Is it my place?

[AnotherMe]

A husband and wife started attending the Protestant Evangelical Church I attended for years before I reverted back the Catholicism. This married couple was born Catholic and married in the Catholic Church. Is it my place to tell them they should think long and hard (not in those words), before they give up The Eucharist as Catholics? I would feel very uncomfortable intruding.

 

[Joe_5859]

According to the old Catholic Encyclopedia, you are only required under pain of sin to offer fraternal correction when all of these conditions are met:

• the delinquency to be corrected or prevented is a grievous one;
• there is no good reason to believe that the sinner will adequately provide for himself;
• there is a well-founded expectation that the admonition will be heeded;
• there is no one else just as well fitted for this work of Christian charity and likely to undertake it;
• there is no special trouble or disadvantage accruing to the reformer as a result of his zeal.

The article goes on to say that – unless you have some sort of official pastoral role – it is very rare that all five of these will be the case.

If this couple were your son and daughter-in-law, I might say something (making sure I choose my words very carefully). If this couple are your neighbors down the street, then I can’t see how there would be “a well-founded expectation that the admonition will be heeded.”

 

[robert_chacon]

If this couple doesnt already know, you could simply let them know you used to go there, that youre swimming cross current, saying it in a sort of humorous way. They will either be intrigues why you are coming back Home or they will simply ignore it and simply smile at you.And leave it at that if they dont respond further.

Welcome Home! Glad youre back! Hopefully they will not lose the Eucharist!

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

One question is whether you are close to this couple so that a conversation of this sort is reasonable to have. Assuming the answer is yes, you might talk with them about your own experiences and why it’s important to you to be Catholic. I think a conversation from the heart can be very effective in getting people to think.

 

[tawny]

A husband and wife started attending the Protestant Evangelical Church I attended for years before I reverted back the Catholicism. This married couple was born Catholic and married in the Catholic Church. Is it my place to tell them they should think long and hard (not in those words), before they give up The Eucharist as Catholics? I would feel very uncomfortable intruding.

Welcome home. You may want to share your experience with them.

 

[fred_conty]

A husband and wife started attending the Protestant Evangelical Church I attended for years before I reverted back the Catholicism. This married couple was born Catholic and married in the Catholic Church. Is it my place to tell them they should think long and hard (not in those words), before they give up The Eucharist as Catholics? I would feel very uncomfortable intruding.

Unless you know why they are leaving it is difficult at best to hit and miss with guesses.

If it has something to do with something about the catholic faith in faith or morals, you might offer them a copy of Scott Hahn’s book Rome sweet home.

If they were hurt in the way they were treated, then that is another issue.

And if their faith is just plumb tired out and boring, that is something else.

And then it might be something moral that is not acceptable to the catholic church but they want to do it.

It is a problem when you don’t know what is bugging them or even if they will tell you what is really troubling. There could be so many reasons.

I would say to offer them to Mary to take under her wing, and say a prayer for them every day to Mary if you can. “Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.”

It is good of you that you are interested in them and want to help.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.