Am i fulfilling my duty?

[Homebrew_roots]

Hey whats happenin dudes? Yeah so im new to this whole thing so bear with me.

Here is my issue.

My best friend, who rarely a day passes that we arent together, is an atheist. I guess he is atheist…he just doesnt believe/care about anything having to do with God/religion. First a brief bio: im 20 he is 18ish. We are skateboarders and that is how we know each other. blah blah blah. Anyway, its very hard for me to talk to him about it because he, for the most part, doesnt care to hear about it and doesnt have any common grounds with me as far as spirituality goes. But, he is my best friend and i want so badly for him to see the light. He knows that I’m Catholic and has no problem with it. Im not ever scared to tell him when im goin to mass or any other church activities. But is that enough? I try to lead by a good example and evangelize through good example but in doing so am i lacking because im not straight up talking to him about it? I fear that if i did, he would be even more shut off towards God than he already is.

His problem with religions, from what i understand, stems from many things such as his parents also are not church goers and never told him to go. And he once told me about how he went to a protestant church function with one of his friends and everyone there treated him as an outsider. We kinda dress goofy so when im at church im used to gettting weird looks or whatever and i take it worth a grain of salt because i am a die-hard catholic and that stuff doesnt matter to me. But because his first experience with a church was negative, he seems to be even more shut off to the idea of religion. I pray for him everyday and i know that deep down he really is a good person but what should i do? Any advice?

-Daniel

 

[Magicsilence]

First of all.

Entrust him to Almighty God.

Say the rosary for him, and ask the Blessed Virgin to do all she can.

My best friend is also an atheist. And he kind of shuts off about religion whenever i go into it. However, I did find one thing that made him think for a little (we go to seperate universities now unfortunately).

Ask him if he believed Jesus to have lived.

Ask him if he believes him to have been divine.

Offer as proof, the numerous miracles associated with the Catholic Church.

Beg him to pray to God for guidance.

This will all take time.

In Christ.

Andre.

p.s I dont think you could do more. You are probably correct that evangelising would push him further away.

 

[Marquette]

You have planted the seeds and God will cause the growth.

 

[carol_marie]

Hey Homebrew,

I think it’s great that you are concerned for your friend. I would try to get him to open up a bit about why he’s so turned off by God/Religion. Ask him questions - very non-threatening like - not preachy and just listen to what he says. Don’t jump on him with, “Oh how could you think that way… it is sooooo wrong…” which will put him on the defensive… just get him to talk & then you’ll know where’s he’s coming from. It may just be that he’s never been taught anything & feels like it’s too overwhelming & confusing?

Also… be the best example you can be without using words… if he knows you are Catholic - you may be his only example of a Christian. That’s alot of responsibility… but just think of how awesome it would be if you influenced him in that direction? Do you have to be perfect? No - none of us are… but when you mess up say so… tell him that you’ll ask God to forgive you & because He loves you so much, you know He will.

Blessings to you,
CM

P.S. Wear a helmet. (sorry… it’s the Mom in me… can’t help myself! )

 

[Matt_Collins]

Yes, you are fulfilling your duty. I think St. Josemaria expresses it quite well. Here’s a quote from a homily he gave, called Freedom, a gift from God:

*In the parable of the wedding feast, when the master of the house finds out that some guests have declined his invitation with poor excuses, he tells his servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedgerows and compel - compelle intrare - people to come in.’ Surely this is coercion, an act of violence against the legitimate freedom of each individual conscience?

  If we meditate on the Gospel and reflect on the teachings of Jesus, we will not mistake these commands for coercion. See how gently Christ invites: 'If you have a mind to be perfect... If any man would come after me...' His compelle intrare implies no violence, either physical or moral. Rather, it reflects the power of attraction of Christian example, which shows in its way of acting the power of God: 'See how the Father attracts. He delights in teaching, and not in imposing necessity on men. That is how he attracts men towards himself.'*

In other words, we should “make them come in” not by force of coercion, but by force of attraction. If we are living our Christian vocation well, then others will want to invite the Lord to join them, too, on their journey in the same way the disciples wanted Him to join them on the road to Emmaus. This is how most of us should spread the Gospel: through simple, deep, and genuine friendship, always respecting our friend’s freedom.

 

[Madia]

I pray for him everyday and i know that deep down he really is a good person but what should i do? Any advice?

Taking the advice of St. Francis by preaching “using words if necessary” might help. In other words, be a good witness to the faith foremost. Continue to be an example to him of one living in the faith and continue to learn more about your faith.

Some other suggestions are to pray the Chaplte of Divine Mercy for him (at 3pm if possible):
ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

and you can also fast for him (if it doesn’t impede your other duties).

The best advice probably is just to live your faith. That we, your friend will have someone to turn to if he becomes interested in the faith. Don’t worry about having all the answers for him; if he asks you something about the faith that you don’t know or can’t adequetly explain just tell him “I’m not sure but I’ll try to find out for you.” Human sexuality might be a topic that comes up so I recommend this website:
pureloveclub.com

 

[YinYangMom]

Homebrew_roots:

Hey whats happenin dudes? Yeah so im new to this whole thing so bear with me.

Here is my issue.

My best friend, who rarely a day passes that we arent together, is an atheist. I guess he is atheist…he just doesnt believe/care about anything having to do with God/religion. First a brief bio: im 20 he is 18ish. We are skateboarders and that is how we know each other. blah blah blah. Anyway, its very hard for me to talk to him about it because he, for the most part, doesnt care to hear about it and doesnt have any common grounds with me as far as spirituality goes. But, he is my best friend and i want so badly for him to see the light. He knows that I’m Catholic and has no problem with it. Im not ever scared to tell him when im goin to mass or any other church activities. But is that enough? I try to lead by a good example and evangelize through good example but in doing so am i lacking because im not straight up talking to him about it? I fear that if i did, he would be even more shut off towards God than he already is.

His problem with religions, from what i understand, stems from many things such as his parents also are not church goers and never told him to go. And he once told me about how he went to a protestant church function with one of his friends and everyone there treated him as an outsider. We kinda dress goofy so when im at church im used to gettting weird looks or whatever and i take it worth a grain of salt because i am a die-hard catholic and that stuff doesnt matter to me. But because his first experience with a church was negative, he seems to be even more shut off to the idea of religion. I pray for him everyday and i know that deep down he really is a good person but what should i do? Any advice?

-Daniel

Welcome, Daniel. Thank you for taking the time to post your concern.

Live your life according to Christ, speak the Truth whenever the opportunity arises and pray. The Holy Spirit will work through you when you remain in a state of grace and open yourself to Him to do so through prayer and fasting. Trust in Him while you enjoy your relationship with this friend of yours. He may not see the light while you two are still friends. It may happen way down the line after he’s married or doing whatever it is he chooses in life, so don’t despair or feel you are not doing enough if you don’t see any signs that you’re getting through to him.