=Miraluna;5125596]Not sure if this is the right area for this post…We just had two Baha’i ladies knock at our door to share their faith. I could hear what was being said while I was brushing my teeth and fixing my hair and face. My husband was at the door and was being polite as he always is. However, he was doing all the listening and not speaking. I came out and asked my 11-year-old to watch his brother. I wanted to him to be at an ears distance but not right there with his full attention. The first question to them, was if they believed in God. I told my son that the answer to that was not the same God. Because our God (the God) is Trinitarian and to them Jesus was only a prophet. In some ways, I felt myself wanting to engage in polemics (I could feel my adrenaline rising): ask them questions, state our faith, refute some of the things they were saying. They came to teach and I could reciprocate the same: teach them about our faith and the misconceptions that people have about our faith. Another part of me kept saying be “charitable” but you do not need to listen to this. And another part of me was thinking, listen some and ask questions of their faith because awareness is a good thing and it does not change my faith at all…it actually, makes me acknowledge the truth, beauty and fullness of Catholicism even more. When they spoke of finding truth as each person’s mission, I told them that we had found truth and all its fullness in our Catholic church. That changed the flow of their conversation and started to bring it to an end. How would Christ have wanted me to handle this, better?
The One common and always do response is to use EXTREME kindness and charity.
The next [in my opinion] necessary thing is to SMILE and say we are practicing Catholics. Allow them to respond.
Now where one goes from there is highly circumstantial.
Are you sufficiently informed about what the RCC Teaches to share our faith AND to defend it factually and always with charity? IF you are, and have the time, invite them in, offer them refreshments and debate with them. It would be wonderful to have a Bible handy. Do you have a good understanding of our Bible? If not, you’re likely not ready for the war of ideas your about to enter
**Before you began it is highly recommended that you establish acceptable “ground rules.” **For example, we Catholics use the Entire Catholic Bible **{2 Tim. 3:16} **“All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
**Sacred Tradition {2 Thess. 2: 13 & Jn. 21:25} **“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.
Jn.21:25 “But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
**And COMMON SENSE: { Lk. 1: 26 } **“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” 35 And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born * will be called holy, the Son of God.
Jesus is the Son of God
Mary is the Mother of Jesus
COMMON SENSE = Mary is therefore the Mother of the Son of God!
Unless ground rules can be established, one is better off to defer the debate.
Be aware that nearly always they travel in-group’s of 2 or 3 so the “odds (they think) are in there favor?
If you don’t have time, if you don’t feel qualified to debate, if you don’t have a bible handy, or if you cannot settle on ground rules. Simply tell them you’re a Catholic, “no thank you” and “God Bless you!”
Love and prayer’s Pat
(now in all fairness, they do have an uncanny knack to come at the most inconvenient times). I suppose there’s an underlying element of fear here, but I’d love to hear some responses and ideas about how to handle folks at the door.
