For me, the word conversion has developed a deeper meaning over the years. When I first felt called to become Catholic, I considered that to be the beginning of my conversion. When I joined RCIA, I considered that to be the actual work of my conversion. Finally, when I was baptized and confirmed, I considered myself to actually be a convert – my conversion was complete.

It was as though conversion was some sort of an accomplishment. Completion of RCIA was, for me, too much like a graduation ceremony.

In the years following my formal entrance into Holy Mother Church, I began to read biographies of several saints. I started to notice a common thread in the lives of many of them. While some, like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Ignatius of Loyola, did have powerful conversion experiences that changed their lives, these experiences were just the beginning of a lifelong conversion process.

St. Francis had a powerful experience in which Jesus on the San Damiano Crucifix spoke to him. This quite obviously caused an immediate change in the priorities in his life. But he was not all of a sudden converted. His spiritual journey was not complete. Rather, it had just begun. It was not until the latter part of his life that St. Francis really experienced mystical gifts such as the stigmata.

The lives of saints such as Francis were marked by an ever-increasing devotion to prayer. Only through a commitment to prayer and the Sacraments of the Catholic Church can we hope to better know our living God. Experience has shown me that any attempt to discern and obey the will of God is well rewarded. This is exactly what Conversion for Life is all about. Conversion is a lifelong process, not an accomplishment. How fortunate are we to have such a bright Light to guide us?