My Spiritual Narrative

By Angel Schneider
 

In thinking about how best to relay my journey to Christ, I sought advice from an unlikely source – my personal trainer. Funny, I suppose, but I turned to him because he set a good example for me. You see, it was his own personal testimony emblazoned across his website that drew me to work with him in the first place, to finally pick up my own cross (a lifelong struggle with my weight and fitness) and to bear it fully. And I also suppose it should’ve been no surprise to me when I read his name: Matthew La Croix. I could see his name as a spiritual two-by-four knocking me in the head, but I also like to think that God is just a bit humorous when it comes down to it. And so, it was Matt the trainer, Matthew of the Cross, who helped me figure out how best to share my story with you.

My love for and reliance on Jesus did not come as an overwhelming moment of enlightenment, but more like the slow and steady collection of water into a bucket left outside in the rain.  I might even liken it to the building of a romantic relationship. I didn’t fall in love with my husband Eric at first sight, but rather over time through getting to know him, after building comfort and trust with him and seeing our common dreams. Only then could I see that we were in love. Likewise, it was with me and Christ. As time passed, I gently gave my heart over to Him until one day I realized that I had received God’s great gift of Faith.

Of course, like any good trainer, Matt always pushes me. He wanted a precise moment of conversion–when exactly did I start down the path to Christ? When pressed, I would have to say it was on a normal Sunday morning. Well, it was normal except that Eric and I decided to go to church after months of discerning a call for both of us to do just that. Since Eric is a cradle Catholic, we decided a good place to start would be St. Peter’s in Dublin. Little did I know what would come next. From the moment I walked through the sanctuary doors I felt like I was finally home. Mind you, this was a feeling coming from a non-church-going, self-proclaimed spiritual, but not religious heathen! I was astonished. Sure, I had been to Masses before – a wedding, I think, but this was an entirely new experience. The rhythm of everything made sense, the beauty of the liturgy drew me in and it didn’t hurt that we were blessed us with a great homily. I knew I was hooked.

It took another couple of years before I would be fully received into the Church. I had a lot to learn, plus we had Eric’s previous marriage in the Church to rectify. Through patience, endurance and grace, it was on December 31, 2011 that I received a trifecta of sacraments: Baptism (alongside our 6-month-old son), Confirmation and our marriage Convalidation. God’s mercy was poured over our family that day and his blessings continue to abound in our lives.