How much Mercy for my neighbor?

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So, I have this “friend”, but not really a “friend”, more like a friendly acquaintance that constantly blasphemes Jesus, the Catholic Church, Catholic ideology, the Holy Eucharist, by posting things/Catholic mockery memes/ blasphemous captions on their instagram posts. Like, constantly. Like literally something is really fueling this hatred for God. They posted a meme of the Pope holding the Holy Eucharist.

I know this person from a photo group that I curate, so the “friendship/acquaintance relationship” began there. They came from a protestant background, I only vaguely know their story, but they’ve mentioned something traumatic that happened to them when they were about 7 years old, and the experience of being baptized in a kiddie pool. Yes, a KIDDIE POOL. I have no idea what church they were going to, why it happened this way, or even what happened that day that was so traumatic. They claim that after that day, they pretty much rejected God from then on. I know God calls us to have mercy on people, love our enemies, love our neighbor, but, how much mercy can a Catholic show, to someone that does and says these things?
VVVVV

My question is, where do catholics draw the line with a friend/acquaintance that blasphemes? Do you have mercy and patience with them, or do you just walk the other way, and not associate with them?
 
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I’m not sure what your question is. Just unfriend or put on ignore.
 
Maybe I didn’t word it right, my question is as a catholic, can I be “friends” with someone like this? I’d hope that they would eventually come to their conversion, through the work of the Holy Spirit, but I’m not really sure where to draw the line, and completely shut them out of my life.
 
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Do you WANT to be their friend, or do you just feel that, if you’re not, you’re being uncharitable?

You don’t have to be friends with everybody. I have friends (acquaintances) from work on Facebook who either are considerate enough to keep stuff like that off my timeline or else I just filter out such posts.
 
That’s a good, tough question. I guess, I kind of consider the long term effects of these actions, and obviously if they never change, they’re going to have a real hard time when they finally face Jesus. I hope for their conversion, and I guess I’m kinda clinging onto that hope. I myself have been there before my conversion a couple years ago - doing the same things they’re doing, saying what they’re saying… but, God has been so Merciful to me, and saved me from my rejection of Him, and I was Baptized into the Catholic Church this year…

this is why I question how much mercy can one have on someone who’s so spiritually blind?
 
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You can fulfill your requirement to them by prayer. Especially as you are new to the faith you should probably stay away from them in order to keep from sin. Your could be drawn into judgement or uncharitable thoughts or just simply as you are struggling with how to forgive your neighbour. The answer by the way, is endlessly, forgive them endlessly. But you don’t have to stay in their presence in fact I’d go so far as to say don’t.

Pray for them and make sacrifices/fast for them. Offer your reception of communion now and again for them. If you have the means, offer a mass for them. Pray a decade of the rosary for them, give up your morning coffee for them one day or your favourite sweet, offer a suffering you may have etc. You get the picture. But don’t risk your soul. You should work on your own sanctity. Keep away from sin and the occasion of it even if it means losing friends, that’s not my advice by the way it’s what great saint like St Francis de sales said. Mother Theresa also said to avoid curiosity and keep busy with your own affairs and away from the business of others.
Hope that helps. God bless
 
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Pray for them, fast for them, don’t be friends with them unless God tells you or you think you can aid in their conversion
 
RockinReptile said:
My question is, where do catholics draw the line with a friend/acquaintance that blasphemes?
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“Mercy” does not mean you are required to put up with someone’s toxic, disrespectful, sinful behavior all day, unless maybe they were dependent on you for care, like an elderly parent.

If this is an actual friend, whom you like or interact with apart from them posting rude anti-religious stuff all day, then tell them, “I don’t expect you to believe like I do, but I do expect my friends to respect my beliefs. You haven’t been doing that when you post all this insulting stuff about my faith. It’s bothering me and you either need to stop, or we can’t be friends.”

The person will either stop, or tell you off and unfriend/block you, or just keep it up in which case you keep your word and unfriend/ block them.

If this is not an actual friend, as in you don’t like them or have other interactions with them, I’d just go straight to the unfriend/ block step.

People who hate religion have a problem. It’s best to just pray for them and then, unless we absolutely must provide some care for them like food or shelter, leave them be.
 
Just ignore it. Who cares? You aren’t really “friends” with this person.

For me, I value friendship greatly and I’m also a realist. I know that I’ll disagree with my friends, often on major issues. But who cares? If you only want friends that mimic what you already think, then you don’t want friends. You want followers.
 
How can you be friends with someone who takes the single most defining part of you, you faith and your God and belittles it and hurts it? Why would you call that person a friend? Or even associate with them?
 
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