What to say to unbelieving loved ones

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The following was written in 2020 by Anne, a now-deceased member of Good News Ministries; she passed away a year later. When she shared it with Good News Ministries, we immediately recognized the value it could have to any parent of adult children (and other loved ones) who are rejecting the Church and faith in Christ. We pray for our unbelieving loved ones daily but we wonder if there is something we can say that would inspire conversion.

So we gained Anne’s permission to share it with you. We trust that the Holy Spirit will generate in you ideas for own family.

A Letter from a Mother to Her Family

I want you all to know, first of all, how much I love you.

I have always wanted to share more of who I “really” am with you, especially my children, grand/great grandchildren, brothers, sisters and close friends who I consider as family.

As you know I am pretty religious. It was not always so. I was raised in a very religious family and received an excellent education in a Catholic school.

In my early 20s I fell away from my upbringing in the faith, as so many do. It was a time of questioning and doubting everything. And the fact that it was in the tumultuous ’60s and ’70s did not help. The world was in chaos (much like it is today). Many traditions were being questioned if not destroyed completely.

I was “full of myself” and thought I knew it all. I thought that the ancient Catholic Church was old fashioned and outdated. I didn’t need it anymore. I thought I could find my own truth on my own. As a result, I made some serious mistakes and some very wrong choices. Many others suffered because of my mistakes and wrong choices: my parents and my children most of all.

Thanks be to God, I slowly found my way back. I attribute my adult conversion to my mother’s prayers and above all to the grace and mercy of God.

It has been a long road, and I am so grateful for all of it because, as the Bible says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God…” (Romans 8:28).

And He certainly has blessed me over and over again in so many ways that I don’t deserve. He has given me a long life in which to reconcile with many that I have hurt. Most importantly, I have been reunited with all of my adult children. This is something I dreamed about but never thought would happen.

That brings me to something I really want to share with all of you. Namely why I love my faith, my church, and my religion so much.

I know many of you think that it is a little overboard and weird and perhaps even simple-minded or superstitious. Many of you wonder why I spend so much time in church, at prayer groups, praying the Rosary, and in the Adoration Chapel.

Let me begin by saying that it is because I am aware of the great spiritual battle that is going on between good and evil in the world and these are I my weapons to protect myself and my loved ones and to hopefully bring you all with me to Heaven one day. Now I really understand why my own mother prayed so much for all of her loved ones during her lifetime.

The battle is real and if you understood the infinite value of one Mass, one Rosary, one Holy Hour and all prayers, you would be right there with me.

One of my dearest Catholic friends married a Protestant, but never invited him to become Catholic. At the end of their long marriage, he asked her, “Why didn’t you ever ask me to become Catholic?” She said that she did not want him to do it to please her because that would be the wrong reason. One has to come to such a decision of their own desire. However, the tragedy is that he was never invited and that might have made all the difference. I have heard many, many similar stories.

So, my point for all this is that I want you all to consider yourselves invited by me. I don’t ever want anyone to say to me when I’m on my deathbed, “Why didn’t you invite me?”

God loves you far beyond anything you could ever imagine. He wants eternal happiness for each and every one of us. There is something very important I want you to know about God. He is an all Just God, but He is an all-merciful God as well. And His Mercy outweighs his Judgement. It has been revealed that everyone will be given one last opportunity to accept God when they die, so please, please — when your time comes to meet Jesus face to face, please embrace him as your Lord and Savior. Your eternal salvation and happiness in Heaven depends on it. And, frankly, selfishly, I don’t want to be in Heaven without you. So, do that one last favor for me. OK?

Remember: Life is short, eternity is forever.

THE MEANING OF “FAMILY”: Forget About Me, I Love You!

~ Your Mom, Your Grandma, Your Aunt, Your Sister, Your Friend