Fantastic News!

I was keeping a lid on this until it was official, but I wanted to share my joy with those who keep up with this blog o' mine.

My husband's previous marriage has been annulled by the church and our marriage has been fully validated in the eyes of the Roman Catholic church! Praise be to God! In fact, there is a special dispensation by our Bishop who has retroactively blessed our marriage, so my concerns about us "living together" are now seen as valid years of marriage! Is that just da bomb, or what?!!!??

My pastor just called me about thirty minutes ago to let me know the good news. My father is in town and I specifically asked if he could come up for a visit so he could witness the convalidation. Then I knew my husband had to be present, and tonight was going to be the night when we did it. However, we were going to have to wait until after the Easter Vigil to do it since no sacraments are celebrated before the Vigil. (I tell you, God has kept me on pins and needles for the past week. I truly wasn't sure if I was going to be able to receive the Eucharist by Easter or not.) The Vigil probably won't be over tonight until 10:45 PM. When my pastor told me I was free to take part in Communion tomorrow, I just laughed with joy and said, "I feel as though I won the lottery!"

So, not only do we not have to wait until late tonight to have it blessed, but we'll all get enough rest tonight so my father and I can attend the Traditional Latin Mass tomorrow at 9:00 AM. (My husband probably won't be joining us, but feel free to pray that he would. I've told him it would be wonderful for him to be with us just for Easter.)

So. It has been a year since my return to the Catholic church and a year of not being able to receive the Eucharist. So much has happened in this time frame. I felt at the beginning that God was allowing me this time to truly focus on the Eucharist and transubstantiation. It has taken me that long to believe that yes, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed present in the Eucharist. It is a mystery. I can't explain exactly how I came to the realization of it, but suffice it to say that my heart has been yearning these past few weeks more than ever to receive Him.

It is just amazing to me, how God has worked out everything! I look forward to having a beautiful, memorable Easter tomorrow morning, a lovely Easter meal with my father and husband, and later perhaps a visit with my husband's family. But really, more than anything, I look forward to finally being united with my Lord and Savior in Holy Communion.

Deo Gratias, Deo Gratias, Deo Gratias!!!!