About a year ago, I was invited by my childhood friend Scott to attend an event in the town in which we both grew up, and to write an article about the experience for a magazine published in our local Catholic diocese, Christ is Our Hope. Never did I expect the event to leave such a deep impression on me, but it did. It was the culmination of a nearly 50-year journey in my life.

Even though the article was conceptualized and written quite awhile ago, it seems to me that many of the shattered landscapes we encounter today are potentially more devastating to humanity than when I was writing. Yet I am convinced we must never give up hope, for it is through each of us that the cracks and fissures in the space between us as humans can be filled. It is through us that the beauty of the human soul can be uplifted. It is through us that green pastures can grow. May we watch, wait and pray that we might be used as vessels on the path toward this transformation.

Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Scott, for inviting me to attend the 32nd Annual Wheaton Leadership Prayer Breakfast and for sharing his story with me; to the editor of Christ is Our Hope, Carlos Briceño, for being an inspiration and for encouraging me to tell my story; and to my Protestant brothers and sisters for truly making a positive difference in my journey as a Catholic.

To read The Lengthy Journey from Shattered Landscape to Green Pasture, go to page 17 in the August 2018 issue of Christ is Our Hope Magazine.