuck with him, and months after his original call, Rene called back to tell Patrick how that one simple question helped him take his faith to the next level. Rene said:
“I came back to the Church about two years ago, and it was through suffering. I’m a cradle Catholic, I went to Catholic school, Catholic high school, but I wasn’t practicing my faith. I was pretty lukewarm in it.
I’m a truck driver and I used to listen to a lot of evangelical radio, so I was really questioning a lot of things – Communion, Confession, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. All these things were questions to me.
So two years ago my father fell ill. He suffered a brain aneurysm and he was in a coma for two years. And we had to take care of my mom, so it was hard. A very hard year. One day I was on my way to work and I said a loud prayer and I asked God, ‘Who am I? Am I Catholic? Am I Protestant? What am I?’ And then I stumbled upon your show, and I can honestly say that what I’ve learned from what you’ve taught and the understanding of our faith has really brought me back to the Church.
My wife and I are now married in the Church. She received Confirmation, my son is in RCIA, we attend Mass regularly, and now I pray the Rosary every day.
The last time I called you, you had challenged me. You said, ‘Now that you’ve been given this wonderful gift, what are you going to do with it?’
And I would have never thought, but we’re starting a men’s ministry to understand our faith at our parish. … This is something I never thought I would be a part of … just things I never thought I would do, here I am doing them.”
Relevant Radio® is not only helping to bring people back to the Church, but it is also helping them put their faith into action. You can join our mission of evangelization by supporting our Pledge Drive today! Even a small gift can help make a big difference in the life of someone like Rene. Visit our Giving Page to pledge quickly and securely, and learn more about the premium gifts your pledge may qualify you for!
Listen to the full conversation with Rene below:
The Patrick Madrid Show airs weekdays from 9 – noon Eastern/6:00 – 9:00 a.m. Pacific on Relevant Radio and the Relevant Radio App.
