CEBU CITY—Renowned Argentinian juggler Paul Ponce said he prayed every morning for God to bless him with a life partner, a woman who would be his wife.
But God didn’t answer immediately, the circus performer told some 15,000 delegates from 71 countries attending “catecheses” or Catholic instruction during the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) her Wednesday.
Instead, He made Ponce wait 10 years before bringing him in contact with Lia, a counselor who, like him, went to Mass and prayed the rosary daily.
Ponce said he understood why it took that long.
“Now I realize (the wait) was worth it. If I chose another woman earlier, I should not have met her (Lia). I needed 10 years of purification,” he said.
Born to a family of traveling circus performers, Ponce was a young man when he became a famous juggler in Argentina. He performed at the Radio City Hall in New York and with the Circus Soleil, the famous French-Canadian circus.
He had fame, fortune and women, but he was not happy.
“I had great achievements. (But) they didn’t give me the happiness I was searching for. I wanted more,” Ponce said during his testimony at the IEC Pavilion.
He said his life changed after he received the Sacrament of Confirmation at the age of 21.
Ponce said he came to know about God and the teachings of the Catholic Church something which “opened his eyes to the truth and he experienced the joy he longed for.”
“I was overwhelmed by the treasures of our Catholic faith. I used to see Jesus on the cross when I was little boy. But what shocked me was the fact that he was just waiting for us. I was not obligated to follow Him. I had the choice to follow him or not,” he said.
Ponce, now 43, performed before Pope Benedict XVI during the World Youth Day celebration in Cologne, Germany in 2005.
After he was drawn to Christ, Ponce saw the need to attend Mass and receive communion every day.
Ponce said he also prayed for a lifetime partner every day.
“I said ‘God, I put my hope in you, and what you want for me. Guide her, protect her, and lead her to me in 10 years.’”
Ponce said he met may women in the show business world and in the parishes but nothing worked out because they didn’t share the same values.
“I kept praying. But I didn’t say 10 years anymore,” he quipped.
One day, it happened. Ponce met Lia in one of his activities in Mexico.
Although they were together for just three days, they continued communicating through e-mail.
And he just knew that it was Lia whom he had been waiting for.
Ponce said what he loved was that they both prayed together every day.
“She was living her spiritual life very strongly. We had a holy courtship and prayed every day in the church,” he said.
Ponce added that chastity was to them an important aspect of their relationship. “Some show producers gave us one room. But I told them we can’t stay together because we were still dating but were not yet married,” he said.
Ponce and Lia got married in May 2005 and now have three children—Pablo, 9; Jose, 7; and Lili, 6.
They travel around the world together, and attend Mass regularly. With Lito Zulueta