The Blessed Virgin Mary and Mom
Quickly on the heels of the homeschool group conflict, I had a serious confrontation with my Mother over Faith issues. During a trip back home, I left my Mom (what I thought was) a great article about the Blessed Virgin Mary. It very clearly showed that Catholics did not worship Mary, but venerated her and held her in high regard. I felt that the article would set my Mom’s heart at ease about her grandchildren being raised Catholic. Was I in for a huge surprise!
Within a week of returning home, my Mother called to say that she never in her life thought she’d have to question one of her children’s salvation but after reading that article, she was appalled and was clearly concerned that I and my entire family were going to hell. We hung up the phone after very bitter words. I couldn’t address her concerns, nor correct her misunderstandings. I knew only what I knew and I didn’t know much but I knew that Catholic were Christians and couldn’t believe my own Mother was questioning whether or not I would go to Heaven!
A week later, I received a seven-page, single-spaced typewritten letter that went line by line through the article I had left her and pointed out every single error within it, with massive Scripture quotations, as well as notations from Hailey’s Handbook. My heart quaked as I read it because it was so thorough and looked so damning against the Catholic Church. I wept for days, not knowing what to do. I had been surrounded by wonderful, Godly Catholic women who didn’t do or believe the things my Mother was pointing out in her letter. And I’d never heard anything taught in the Catholic Church that she claimed in her letter but she had such scriptural support for what she was saying that I sunk into a deep depression.
It was seven weeks before we spoke again and only because she accepted that she had no control over the situation and wanted to see her grandchildren. For a time, it seemed, we had an unspoken agreement to not discuss faith issues. An unarmed truce.
I re-learned a valuable lesson: I could not share my Faith with my family. Especially if it had anything to do with Mary.
Within a week of returning home, my Mother called to say that she never in her life thought she’d have to question one of her children’s salvation but after reading that article, she was appalled and was clearly concerned that I and my entire family were going to hell. We hung up the phone after very bitter words. I couldn’t address her concerns, nor correct her misunderstandings. I knew only what I knew and I didn’t know much but I knew that Catholic were Christians and couldn’t believe my own Mother was questioning whether or not I would go to Heaven!
A week later, I received a seven-page, single-spaced typewritten letter that went line by line through the article I had left her and pointed out every single error within it, with massive Scripture quotations, as well as notations from Hailey’s Handbook. My heart quaked as I read it because it was so thorough and looked so damning against the Catholic Church. I wept for days, not knowing what to do. I had been surrounded by wonderful, Godly Catholic women who didn’t do or believe the things my Mother was pointing out in her letter. And I’d never heard anything taught in the Catholic Church that she claimed in her letter but she had such scriptural support for what she was saying that I sunk into a deep depression.
It was seven weeks before we spoke again and only because she accepted that she had no control over the situation and wanted to see her grandchildren. For a time, it seemed, we had an unspoken agreement to not discuss faith issues. An unarmed truce.
I re-learned a valuable lesson: I could not share my Faith with my family. Especially if it had anything to do with Mary.
posted by Dixie @ 2:09 PM
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