As a Christian, and as a Catholic...do we?

[WarriorAngel]

I think my love to protect is my only reason for doing as I do.....

Because I am not God, I do not know if a beloved friend will be hit by a car or die a freak accident, so I cannot depend on tomorrow's conversion...

And I could not live with myself if I patted someone on the back and said..."Well, its your life, go now and be in peace..."

Yes, I will pray for that person....but I would HOPE that my words are something for them to think about and that they accept Christ NOW and today....because if tomorrow never comes for them...at least I did my best. AND can hope they pondered what I said and may return.

 

[RoseofLima]

I would hope that if I were in a cross roads, someone would come as a good samiritan and pull me out of harms way.

I suppose I would be seeking answers, rather than just asking acceptance.

Even ppl who wish to commit suicide are sometimes looking for a life saver to pull them up.

The truth is that we do not know what we would do....

Right now we can avail ourselves of grace, practice humility so that we learn to be beggars for the prayers of others, and be ever vigilant for signs of rebellion in our hearts, trying to combat them with prayer and penance.

What we can offer to others is our unconditional love, or heartfelt struggles in trying to live our faith and be faithful in our vocations because of the love of Christ, and understanding and compassion for the sins and errors of others. A life steeped in prayer and sacraments, will be a life which is malleable to the will of the Holy Spirit...where we can do whatever He calls us to in any moment for the good of others.

Someone recently said (I thik it was a deacon at our parish) that we should not have a double standard when judging others and judging ourselves. I think this is COMPLETELY wrong. We should judge ourselves and our actions with great strictness, yet we should always seek to try to excuse the faults of others- thinking them too weak, to broken, to overcome to act any differently.

 

[WarriorAngel]

...where we can do whatever He calls us to in any moment for the good of others.

And this is all I am trying to do.

I am not saying I am gr8....goodness knows I feel the least learned in this forum.

But as I said....what if tomorrow doesnt come? What if I could have, but didnt say anything??

Regrets are hard to live with. Trust me...I am probably most educated in that.

 

[RoseofLima]

I must say that I don't really understand the struggle... if you feel called by the Holy Spirit to speak, speak.

 

[WarriorAngel]

How do I know if I am called by the Spirit? That I do not know...

But by the love of the Lord, and the pain of one loss for Him...I hurt.

I always assumed tomorrow would come. And said nothing... [in my past]
and for those I should have spoke up to...tomorrow didnt come.

Well, I do not know what tomorrow holds for anyone, but my conscience is my guide...by my experiences, and my lessons.

Look Rose, if anyone converts to Islam...and or marries into it....
NM.

Lets just say, from everything I read about Islam...its not a religion that follows the True God, allah..
DID you know Allah was a moon god, that Muhammad changed to be the real God?

Take a look at their flag....a crescent moon..which is a symbol for the 'pagan' god the Arabs [pagans] believed in.

No, God the One never sent Muhammad to give His real name...
Muhammad stole the name of a pagan god and made it become the One God.

Find this for yourself.

Many times I was opening up my learning of Islam when the threads were locked b4 I posted.

So what I can say or do?

But to warn someone... and after planting the seed....pray that the Lord tends to it.

See what I mean?

 

[RoseofLima]

My life is filled with people who have strayed from the Faith in huge, gigantic ways. We fight powers and principalities, and I have found that words are often just us trying to do something which makes us feel like we are doing something. Our words are very often about us--unless we feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to speak. Pride can be so easily hidden in our words (at least for me, but I am someone who struggles immensely with humility)

Far more often our weapons of most power are things which seem insignificant-- prayer, Mass, penance, mortification, fasting. Often we are not there to see the effects....and I think this is a great grace because it saves us from pride.

I cannot tell you how you will know what the Holy SPirit calls you to do, I only know for me. I spend quiet time everyday just waiting upon the Lord, just listening--- often if I have the peace that surpasses all understanding in regards to a particular course of action- I know without a doubt that is the Holy Spirit. If I am ill at ease, and lack peace and unsure-- I do not act--and entrust my inaction to Jesus to perfect. I wait until have have surety within my soul--and then act thus, no matter if it is pleasing to me or not.

 

[Knowledge3]

I must say that I don't really understand the struggle... if you feel called by the Holy Spirit to speak, speak.

That's a prophet.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I know without a doubt that is the Holy Spirit. If I am ill at ease, and lack peace and unsure-- I do not act--and entrust my inaction to Jesus to perfect. I wait until have have surety within my soul--and then act thus, no matter if it is pleasing to me or not.

Alas, not everything can be said or done....all the time. Know what I mean?

 

[The Black Knight]

The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy

To counsel the doubtful.
To instruct the ignorant.
To admonish the sinner.
To comfort the sorrowful.
To forgive all injuries.
To bear wrongs patiently.
To pray for the living and the dead.

Luke 21:15: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Speak out...it's an act of faith. Do what you know you should do. the rest will always follow.
Blackie

 

[OnTheWay]

Or are we called to watch others walk into perdition?

Or should we guide others to Christ?

:o I thought we were supposed to watch over one another.

Doesn't the Bible somewhere say to help others??

Unless you have some greater degree of influence the best you can do is tell the truth, if they're going to walk into hell they're going to walk in. But you do have to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" so to speak. I think a lot of people believe that love is always "being nice." However, in many cases the greatest act of love is telling someone things they don't want to hear in a very forward manner.

