“It was God sending me consolation and affirmation”

I'm a cradle Catholic who grew up in Poland until age 13. Before my mother passed away—she was sick for the last two years of her life—she modeled, without saying much, that going to weekly Mass was an obligation. She didn't have much strength and energy in the last two years of her life, but she would pick going to Mass over anything else. When I came to the United States, I continued that.

I always went to our weekly Mass. I had two close family members who were trying to pull me away from the Catholic Church, telling me that missing Mass was no big deal. I knew from my mom’s example that Mass was the priority. And right at that moment when I was trying to prove that the Catholic Church is the true Church, and that being faithful to Mass is important, I had a dream. It was kind of like when God comes to us, he comes to us when we most need him in our faith.

In my dream, Jesus appeared to me. I found myself in the church, kind of as a visitor, and there was Mass in progress. It was right at the consecration and the altar transformed itself and went from plain to ornate, and I saw the bread on the altar. I remember falling to my knees and eating of this bread, and I knew it was heavenly bread. I heard a voice say, ‘This is my beloved son. He who will eat of it will live forever.’

That was quite a long time ago: 33 years ago. It was God sending me consolation and affirmation to stay within the Catholic Church—pointing out that his Body, the Eucharist, is the center and the most important part of Mass. And I had renewed conviction about my faith, and the grace and strength to withstand any attempts of others to undermine my faith and regular Mass-going.

The dream was so powerful that I could never forget it. Every time I made communion, and I tried to go to daily Mass, I believed that this is true. Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, right there, during the consecration. 

I think that's probably, in a nutshell, my story of my conviction—the Eucharist being God's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. I remember getting into disagreements with some people over insisting I'm going to church on particular holy days of obligation or even on Sundays, who would say, ‘You can find something better to do.’ Well, nothing really is better.