My Brother is a Wiccan

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I’m a new Catholic and my brother even attended my baptism into the faith (which happened about a week ago). This all just became very real to me this evening because it’s the 21st of December and that means he’s out there celebrating the winter solstice, burning a yule log. As soon as he said that the red flags went up in my head. I asked him if this would be an actual ritual or just the burning of a log (because we normally do things together, we’re very close–one of the reasons he came to my baptism). He said he was going out to, and I quote “welcome the birth of the god of summer,” so as you can imagine, the sirens went off in my head. I told him that I would not be participating and politely explained that I “can’t eat food sacrificed to idols.”

He said “oh come on, and putting presents under a tree is not pagan?” And then he said that the legends about St. Nicholas are actually based on pagan myths as well and that the “Christians just took them and attributed them to the legend of a saint.” I didn’t want to make it an argument or anything so I just turned my gaze away. He asked me for a box of matches later and I had the urge to tell him where to find them, but immediately realized that even just doing that would be to be assisting him in this ritual of his and so I again just turned my gaze.

Immediately I called to mind the words of Christ in Matthew 10:34-36: "For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household."

Things are going to be very different from now on between us. I try to pray for my family every day.
 
You definitely have a just reason to be concerned. Wicca is a spiritually dangerous religion. It is related to the New Age and the Occult. I would strongly recommend that you pray the Holy Rosary for him every day. The Holy Rosary is a very powerful prayer. You can also offer up each Mass you attend for him. The Mass is the most powerful prayer in the Universe. Continue to pray every day for his conversion and do what you can, with charity of course, to get him to convert. Just try not to over do any evangelization attempts. Also, if he gets annoyed with any talk about religion between him and yourself then it is probably best not to bring it up as that might turn him further away from Catholicism than he already is.

That said, I will pray for your brother’s conversion and also for you. May God bless you abundantly and may peace be always with you. 🙂
 
I just now remembered this but decided to post it in a separate post rather than editing my previous post. Here are a few links that will help you as regards Occult, New Age, and other such things:

catholic.com/tracts/is-catholicism-pagan

catholic.com/magazine/articles/paganism-prophecies-and-propaganda

catholic.com/magazine/articles/witchcraft-101

catholic.com/magazine/articles/the-real-story-on-witches

Also, I administrate a Facebook page dedicated to Catholic Spiritual Warfare in which I share numerous articles about the Occult and such. If you want to check it out, please feel free to do so here:

facebook.com/CatholicSpiritualWarfare

God bless you and welcome to the forums. 🙂
 
It doesn’t have to be… I see opportunity.

I had a friend that was big into Wicca. We each took interest in eachothers faith-walks and what and why they believed. We would take turns over a coffee just going through major ideas in our religions. Personally, I was very intrigued in how many of her ideas were shadows of Catholicism! She thought if our religion was “real” …it was the most beautiful religion in the world!

Later, after talks…she came to me in tears and said " I want what you want! , I see your joy in this world and I want it! " I told her to go to her room tonight and talk outloud alone… "God…if you exist…if you are here…reveal yourself to me! I want to know you if you exist! " I told her to mention her fears, ask some questions and tell got that she was leaving the ball in His court.

She had a dream that very night and INSISTED on meeting with a priest the next day…then she joined RCIA and is now a catholic and her wayward fallen away catholic fiancé later came back into their church and they were married by the same catholic priest that spoke with her !

You need to love your brother more than ever. And do what Jesus did…meet your brother where he’s at right now and work from there. Be interested in your brother, come to know him more and what and why he believes what he believes. Always be open for conversation and pray for him daily. God will (and probably already is) working with your brother where he is to the degree to which your brother will allow Him.

My advice to you… don’t close the door to your brother because he has a different very wayward religion…there’s usually a reason why these people go to this wayward religion. Your brother asking for a match…I suggest to you that he may have been looking for a conversation (a moment when God can work).

God bless
 
MichaelHowling said:
Later, after talks…she came to me in tears and said " I want what you want! , I see your joy in this world and I want it! " I told her to go to her room tonight and talk outloud alone… "God…if you exist…if you are here…reveal yourself to me! I want to know you if you exist! " I told her to mention her fears, ask some questions and tell got that she was leaving the ball in His court.
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I’m glad that things went well for you friend, but we have no right to demand that God reveal himself to us. And had nothing happened in that room that night, it would not mean that God does not exist.
 
RIght…but how else do you suppose you begin a relationship without beginning a dialogue with someone whom you want to come to know more Jenn… ?

Lol, it worked didn’t it ?
I knew what I was doing and I supported her with prayer.
 
