"Relevant Radio Brought Me to That Peaceful Easy Feeling": How a Young Former Atheist Found God While Looking for The Eagles (Special Podcast Highlight)
The Patrick Madrid Show
Relevant Radio
4.8 • 590 Ratings
🗓️ 20 November 2024
⏱️ 6 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Who knew that the Eagles could lead someone to Catholicism?
Brad, a 19-year-old college sophomore from Bowling Green, Ohio, shared how he went from atheism to preparing for full initiation into the Catholic Church.
Challenged by His Atheist Brother
Brad’s faith journey took a sharp turn when his atheist brother asked a seemingly simple question about Christianity: one Brad couldn’t answer. That nudge, coupled with his brother’s advice to “learn more about religion,” planted a seed that grew into a quest for the truth. Sometimes, grace works in surprising ways, like through a skeptical sibling.
From Rock Radio to the Rosary
The Holy Spirit can be sneaky. Brad’s favorite classic hits station got replaced by Relevant Radio, and instead of jamming to The Eagles, he found himself listening to the Rosary for the first time. Confusion turned into curiosity, which led him to explore the Catholic faith. Talk about God working through unexpected channels.
Searching for the Original Church
When Brad decided to look for the "original" Christians, his research led him to two options: Catholicism and Orthodoxy. After exploring Orthodoxy for a while, something still didn’t feel right. Over the summer, Relevant Radio (especially Patrick Madrid’s show) became a spiritual lifeline during a faith crisis. Little by little, Catholicism became the clear answer.
A Eucharistic Wake-Up Call
The game-changer was hearing a talk during the National Eucharistic Congress about the profound beauty of the Eucharist. A speaker shared a story about a prisoner who, upon receiving the Eucharist, exclaimed, “I have Him, I finally have Him!” That story hit Brad like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, it became crystal clear: the Eucharist wasn’t just a concept: it was a real, tangible encounter with Christ. Cue the tears in the driveway as this realization set in.
The Road to Easter
Now officially a catechumen, Brad is on the path to receiving Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. His life has completely transformed since discovering Catholicism. Let’s not forget his shoutout to the power of Relevant Radio’s ministry: it’s proof that evangelization works in ways no one could predict.
This story is a powerful reminder that God’s grace can reach anyone, anywhere: even through unexpected twists like a converted radio station. Brad’s joy and gratitude are infectious, and his story inspires hope for anyone praying for loved ones to find their way home. Also, sidenote: see if you can count how many Eagles song references are made by Patrick and Cyrus!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It was also around this time when relevant radio bought my favorite radio station. |
| 0:04.6 | So I got my car one day expecting the Eagles and instead heard the rosary for the first time. |
| 0:10.0 | I was very confused. |
| 0:15.1 | We'll go to Brad now in Bowling Green, Ohio. |
| 0:20.5 | Hi, Brad. Hi, Patrick. I'm calling to just say thank you. Oh, you're welcome. Yesterday, I officially became a catechumen in the church, and if you wouldn't mind, I'd kind of like to share my story a little bit. Sure. Yeah, so I'm 19 years old, and I'm a sophomore in college. In middle school, I converted from atheism to Christianity. |
| 0:39.4 | I was a non-denominational Protestant who knew nothing about faith. I lived in mortal sin, though |
| 0:45.1 | I professed myself a Christian. I certainly didn't act like it. Over time, I began to look more and more |
| 0:51.0 | into my faith, but never fully committed. Last fall, my atheist |
| 0:54.9 | brother asked me a question about Christianity, which I don't remember, but it wasn't complex. |
| 0:59.4 | I didn't have an answer to it, and he said to me, you know, for something as important as religion, |
| 1:03.7 | you might want to learn more about it. So by the grace of God, I took him up on that offer. |
| 1:08.8 | It was also around this time when relevant radio bought my |
| 1:11.6 | favorite radio station. So I got my car one day expecting the Eagles and instead heard the |
| 1:17.0 | rosary for the first time. I was very confused. So from there, I kind of decided... You were |
| 1:22.8 | taking it to the limit with this new radio station. Yeah. This one's a better, better radio station, I suppose. |
| 1:29.7 | So kind of from there, I decided that like the best place to start for a denomination is, you know, whatever the first Christians were doing. |
| 1:35.8 | I figured these guys probably knew best. |
| 1:38.3 | So kind of gave me two options, Catholicism and Orthodoxy, long discernment. |
| 1:43.6 | And I was a inquirer of orthodoxy in spring of this year, |
| 1:48.5 | but for some reason I just had a crisis of faith over the summer, and I just began to listen to relevant radio a lot, |
| 1:57.0 | specifically your show, Patrick. And at some point along the way, over this summer, my heart and soul was completely convicted. |
| 2:05.7 | I just remember a specific evening during the coverage of the National Eucharistic Congress. |
... |
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