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How do I speard the word of God without getting picked on in school because it seems that just about every time a try I get picked on and teased. I even have some friends who think church id boring and one dosen''t believe in God. I tried to convince him but he just refused to believe I am very worried that he will go to Hell since he is a very nice person and the only thing that will send him there is the fact that he does''t believe in God. I also thought I should pray for him but in the bible it says if I were to see my brother commit a non deadly sin then I can pray for him and he will be forgiven but I think that I remember it saying that you cant pray for him for a mortal sin despite the fact that mortal sin is not mentioned in the bibe, so it meant deadly sin. I am very worried about him so could you please give me some advice and give him a short prayer. I also dont think this will effect the fact that he is doing wrong while nice much , but he is a protestant, and chose not to believe in Him because his grampa who was a war veteran doesnt believe in god. If God wants my friend to believe in Him, then he would not have let my friends grampa go to war, so he could believe. Also, why would He do that? Since He knows everything, its like him knowing my friend will go to hell and then purposely putting him on this earth just so he could go to hell. I am sorry if it is blasphemy because I had no intention of offending God. I just am curious and I am sure that there is a good reason for this and all of the other people who are going and went to hell. I am sorry this is so long, I honestly thought it would take up one sentence! Anyway, thank you for takin =g time to read my problem. Godbless
You ask a tough question about evangelizing and the revilement from friends that this brings. You also ask about your friend’s salvation and wonder why his grandfather’s atheism led your friend to share that atheism. Let me begin with two passages from the gospel of Luke:
“Blessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and cast out your name as evil on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” (Luke 6: 22-23)
“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.” (Luke 12: 51-52)
To make explicit the harshness of these sayings, there is no avoiding rejection and “being picked on” for living out the gospel message and inviting others to share your faith. Some preachers have an unfortunate way of “sugarcoating” the gospel, telling people that they will only know God’s blessings for following him; although this is true—we do know God’s blessings through our belief and living from that belief—the road is never easy. As Jesus notes, the prophets of old were ALWAYS rejected for speaking on behalf of God. Why? Well, it appears there are those who will always choose darkness over light; and there is a human penchant that rejects being told what to do, even if that instruction is true and good.
As for your friend’s atheism and the influence of his grandfather, I cannot help but think that you do not give their human freedom enough credit. You make a false presumption that God sent his grandfather to war in order to make him and atheist and pass on that atheism to his grandson (NB: There are some theologians, particularly John Calvin, who believe that God condemns whom he pleases, all for the glory of God. Let me say that this is not the Catholic perspective on soteriology—that branch of theology which attempts to understand how we are saved through Christ). Your friend and his grandfather had choices all along the way: the grandfather freely chose to go to war, he accepted the consequences of seeing the horrors of war, he chose to interpret this experience to believe that there is no God, the grandson chose to accept his grandfather’s view of life and make it his own. Not only was their free choice all along the way, they both can freely choose to believe in God at any point in the future.
Lastly, as for your friend’s explicit “unbelief,” I question whether he REALLY is an atheist. The fact that he is “nice,” as you put it, very well betray an inner belief in God which has yet to make itself explicit. We pray for such people and their salvation in every mass—as Eucharistic Prayer Four so beautifully words it, “and all who faith is known to You alone.”
So, keep living and sharing your faith. Perhaps it may take with your friend and others. And trust that God’s blessings will be yours, even if the road to such blessing is the way of the cross. We all share this road with you, and for that gift of faith we always rejoice, no matter how the world receives us!
I do hope this helps.
Grace and Peace,
Fr. Chris
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