Paul Ponce with his wife Lia and three kids Pablo, 9; Jose, 7; and Lili, 6, after their performance during the 51st International Eucharistic Congress at the IEC Pavilion. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
It took him 10 years, but Argentinian juggler Paul Ponce said it was worth waiting that long to find the right woman to marry.
Ponce was in his teens when he became a famous juggler in Argentina and travelled around the world.
He had fame, fortune, and women but he was unhappy, he said.
His testimonial in yesterday’s plenary session of the 51st International Eucharistc Congress in Cebu City followed a live act on stage juggling balls and hats.
But it was his love story – his renewed passion for the Catholic faith as a young man, and his search for a wife – that had the audience swooning, and then up on their feet applauding.
Ponce said he prayed every morning for God to “consecrate” the woman intended for him as his wife. God didn’t answer immediately, he said. He had to wait a decade before he met Lia, a counselor in Mexico who went to Mass and prayed the rosary daily like him.
“Now I realized it was worth it. If I had chosen another woman earlier, I would not have met her (Lia). I needed 10 years of purification,” he said.
Ponce said he met many women in show business and in the parishes but the relationships didn’t last because they didn’t share the same values and he travelled a lot.
“All these are great achievements. (But) they didn’t give me the happiness I was searching for. I wanted more,” Ponce said.
He said hsi 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.
“I was overwhelmed by the treasures of our Catholic faith. I used to see Jesus on the cross when I was a little boy. But what shocked me was the fact that He’s just waiting for us. I was not obligated to follow Him. I have the choice to follow Him or not,” he said.
Ponce, now 43, once performed before Pope Benedict XVI during the World Youth Day celebration in Cologne, Germany in 2005.
After he was drawn to Christ, Ponce said he saw the need to attend Mass and receive communion every day.
“I never knew that Jesus was really present in the Holy Eucharist. But if Jesus is present in the Eucharist, why are people not going to the churches? If Jesus is present in every church, it should be filled,” he said.
He said his love for God led him to many surprises and blessings, including a wonderful wife and children.
“I had to consecrate her every morning in my prayers. I said, ‘God I hope in You and what You want for me. Guide her, protect her, and lead her to me in 10 years.’ he said.
In Mexico, ten years later, he met Lia. Although they were together for just three days, they kept in touch by e-mail. He said he knew Lia was the one he had been waiting for.
“She was living her spiritual life very strongly. We had a holy courtship and prayed every day in church,” he said.
Ponce said they practiced chastity as an important part of their relationship and didn’t engage in pre-marital sex — something that dumbfounded his co-workers in the entertainment business.
“Some show producers gave us one room. But I told them we can’t stay together because we’re still dating but are not yet married,” he said.
Ponce and Lia married in May 2005. Their three children — Pablo, 9; Jose, 7; and Lily, 6 — came on stage and delighted the audience with their early juggling skills.
Ponce said they travel around the world together.
“We pray together before we go to bed. Each of us would say ‘thank you’ for the things we lived that day, and ‘sorry’ for every wrongdoing,” Ponce said.