I sit here this evening before I go to bed, knowing that in the morning heaven and earth will meet in the Divine Liturgy – and my family and I will be attending as catechumens in Christ’s Holy Church. It is still an amazing thought to me, and how all of this has come along has been even more astounding. Tomorrow, after services and the coffee hour, our priest and many others will go to do the last couple house blessings, we will come home. Tomorrow night we begin our catechesis with a few others, and we our hosting the classes in our home, so we are going to take some time to finish getting the house picked up and ready.
Over the last few weeks I have been amazed at the change and the difference in my wife. For those who have followed the blog, Tori was opposed to Orthodox Christianity and was not happy I started to go. Eventually, it was the kids and I, and she was rather resistant. But over the last year, the love and humility of our priest, the wisdom and compassion she saw in others, and the power of the True Faith itself began to chip away at her objection. It was still slow going, and we waited, but earlier this month she decided she wanted to become a catechumen, and our family was received.
Much of that has been said…
It is the changes since then that I have found so astounding. She has been excited to go to church and to participate in its life…she has wanted to go to all of the house blessings…it was her idea that we host the catechism classes, something she would not have done even in our old church…and to my surprise, she helped me pick out holy icons of Christ and the Theotokos for our rearranged prayer wall. I have seen such a change in her since we became catechumens…
It is exciting for me to see this growing faith in my wife, especially since 18 months ago she was done with Christianity altogether. But here, in Christ’s Holy Church, she has found a hospital for the soul…true spiritual help and healing…all of the things we looked for but never found in their fullness in previous church experiences.
We have come home to the Holy Faith of the Apostles. Glory be to God!
Shawn Ragan's Weblog 
GLORY BE TO GOD!
By: Matthew on January 30, 2009
at 7:27 pm
Amen. Our family has made the same journey as you. A trip to “fullness, substance and wholeness” to the Orthodox Church – to the church of Christ and His apostles. Our children were the first in our family “to get it”… Theologically I knew Orthodoxy was true, right and good… but we were concerned about our children? Would they get it! Yes they did. Kids are smarter spiritually than we give them credit for… they saw and experienced the fullness and nothing else would do for them… No more “seeker senstive” kiddy games for them.. give us the true faith Dad.. May God continue to bless you journey in the ancient faith…
By: michaelcook on October 9, 2009
at 11:04 am