Sister in law doesn't practice the faith anymore

[Idaho2388]

My sister in law married an atheist and has two children. She no longer goes to the Catholic Church and basically says she is very happy and at peace with the path she has chosen with Christ and for her kids. She says she feels closer to God than ever before and that what truly matters is that we believe, have faith - try to live like Christ, walk with Christ, love like Christ and serve the Lord. She feels leading a life like this in whichever paths we choose to do so is the bigger issue than what your religion is.

My husband and I feel like we should respond in some way to this, but are not sure how? We are very happy for her and that she feels like she has a deeper relationship with God now.
So my question is: should we just be happy for her and pray that she comes back to the church? Or should we respond? If so, can you give us any ideas of how to approach her and what to say in response to how she feels?

 

[tawny]

My sister in law married an atheist and has two children. She no longer goes to the Catholic Church and basically says she is very happy and at peace with the path she has chosen with Christ and for her kids. She says she feels closer to God than ever before and that what truly matters is that we believe, have faith - try to live like Christ, walk with Christ, love like Christ and serve the Lord. She feels leading a life like this in whichever paths we choose to do so is the bigger issue than what your religion is.

My husband and I feel like we should respond in some way to this, but are not sure how? We are very happy for her and that she feels like she has a deeper relationship with God now.
So my question is: should we just be happy for her and pray that she comes back to the church? Or should we respond? If so, can you give us any ideas of how to approach her and what to say in response to how she feels?

Praying to the Holy Spirit to give your sister in law guidance & direction back to the Church.

 

[Miss_Felicity]

There is no ‘just’ in pray. Prayer is powerful and changes things. Pray for her and her families genuine well being physically, emotionally, and spiritually. All you can do is live your faith out loud, don’t add anything to it or take anything away from it. This is probably a conversation that will have to happen without words.

 

[Dorothy]

Well, if she wants to obey Christ she can be reminded that He said “Take and eat.” And we do that at Holy Mass.

 

[CarmelJerome]

Following our own feelings, our own sense of closeness, our own idea of what it means to “live like Christ” or to “serve the Lord”, reduces God to our own personal perceptions, experiences, to the dimensions of our own preferences, likes and dislikes. It isn’t larger because she’s the sole arbiter of what is or isn’t really following and loving God. When Rabbi Abraham Heschel was asked what he had learned over decades of study, teaching, and aspiration, he replies, “The infinite self-deception of the human heart.” Jesus lives in the body of His Church – as Pope Francis continually says, you cannot find Jesus without the Church (one of the under-reported statements he repeats).