Sermon by Fr. Joseph Pfeiffer - SSPX

[ready]

Originally Posted by JReducation

I'm Jewish and I was converted by reading the life of St Francis of Assisi, The Perfect Joy of St. Francis by Timmermans. From there, the rest was reading Franciscan history, Franciscan spirituality, the Franciscan Rule and the writings of St. Francis. I came into Catholicism because I wanted to be like Francis of Assisi. He was like a superhero to me. Through his experience I came to understand Jesus.

I had attended Catholic schools since I was eight, but I was not impressed by Catholics. The only Catholics who impressed me were the Capuchin Franciscan Friars at our school. When I made the connection between them and St. Francis, it was intrigued. I did a lot of reading and a lot of observing.

Finally, one of the brothers gave me the Itinerarium by St. Bonaventure in which he lays out the spiritual journey of St. Francis as the model for all spiritual journeys. In fact, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross would borrow heavily from the Itinerarium. Which is interwoven in what St. Edith Stein read. She read The Way of Perfection.

Like Edith, the Itinerarium gave life to Christ, much more than all the dogma that we had been taught in school. The dogmas were interesting, but boring. The journey into the mind of God and Bonaventure's anatomy of the soul were fascinating. When he finally pulls Jesus apart and shows you Christ present through Francis, that was it. I was sold on Jesus. My reaction was, If this is what Jesus Christ is all about, then he truly is the Messiah of Israel. He was very incarnate. The doctrine and dogmas made him too disconnected.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, FFV

Wow! What a wonderful story! I had no idea of your Hebrew background. (Thank you, Lord, St. Bonaventure, St. Francis, and Blessed Mary!)

According to a geneology book I read, my father's ancestors were Hebrew (his surname indicates this). I have also heard and read before that many Hebrews who were living in my parents' country were forced to convert (or die). Some Hebrews - I'm sure - fled the persecution and did not convert.

God bless you for responding to God's invitation to become Catholic!