There are many noteworthy stories that were not recorded from people who lived before us. However, I consider my conversion story as one of the majority. At the outset, let me say these words ‘Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.’
My Spiritual Journey started with searching for meaning. I was raised by parents who were not devout Catholics. My preliminary education was in a public primary and secondary school with little education in Catholic Faith. In my elementary days, I would have opted for natural love that would prod me to believe about my faith.
Honestly, I do not know how much I can love God. I was asked by non-catholic friends in high school about my Catholic faith. Indeed, it is a shame since I cannot find out about God. I had doubts about my religion. It was boring and lifeless. I tried to renounce my Catholic faith and the existence of God. I indulged in worldly pleasures and wasted my time in nonsense activities. A great earthquake hit the Visayan Islands that woke me up. I saw the need for God to explain the world around and within us. That is the human soul. I began to believe in God again but still renounced the Catholic Faith.
The Great Confusion
The first word describes my second point. I am confused. I do not know why. When I started to believe in God, I searched for God and the meaning of the Catholic Church. I was regularly attending Born Again, Pentecostal and other Christian sects. I watched and listened to their TV/Radio programs. My classmate in high-school was a member of Messianic Judaism or Christian Judaism ( Congregation of Yahweh). He invited me to attend weekly worship service that falls on the Jewish Sabbath or day of rest. There, the elders preached about the importance of God’s name in saving the human soul. The words: God, Lord and Jesus Christ were pagan in origin. Therefore, these were evil. God will only listen and save us if we use his original Hebrew name which is Yahweh. For Jesus, it is Yahshua. I was amazed about their mastery and intelligence about the scriptures. I was convinced by the deeply-rooted Jewish faith. I was baptized in 2008 and became a missionary and youth leader. I was ordained as a deacon by a sister congregation (COYJP). Our congregation at that time was split due to doctrinal and human indifference which made me think of its authenticity.
Home Coming
I became zealous in proclaiming my new found faith and attacking the Catholic Church. My vision for her as a heaven before became an ugly hell. I was hypnotized and deceived by the power of darkness at that time. That is why I consider my conversation as a miracle from God. I concluded he loved me that much.
It was part of our weekly activities to go every Sunday to Plaza Cebu to engage in public debate and sharing. I encountered brilliant Catholic faith defenders who presented great arguments. It made me fall. I was defeated me by the sound and powerful truth about the Catholic faith I returned home questioning once again the faith which I had at that time. There was a split in our congregation. The teachings change every single year. There was no stable stand in moral issues. There was an illusion to make our congregation worldwide. The reality of members did not even reach the number of filthy which added to my doubts. I began to understand. I prayed, studied and confessed that the Catholic Church is the one Church founded by Jesus Christ. I am here at the place where every human is called to belong. (John 10:16)