Greenville, SC
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The following is a continuation of yesterday’s story and comes to us from evangelist Ernesto with our team in Greenville, South Carolina:
For me evangelizing and everything I do for God requires trust and some level of suffering, but it is very rewarding. We always pray prior to and after going out to take Jesus to total strangers. We pray that first of all the Holy Spirit will guide us on what to say and do. Also we ask God to bring us people who need to hear the truth and of course we pray that when strangers pass by our table, that all evil influences, prejudices, aggression and negative brainwashing will give way to the love of God and curiosity about the goodness that God wills and offers them.
On this Saturday we had our typical measure of suffering because some people showed disdain when they saw we were advertising: “Catholic Truth” on our sign. Whatever religious background they had, evidently they were not open to Catholic Truth. Not even to ask what we were offering. These passersby must have been of several religious persuasions, maybe even Catholics. Pride is always used by the Evil One to separate us from goodness.
Not all was suffering though, we had a few people who did stop to have a conversation, this was joy to us, to feel we could serve God, although we know that just making ourselves available to serve God is serving the Almighty and for anyone to be exposed to the advertisement for Catholic Truth must soften hearts at some level towards wondering about it and like a seed dying to oneself and yielding fruit.
One young man politely asked questions about what the Catholic Church teaches; In answering one of his questions, I said that when the church teaches that only through the church there is salvation, doesn’t mean the building or even the social group. It means that Jesus founded His Church to save us through it. The Bible came to us through the Catholic Church, not vice versa. All the grace from God also comes to us through the Catholic Church. Anyone, even savages in the South American jungles who have never heard of Jesus get the grace of the Holy Spirit to do what is right so the grace of Jesus through His Church saves them even when they don’t know anything about it. But we need the grace of Jesus, if we knowingly and willingly reject Jesus or his Church, it is difficult for Him to save us.
Another young man came by briefly (he didn’t have much time) saying he was a Protestant but studying Catholicism. He asked a specific question: What about the Catholic Church anathematizing anyone who didn’t venerate images in the 16th century. I told him I didn’t know that an anathema was issued if someone didn’t venerate an image in the 16th century. I told him I did know that the last ecumenical council in Constantinople in the 8th century was held in response to the iconoclast heresy and that most likely whoever taught against the veneration of images was anathematized, but I didn’t know that any catholic who did not venerate an image would be anathematized, only those who taught against it. He seemed to want to ask more but had to rush off. Maybe we’ll see him again like we did Braxton.
One man stopped to say he was Catholic but he would not follow the rules of the Church, he needed to do what he wished. He said that as a confession of doing something unacceptable, but it was really sad and illustrated what we all do when we sin. In his case it was especially hard because he was not repentant. We could see how God tries to reach us wherever we are, but many times we turn away. We hope in the future that man and all sinners will accept God and His love for us and we would love and obey God with all our being.
As the last gentleman walked away he told me he didn’t want to give his money to the Church. I told him God didn’t want His money, He wanted him. If he couldn’t give his money he could give himself. He walked away. Please pray for these people.