Father claims to be Catholic, but chooses not to live it

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PumpkinSeed

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My dad was born into a Catholic home. Raised Catholic, went to Catholic schools and went to mass every Sunday.

Hes 50 years old now and claims to be Catholic, yet he has had 3 divorces, paid for my step sisters abortion, uses birth control, commits adultery, swears all the time, does not own a rosary or bible, does not attend mass, has not gone to confession and does not participate in the Eucharist.

When I told him that he is committing all these mortal sins he told me “judge not lest you be judged”

How blind can he be? I am NOT judging him. I’m telling him the rules of his own religion!

How do I wake up this guy? He’s as stubborn as a brick! I told him to seek help from a local priest and he just ignores me and goes about his way.
 
Pray for him and show him good Christian witness through the way you live your life.

He is a grown man and responsible for his own choices. Apparently with three divorces he has made plenty of poor choices. Hopefully in time he will realise this. Having been raised Catholic he no doubt knows the key points of the faith; I doubt you will be able to offer any level of helpful catechesis to him. You can help by respecting him as your father (which is one of the ten commandments after all), praying for him, and showing him the benefits of practising the faith by your example.
 
PumpkinSeed said:
When I told him that he is committing all these mortal sins he told me “judge not lest you be judged”

How blind can he be? I am NOT judging him. I’m telling him the rules of his own religion!
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It’s worth pointing out that one useful verse to offer in response is the admonition of Jesus, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24).
 
PumpkinSeed said:
How blind can he be? I am NOT judging him. I’m telling him the rules of his own religion!

How do I wake up this guy? He’s as stubborn as a brick! I told him to seek help from a local priest and he just ignores me and goes about his way.
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It’s probably best left to a priest, as you said. Don’t fret anymore about it. You’ve done all you can do. You can’t make him do something he doesn’t want to do.
 
underacloud said:
Pray for him and show him good Christian witness through the way you live your life.

He is a grown man and responsible for his own choices. Apparently with three divorces he has made plenty of poor choices. Hopefully in time he will realise this. Having been raised Catholic he no doubt knows the key points of the faith; I doubt you will be able to offer any level of helpful catechesis to him. You can help by respecting him as your father (which is one of the ten commandments after all), praying for him, and showing him the benefits of practising the faith by your example.
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This.
 
While “admonish the sinner” IS one of the spiritual works of mercy, it’s pretty difficult to practice effectively or even charitably with a member of one’s own family.

By all means, pray for him, and you might even want to invoke St. Rita’s intercession: Now hers was one dysfunctional family, the likes of which I doubt most of us in the twenty-first century would have. Ask St. Monica’s help, as well.

You can do some of what I call “mufti evangelism” with him. Find out when there is something he would be interested in at your parish. Maybe the Knights are having a spaghetti dinner, or a barbecue. Whatever it is, make sure Mass is adjacent to the event, either before or afterwards. The whole point is to get him to Mass, but you don’t want him to know that! Just get him to the spaghetti dinner or barbecue, or whatever. The day of the event, as you’re heading to it, say “Mind if I stop at Mass?”

If you’re driving, what could he possibly say?

Sneaky? Yep. But it’s all good. You will have managed to drag him to Mass before he knew what hit him. If he has anything of his earlier formation, the memories will come flooding in. That simple fact of going to Mass might just be the wedge that the Holy Spirit is looking for to open his heart and mind.

Keep praying that the Holy Spirit will engage his heart and mind.

Come to think of it, ask the Holy Spirit to make you an effective instrument for your family’s salvation.
 
Buy him a Catholic bible and a rosary for father’s day or christmas, and keep inviting him to mass 👍 Also brush up on ur scripture counter-verses
 
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