Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit move everyone to Catholicism?

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MarthaSo

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Hi everyone,
I don’t like the tone of even my own question but I mean it very respectfully and am very curious. My mother is very elderly and frail and only God knows the state of her soul but she sure loves and has reverence for God. She taught me about Him growing up.

She doesn’t believe in Catholicism at all. My heart tells me the Lord sees just how much she loves Him, I remember the light in her eyes when she talked about God as a child up until now.

I ask very kindly that anyone who responds please only answer this specific question, if you can, because all of a sudden I wondered… Why doesn’t God, or the Holy Spirit, lead all hearts that love and seek God towards Catholicism but instead are permitted to die without the truth of our Church revealed to them? Why is my heart opened and my mother many decades older, who taught me about God, her heart remain closed to the Catholic church for 90 years. She, and my dad, who’s loved Him far longer that I have. It’s not like they turn their backs on Him willingly. This is not a question of the state of their soul or where they’re going. They weren’t revealed the fullness of truth no matter how great their faith and I wonder why? Ofcourse God has the power to do this because He led ME to see the fullness but did not lead her. This confuses me and any clarification on this one question is appreciated.

I ask this question very respectfully and with a little sadness. Thank you all.
 
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People have free will. The Holy Spirit alone does not draw non-Catholics to the Catholic Church without the person also having an open heart (or mind or however you put it) and taking some steps to convert.
 
Thank you. I thought about free will but I am still confused. She baptized us as Catholic. Then growing up I remember her saying things contrary to the Church. I always sensed her faith was “the best effort she had”. Certainly God knows the extent of her efforts to be open minded to the Church but seeing her through the years I saw this beautiful faith that never made it to fullness. I remember the actual moment I believed in the Church, it wasn’t even gradual, maybe that’s why I wonder why wasn’t mom given that”lightbulb moment “ that I distinctly remember. Why after so many years, even up until yesterday, she talks so lovingly about God and still doesn’t know. Why can’t the Holy Spirit work with the efforts she’s already shown? (i’m thinking out loud) I didn’t know we or she had to take steps to convert, I personally wasn’t looking for conversion when I saw the fullness of truth of the Catholic faith.
 
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Some people just do not have an open mind to Catholicism, although they may love God and Jesus very much. The fact that your mom baptized her children as Catholic indicates that she had some kind of faith in the Church. Since we don’t know all of what goes on in other people’s heads, you can never know for sure what might have influenced your mom’s thinking - a bad experience she had, or someone else’s bad experience, or a doubt she couldn’t get rid of. God gives us all different struggles and some people struggle with faith and others don’t.

It sounds like your mom has been in communion with the Catholic Church in various ways (Such as baptizing you Catholic) so if she cannot make it the last few steps of the way to conversion then just pray for her and put her in the hands of God. God does not abandon those who sincerely love him, even if they don’t manage to become Catholics before they die.
 
As someone else said we have free will. We do not know what God has revealed to her that she accepted or refused.

One thing I highly suggest is everyday pray the Divine Mercy chaplet for her and the chaplet of St. Michael.

We do not know how God will reveal His mercy to each individual person before they die.

God bless
 
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I just hope, I myself have Protestant family; that God has mercy on those who sincerely love Him and yet remain outside the Church.
 
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Maybe it is more important to humans than it actually is to God (?)
 
If she baptized you as Catholic, there must have been a point in her life when she did embrace the Church – unless she did it out of being pressured by family members who were Catholic. People don’t baptize their kids Catholic for no reason. Either she had once been open to it, or someone forced or coerced her into it.

It sounds to me like she may have been more open to the Church at one time, but turned away because of some negative event or experience she had with the Church or perhaps with a priest or other clergy, or some member of the congregation.

