Vol. 6, No. 4, November, 2001
My Story of Christ in MeBy Jo Rutherford
I was raised a Methodist, converted to Catholicism and became the typical Catholic
- faithful to the teachings of the church,
- attended Sunday Mass each week,
- went to Confession regularly,
- tried to live a life free of sin,
and was active in the parish community which was very important to me. But, I always felt that something was missing, like I was off center.
At the eleventh hour of my life, at 70, I heard the Lord call me. Through an experience with my dying brother, the Lord put a desire in my heart to share my faith with others. But I didn't know how to do that. The answer came through a flyer announcing an Evangelization Training given by the Sisters of the New Covenant.
As a result of my attending this training in evangelization, I developed a love for Scripture which brought me to a very profound experiential awareness of how much Jesus loved me and how much the Holy Spirit helped me to share my faith. I underwent such a deep realization of how little I had done for the Lord that I wept and wept. During that experience of weeping, I gave my life to Jesus totally.
From the time of the Evangelization Training to the present, my life has been a constant opening to God letting him direct my life for me to be still and know that He is in charge. When decisions have to be made, I go to the Lord in prayer with the Scriptures, and there He speaks to me.
I am no longer the typical Catholic because now I know the Lord in a very personal way. The Scriptures are no longer a dead letter but the Living Word. The Sacraments have come alive for me in a way that they were not before. The Holy Spirit is now Someone I can count on to do in me what I cannot do on my own. Now I know what to say to others about our loving Lord. I am no longer off center but on Center for Jesus is now the Center of my life.