Roberta Skoko
I grew up attending Mass with my family on Christmas and Easter—not usually more than that. Throughout elementary school, I prayed at night before bed and had a good conscience (i.e. I could never lie to my parents!).
Soon after I became caught up with high school life and rarely thought of God. When I was 15 my parents announced their divorce; that day was more difficult than I can explain. At that point, I threw myself into unhealthy distractions, which set the pace of my life for the next 5 years. My dad moved out and my mom became super religious, attending Bible studies and saying things like, “Jesus loves you.” I thought she was crazy and didn’t let her talk to me about God for 5 years. When I was 18 I walked into a coffee shop and met a young man who carried himself differently and with more dignity than I had ever seen. I told my friends, “I’m going to marry him.” I soon found out that he was a devout Protestant: youth group on Fridays, Service on Sundays, no dating until ready for marriage, etc. I quickly deduced that he’d never want to be with someone like me, but we became good friends. About two years later I woke up one Sunday morning hungover for the third time that week. I remembered myself when I was younger and realized that I was a better person then than I was now. That hit hard. I got out of bed and said, “Mom, I’m coming to Mass with you.” She almost fell over. I started thinking more about Jesus and His plan for my life, and I would share these thoughts with my friend from the coffee shop. Two months later he came by to tell me that he’s loved me for two years. He said that he refused to push Jesus on me, but had been praying for me. He then told me that he wants me to be his wife (my dream come true!), but that he needed to marry a Protestant. I said, “No problem! One of my high school religion teachers said it doesn’t matter what faith you are—if two people believe in Jesus, that’s a bonus!” He looked at me and explained that there is one God and one Church—God didn’t leave us with conflicting faith traditions. He told me not to leave Catholicism until I knew what I was leaving: “Study, and we’ll date in the meantime.” Challenge accepted! To my surprise and his, the more I studied (Bible, faith and Church history, Early Church Fathers, etc.), the more Catholic I became.
After 4 years of dating and learning, I walked away; I knew in my heart that he wouldn’t and couldn’t marry a Catholic so I had to let him go. It was the most difficult decision of my life, but I had peace knowing that God has a plan, and that we’ll end up exactly where we are meant to be. This young man’s love led me to the greatest love: Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church. I look back fondly. The relationship was good and pure, and it led me to deep faith in Jesus. It eventually led me to the amazing man I’d marry (you’ll meet Ante next week!). I also think of my mom whose prayers meant the world. The past 10 years have been exhilarating; I do not live for worldly pleasures (they come and quickly go), but for God who created me to love Him and to spread that love throughout the world.
“...wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
—St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Ch 8
“GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.”
“WHEN THE DEVIL REMINDS YOU OF YOUR PAST, REMIND HIM OF HIS FUTURE.”