Did she attend Catholic school or Catechism classes as a child? Did she have a bad experience with the nuns who taught those classes? It wasn’t uncommon for some of the stricter nuns to rap rulers across the hands of students who weren’t conforming the way they thought they should, and in some cases, even applied other forms of corporal punishment. Perhaps she had an experience like that which contradicted the teachings of love and charity the Church was trying to get across. Perhaps she saw hypocrisies in practices vs preachings. She may have felt the Church had victimized her in some way.

Did she ever give any clues or hints as to why she felt as she did? I gather that she wasn’t always closed off to the Church. Very likely, something had driven her away.
 
We’re born ignorant, in darkness, lacking the “knowledge of God”. If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, if we desire to approach and embrace the light when we see it, as we should, we still won’t have perfect clarity; we’re limited, created beings and we’ll accept the truth to the extent that we understand it, which is never perfect. God expects us to do the best we can with what we’re given in terms of knowledge/revelation, grace, mental capacity, age, background, time, etc.
 
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God was good enough to give people free will. People have to be open to the Holy Spirit. Almost everyone in my family is protestant. I was thinking about my conversion one day, and I realized how important being open is. I sincerely pray that God has mercy on my parents.
 
From the perspective of a secularist, the “Holy Spirit” seems to favor the presenter with the greatest charisma.

Perhaps the Roman Church should focus less on training priests who are good at crafting apologetic defenses and focus more on training priests who are good, positive and energetic salesmen of their faith?
 
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What do you think it would look like if the Spirit were to do this? Because of the protestant revolt, it’s not as simple for someone who believes in Jesus and His promises to find His Church. Just like someone who has completely closed themselves off to God and His Son, there are some who have closed themselves off to His Church, even if they love Him, because of their own biases. For those of us who were raised Catholic, it’s easier for us to understand that the first Christians were Catholic. For those born in other traditions, it’s difficult to reconcile Catholic beliefs, even if they see them as being practiced from the beginning.

First, a person must be drawn to God. Because of the Revolt, there is the additional necessary step of leading them down the right path. Though they see God as their destination, protestants (and non-Christians) do not see the right path that He has given us in the Church. Both of these steps require prayer. We can show someone the Truth, but it is the Holy Spirit who must work in them, and if a person doesn’t wish to be drawn, then they won’t be. But until a person dies, we can always keep trying.
 
I can sympathize. I have a similar situation with my Mom. She used to tell me about God when I was little too. She was Protestant. My Dad was Catholic but he never showed any interest in it. My Mom converted to the Catholic Church when they were married at the request of my Grandmother but they never really ever went after that. They had me baptized Catholic but I was never confirmed. I can remember going to Mass a few times when I was little but I hated it and caused a ruckus and we never went during all my formative years. I never learned anything about the Catholic Faith or Christianity in general.

Then when I was in my 30’s I went through a conversion and came back to the Catholic Church. However, neither my Mom or Dad showed any interest in it. I used to print out articles for my Mom to read and she showed more interest in it than my Dad but neither of them ever had any desire to convert. My Dad died 7 years ago. He had colon cancer and in the days leading up to his operation I wrote him a long letter basically urging him to pray to the Lord and invite him into his heart. I don’t know if he did. He never made it out of the hospital. He died several days after his operation. And now my Mom has Alzheimer’s.

To get back to your question: I wish I knew why one person in a family seems to get the grace to convert and others don’t. I often wonder why, out of my entire family, both immediate and extended family, I’m the only one to practice any Christian faith at all. It’s bizarre, I don’t understand it either. It’s a great mystery.

In my case, I’m comforted though by St. Faustina’s testimony that the Lord shows himself to people at the moment of death and that many invite him in then and there upon seeing him. Although in your case your Mom already knows and loves God so that’s good.
 
She wants to know why the Holy Spirit doesn’t lead more people to Catholicism.

As the spirit of persuasion, whether you call that the Holy Spirit or not, tends to favor the charismatic, focusing on developing Charisma might be a good tactic in fulfilling her wish.

Any clearer?
 
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