My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today
marks my one-year CM anniversary. And OH !! what a year it has been...
I am one of the few on this site that has not been seeking a soulmate,
a spouse, the love of my life, the 'one' .... instead, I sought
fellowship, friends, faith....and what I have sought, I have found.
This time last year, living in a pit of despair and feeling utterly
lost and hopeless with the circumstances of my life, I googled
'Catholic websites' and up popped Catholic Match along with numerous
others... "what the heck," I thought, "it's probably no worse than the
previous site I was on, who cares." I did a brief perusal of the site
and immediately felt my spirits lift... "hhhmmmmmmm.... ok, well, maybe
it's NOT so bad." And the rest is history....
I began posting. Posting my sorrow, my pain, my despair and I
was even able to rise out of the quagmire of my own life on occasion
and dispense a little advice to the occasional fellow Pink Lady. And
while it felt incredible to have an almost 'online diary' to share my
sorrow and anguish, the words of comfort, hope and courage I received
in return were beyond imagination. I had NO idea that strangers could
care for me so.
CMers from all over the United States wrote to encourage me to not
give up hope; to continue to pray, even when dry inside my soul; to
make time for adoration; attend daily Mass if possible; to remember
that the Lord will not test us beyond what we can bear; to 'let go and
let God'; and the list goes on. I had people write to tell me their own
stories. I was moved to tears by what some of you have endured.... some
of your stories are far worse than my own and I was snapped back to
reality and forced to look a little differently at my situation due to
your perspective. But you never gave up hope!
You have drawn closer to Jesus. Mary, our Blessed Mother, has
become your champion. Grace and peace have entered into your lives, as
it has now entered my own. You taught me that while the trials and
tribulations of our circumstances do not go away, if we turn to God and
trust in Him, He makes them bearable. If we seek his comfort and solace
even in our darkest moments... He IS there, waiting patiently for
us...always.
This gave me hope as I posted in the wee hours of dark, tears of
pain flowing from my eyes. Imagine...strangers...people I will most
likely never meet, taking the time to read my story, my problems, my
whole world crashing in on me and offering me their grace, their
wisdom, their comfort. Time and time again I have been deeply moved by
what has been written to me.
And one year later, while the
circumstances of my life have not changed much... I am stronger! My
faith has grown 100-fold! I have been given tremendous blessings. The
Holy Spirit has filled me with courage. You all have filled me with
your compassion; your mercy; your love; the gift of yourselves. Is this
not what Christ told us to do?
You ARE my brothers and sisters in Christ. We ARE all one body,
though many parts. Through each other we can bring Christ to one
another and grow in our faith and trust in Him, no matter what we seek.
My current path is only partially over. But, now I know I can draw
strength from my CM brothers and sisters. I have made some wonderful
'online' friendships here with men and women around the country. People
that help carry me through the day and sometimes long into the night.
You know who you are. To God I give thanks for having you enter into my
life because of this website. That still amazes me. Due to the
wonderful intelligence God has blessed us with and through the use of
modern techonolgy, God has richly blessed me through a WEBSITE. And
through you !!
My fellow CMers....you have encouraged me beyond
belief. You have helped me to seek God first in all things, to place my
trust in Him who “knew me before I was born.'” You have reinforced
within me... “seek in ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness... and all these things shall be added unto you.'” I am
so grateful to Catholic Match for providing this wonderful vehicle
through which the lives of others have helped me to grow in faith. I am
blessed. I have much more peace in my life. I can pray for those who do
me wrong, and pray with compassion and sincerity. My attitude has
changed toward my “enemies”You helped me do that. CM helped me do that.
Imagine...
I have been so richly blessed. And all in one of the most turbulent
years of my life!! I give thanks to God for all of you and to Catholic
Match. Not only has my subscription been renewed, but so has my faith.
A fellow CM brother recently wrote this to me and so to all of you,
I say, May the Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Always.
