I am a revert to the Catholic faith. I regretfully left the church after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Three children, several years, and one marriage outside of the Catholic church later, God called me back with a full and complete understanding of Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist.
As I returned to the Catholic Church and started attending Mass weekly again, I remember always wanting to sit in the front- as close to Jesus as possible. I was so excited to be there again, finally understanding this great Gift we receive in the Holy Eucharist. A gift I had received so often as a child and teen, but never with the understanding or appreciation I now had. After a week or two, I started to notice during the consecration that I would receive this specific message in my heart: “You need a blessing, [name].” It was always at the same time during Mass…every week.
I wasn’t sure what to do with that statement. But it was persistent, for sure. I was poorly catechized in my CCD classes as a child and teen, and maybe just lacked a real desire to be open to learning too. I didn’t even remember the Hail Mary or Our Father, but I did remember a person received a blessing in the confessional. So that is where I went. I walked into the confessional, sat down, and started off that 16+ year overdue confession by saying. “Father, I need you to bless me.” The priest chuckled and said, “We’ll get to that, but first, could you tell me your sins?” Through that process, he let me know that I needed a blessing for my marriage to receive Communion because I was not sacramentally married. What a profound grace to receive! I most definitely DID need a blessing to receive Communion in the Catholic church. I had no idea of the magnitude and importance of just what kind of blessing that would be. How amazing is our God! He cares about the smallest AND largest details of our lives and wants to direct us through His sons, our priests who sit In Persona Christi in that blessed Sacrament of Reconciliation. I thank God and that most special priest who turned the light on so I could receive the Sacrament that day and the grace God hoped to give me through it.
—Anonymous