My Catholic Friend Needs Help

[Andalusi]

Hello,

Its a bit weird for me to post on this forum, but I need guidance. I am a practicing Muslim, but I have deep respect for the Catholic Church. One of my best friends, a highly intelligent and sensitive fellow, is slipping from his Catholic faith towards atheism. This distresses me greatly, and I suspect it has alot to do with the psycological influences and pressures in a Dawkins/Harris-worshipping academia than anything of substantial worth. I have not seen him in a while, and generally when I inquire about his practices, he seems to have increasingly adopted a more liberal outlook. It boggles how he moved from fasting Lent and attending daily mass towards saying that prayer is not important. I am not one versed in the doctrine or the catcheisms of Catholicism, and I do not feel I am in any place to speak with a chaplain or whatnot. Are there any suggestions for me to reach out to him? Or give him a certain title of a book?

Best of regards and thank you again

 

[catholicpublish]

There is nothing wrong with a non-Catholic approaching a member of the Catholic church. In fact, many Catholics have dedicated their life to doing charitable work in non-Catholic places.

Your friend may be hitting a rough patch in his life, I would suggest a website which I believe to be a great resource: catholicscomehome.org/former-catholic.php

I hope this has been of help to you, and by the way… you’re always welcome to become Catholic yourself! Lead by example!

 

[Musicadmirer]

Andalusi,

It is commendable that you show concern for your friend’s spiritual welfare. The Catholics Come Home website is a good source to point him to. I would also like to recommend a book that I find relevant to the situation. The title is: I Am With You Always: A Study of the History and Meaning of Personal Devotion to Jesus Christ for Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, and published by Ignatius Press.

Here is a link for the book: ignatiusinsight.com/authors/frgroeschel.asp
I will pray that your friend will regain his faith in God with a greater fervor than before.

 

[musicality]

You sound like a great friend to have Andalusi.

I’d suggest taking a look at some of the resources on this website. shop.catholic.com/home.php

As a friend I would also take a look at what sorts of things may have entered into his life in recent days. Has he lost/gained any friendships? Is he in a relationship? Is he having financial or family issues? Distractions in life can lead us from the path of salvation. Perhaps you will find some causes for the recent events. Even if you are unable to identify any causes, I’m sure that on some level your friend will appreciate your concern for his spiritual welfare.