Lately, it has been hot, so I decided to do something that would make life a little easier. I cooked a bunch of different meals in the crock pot, put them into containers, and froze them. That way, when the weather is hot, I wouldn't have to do much cooking. Then a flyer came in from the local Mexican market. They had pineapples, plantains, mangoes, watermelon, cucumbers—fresh fruits and vegetables at really good prices. They also had beef shanks. So after the gym, I had my caretaker take me to the store. I already had plenty of food at home. I had meals in the freezer, food in the refrigerator, and everything I needed. I wasn't going to the store because I was running out of food. But when I got there, something happened. I felt happy. The store was colorful and full of fresh food. I could choose one of this, two of that, three of something else. I wasn't limited to whatever quantity happened to come in a package. I could actually look at what I wanted and decide what I wa...
Switching from Catholicism to Christianity was easy for me. Looking back, it almost felt inevitable.
For one, I was verbally and physically abused by the nuns in the Catholic school. The harshness of their discipline left me feeling more fear than love, and it was a constant source of pain and confusion.
Second, I never understood why I had to pray to so many different saints just to reach God. It never made sense to me. If God was the Almighty, why did I need an intermediary?
And third, there was the day in CCD class when everything changed.
I was about ten years old, sitting in a room filled with other children my age, listening as the instructor preached hellfire and brimstone. They told us, in no uncertain terms, that we were all going to hell. I didn’t know why. I was just a kid. But the way they spoke, the fear they instilled—it felt final, as if nothing we could do would ever be enough to save us.
On the wall, there was a mural of Jesus Christ.
I didn’t hear a voice.
But something deep inside me spoke.
“I am love.”
The message was undeniable. It didn’t come from the nuns, who were busy condemning us. It didn’t come from the fear in the room. It came from within.
And in that moment, I knew.
God was love.
Not punishment. Not wrath. Not condemnation. Just love.
It was a simple truth, but it changed everything for me. While others were trying to scare me into obedience, something greater—something real—was showing me the truth.
Another moment where I could have been lost forever—but I wasn’t.
Another miracle.
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