A Conversion Story from the past, brought current! (A Book Review)

Saint Augustine lead a life of sin and “corruption” for many years back in the early 400ADs, including living with a lady for many years. His mother, a Catholic, prayed for him to find the Lord daily, and with tears and pain. It took many years, but Saint Augustine finally accepted the Lord into his life and he changed his ways, becoming a leader in the Church, a Doctor of the Church, and a great Theologian.

The book “No Turning Back, A Witness to Mercy“, written by Rev. Donald H. Calloway, MIC, chronicles the Author’s life, which closely mimics Saint Augustine’s life.

He starts out with excitement of his arrest at 15 in Japan, and subsequent deportment back to the US, with a stamp on his passport stating he can’t come back.. He then jumps back in time and begins telling his story from roughly 10 years of age on up to around 20, and the trails and tribulations he creates for his family and himself. He tells about the drugs he took, the people he hung out with, and the problems he caused. He goes into detail about the deportation and his going to rehab for the first time, and then his immediate return to drugs, booze, and women.

During this time, his Mother finds the Catholic Church and the rest of his family converts to the Catholic faith, which he declines and continues on his way. His mother begins to pray for him daily, and frequently to find peace in the Lord, placing prayer cards in his cloths when he is home, under his pillow, etc. He ignores these attempts to convert himself, and continues on in his ways.

As he nears 20 years of age, he throws a BIG drug/booze/women party at his parents house and begins to feel like things are not right. After kicking everyone out of the house, and attempting to clean up the house, he begins to see things differently.

One night, several months later he picks up a book on Divine Mercy, about Mother Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and starts feeling that he must change his ways. He reads the book all night, and when his mother gets up he wants to know more, and runs off to the post Chapel to begin his “official” conversion, which had already happened internally. As time progresses he ends up becoming an Ordained Priest in a Religious Order dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God.

This is a VERY compelling book, that I HIGHLY recommend to everyone and anyone interested in learning more about the good Graces of God!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on No Turning Back (book). I was provided with a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion of the book.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

The Bible that is used by Christians tells us that Jesus was born of Mary. I do not think anyone in the Christian faiths disagrees with this.

All of the main line Christian faiths appear to state that the Trinity, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, are one.

The Catholic Church, based on Mary being the Mother of Jesus, and God/Jesus/Holy Spirit being one entity, calls Mother Mary, the Mother of God. (Mainly in the Hail Mary/Rosary.) Is that a far stretch? I hear many Protestants complain that Mary is NOT the Mother of God. Do they believe that the Trinity of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is one entity as their faith professes (in most cases)? If so, how far of a stretch is it to say that Mary is the Mother of God? At least in His human form?

Mary, in an effort to bring the people of God BACK to God, has been reported to appear before many people over the years. In each of these apparitions, she has requested that people come back to the beliefs of the Church created by her Son, Jesus Christ. In each case her message was about Jesus and coming back to him. She would often have the person(s) she was talking to do something to help improve and grow the Church in the name of her Son. (At least those apparitions that have been approved by the Catholic Church.) Many of these apparitions and the messages associated with them brought healing to the recipients.

The Catholic Church believes that Mary was of Immaculate Conception, meaning that she was born without sin, and that she lived a life without sin. This declaration was proclaimed in 1854, and in 1858, St. Bernadette, an uneducated little girl at the time, who had not heard those words before, received the words, “I am the Immaculate Conception” from an apparition of Mary who gave her various instructions to follow. These instructions again tried to point people to the Church and to help grow the Church.

The Catholic Church believes that Mary was ever Virgin. That she had no children after Jesus. Records, such as Protoevangelium of James, that were created in early times (in the case of Protoevangelium of James, it is estimated to have been completed within 60 years of the death of Mary), indicate that Mary was dedicated by her Mother Anna to the Church of God, and that she lived and worked in the Church as a virgin until she was of age and then was to be married to Joseph as her protector, who was an older male with offspring of his own already (wife was deceased). The original Greek word of “Brethren” used in the Bible transcripts meant includes half brothers/sisters, cousins and other close relatives, as was the custom in that time. While the Bible states that Jesus’ brethren were out side, it could well include His half brothers/sisters through Joseph, His cousins, etc. It is curious to me that there is never, in any of the transcripts from that time, that I have read or heard of, telling of Mary ever being pregnant again, and of her having any other child. The early Protestant Reformers, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli, all believed in the Ever Virgin status of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It was their followers that sought to distance themselves even further from their Parent Church for various reasons that removed that doctrine from their faith.

In conclusion, many people of the Catholic faith, put a lot of faith and trust in Mother Mary, talk to her (pray) often and ask her for her intercession with Christ for a better life, or help in life. Who better to ask for intercessory pray that the Mother of Jesus?