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mitchbrock
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 24th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 4 |
| First Name: | Mitch | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Jan 18th, 2008 04:39 am |
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I have a dear friend who for years has been an inspiration to me because of her deep love for Jesus. Over the years questions about Catholicism have come up. I have always answered her to the best of my ability and when I didn’t have the answer, I admitted my ignorance or uncertainty, and looked up the answer for her. Our conversations about faith have always been respectful. She has always been a firm and devout Christian and is active in youth religious education at her Assemblies of God church. Since she has been so secure in her walk with Jesus, I have never even asked her to consider conversion.
In recent dialogues between us, she has made comments alluding to a call to become catholic. Questions and statements like, “why do you have to take a class to become catholic?” and “I don’t think I can become catholic, I just don’t think I could memorize everything,” I’ve of course addressed each of her questions as I have always done. However, I have the feeling that her questions are not just curiosity. There seems to be an internal trial being held in her mind about Catholicism which I keep being called to testify as a witness.
My question for those of you that have made or have begun your journey home and to those of you that have helped people on that journey is, “What course of action, if any, should I take to help my friend get over this initial hurtle?”
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Fri Jan 18th, 2008 04:49 am |
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mitchbrock wrote: “What course of action, if any, should I take to help my friend get over this initial
hurtle?”
Continue what you've been doing. Invite her to accompany you to mass and other church liturgies and functions, and do your best to make her comfortable by explaining in advance what she will be seeing. Invite her to participate in those things that she is able to do, but make it very plain to her that she does not have to do anything at all but sit and enjoy the experience. She does not need to stand, kneel, etc., pray to Mary, bless herself with holy water, but she is certainly welcomed to do anything non-sacramental.
With Lent coming, invite her Ash Wednesday mass, Way of the Cross, and other Lenten functions. Explain the regulations on fast and abstinence and invite her to participate, and of course invite her to the Holy Week services, including the Easter Vigil.
Otherwise, just open the doors for her. Let her decide to walk through them, with the Holy Spirit leading the way.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2104 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Jan 18th, 2008 11:39 am |
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In addition to Rick’s excellent suggestions, Mitch, perhaps you could slip in a word that religion, especially Catholicism, is not just an intellectual exercise. That it should involve the whole person, body and soul, and is, as it were, an immersion in God through his creation. This whole campaign, then, will help her to move away from seeing Catholicism as “passing a test.”
David
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