Jeremy Rivera was an evangelical pastor who was convinced Catholics didn't really know Jesus.

Then he became one.

In this new episode, Jeremy shares how honest conversations about authority, Mary, and the Eucharist led him back to the Catholic Church—and why true renewal begins with a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

His journey to the Catholic Church didn't start with theology—it started in the shower on Christmas Eve, 1985, when a 10-year-old boy cried out to God in the middle of his parents' divorce and felt the Holy Spirit show up. His mom, sensing something had happened, pulled a handmade Italian crucifix from under the bed—a Christmas gift she wasn't going to give until morning—and handed it to him on the spot.

That crucifix is still in his kitchen today.

But the road from that moment to the Catholic Church was anything but straight. We unpack Jeremy's winding journey: losing his faith in college, a crisis pregnancy and abortion that brought him to his knees, and the theological questions that nearly kept him from ever becoming Catholic.

We also discuss what the Church gets wrong about evangelization, why most Catholics have never been "ambushed by Jesus," and how an unexpected encounter with the scent of roses in a FOCUS chapel broke through his deepest resistance—Mary.

Whether you're a cradle Catholic, a skeptic, or somewhere in between, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.

HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00:00 — Intro

8:00 A powerful encounter with God at age 10

13:00 Abortion, Romans 5:8, and radical conversion

17:30 Surf ministry, seminary, and church planting

23:40 The restlessness that wouldn’t go away

28:00 Meeting Archbishop Chaput

31:50 “I want to ask your forgiveness.”

37:00 Mary: the greatest hurdle

40:00 The fragrance of roses

47:30 Tradition vs. traditionalism

55:00 Do you actually know Jesus?

1:09:00 A prayer of surrender

Learn more about Jeremy Rivera: https://thelittlej.com

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• (00:00:00) - Chris Stefanik
• (00:01:08) - Jeremy Rivera on Non-Catholic Confessions
• (00:02:43) - Does God Think Catholics Are Going to Hell?
• (00:03:53) - Religion and the Apology
• (00:07:15) - What brought you to the Catholic Church?
• (00:09:55) - Mission: Mission of Joy
• (00:15:43) - Reveal: The Prodigal Son
• (00:20:02) - What's it like on the inside when you're an evangelical pastor
• (00:23:05) - The Restlessness of the Pastor
• (00:26:14) - 7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Become Catholic
• (00:30:20) - The Crux of the Abuse
• (00:33:39) - Paul on Pathways Church
• (00:37:24) - The Lord Who Expects Your Whole Life
• (00:42:10) - Pilgrims pray the Hail Mary
• (00:43:55) - The Catholic Church's Community
• (00:48:25) - Catholic Traditionalism: The Preservation of Fire
• (00:52:27) - Entering the Mystery of Salvation
• (00:56:35) - How Do You Know That You Know God?
• (01:00:30) - Evangelization Without Community
• (01:04:46) - 5 points of renewal in the Catholic Church
• (01:07:24) - Jesus Prays For Real Life Catholics