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When I first converted to Catholicism 13 years ago, I spent much time reading and learning everything I could about the Faith.  I talked to everyone I knew, sent emails of pertinent articles etc about the Faith.  I was very zealous and very concerned about the condition of their souls.

Well, years and years later ... my father committed ѕυιcιdє. May God forgive him. And that began a period of deep reflection and of observation that I didn't think I'd done a good job in communicating the Faith, i.e., the love of Jesus and my love for him .. or anyone else in my family.  I began to realize that it was my pride instead which had compelled me to push at people endlessly to give up their sinful lives and become or return to Catholicism.

But now I am at a place where it's been years since I've actively been trying to communicate the Faith and yet I am aware of family members just sitting their in complete ignorance or outright defiance of what Jesus has taught us and that it's the Catholic Church which He founded for our salvation.  I am very worried about their ultimate end and I don't know now how to communicate this effectively to them.

There are several apostate Catholics, and then there's my grandmother who is a casual Orthodox, meaning that she belongs to the Orthodox Church and always has but it's because it's her family identity, her culture more than anything else.

I asked her to pray for another family member who is "not a man of faith" the other day and she said, "Oh, but he's good, he'll be fine." This was about my other grandfather (my father's father ...My Orthodox grandmother is widowed).

My grandfather is an atheist. I hate to say that, but it's true. . He does not believe in God.  His son, my father, committed ѕυιcιdє a couple of months after my grandmother died.  A year and a half later his other son died, I think due to a drug overdose.

I love these two people dearly.  They have always been there for me and I have many fond memories of how they treated me when I was a child.  

But I do not know how to talk to them about God.  I don't know how to communicate the Faith to their particular problems: schismatic and atheist.

What am I required to do? Or is there a book for each issue that I could send to them?  I do not have confidence in talking to them directly about this and I don't know what to do.

I think we all, everyone of us, can post a story such as you just posted.

Sometime it's best not to say anything, after you said it a few times.  I realize  to tell you to pray is not what you want to hear, you feel like you must do something else.  Yet, we are all being tested right now, and pray you must!

When you pray you must have confidence that your prayers will be heard, and pray to the Eternal Father, to offer the Precious Blood of His Son for the conversion of your loved ones.   He will hear your prayer.  

When I first converted to Catholicism 13 years ago, I spent much time reading and learning everything I could about the Faith.  I talked to everyone I knew, sent emails of pertinent articles etc about the Faith.  I was very zealous and very concerned about the condition of their souls.

Well, years and years later ... my father committed ѕυιcιdє. May God forgive him. And that began a period of deep reflection and of observation that I didn't think I'd done a good job in communicating the Faith, i.e., the love of Jesus and my love for him .. or anyone else in my family.  I began to realize that it was my pride instead which had compelled me to push at people endlessly to give up their sinful lives and become or return to Catholicism.

But now I am at a place where it's been years since I've actively been trying to communicate the Faith and yet I am aware of family members just sitting their in complete ignorance or outright defiance of what Jesus has taught us and that it's the Catholic Church which He founded for our salvation.  I am very worried about their ultimate end and I don't know now how to communicate this effectively to them.

There are several apostate Catholics, and then there's my grandmother who is a casual Orthodox, meaning that she belongs to the Orthodox Church and always has but it's because it's her family identity, her culture more than anything else.

I asked her to pray for another family member who is "not a man of faith" the other day and she said, "Oh, but he's good, he'll be fine." This was about my other grandfather (my father's father ...My Orthodox grandmother is widowed).

My grandfather is an atheist. I hate to say that, but it's true. . He does not believe in God.  His son, my father, committed ѕυιcιdє a couple of months after my grandmother died.  A year and a half later his other son died, I think due to a drug overdose.

I love these two people dearly.  They have always been there for me and I have many fond memories of how they treated me when I was a child.  

But I do not know how to talk to them about God.  I don't know how to communicate the Faith to their particular problems: schismatic and atheist.

What am I required to do? Or is there a book for each issue that I could send to them?  I do not have confidence in talking to them directly about this and I don't know what to do.

Dear MrsZ,

I identify with you very much too.  Both my parents were atheist, and disowned me because of my beliefs.  My mother is gone, and my father is still estranged. I've seen family members in terrible tragedies.

Though there "is no salvation outside of the Church," conversion is something that happens deep inside the heart, where we can't see or force anything.  Some people come to God at that last moment.  As a convert of many years, I know that people must hear "from" God rather than only human arguments.  I've seen "apologetics" fail without God's intervention, and I remember one instance in college where a debate with a liberal professor ended with him saying "So there IS a God...  Well, I won't serve Him anyway!" All the debates had made things worse, and I grieve that I had not prayed as I should. With my husband, I decided I would never "debate" (besides, he had attended Harvard). I prayed and spoke kindly as I felt "led" in prayer.  God graciously showed us actual miracles, which helped him find deep devotion once again... By the time he died, I felt I lived with a saint...

Jesus promises,"My sheep (will ) hear My voice."  So, if you love people and pray for them, He will show you what to say.  Most people "smell it" if someone is just trying to "preach at them."  That's how I felt during a time when I'd been deeply betrayed by the Church.  It's when they feel accepted and not looked down on that God often sends something big to show them He's there-  I've seen atheists convert more than once!  The only thing I regret is saying things "to" people w/o backing it up with prayer.  ThanK you for this reminder to keep praying!!