“Follow the Truth…Wherever It Leads”

Thomas Jefferson had once said, “We are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” This has some interesting elements in it as it pertains to Catholics coming into the Church: For one, Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life–to pursue Truth is to find Christ; secondly, the Church is protected from error by the Holy Spirit in issues of faith and morals; thirdly, the Church is not opposed to reason, but faith and reason are “the two wings which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (St. John Paul II, Fides et Ratio).

Being witnesses to the truth of the Catholic faith is an important part of our work, and our evangelists in the following story give some watertight reasons for those they encounter to consider becoming Catholic.

This report comes from our Fort Worth/Dallas SPSE teams:

“On Friday four SPSE evangelists evangelized at Denton County Courthouse Square from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Two evangelists were from the Forth Worth SPSE team and two evangelists were from the Dallas SPSE team. Thank you, Paul and Mark (Dallas Team) for working with us and helping us to have another successful event in Denton.

I engaged two young women. One had some exposure to the Catholic Faith when she was young, but had not been active in the Faith since her childhood. She is currently shopping around for a church. I encouraged her to consider returning to the Catholic Church and gave her some reasons to return. The conversation focused on the fullness of Truth, Christian history, and the Sacraments. She took a Rosary and literature.

I had a long conversation with a young man. He was examining many different religions, but was inclined toward Protestant Christianity. I encouraged him to consider the Catholic Faith. I gave him reasons why he should join the Church, which we discussed. We also discussed Our Blessed Mother. He was interested in and drawn to her. He took a Rosary and literature.

Larry and I engaged a non-denominational woman. We encouraged her to seek the Truth and look into the Catholic Church. Interestingly, her son is Catholic. She encouraged him to find his truth, and he became Catholic. She took a Rosary and said she appreciated what we were doing.

A young woman walked by and declined a Rosary saying, “I’m a non-denominational Christian.” I asked her if she had ever considered becoming Catholic, as she was walking away. That question engaged her, and we had a long conversation. We talked about Christian history, the fullness of Truth, the Sacraments, the difference between being a “good person” and the holiness and self sacrificial love we are called to in the Christian life. It was an engaging conversation. She asked for literature and said she was open to considering it. She also took a Rosary.

Two young women walked by Larry and I. Larry asked if they wanted to Rosaries. One of them hesitatingly said yes. When asked if they had ever considered becoming Catholic, the one who had said yes said she was considering it and studying it. She had previously dated a Catholic man, and had some exposure to the Catholic Faith through him. When we asked if she had any questions, her nonverbals indicated she had a lot of big questions. She said she had questions about the Eucharist. We discussed that at length. We discussed John 6 in detail. We discussed the parallels with Exodus. We discussed the historicity of the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We discussed the difference between the symbolic nature of Protestant communion and the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. I often make the point to Protestants that they can be closer to Christ in the Catholic Church by virtue of the Sacraments. We really dug into the point with them, highlighting the difference between the natural virtue of love (being a good person) and the supernatural virtue of Charity, which we are called to and which can only come from God. Both young women had good questions throughout the conversation. It was an engaging and good conversation in which all four people were actively involved. The young woman considering the Catholic Faith took a Rosary and literature.”

Praised be Jesus Christ! Many people have come to the doors of the Catholic Church almost against their will after being open to following the Truth and were surprised where they ended up. Don’t be afraid to seek after Truth, because Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and His Church contains its fullness!