From the Hermitage
Dear Friends,
New Evangelization. What does it mean for us today? "Go to the lost sheep of Israel." Who is that for me and you today? How many of us know that we have family members or friends who have found it in their hearts to leave our Catholic faith. Of course they maintain, usually, that they continue their relationship with Jesus Christ. For that we can say, "Thanks be to God."
It is family and friends that we are called to evangelize. We are called to learn why they left the Church. "What am I to do about it?" This might be the question that we should be asking ourselves. And, furthermore, just how am I to go about it? It is so much easier to talk about it with friends and relatives who have remained faithful to our religion. To bring the matter up to those who have turned away frequently results in an argument or feelings of insult.
First of all, we can take the time for serious prayer on behalf of those who have left our Church. Afterwards, it is a matter of communications. Change cannot come about if there is no open discussion. This is where the challenge is difficult for so many of us, isn't it? Yet, this is the doorway that we must pass through to bring about a reconciliation between faith and disappointment or frustration.
Oremus pro invicem.
Fr. Milt
