Today, I go to my martyrdom.
Really. I think.
This evening, and then, if I survive the lynching, tomorrow evening, I'm giving a talk to the parents of First Communicants, and I'm going to tell them something they don't want to hear: That they MUST go to Mass...EVERY WEEK, they MUST practice their faith, and if they have no intention of doing so, ever, then they should either change their intention or not set up their children for failure in the life of grace by pushing them through this sacrament. Because Holy Communion is not a hoop to allow them to get married in the Church in 25 years or so.
And I've decided to open with this paragraph so that I can give them the reasons WHY it is so important, and it's going to be scripturally based.
I actually think most of the parents who will be there have nothing to worry about; some may not be perfect Catholics, but they're trying and maybe just need a fire lit within them. But I do know of others who have placed God on a shelf and don't really care. At all. And those are the ones who will rebel. I also know of one who will shrug off what I say, but she understands that it is my job to say these difficult things. So I ask you to pray for her; she has reason, but not faith. Faith is a gift, if she'd be open to it. If they'd all be open to it.
So here is my prayer request: That the Holy Spirit overshadow us all today and tomorrow, that we all be open to God's grace and the gifts He has for us, that I speak out of charity and not frustration, and that I won't be so overzealous that I scare them away. My desire is for these people to intimately know Jesus Christ and fall in love with Him so that they can effectively lead their children to Him.
12 comments:
Good for you.
Prayers ascend.
Prayers. I commend and admire you for standing up and being willing to say what needs to be said. God bless!
Adoro, my dear - you can count on my prayers 1,000,000% !!!!!
Adoro – it sounds like you may be singling out one person. Not knowing the circumstances surrounding this person, I would hesitate to give advice. But, I would be cautious about bringing attention to one person.
As to the rest of it – you go girl. It’s just so darn hard to “rock the boat.” A prophet’s job is hard. Scott Hahn says not raising your baptized kids in the faith is like letting your kids starve to death.
We had Rite of Election last night. One of the elect is the grandson of a recent convert and in my classes. Now, understand, this woman is nuts (Father knows this, too) She and her husband just got custody of this kid due to parental drug problems. Anyway, she mentioned he was being signed up for DeMolay. I asked her if DeMolay was not the first step to becoming a Mason. She said yes. I gently pointed out to her that Catholics couldn’t be Masons and she went ballistic. I quickly told her to talk to Father. I explained that perhaps they could do DeMolay but not become Masons – blah, blah, and blah.
I was ill all night with anxiety even though what I said was correct and was said very diplomatically. I hate confrontation. Thanks for letting me vent and you just hold firm with the truth. I will be praying for you.
Hi adoro-
Show them your zeal and love for Christ. Nothing to me is more powerful than another Catholic showing and living the desire to be there (Mass) because of its meaning. God will do the rest.
In my consideration of the Catholic Church as a home, I saw the type of Catholic who viewed their “faith” as work – something they had to do and to be honest, something boring. I also saw the other type of Catholic who viewed their faith as a gift from God, were in awe and humbled by the gift placed before them, and couldn’t get enough. I was drawn to the second type and wanted to know more myself. The Catholics with the most zeal for their faith won me over and got me to dig deeper (i.e., I want what they have!)
I don’t think you should worry about scaring them away. I think you should continue to express your love for Christ, your love for the faith, the desire to be there (Mass) – all the while, praying that the Holy Spirit will stir the hearts of your audience.
God Bless!
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers.
Adrienne, I am definitely NOT singling out one person. I mentioned her for the purpose of prayer here, because last fall she told me flat out that hunting was more important than God, although she understood that I have to teach what I have to teach.
For the purposes of my talk, I know that there are far more than her, but they aren't willing to be so candid. And my talk is tailored to everyone, of every level of faith. For those who know, it will be a refresher. For those who have no idea, they will learn about the True Presence and why this is scriptural. For those who aren't Catholic, well, they will get a dose of the Truth tonight. God bless them all! :-)
Oh THAT women. I remember her. Now, that's completely different. LOL
I read this just as the 3:00 (EST) hour began. Why is that significant? Because last Friday I decided I would divide up the hours of the week when I'm at work and dedicate each our to a particular prayer intention. Monday from 3:00 - 4:00, my prayer intention is for fallen-away Catholics.
I take this as a sign that God approves of my personal prayer endeavor, and you should take this as a sign of my solidarity in prayer with you today and tomorrow.
You and the children and their parents will be in my prayers for this cause, Adoro.
Praying for the kids and their parents... Too bad some parents don't seem to realize that they're teaching their kids to be cynics, right off the bat; when they don't see faith being practiced at home, even though they're learning it in class.
Hunting for food, to survive over the winter? I'm pretty sure you get dispensed for that.
Hunter/jumper classes with horses, not so much. :)
LOL! I'm pretty sure there's no one in Minnesota that NEEDS to hunt for food for survival. No dispensation for them!
I might be more lenient on the Hunter/jumper classes with horses, though......KIDDING!
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