Question:
“Hello - 1. It is a sin to donate to heretics but is it also a sin
to buy books and other articles from them? For example there is a
book called the Publicans Prayer Book by the "Melkite Greek
Catholic Eparchy of New York" of the Vatican 2 sect. Also icons
by the Sofrino Store run by the schismatic Russian Church and a book
of meditations by St Bonaventure Press /TAN.
2. How can I
evangelise? I feel that to evangelise one must be intelligent and
have studied apologetics and theology /philosophy. But I have a weak
mind.
I also don't know
how to reply on the spur of the moment (immediately).
3. With atheists
one may try to prove creation and miracles but what about pagans
/protestants? I am afraid to say outright that they must convert, for
fear of persecution. By this I am losing many graces and possibly any
chance of being saved. I am afraid that because I was ashamed of
Christ, He too will be ashamed of me. What should I do?
Regards.”
Answer: 1. It is not a sin to
buy things from non-Catholics, even if their preferred paying
methods is through a donation. Since this is a purchase, it does not
count as a donation.
2. You can evangelize by giving out
materials acceptable to your conscience and that does a good deed in
evangelizing. You could buy a lot of good things from MHFM and give
it out cheaply, if this is according to your conscience. If you buy
from us, you cannot get us much or nearly as cheap, so it wouldn’t
be worth it. Alternatively, you could also burn your own dvds and
make your own papers to hand out with all the information you love
and think is important—print it and give it out to people for free.
The best evangelization method is not
necessarily to preach, since many people are not interested in such
things. It might be better and more profitable to give them a paper
or a dvd instead that they can look into in order to get the same
information or even more, but in a better format and more convincing
way.
Concerning not knowing how to respond
when talking with people on theological questions, that is to be
expected if one don’t know all the arguments. Do not worry, no one
is required to be an expert in theology or know everything or have
all the answers. And provided you stand for the truth no matter what,
that is what really counts before God. Also, the more you speak and
the more familiar you become on the subjects, the more easy it will
become to talk to others in a convincing way.
It is also good to have a “The Bible
Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church” book readily at hand,
or to know it (the arguments) if you often bring up points against
protestants, since this book proves the Catholic faith in such a good
way from the bible:
http://www.catholic-saints.net/apologetics/the-bible-proves-the-teachings-of-the-catholic-church.php
If you received the books I sent to
you, you should have received a copy [if anyone wants free dvds,
books, devotionals and religious materials, please contact me]. If
you want to buy more and for a lot cheaper (and in much smaller
format then the book I sent to you), you can buy The Bible Proves
book from Most Holy Family Monastery’s online store.
3. It is an excellent idea to prove
creation to atheists (one can also give them dvds proving Creation,
God and the Supernatural), but it is also a good idea to stress the
point of life and its eternal existence in religion and with God. The
point is: if atheism is true, then life is essentially meaningless
since it will cease to exist and the universe and everything in it
will die out (eventually); so life will die out, according to
atheism, and never more to exist. An honest persons will of course
see and understand that life has more meaning than this, and hence
that atheism is seriously lacking something which only religion can
give—i.e., a true meaning of life.
With protestants (and pagans/infidels),
I would advice you to give them dvds and the book “The Bible Proves
the Teachings of the Catholic Church”. Most protestants (and
pagans/infidels) are bad willed and will not be converted, so even if
you could all the arguments out and in, it might be pointless and
perhaps almost no fruit will be gained. So give them the material
(especially the dvds may give fruit if they take the time to watch
them), and move on. But if you feel the need to talk, talk. But if
you don’t know the arguments or what to say, there might be a
problem. That is why it is always good to have the book “The Bible
Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church” at hand, and to read
it and become familiarized with it, and to learn other arguments in
favor of Catholicism and for refuting paganism and the infidels.
You don’t have to mention out right
every time that unbelievers and non-Catholics must convert to be
saved. However, depending on the context and if they ask, one must
inform them of this truth. There is not much point in telling others
that they must convert if they are hardly religious. It is better in
that case to just give them the dvds or other material in the hope
that they will look into it. If they are more religious people that
you are dealing with, then it might be more fitting to say, in a good
and proper context, that they need to be Catholic to be saved. But it
is not a sin to not mention this all the time. So if you constantly
worry about the need of having to mention this issue, relax. It is
more important that you give them the dvds and make them inclined to
watch them then to preach “No Salvation Outside the Church”.
However, as I said, depending on the
context, one may want to tell them of the need that they have to
become Catholic to be saved. The more religious and fervent a person
is in his false belief, the more proper and fitting it would be to
tell him of the need to be Catholic in order to be saved. Also, if
the religious discussion would be about the topic of the true faith
and religion, then it also would be fitting and proper to mention
this truth. When it comes to atheists and not so religious people, it
is of less importance and it would be more important to just make
them look into the material at all—if it is possible to make them
do so—by making the material look interesting.
I have a hard time to understand if you
are just scrupulous concerning being ashamed of Christ (i.e., with
the mistaken notion that you constantly have to mention certain
things such as “No Salvation Outside the Church”) or whether you
are seriously not doing what your conscience is telling you to do
when you could easily do so, such as easily handing out materials to
others (dvds etc.) or by admonishing them when a suitable situation
occurs.
Also, you would have much less scruples
to approach and talk to people of God and religion if you also had at
hand free and good material to give out at the same time. In fact,
evangelization becomes easy and even enjoyable if at the same time as
one is talking with a person one can hand him a free dvd concerning
the topics at hand. People always like to receive free things and
hence you don’t have to worry yourself with what to say, or
“burden” them for a very long time with words that they might not
be interested in hearing, and so the conversation does not have to
become awkward as it sometimes can happen when talking about religion
and God and when don’t know what to say.
So if you don’t have any material to
give out to people currently and feel that it is hard to talk to
people and approach them even in suitable situations (and that this
is a problem for you), this problem would easily be fixed if you
bought or made some own free material, such as burning dvds or
printing religious papers in order to give out to people.
To not always talk in every situation
about God is not a sin or the sin to be ashamed of Christ. After all,
we are humans and may feel weak at times. But if we never or seldom
talk of God or eternal life—not even when it would be easy to do so
or required of us or when our conscience tells us to do so—then
there is something wrong. As Christians we must trample human opinion
and esteem under foot and also consider that to be esteemed fools by
the world, for the Love and Honor of God, is a great honor before
God!
I hope this helps, and if there is
anything else, please let me know.
Sincerely, and God bless,
Jerome
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