Trying to talk theology with my Mother

[kantus12]

What an odd thread title, eh?

Essentially, my mother belongs to what I would call the “apathetic Catholic” group - she grew up Catholic, attends Mass weekly, but seems to be fairly ignorant of Church teaching on many issues. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but it has led to many opinions in conflict with Church teaching, and they make me worry about her. For one thing, she supports the idea of women priests, and when I pressed her on why she thought the Church could ordain women, she revealed that she didn’t believe in the Real Presence. She said that it was “just symbolic”, that it’s still bread and wine, we just “believe that it’s the Body and Blood”.

Anyone know a way that I could explain this concept to her, without driving her away? I’m afraid that if I point out the Scriptural basis for it, that make it necessary for belief in the Real Presence in order to be a Catholic, it’ll just make her lose her faith altogether and fall away, since she will probably argue that she still tastes bread and wine.

Any thoughts?

 

[St_Francis]

I have found that in dealing with parents, prayer is the most successful thing, to he honest. I have grown children and have spent more time practicing the Faith than my mother, and she still doesn’t listen to me!