Fr. Richard
Anger was not the end for me
Encounter April 2019
Fr. Richard

When I was about 9 years old my mom passed after a year long battle with cancer. I understood that my mom was gone, but I didn’t understand the repercussions that event would have on my life in the years to come.

Later on in middle and high school I started dealing with a lot of issues with anger. I didn’t know where this darkness was coming from.

As a teenager, I had an outburst of anger, and I stormed out of the house and started asking God where all this anger came from. Wondering if God was even there.

And in that low point I looked and saw my dad walking towards me with a sincere gaze of love and forgiveness. He set his hand on me and said he loved me, and didn’t know that I was dealing with all this.

In that moment I saw the face of God the Father looking at me through my father’s eyes. No matter what I do, how angry I got, whatever wounds I have, whatever bitterness was there, He reaffirmed that He loves me not despite all of that but through it.

Your story matters

The story of our relationship with Jesus Christ is the best tool we have to spread the Good News. It is personal, it is real, and it is the thing we know the most about our own experience with God.

Share Your Story

Use these prompts to help craft your story. 1. Reflect on the Discipleship Pathway Your story might encompass elements from your encounter with Jesus, being formed as his disciple, or evangelizing others. Aim to focus your story on one aspect of the Discipleship Pathway (e.g. Encounter, Form, Evangelize). 2. Write your story down. Sit down, pray, and write out your personal story asking the Holy Spirit for help. Writing it down will help organize your thoughts. 3. Keep it brief. Your story should be able to be told in 3 minutes or less. This may seem challenging, but a good story should be engaging and concise. All of Jesus's parables were this way, and we would love to tell stories like Jesus.

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