New baby -mother Potestant/father -Catholic

[GracieJayne]

My cousin umm…we’ll call her “Melinda” has a teenage daughter that just had a baby three weeks ago. The father of the baby is 17 and Catholic…well sort of Catholic his parents are Catholic and he was raised Catholic but he doesn’t attend Mass anymore, I don’t think the his father does either.

Melinda and her family belong to a “Bible” Church and are Protestant. They do not do infant baptism. Melinda is encouraging this boy to go to their church and the mother of the boy told her she’d be “just be happy if he attended any church.”

Once when we were all having dinner the boy commented how Mass was “boring”. He also said “they say the same thing everytime and he didn’t see the point.” I didn’t think the family dinner was a good time to dive into apolgetics especially with my very Protestant cousin and her family sitting right there. But I did feel guilty for saying nothing.

I can’t help but feel this baby should be Catholic and be baptized. I want so much to help this boy return to the faith and maybe bring my cousin’s daughter to the faith to (I know that’s a pretty big dream on my part). Although my cousin isn’t anti-Catholic I’m sure she wouldn’t be very happy about that.

Any suggestions or advise?

 

[homewardbound]

If you get the chance to talk with them, and they will listen, maybe try explaining to them why the Mass is set up the way it is…tell them what everything means. I know thats one thing that really made me think. Protestant’s only meaning during their services are to leave feeling “good”. Every movement in Mass has a meaning though. Obviously this boy was not taught his faith well at all. I will pray for you all. God Bless.

 

[AnnaTherese]

First of all, don’t fret over it. Ultimately, it’s their responsibility and not yours. But there are perhaps things you can do to influence their thinking. Number one is to pray for their openness, and even before that, pray for the child that he will grow up loving or at least desiring the Faith, that God will work in his heart to bring about his conversion. When you talk, keep it light. Do not talk as if everything depends on your words. Because the truth is, it doesn’t. You have something very important to say, but if your message goes unheeded, you will not be held accountable by God. Stay cheerful. Be a model. Love them. Once in a while, say something if need be. But don’t be overbearing to them. Even though they are young, and still not sure of themselves, they have an authority over that child that no one can take away, and that needs to be respected. Build them up in any way you can. Offer to help out with things. Show them that you care about them as persons. Then whatever you say will be more welcome.