They say the Lord works in mysterious ways, but can an Instagram post about a bike bring someone into the Catholic Church? And help a fallen-away Catholic find his way home?
In Kirby and Justine Wisdom’s case, the answer is a resounding yes. Or more appropriately, “I do.”
The couple, who tied the knot at All Saints Parish in Mesa in May, said they met over Instagram, a social networking app for sharing photos and videos.
At the time, Kirby was managing a local bike shop. It was just before Christmas and a bicycle that had undergone extensive repairs was abandoned by its owner.
“Just give it to somebody,” Kirby’s boss told him. That’s when he remembered noticing someone on Instagram who had posted pictures of the same model bike.
“This one was a nicer version though,” Kirby said. He sent a message to the person, letting them know the shop wanted to give the bike to them. The person messaged back that they would stop by the store.
“I open the back door, and she jumps out of a Jeep and walks over to me. I’m like, jaw on the floor,” Kirby said. “She kept asking how much I wanted for it, and I said, ‘We already did the work on it. It’s for you. Merry Christmas.’”
Justine has her own version of the story. “I remember looking at his Instagram and thinking, ‘This man is so handsome!’ At the time, she thought of her younger sister as perhaps someone who might be interested in Kirby. The upgraded bike was seen as a complete gift from the Lord.
It’s not how she might have seen things previously.
“I didn’t actually grow up in church at all,” Justine said. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and tragically, she experienced both trauma and abuse.
“We didn’t know God, didn’t grow up with Him at all,” Justine said.
At 21, she was living with her boyfriend’s family. He belonged to a Protestant church but wasn’t practicing his faith. His mother was though, and she had a crucifix in the home.
“I was at my wit’s end. I was as dark as dark could be. I felt very much lost and alone,” Justine said. From dabbling in witchcraft to atheism, she was living a life apart from God.
“One day, when no one was there, I just had this tugging on my heart of, I can’t do it anymore.” She contemplated ending her life.
“And I looked at our Lord hanging on the cross and I said, ‘OK, if You’re real, I need You. I need You to heal my heart because it’s breaking.’”
In that moment, the Holy Spirit was poured out. “Graces were bestowed on me, and I caught fire,” Justine says of the encounter. When her boyfriend returned, he noticed something had shifted.
“And I said, ‘The Lord is real, and I need to be a Christian.’” The couple broke up. The life of drugs and drinking was over, and a new day dawned.
A startling realization
By the time she met Kirby at the bike shop, Justine had embraced Christianity and frequently spoke of God. Kirby, meanwhile, hadn’t been to church in years. He’d been raised Catholic, but the minute he turned 18 decided he no longer wanted to attend Mass.
He didn’t really know much about Justine’s deep faith but the two had lots of conversations about Jesus. “I just thought she was beautiful, and on a side note, she stepped out of a Jeep. I’ve owned and overhauled two of the Jeeps that she had, so I was like that was another reason I was attracted to her. And, she’s a cyclist.”
Their first date was a 20-mile bike ride.
Kirby explained to Justine that he didn’t have the same passion for God that she did.
“But I knew the moment I met him: This is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with,” Justine said.
“I knew God was transforming his heart and I wasn’t afraid. I didn’t give up on him.”
Justine invited Kirby to attend a Protestant service with her. Although it was rare, on that particular Sunday, the church they visited offered communion.
“They passed out the little cups with juice and a wafer and like, I start shaking,” Kirby said. “Everything inside of me was screaming, ‘I can’t take this’ and I couldn’t explain why. So, I quietly hid the little communion thing under my seat.”
When he turned, he saw Justine watching him with tear-filled eyes. Later, outside the church, Kirby told Justine that for some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t take part in the communion service in her church.
“I can’t figure out the words for why I feel this way, but I wish you could understand that I do love Jesus and I want to keep being in a relationship with you, but I can’t participate in that,” Kirby told her.
They had a similar experience at another Protestant church across town when communion was offered. In the weeks that followed, Kirby took time to think and pray about why he felt the way he did. Was it because of his Catholic upbringing or was it because he really believed in the Eucharist?
“So, then I came back to her and said, ‘Hey, I understand if you’re going to break up with me, but I have to go back to the Catholic Church,” Kirby said.
Cheryl, Kirby’s mom, remembers the day that happened back in 2022.
“We were at the Marian conference, and he called me and said, ‘Mom, I want to go to Confession.’ My heart just about stopped, and I said, ‘Come on down.’” Prompted by a realization of the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Kirby was being reconciled to the Lord. And that in turn led Justine to consider the Catholic Church.
“The turning point for both of us as far as her specific journey to Catholicism and my reversion to the Church — it all pinned on the Eucharist,” Kirby said.
Cheryl invited Justine to attend Christmas Eve Mass with the family. By that point, Justine had spent a decade hopping from church to church. She loved God but was still searching for answers.
As they walked into All Saints Catholic Church in Mesa on Christmas Eve, Kirby told Justine not to feel pressured. The enormous sanctuary with its classical architecture, large crucifix and stained-glass windows left her speechless.
“My hands were shaking, and I was like, ‘This is so beautiful.’
“The moment they consecrated the host and held up Jesus, it was like everything went quiet and I just focused on the Eucharist. And I saw Him. I was like, ‘That’s my Jesus that I’ve been searching for.’”
Not long after, Justine began participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Cheryl agreed to be her sponsor. At the Easter Vigil this year, Justine was initiated into the Catholic Church. After she was baptized, she sat down in the pew, clothed in her garment of white.
“I remember when they started doing the consecration. I just started trembling because I was like, ‘Oh, it’s real. I’m not going up to get a blessing. I’m going up to get our Lord.’ And I just felt Him saying, ‘I love you so much. I’m so proud of you.’
“And for me, it was like when you miss a loved one so very badly and you can’t wait to see them. But it wasn’t just a loved one. It was the Man who crafted my heart.”
As Justine has grown in her Catholic faith, Kirby has, too. When Justine pointed out how many parts of the Mass are quotations from or based on Scripture, he started making connections.
“Before Mass was like, you just go and I had memorized everything but without any of the substance. And now it’s the single greatest prayer experience. I mean, that’s what the Church teaches. But I experience that now.”
In the past year, he’s read more than 15 books, all of them from Catholic heavyweights like Scott Hahn and Peter Kreeft. The rosary and eucharistic adoration figure prominently in the couple’s lives.
On May 18, Kirby and Justine were united in Holy Matrimony.
Justine remembers years ago asking the Lord to give her wisdom. And, proving that the Almighty does indeed have a sense of humor, He delivered. Justine now bears Kirby’s last name: Wisdom.
“To get to see Justine receive four of the seven sacraments in two months has been awe-inspiring for me,” Cheryl said.
“I would just tell parents out there never to stop praying because prayer works.”
Picture credit to Adriel Villela.
