How much of the marriage is finished on the day that a couple says "I do"? Sounds like an odd question, right? It is supposed to be. None of us would imagine that the moment of "I do" everything is done, and there is nothing more to happen. In fact, it is just the opposite. When they say "I do", that moment is merely the beginning of the marriage. The days, months and years following, is when the marriage is expected to grow and thrive. In the same way, one is not finished with the process of conversion to the Catholic faith on the day of "conversion".
When we think about the evangelistic understanding that I have been writing about (a full-orbed, in depth, all encompassing, evangelism), we must have the right perspective of what the actual conversion is that we are aiming at, or we could foul up the process. It is true that there is an initial "conversion point" (as there is a point that we call the "marriage") but that does not mean that once that point is passed that the person "has arrived". It would be more accurate to say that at the conversion point the person has begun his journey.
Marriage does not end with the vows, life is not finished at birth, and conversion is only the start of a life in Christ. This may sound obvious, but the point has to do with conversion itself. One's life as a member of the baptized faithful consists in a process of conversion. That initial conversion point is merely the first turning toward God; but since we are weak people and often fall into sin, we need to be steadily converting ourselves back to God.
There is another way that conversion is not just one time event. Conversion is not merely the regular turning back to God that we each need to do regularly; it is also the process itself. We are "being converted" daily as we continually reshape who we are to become more and more like Christ our Redeemer. We all know that we are not made perfect in a moment, and that is why we must continue in the process of conversion. It might seem nice to be able to convert entirely in a moment, but that is not how God has ordained things for us. We can change whose authority we are under in a moment, but we cannot change our own faithfulness to that authority that quickly.
This is why it is so important to make this point clear to those we communicate the gospel to. If we give the impression that all they have to do is "sign on the dotted line" and then everything will come together in life, then we have lied to them, and possibly even stunted their spiritual growth. I have heard many stories of converts who faded away from the Church after just a few months. This is the perfect example of bad instruction on what the Christian life really is. Those who are seeking to discern the call to conversion, need to know that it involves all of their life (as in every aspect) for all of their life (as in the entire duration of it).
If a couple got married, then we would normally presume (in ordinary circumstances) that they are doing something to stay together (if they are doing it well and not lying, then they are also growing in their relationship with one another). If we know someone who "was converted", then we can presume that he is still "being converted". That is the normal process of growth. Let us make sure that we communicate this wonderful truth to those we reach out to with the gospel, and make sure that they know precisely what the journey is that is ahead of them.
