Relative struggling with ideas about the Church

[untruestory]

We have a relative that was molested by a priest and on his wife’s side he attended his nephew’s homosexual union ceremony and approves of it fully. His wife is a retired nurse from planned parenthood. He has misunderstandings about the development of doctrine and, in his words, sees the Church as an 'evolving" entity.

Among all the confusion he has a genuine love for Christ. He has an affection for the Church but serious resentment as well. When it comes to issues of faith things get real touchy. I believe in orthodoxy and I in honest answers but sometimes members here lack finesse. What suggestions for books or material that might be appropriate that answer these questions in a sensative and evangelical fashion?

 

[Convert2013]

I’m finishing a book called “Why Catholics Are Right” by Michael Coren. I highly recommend it for everyone, but especially those who are confused about The Church and its beliefs. It is an apologetic book in nature and a relatively short read (approx 180 pages). Also, of course using the Catechism would be a great way to answer any questions on the faith.

I hope this helps and I’ll pray for your relative!

 

[DaveE]

My prayers go out to your struggling relative. Faith is a difficult process and the actions of those in the Church, unfortunately for some, come to represent the actions of God.

Tragically, evil exists in the world with a very simple agenda, to destroy that which is pure and good. Comprehending, facing and mastering evil when we see it is absolutely necessary in conditioning our minds for heaven. Evil is ever-insistent that we sin. We must always understand that we must be vigilent in confessing our sins to prevent further escalation and to remedy the black marks on our soul.

There is plenty of evil around us to keep us vigilant. All you have to do is open your eyes. We all sin and live in a time where sins are rationalized. It’s easy to lose the meaning of sin. People who are not vigilant decay to levels where they become a threat to those around them. Sexual sin is most contagious and leads to extreme behavior.

It says a lot about the Catholic Church that it is constantly being attacked by evil. You do not hear about sexual attacks in Protestant churches, especially in those that are less definitive about the nature of evil and satan. In fact, those churches often point out that their hatred of the Catholic Church is based on it being steeped in evil. They do not understand that evil focuses on destroying that which is pure and good.

The Church is a gift from Our Lord, pure and good. A living place, living people communing with a living God. People are open to corruption. Corrupt people find their way into the Church. Uncleansed sin becomes more profoundly evil and guides people into places where that evil can reek havoc.

To those that are corrupted, we must pray for their redemption and keep them from corrupting our gift. To those affected by evil that has infiltrated the Church, we weep and pray that the victims will have the means to separate what is of man and satan, and what is of God.

 

[untruestory]

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