As I think I have a fair idea as to the subject of this thread, Jesus tells us that we must love him before fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, siblings, or children. If we leave him over these then we were never of his flock in the first place.

 

[QuantaCura]

That's a prophet.

Prophet is one of the three offices we hold by virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation--prophet doesn't necessarily mean you predict the future, just that you speak the truth.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I agree..and by all rights we should be able to speak out to save someone.

 

[WarriorAngel]

The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy

To counsel the doubtful.
To instruct the ignorant.
To admonish the sinner.
To comfort the sorrowful.
To forgive all injuries.
To bear wrongs patiently.
To pray for the living and the dead.

Luke 21:15: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Speak out...it's an act of faith. Do what you know you should do. the rest will always follow.
Blackie

 

[The Black Knight]

Is speak as the Holy spirit gives us the the words, and remain prayerful.

I understand your chagrin...(I saw the other thread...)

To actually get into your question, YES, we do battle for every soul even with tears in our eyes.

Some we will lose for whatever reason...mostly because the deciever is very smooth.

My answer...The Divine Mercy Chaplet Novena. I've had some absolutely incredible conversions and answers to needs from it (and the Rosary of course).

1st Peter 3:14: But even if you do suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
15: but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;
16: and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
17: For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong.

You might also want to read Matthew 13 about the sower and the seed. It makes sense.
Pax tecum,
Blackie

 

[RoseofLima]

This is one of those times where I am seriously left wondering if so many people really don't understand about when others are struggling... it honestly breaks my heart. Maybe I am just so weak as to have struggled so much, and I my perspective is maligned from that??

When someone is struggling, I mean really struggling... the last thing they will respond to is someone coming at them with both barrels preaching the Truth. It is curious how often the Scripture is overlooked that we must preach with reverence and love. We must treat the person struggling with reverence....

When people are struggling, they are even more in need of our compassion. Jesus loves us as we are-- just as we are. He doesn't wait for us to be perfect to offer his love.

Prudence is the virtue in question here...we are called to admonish the sinner- but we had better make sure that our eyes are free from all planks, before we go in swinging. Prudence says that at the outset of struggle, perhaps a more gentle approach letting one know they are deeply and truly loved--no matter what their mistakes or shortcomings is called for. That is also Truth.

Jesus admonishes those throwing stones at the woman caught in adultry--without uttering one single word. Words are full of ourselves, often we think that we will change the person if we can just say the right thing...

we are also called to bear wrongs patiently, long suffering is a gift of the Holy Spirit... words allow us to wash our hands when there is no change readily enacted...taking on penance and prayer requires us to be it for the long haul.

I am sorry but I most heartily do NOT think the greatest act of love is being "in your face" to someone who is struggling mortally. The greatest act of love is commiting to do penance and to suffer for them--even when you will never see or know the effects of those things. Being "in your face" lacks reverence, and will most likely hasten a struggling person's flight.

 

[Carrye]

Words are full of ourselves, often we think that we will change the person if we can just say the right thing...

Not only can they be prideful, but they seem to forget about the Holy Spirit - they buy into the Protestant mentality that I can convert you. How many souls have you saved? ZERO. Conversion does not happen by my own words or actions, but as a response to the grace of God. We do well to remember our place in things.

I should be faithful, and be a good example. If God so chooses to use those things to draw souls to himself, then I am profoundly humbled. If a person has questions, I will answer them. If I can tell they're struggling, and can share a story of comfort, I will do so. But I recognize that the Lord works in the most mysterious of ways, and that he knows individual souls (even my own) much better than I ever could. I think too often people see those who "they couldn't convert" as evidence of their own limitation. None of us likes the realization that we aren't God.

 

[Tonks]

Right now we can avail ourselves of grace, practice humility so that we learn to be beggars for the prayers of others, and be ever vigilant for signs of rebellion in our hearts, trying to combat them with prayer and penance.

This, of course, is the crux of the issue and is entirely correct. However, we are not universalists and there are those that will make choices - to quote the movie - that will echo in eternity.

As broken individuals all we can do is offer prayer and counsel. Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own choices. The road is tough and the gate is narrow. It is clearly written what happens to those that lose focus on the forever for ease during the present. God desires all men to be saved yet knows that many will fail.

 

[OnTheWay]

Actually, I'm quite moved by the showing that this issue has caused. The fact that people care enough to say anything, even if some would judge it too harsh, says a lot. We're supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ. Would you sit back quitely while your earthly sibling made a terrible decision? Not if you care about that person. Part of keeping Jesus in our hearts is keeping the whole Jesus. Which includes the Jesus that kicked the money changers out of the temple.

The fact that this is an issue says a lot about the posters in here. I think it means something that such a number of people mange to care about someone they know only from text on a computer screen.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Actually, I'm quite moved by the showing that this issue has caused. The fact that people care enough to say anything, even if some would judge it too harsh, says a lot. We're supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ. Would you sit back quitely while your earthly sibling made a terrible decision? Not if you care about that person. Part of keeping Jesus in our hearts is keeping the whole Jesus. Which includes the Jesus that kicked the money changers out of the temple.

The fact that this is an issue says a lot about the posters in here. I think it means something that such a number of people mange to care about someone they know only from text on a computer screen.

From afar off over the ocean, and to the highest mountains, and to the lowest valleys...we are One, as God is one.