Mark86 said:
I’m a new Catholic and my brother even attended my baptism into the faith (which happened about a week ago). This all just became very real to me this evening because it’s the 21st of December and that means he’s out there celebrating the winter solstice, burning a yule log. As soon as he said that the red flags went up in my head. I asked him if this would be an actual ritual or just the burning of a log (because we normally do things together, we’re very close–one of the reasons he came to my baptism). He said he was going out to, and I quote “welcome the birth of the god of summer,” so as you can imagine, the sirens went off in my head. I told him that I would not be participating and politely explained that I “can’t eat food sacrificed to idols.”

He said “oh come on, and putting presents under a tree is not pagan?” And then he said that the legends about St. Nicholas are actually based on pagan myths as well and that the “Christians just took them and attributed them to the legend of a saint.” I didn’t want to make it an argument or anything so I just turned my gaze away. He asked me for a box of matches later and I had the urge to tell him where to find them, but immediately realized that even just doing that would be to be assisting him in this ritual of his and so I again just turned my gaze.

Immediately I called to mind the words of Christ in Matthew 10:34-36: "For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household."

Things are going to be very different from now on between us. I try to pray for my family every day.
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Gosh!

I’ll say a prayer, too!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen:gopray:
 
Oh I definitely have every intention of praying for my brother and the rest of my family every day and even at the very outset when I was discerning about coming into the Church, I knew that this would happen and that’s partly what convinced me to enter it to begin with. That and this fine website which convinced me that to stay a Protestant was going the easy route and that to avoid becoming Catholic even as I began to realize it as the real Church of Christ was not going to do me any good in the long run. One Google search on “Do Protestants go to hell?” changed my life and it was because of this site, so I have you guys to thank and pray for.

Thank you for all your links and prayers and God bless you all. 🙂
 
MichaelHowling said:
RIght…but how else do you suppose you begin a relationship without beginning a dialogue with someone whom you want to come to know more Jenn… ?

Lol, it worked didn’t it ?
I knew what I was doing and I supported her with prayer.
Click to expand...
There is a difference between conversation and demanding an appearance, Mike.
 
I didn’t ask her to demand God to appear… I simply told her to do her part and leave all to God…what’s wrong with that ?
 
Mark86 said:
I’m a new Catholic and my brother even attended my baptism into the faith (which happened about a week ago). This all just became very real to me this evening because it’s the 21st of December and that means he’s out there celebrating the winter solstice, burning a yule log. As soon as he said that the red flags went up in my head. I asked him if this would be an actual ritual or just the burning of a log (because we normally do things together, we’re very close–one of the reasons he came to my baptism). He said he was going out to, and I quote “welcome the birth of the god of summer,” so as you can imagine, the sirens went off in my head. I told him that I would not be participating and politely explained that I “can’t eat food sacrificed to idols.”

He said “oh come on, and putting presents under a tree is not pagan?” And then he said that the legends about St. Nicholas are actually based on pagan myths as well and that the “Christians just took them and attributed them to the legend of a saint.” I didn’t want to make it an argument or anything so I just turned my gaze away. He asked me for a box of matches later and I had the urge to tell him where to find them, but immediately realized that even just doing that would be to be assisting him in this ritual of his and so I again just turned my gaze.

Immediately I called to mind the words of Christ in Matthew 10:34-36: "For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household."

Things are going to be very different from now on between us. I try to pray for my family every day.
Click to expand...
That quote is excellent to describe the situation with your brother. While it is true that a person’s enemies will be those of his own household, remember that Jesus told us to pray for our enemies. You can receive the grace of God to show your brother the love of Christ, and to offer up the untimely cracks he makes about this or that pagan origin of whatever. We know he is wrong, but he is on the defensive right now. The ammunition against this is prayer and love. Prayer that you see the face of Christ in your brother, and that if the Lord wants you to say something, say it calmly and with conviction.

Christ’s love is the greatest power in the world, and not enough of us use it. I know I have to use it a lot to stay out of sticky situations! And, then the Lord gives us His Peace which surpasses all understanding.

Ask Blessed Mother for her intercession! In God’s time, and in persistence of prayer, your brother can come to see the emptiness in the rituals he thinks are important.

May Jesus and Mary be with you and bless all your family.
 
Do pray, but try to keep the lines of communication open. Hopefully this is just a spooky phase. People sometimes explore, even at their own peril. [as in this case.] He may come back though, even stronger in his Christian faith than ever, or… become a Christian for the firs time. Let us pray together for that outcome for your brother.

Some of us have to find Christ from a state of misery, others don’t need this extreme. Look at what St. Paul was doing when he first met the Lord! [or where he was going I should say.]

Lord, my brother find his way back to you!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen
 
Awesome story, MichaelHowling.
He will grow out of it. Without a cultural context he will tire of all the kooky Wiccans as he matures. Be a good example, and, with God’s help, he will follow you.
 
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