The Faith of a Muslim Turned Catholic

Recently I became acquainted with a young man who was living in the U.S., studying at a university in the western United States. This man is from Saudi Arabia and grew up in a Muslim family. However, in the past few years, through various circumstances, he felt drawn to Christianity and realized that the Holy Spirit was iniviting him into a relationship with Jesus Christ. The pull was so strong that he began to investigate Christianity through several means. He not only began to talk with protestant friends and chat in internet chat rooms, but, he began to attend various church functions and, most importantly, to read many, many books on his own.

When several of the protestant people he spoke with tried to turn him away from Catholicism, he decided to investigate Catholicism himself and see what was so terribly wrong with this faith that had so many million members all across the globe. He immersed himself in reading the Scriptures, the writings of the early Church Fathers and witnesses of modern converts such as Scott Hahn.

He decided that if he was going to become a Christian he wanted to join the real church begun by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago and after spending many hundreds of hours reading, he knew that this was the Catholic Church. In the fall of 2011, he began the RCIA process at the parish where he was already receiving instruction from the priest. He was so excited to be on the journey to be baptized into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 2012.

When his parents came to the U.S. to visit him, he told them of his decision to convert. Their immediate reaction was to tell him that he would no longer be their son in such a case. However, after two days they relented and told him that they disagreed with his decision, but, he would still be their son as long as when he would come home to Saudi Arabia, he would tell no one that he was a Christian. Of course in Saudi Arabia, an infidel such as this would be subject to death. He agreed.

In December, a family situation occurred that caused him to be called back to Saudi Arabia. He was so disappointed to have to leave during the week before Christmas. He asked to be baptized before he went home since there are few if any churches in Saudi. The priest thought it would not be possible. However, the matter was brought before the Archbishop and the priest who had been catechizing him all along was certain that he was ready for baptism because of all his reading on his own and his knowledge of the faith. So he was given permissin by the Archbishop to be baptized, confirmed and to receive his first communion two days before he left back to his homeland. He rejoiced in this miracle. He was now a Catholic and one with Christ Jesus.

Please keep this man, whom I shall call Michael for his confirmation name, in your prayers. I will write more about him later.