saintwannabe 777 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Before I share mine, I just want to hear what you guys have to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaBenedicta Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Hmm. I'd certainly consider many of the events in my (continued) conversion to be 'intense'. Including the "hour I first believed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Cat Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 In my [i]personal opinion[/i], [b]yes[/b], it is possible to have an event/experience that drastically changes one’s perspectives/beliefs. [i][b]However[/b][/i], I generally think it is best for people to keep those experiences to themselves, it is hard to find people who will appreciate/understand what has happen, in the way that it should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinytherese Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Other than that of St. Paul, it seems to be a rarity. Conversions tend to take time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 (edited) Well, I agree with tinytherese that conversions usually take place over time, but that final push over the edge can often be dramatic! I became a convert thirty years ago, but my "second conversion" just over two years ago was much more dramatic and intense, when I fell in love with Jesus. I do think you have to be careful with how you share your conversion experiences, because not everyone has the same experience, and you might end up trying to judge yours by theirs (or vice versa). God is very personal with each one of us, and we need to treasure our own relationship with Him in our hearts - and let that relationship grow --- sort of like any close and personal human relationships. So, depending on how intense your experience was, maybe you need to keep some of the details to yourself, and only share those that could be uplifting to others?? Just a suggestion. Edited March 1, 2009 by nunsense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 (edited) saintwannabe - that was a beautiful expression of love for Our Savior, and yes, it would be wonderful if many more people (both young and old) could learn just how personal and loving a relationship with Jesus can be. Have you read Ann Rice's latest book? I saw it on the shelf at Borders and read through it while standing there (I couldn't afford to buy it) and it is all about her return to the Catholic Church. It describes how God pursued her over the years, and how how love for Jesus kept growing until He became more important to her than all of her obstacles with the Church (and her self-proclaimed atheism). It was very inspirational and it helped me to see that Jesus is working miracles in people's hearts every day. I can't remember the title of the book, I am sorry, but if you can read it - I think you will feel a sense of kinship with her reconversion experience. I kept calling my experience a second conversion, but I think "reconversion" is a better term - thank you. One thing I have noticed over the years, is that many Protestants seem to have a close relationship with Jesus. This often irritated me in the past (I felt they were "over the top") but then that was probably because I didn't have that deep love for Him at the time, and it was a bit like seeing two people who are madly in love, when you aren't feeling that way yourself - it can be a bit confronting. So, we Catholics might have something to learn from our Protestant brothers and sisters. Now they need to realize what they are missing in not being able to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist or to adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament. The Sacraments of the Church are such a beautiful gift from God. I would love to see everyone "fall in love" with Jesus, and do as you say - learn to experience Him as a friend and brother and spouse and as their Lord and Redeemer and Savior. I pray for this every day, and when I hear stories like yours, I am very happy (for you and for Jesus!). So pray for everyone - that they learn to love Him as you do - He deserves all our love. Edited April 11, 2009 by homeschoolmom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MithLuin Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 We each have a unique experience. St. Therese recognized that God was with her all along, and so by his grace she never fell far enough away to have a 'dramatic' change in her life. That doesn't mean that her experience of God wasn't dramatic, though! There are other people who run away as hard as they can, so by the time the 'Hound of Heaven' catches them, they are heroin addicts in the back of a police car saying 'what happened?' In both cases, it is God's grace that saves us. For some people, the change is sudden and marked. It's just...wow...you're a completely different person! For others...it is such a slow gradual change that from the outside, we might not even notice. It's all interior work going on. Jesus is a doctor of souls - he knows what we need, and when. Some of us will have experiences that are very emotional, with a lot of consolation. Others of us will never 'get' that, but will have a strong steady faith that never 'needed' it, either. There is some value in sharing our experiences, because it is sometimes easy to think that good Christians we know have always been that way - we lose sight of the journey (and possibly suffering) they had to go through to reach that point. It can be encouraging for our fellow pilgrims to share tales of the journey, since many of us are on the same roads (and we all have a common goal). Okay, that was as poetical as I get. I apologize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puellapaschalis Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I think that the very intense experiences do happen, but that conversions like St. Paul's, which were entirely due to such a happening, are very rare. It seems to me that these things happen in the context of a much more subtle growth and development in one's life. If...that even made sense! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinytherese Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Apart of why I wasn't a devout catholic unti thirteen was that I didn't know the real Jesus. That may certainly make a big difference. I thought that He was just a smiley "don't wanna make waves" kind of guy, someone that I couldn't see myself having a real relationship with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaBenedicta Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 [quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1794361' date='Mar 1 2009, 04:59 PM']I think that the very intense experiences do happen, but that conversions like St. Paul's, which were entirely due to such a happening, are very rare. It seems to me that these things happen in the context of a much more subtle growth and development in one's life. If...that even made sense![/quote] They definitely do happen though. That much I can testify to. But I agree with whoever said that such experiences need to be shared prudently. I know, at least for myself, that I am very careful about when I share my conversion experience. God does not work in the same way with everyone, and it is not everyday that someone has a "St. Paul" conversion. But, at the same time, it is important to share how God works in our lives and the graces He has given us. Prudence is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyP89 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Mine was very slow--it took over 4 years for me to come back to the Church, and even then, I didn't understand everything. I still don't, and I'm learning a little every day. Some individual moments in my reversion process were really intense, though, and of course there was my confession when I did finally return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 saintwannabe777 - thank you so much for your story - it was so sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintwannabe 777 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 [quote name='nunsense' post='1800537' date='Mar 8 2009, 04:38 PM']saintwannabe777 - thank you so much for your story - it was so sweet.[/quote] Well, thank our Older Bro Yeshua for giving me this story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnydigit Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 some common conversion experiences i have heard from popular testimonies, -a prolonged and extraordinarily peaceful sleep.. a deep, restful sleep the night of the experience. reminds me of Forrest Gump, when Jenny returns from a life of sin, finds peace in his house and sleeps "like she hasn't slept in years". -a sudden, overwhelming, and extraordinary sense of peace.. like a sudden shower that floods the person from within. then following there can be extraordinary visuals, extreme emotions (joy, remorse), miracles, "coincidences", "mini" ecstasies etc. haven't heard of any flashes of light or booming voices from the sky lately.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmaD2006 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 [quote name='johnnydigit' post='1825040' date='Apr 5 2009, 05:46 AM']haven't heard of any flashes of light or booming voices from the sky lately..[/quote] But they can -- and do happen. It really depends on God, and each experience is different and quite personal. All tend to have one thing in common -- the person starts to follow Jesus a bit more intently than before. Even when the conversion happens over years it becomes obvious (in hindsight) that God was working in the person's life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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