February 10, 2025
Welcome! For those of you who know me, thanks for checking out the site. For those I don’t know, nice to meet you! I’m Karen, a working mom of three wonderful children, currently ages 25, 23 and 15. I created this site to share my journey back to the Catholic Church and the resources that have played a role in that transformation.
There is so much in our daily lives that demands our attention, often distracting us from what truly matters. I want to share the positive influences that deserve more focus but are often overlooked. At times, I will include quotes from the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but be warned—I am no theologian. Before my conversion, I had only picked up a Bible a handful of times in my entire life. This, in itself, is a larger point I believe is important to share.
Growing up Catholic, my family didn’t emphasize personal Bible reading. As a child, I barely paid attention to Scripture readings in church, which we attended mostly on holidays or special occasions. Even as an adult, the readings often left me with more questions than answers—questions I never took the time to explore after Mass. Therefore that was my first step, what are the foundations of the Catholic faith? I wanted to start over, and learn all the things I hadn’t learned or had forgotten as a non-practicing Catholic.
Which leads me to my first point, Catholics beliefs are founded on both:
- Sacred Scripture – The written Word of God, the Bible.
- Sacred Tradition – The oral and lived transmission of faith, including teachings, liturgical practices, creeds, and doctrines passed down from the apostles.
Sacred Tradition is foundational because the New Testament was formed within the Church after the Resurrection, and before it was written down, the faith was taught orally. As is it is written in the Gospel:
“But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” – John 21:25
The apostles were instructed to teach all nations:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
Then in St. Paul’s letter to hold fast to traditions:
“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
There are many great books written by former Protestants who converted to Catholicism, included below are only the ones that I’ve read. Protestants believe in sola scriptura (Scripture alone). This might be a good time for me to state that I’m not trying to convince anyone to be Catholic, that is not my place. I’m only sharing what helped me learn about the faith I had been born into but had taken for granted. I had been picking and choosing what I would follow for to long and my life decisions were evidence to that. It was time to do some research and make a decision for myself instead of taking the opinion of others as my own. Now when someone sees the Blessed Mother necklace that I had been wearing for years, I can proudly say that I am Catholic. I have a greater understanding and conviction in my beliefs.
The readings in mass this weekend were beautiful and inspiring and as is typical right on time. For me, I heard the gift of repentance. We are all unworthy, but with a truly repentant heart, God gives us the gift of forgiveness to be witnesses of his grace. If you didn’t make it there, maybe you will want to break out your own Bible and let God speak to you. Daily Bible Readings
Cheerfully in Christ,
Karen
Resources Referenced in This Post:
- Holy Bible, Ascension Press, 2018
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ascension Press, 2022
- Ascension Press
- Rome Sweet Home by Scott & Kimberly Hahn
- Stunned by Scripture: How the Bible Made Me Catholic by Dr. John Bergsma
- Acts XXIX
