Pearls among Pigs

[JLCecilia]

Some time ago, my brother-in-law and his wife were trying to sell their home. They are not Catholic (or anything for that matter), but I gave them a St.Joseph statue anyway. After selling their home, they split for a few months. They got back together, although all of us in the family suspect they have never really resolved their issues.

I don’t think this necessarily stemmed from giving them the statue, although I don’t think I told them properly how to use it - at the time I just thought you buried him upside down in the back yard . . .I didn’t realize that after that you brought him into your home and prayed to him. This never would have gone over w/ them and probably would have ended up in idolatry as they are not grounded in Christo-centric faith.

So, my question is this: My sister who is a fallen-away Catholic is finally pregnant after about a year of in-vetro (which she knows I’m not keen on and I have tried to give her Catholic resources for fertility help). Anyway, I thought about sending her a St.Gerard medal and prayer card and getting my priest to bless it . . .Any thoughts? I mean, do you think this is a good idea? I just don’t want these precious things to be misused or thought of as good luck charms.

 

[puzzleannie]

I would continue to give them devotional items, at the appropriate time as you have been doing, with an explanation of why you are praying to this saint on their behalf, and that the item represents your prayer and your faith in the power of prayer, and hope they will begin praying to. Make it clear the power lies not in the object itself, but the blessings of the Church, and prayer of the Church on their behalf and that God will shower them with grace and they need only be open and responsive to his Grace.

this is what I have been doing with my Baptist, atheist, and secularist family members. None of them resents the gesture, they take it as a rather tacky hallmark card kind of thing, but hey, the Baptists asked for more rosaries when an in-law became gravely ill, and now they want a crucifix, a real one, not a cross. I give them scriptural rosary pamphlets to go along with the rosaries and they just love it. I doubt the say the hail Mary’s but they definitely pray the scripture verses.

 

[Rawb]

I give my protestant family members and friends medals, rosaries, holy cards, palms, etc. I don’t have these things blessed, generally, because I can’t guarantee they’ll be properly taken care of, but I still think having these items might help them grow in faith and come closer to Christ’s church.

 

[ora_pro_nobis]

I do hope your b-i-l and his wife never get to see the title of this thread!