I remember how, in the days of my youth, when I read and re-read the words of St. Paul, "By the grace of God, I am what I am," I thought what a gloriously bold and upright man he was, and how courageous. For I placed all of the emphasis on the words, "I am what I am,'" much in the spirit of Henley's "I am the captain of my soul, I am the master of my fate." I did not emphasize, as I should have, the words "by the grace of God." It is these words that I now emphasize. I give thanks to my wife, to the first priest I dared to talk to and who instructed me, and to God for His grace...

Before I became a Catholic I used to say to myself: "Had I lived when He lived, and had I but once seen Him in the flesh, certainly had I heard His voice and looked into His eyes, never again would my life be the same. This would have been a transforming experience giving me forever life and hope." Now by the Faith He is here, present not only in the sacred tabernacle of the altar but everywhere, available for me as for you who read these lines, giving to all men who ask of Him, certainty of purpose and guidance divine.

Roads to Rome
Ben W. Palmer

In short, my Faith has led me to the feet of Christ who is "the way, the truth and the life." And the day on which I received Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion has remained through all the intervening years the happiest day of my life.