*virtual fistbump*

i realize it's been a long while since i've posted--about 4 months!--but i felt compelled to write today after getting a virtual fistbump from one of my twitter friends! i tweeted to the twitterverse a plea for help from God in treating my brother with love in my thoughts, words and actions when he attacks my faith and the Catholic Church. he's a lapsed Catholic who says he doesn't believe in God, the institution of the Church, the afterlife, etc. so you can imagine how vocal he's been since the Catholic Church has been in the news a LOT with the election of our new Pope Francis... i think what irks me about it is that he chooses not to talk to me about our differences in beliefs on the phone, or through email or even through text messaging, but he chooses the VERY public forum of facebook to accomplish his assault of my faith. anyhow, i've been thinking a lot lately about how some of the most vocal and militantly anti-Catholic people out there are former Catholics themselves. and i marvel at how anyone could come away from an encounter with Christ in the Eucharist and not be on fire in the riches of our faith! and almost immediately i think about my many faults and how i am often the embodiment of the Catholic Church to people who don't personally know many Catholics. i think of what a poor example i must set for their understanding of what Catholic do, the God we serve and the faith that we say we live. and i'm convicted of my witness to Christ yet again. and i wonder if there's anything i could have done (or should have done) to show him Christ's love in the past so that he would at least be receptive to God's love now. what's done is done and i can't change the past; i can, however, change what i'm doing now to show him the very same love of God which has forever changed me. my struggle with my brother isn't uniquely mine, hence the virtual fistbump from a twitter friend. she responded that she'd be praying for me and my brother as she knows experience of fallen away, even hostile to the faith, siblings all too well. so i agreed to pray for her and her siblings, too. it struck me that i know far too many people with siblings or family members who have fallen away from the faith. and not just the Catholic faith but any faith. anyway, i wanted to write this quick post about our brothers and sisters (and aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, grandparents, friends, acquaintences) who have fallen asleep in the faith to let you know that you're not alone in this fight for their souls! though they may not believe, we can always keep them in prayer and keep one another in prayer. maybe someday there will be a softening of hearts that will lead them back to the truth, beauty and goodness of God. so this is my *virtual fistbump* to you all to encourage you in your spiritual journey! hang in there, i'm praying for you! :) pax et bonum, crystal