First, stop calling them "basher", hater or any other similar term.
Now back to my article :)
Many were
blessed by the recent Papal visit. I met a lot of people who are more
than willing to share their Pope encounter. Countless proclaimed joyfully how
they were blessed by the recent event.
But every
coin has two sides.
Some
people also criticized the Pope’s visit. Some took it as an opportunity to bash
the Catholics. They spoke against Catholicism and even the Pope himself. Of course
our knee jerk reaction is to fight back by saying:
· "How can you hate a person like
Pope Francis?" Or
· "You're wrong, we Catholics are
right!" Or
· "Lets have a debate on
this!" Or
· "I will send a nuclear missile
to your house so that you and your household may burn, die and go to ...@#*!$%"
That last
one is my example of a sarcastic statement. I hope and pray that you did not
say that.
None of
these fighting words will help. The right reply is to follow what our first
Pope told us in 1 Peter 3:15-16 - "Always
be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for
your hope, but do it with gentleness
and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are
maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to
shame."
** (emphasis mine)
We should
be ready to DEFEND but first and foremost be GENTLE & RESPECTFUL.
I met a
few of them via social networks or thru casual conversations. Their rants have
something in common. It’s due to a misunderstanding of our faith. It confirms
what one of my favorite preachers, American Cardinal and hopefully future saint
Fulton J. Sheen said - “There are
not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but
there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to
be.”
We will
continue to encounter people who will criticize our faith. My prayer is that we
remember that in this encounters the winner is not the person who says the last
word. It’s not the person who scores the most points. The winner should
always be Jesus Christ. If our encounter ends up with two angry individuals who
want to beat up the other party, then it is a clear sign that Jesus did not
win.
Allow me
to share this story. I met someone yesterday who raised this comment during our
conversation.
"I
cannot be Catholic. Why should you give petitions to St. Joseph so he can pray
for it? This is what your Pope said, right? Why don't you just go directly to
Jesus?"
I smiled
and told him - "Before I answer is there a concern now that you want me to
pray for?"
"Yes,
please pray for …(states a concern).
Thanks!"
"Do
you think it would be better if I asked another person to join me in praying
for your petition?"
"Yes,
I think that would be better. The Bible says that God is present when two or
more are gathered in His name".
"Is it ok if the person I have in mind is St. Joseph?"
He paused for a moment. He looked hesitant. Then he replied back with
"ooooo-k…. but, I still have a few questions. Unfortunately, I have
another meeting. Will it be ok to send them later via email?"
I nodded
my head to say yes. "Can I send you the different Pathways sites?" (Pathways is an open Catholic prayer meeting where I serve)
"Ok"
"Will
you consider visiting one of them?"
"Maybe"
We prayed
together and asked for St. Joseph's intercession.
That was
the end of our conversation. It ended on a good note. No bickering, fighting
words or nuclear missiles necessary.
"Maybe"
was good enough for me. I believed Jesus won that day.
Maybe he will accept my invitation. Maybe not. Maybe he will be curious and ask more questions. Maybe not. I leave it up to Jesus.
Here are
three simple steps we can take whenever we have similar encounters.
- Love
them don't label them. Don't call them bashers. As the song says “we are all
God’s children”. Addressing them as
brother, sister or friend is the respectful way.
- Be
SILENT and LISTEN. These two words used the same letters but we find it dif and
using the both is a powerful tool.
- Honesty
is the best policy. Give them a sincere answer. If you don't know the Catholic
answer then tell them. But promise to get back to them with a right Catholic
answer
- Lastly,
pray for them. If they are comfortable to pray with at that moment then do so.
Otherwise, include them in your personal prayer time.
May we
love more, understand more and hate less
Have a
blessed day!