Boise

Country: United States
State or province: Idaho

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Lucy Stamm
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Evil is Not Good - 2024-04-07

April 14, 2024

Jesus Christ remains true and clear. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization team.

“Catherine” and “Tom”, refugees from a more populous state that has become unsafe for people with traditional values, stopped for a visit. Both are staunchly Catholic and both have studied apologetics a great deal. We invited them both to join us. He might.

“Are you from the Legion of Mary?” a young-adult man stopped to ask. We explained that we were a St Paul Street Evangelization team. Based on his question, it was easy to guess the man was Catholic. However, he had quit attending Mass. So, e. Lucy gave him a list of area parishes with Mass times, encouraging him to reconnect with the Church. As she was doing this, “Stephen” strolled by. Stephen came to the table and nudged the man talking to e. Lucy. The two men looked at each other, laughed, and hugged. Then, still grinning, Stephen leaned in to e. Chuck and said something about “imaginary friends”. The evangelist took the opportunity to ask him why he trusts someone of evil intent like satan. Stephen replied, “it’s your god who is untrustworthy”. But the evangelist persisted in pointing out that satan just wants to use him, whereas God wants what’s best for him. Stephen laughed this off, patted e. Chuck on the shoulder, and said, “You know what I think of God”. He went on his way, showing the back of his sweatshirt with its anti-God message. The man Stephen had greeted was just leaving the table, so e. Chuck stopped him to ask where he knew Stephen from. He shrugged sheepishly, and said they hung out at the same bar. Then he asked how we knew Stephen, and we told him. Then e. Chuck asked which bar Stephen hung out in, thinking maybe it’s our turn to surprise Stephen. Please pray that our Catholic visitor returns to a relationship with Christ through His Mystical Body, the Catholic Church. Please also continue to pray for Stephen, that he meet the trustworthy Person who willingly died to save him.

A girl in her early teens passed by within a large multi-family group. She dropped back out of the pack and turned out to be the only one who came for a Rosary. On the way back, though, 4 or 5 other people from the group each chose a Rosary and accepted the pamphlet on how to pray it. Just as we were leaving, the first girl came back once again, wanting to trade her Rosary for a shorter one. May God bless the young evangelist!

A man passing quickly by on a bicycle shouted, “Ephesians 2:8-9! For it is by faith you have been saved.” He became less intelligible as he rode across the business park, but turned his head to shout, “Not by works!” Pray that this protesting non-Catholic will stop to talk next time, so we can share that we Catholics, too, rely on God’s Grace for salvation. And that we also keep reading to the next verse, verse 10, which says, “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.”

A tall, thin man responded to our offer of a Rosary with an enthusiastic “[expletive] yes!” He is Catholic, though not active. E. Lucy tried to give him a guide to area parishes and encourage him to get reconnected, but he declined and moved on. E. Chuck was about to remark that he had never heard that particular response before, when a man on a bicycle also replied “[expletive] yeah!” to the offer of a Rosary. This man was neither Catholic nor Christian, so we shared the Good News with him and pointed him toward the Mysteries of the Rosary as a wonderful way to get to know the God who died to save him. When you pray your Rosary, please think of these men, especially when you say, “Save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Your mercy.”

During this Divine Mercy Sunday session, several more inactive Catholics saw the Rosaries and wanted one. E. Lucy gave another map to at least one of them, encouraging them all to get reconnected.

Altogether, we gave away 25-30 Rosaries and its pamphlet, as well as 2-3 maps to area parishes, with Mass and Reconciliation times listed.

Please pray for us again today? Ask God to send people to us with hearts prepared to perceive their need for Our Savior Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church, and that much good fruit for His Kingdom comes of today’s efforts.

Even when people confuse evil for good, God still wants to save them. So, thank you again for your prayers and other support for this apostolate. In turn, may God protect and greatly bless you and all those you love!

“Go with the strength you have” (Judg 6:14).