In this stirring segment of The Inner Life, host Patrick Conley welcomed Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., of Charlotte, NC, for a conversation that blended joy, surprise, and the subtle work of the Holy Spirit—culminating in an emotional, moving listener testimony.
Bishop Martin shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of his encounter with the future Pope Leo XIV when he was still Cardinal Robert Prevost. It happened in Rome in early April, just weeks before the conclave. What started as a standard “bishop business” meeting turned into a delightful and disarming conversation. Bishop Martin described the then-cardinal as deeply joyful and personable, talking not just about ecclesial governance but about the “joys and surprises of the Church.” It was, as Bishop Martin put it, “an absolutely delightful conversation.”
The emotional high point came when Margie from California called in to share her mother’s conversion story. Once resistant to the faith, her mother had dismissed the need for the Church entirely. But something unexpected happened after the election of Pope Leo XIV. Watching him speak, she saw in him something familiar—he reminded her of her grandfather. That spark opened her heart. She now drives hours to attend daily Mass at a Marian shrine. A woman once far from the Church is now at its heart.
Bishop Martin’s response? “What you’re witnessing is the ripple effect of grace.” He praised Margie for her years of faith and prayer, comparing her persistence to tilling the soil of her mother’s heart until the right moment came.
Margie’s story is a beautiful reminder of spiritual persistence. It affirms that God is always at work—quietly, patiently, and often behind the scenes—through our faithful intercession. Even when we see no visible signs, grace is preparing the soil of the heart.
Conversions, as her testimony shows, often unfold in the most unexpected ways. Whether it’s a memory stirred, a resemblance recognized, or a word that lands at just the right time, the Holy Spirit knows how to reach the human heart when it’s most ready to receive.
And at the center of this story is the power of the papacy—not merely in terms of institutional authority, but in the deeply human, pastoral presence of Pope Leo XIV. Already, he is inspiring hearts not through pronouncements alone, but through humility, joy, and the quiet strength of someone who reflects Christ with sincerity.
