A Test Of Faith

I was listening to some ladies talk as I was waiting for 2 of my children at their music lesson.

I overheard one of the ladies telling the other that she was Catholic..."but not a very strong Catholic,"she went on to say.  She continued to share that the only reason she went to church was for her kids to get "the Communion thing."

My heart just sank and my spirit felt the blow.  Mostly, I felt sad for that lady that she didn't know Who she was talking about as she casually tossed about "the Communion thing." The image of Jesus carrying His Cross flashed throught my mind, if you know what I mean. 

What should I do?

Would quietly sitting there, (saying nothing) be minding my own business or would it be denying Our Lord like St. Peter?

The questions raced through my mind.

This was a test of faith...For me.

I was raised in the 60's and 70's when faith was a private matter and we didn't openly talk about Jesus or what we believed.  Evangeliztion was a new term for me as a re-vert to the faith in my early thirties.

Hmmm, what to do?  I sat there and prayed. Feeling my heart begin to race, I just started rambling out prayer, calling on everyone I knew!:)

Jesus on this feast of the Holy Cross, show me what to do; Holy Spirit, be with me ; Mother Mary, please help me!

Then suddenly, for some reason this quote popped into my mind...Don't ask me from where?

"The only sure way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."~Edmund Burke~

It was time to go.

"Lo and behold" the Catholic lady was walking out to her car the same time as we were...Of course!

And so my heart spoke something like this...

"You know, I happened to over-hear you talking about being Catholic. Well, I'm Catholic too and I just wanted to tell you that you won't be disappointed if you deepen your faith. Everything about our faith is so beautiful and it will fill your spirit beyond belief.  We are so blessed to have the Sacraments that provide the fullness of Our Faith, to include Jesus in the Eucharist...And most importantly, it's the truth."

She just looked at me for a minute, with her mouth hanging open for a minute....Then she went on to tell me of a minor incident that had upset her and was keeping her from the church out of anger and resentment.  I told her I was sorry...Sorry that she had been hurt by members of our church family.  I too, have been hurt by members of the church, so we could relate.  We went on to talk about the fact that all churches are made of people who are all human, all sinners.  This is why we need Jesus...And His Cross to save us.  She agreed.

I apologized again that she had been hurt and I promised to pray for her, once again reminding her that she won't be disappointed if she deepened her faith. 

She thanked me for saying something and we parted ways.

My heart continued to race as I sat in the car for a minute to catch my breath...I was sweating and the children just sat there in silence and looked at me.  (They had heard parts of the conversation) 

"We need to stand up for Jesus, kids...will we fail or pass the test?"

I felt like a little child myself.

It may or may not have made a difference to the other lady but one thing is certain...

It was a real test of faith...For me.