08.28.08-The Day that Changed My Life Forever

August 28 is a special day for me since it is the feast the day of arguably my favorite saint, Saint Augustine.
St. Augustine was the one saint who was instrumental in my return to the faith. The catalyst for this conversion came from me reading, “The Confessions.” "The Confessions" was St. Augustine’s autobiography about his journey from paganism to his momentous conversion to Catholicism. I have been always able to relate to this deeply flawed, but great saint. The similarities between both of us are astounding: Like me he was worldly when he was growing up, like me he was led to many errors (Manichaeism)
in his search for the ultimate truth, like me his mother, St. Monica had prayed unceasingly for his conversion, like me he ultimately came back to his true home, the one universal Catholic Church. I love St. Augustine, he is the one saint that I have prayed to the most during the different trials in my life. He is my inspiration, the ultimate standard upon which I judge my faith. (For more details about his life read this.)


August 28 is special to me for another wonderful reason; it was the day in which Renee and I officially began our love story. The exact date was August 28, 2008. I remember it like yesterday, for it was the day shaped and changed my life forever. Renee and I were on the phone discussing certain issues regarding spirit and truth our ministry, when all of sudden we began to reveal our true feelings towards each other. You see for the previous several months Renee and I had been spending more and more time together, on the phone, in person, at social events, and in ministry. The more time that we spent together in these events the more we began to realize that we were slowly but surely falling for each other. I remember during those times how my heart would literally ache and how I would have a million butterflies in my stomach each time that I was in her presence. So on that August 28 I finally had the courage to admit that I was growing more and more “fond” of her. I remember how I boldly even proclaimed in that conversation that my vocation to marriage was cemented. In essence I was prophesying that I would be marrying Renee.

We both refer to that day as, “Hiroshima” because of the dramatic life changing reality of that conversation. 2 years later I am still shaking, but this time in excitement and gratitude since I am married to the woman of my dreams. How eternally grateful I am to our Lord for working it out in such a perfect way on the feast day of my favorite saint, St. Augustine.

I will conclude this blog with one of my favorite quotes from this St. Augustine:

“Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.” (The Confessions)

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