I have always been a mystical person, believing in signs and of works beyond this world. So I suppose it’s not really a surprise how much I have already “felt” from my confirmation saint, Saint Therese, but in another way to find mysticism in Catholicism was a surprise to me. That was not something I was expecting.

I made the decision a few weeks ago to choose St. Therese of Lisieux as my confirmation saint and have been praying to her ever since. She has unequivocally let me know she’s heard my prayers. What a blessing!

Let me share with you…

In a post a couple weeks ago I shared my first rose. But there have been many more since.

During one of the “scrutinies” (a ceremonial blessing as part of becoming Catholic) I needed my sponsor to be there, but my husband, who was filling in, had to be home with our sick child and I did not have enough time to come up with someone else. I sat there in the pew before mass nervous about what I would do. Lo and behold, right in front of me sat “Theresa” who had lead our RCIA group in the past. I immediately felt I should ask her and I quickly did before mass. Problem solved. Thanks St. Therese!

Another… during my RCIA class a fellow candidate shared a story of seeing a statue of St. Therese (not sure if it was the same one) shedding tears.

Another… After a prayer to dear St. Therese, I opened my email to find an email from a “Therese” (spelled the same).

Another… my mother-in-law, who passed in September, but who was to be my sponsor and who was a huge role model for me, chose as her confirmation saint St. Rose of Lima (note, the “rose” — St. Therese is associated with roses).

Another… St. Therese was featured on a worksheet from my younger son’s religious education class Sunday.

And they go on… Maybe this is wishful thinking but I choose to believe it’s sweet St. Therese letting me know she hears me and is praying for me. Tremendous…

In one of my RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults/classes to join the Catholic church) classes this morning, our facilitator asked in reference to one of the scripture readings of today “What had cultivated our call to Catholicism?”  The scripture referred to the parable of the fig tree that after three years had not produced fruit. It was given one more year, with lots of cultivation, just as we, too, are given second chances by God but must produce “fruit” in order to be saved.

That got me to thinking… While I definitely do feel “called” due to the complete change in my beliefs in the last year or so, it made me realize a lot of things have led me to this point all through my life.

So what “cultivated” Catholicism in me? What prepared me to fully jump in with both feet at the age of 38? Here’s a list of some of the things that come to mind over my life:

• My father and his parents (my grandparents), who have always been religious, and made sure I was baptized and exposed to religion, waiting until the time I was ready to accept it.  They were consistent and steady without being pushy.
• Wonderful role models like my grandparents (same as above) and in-laws who demonstrated humility, unending kindness, simplicity, gratitude, generosity and love.
• The former priest down the road and his family who took me to a Christian church with them every Sunday during my middle school years.
• A longtime friend who always unknowingly provided a word of encouragement from a distance at so many times when I needed and the sense of acceptance and support provided.
• A father who gave me confidence and belief in myself.
• A supporting husband who introduced me to Catholicism and the fond memories it evokes in him — and now the joy it gives me.
• The many wonderful people on my recent journey to Catholicism who’ve answered my many questions, lent an ear, discussed my concerns, and provided support, reassurance and prayers!

This is just a start but today’s question  showed me that perhaps God is starting to put all the puzzle pieces of my life together. Perhaps he’s been working on me for quite some time and decided now was the time in my life to call me to him after all the preparation work he’s done. I still have a long road ahead toward continual conversion of my way of life to better conform to Jesus’ example but I’ve come quite a long way already… I don’t see why I can’t go ahead and finish the marathon one day.

I love this email program that my RCIA leader shared with us a few months ago. I’ve long felt like I wanted to explore the Catechism of the Catholic Church in more depth, but it seemed a tad overwhelming. To date, I’ve just looked up a topic I was interested in and read a short blurb or two. Enter Read the Catechism in a Year.

It’s a free email program that you sign up for and daily receive a successive portion of the Catechism in your inbox. Read it in line at the grocery, waiting for your Starbucks coffee or during a quiet moment at lunch. I find I really look forward to reading this every day. Even on a few crazy days, like Christmas, where I didn’t get to it, it was easy to catch up in the next few days.

I’ve even noticed that a lot of what we may be talking about at Mass or even my RCIA class often seem to match up with the day’s topics on the email. And, as you’ll likely start to find like me, when you get serious about Catholicism, the right words just pop up at the right time :). It’s amazing to me how often that happens! God is incredible!

The Catechism in a Year email is powered by Flocknote and actually started Oct. 11, 2012. But I don’t see any reason why you can’t just pick it up at any time and continue on to finish the parts you missed early on. Or feel free to go to their website (which I think they send to you when you sign up for the email) and read it there if you want to catch up now.

This is absolutely one of my favorite finds. To see more resources I’ve found helpful, check out my Catholic Newbie Resources
page. Let me know if you sign up for Catechism in a Year (sign up here) or if you know of any other great free resources I’ve missed. Happy reading!