Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerome22
How can I help my girlfriend experience the Sacraments and Mass and help her grow in her faith more?
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Be a saint.
I'm not joking.
But, even that is not guaranteed to work. It all depends on whether she loves holiness.
There are limits to what any human being can do to lead or draw or push anyone closer to God.
But the most powerful thing any human being can do is be as holy and saintly all the time as they can. Of course, that ain't easy.
The key to saintliness is unselfishness. People can spot selfishness easily, especially if they are around a person a lot.
If you express and feel love the Sacraments and the Faith, but remain mostly or largely selfish, then you will not be able to lead anyone closer to God. When asked to identify the Greatest Commandment, Jesus said nothing directly or specifically about loving the Sacraments and the Faith. He said the Greatest Commandment was to love God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
It is hard for people to see, feel and experience whether another person truly loves God, for the reason that God is invisible. But is not hard for people to see whether another person truly loves his neighbor, because his neighbor is visible and palpably present (and is perhaps annoying and difficult or even disgusting).
The essence of the Way of God is to love persons. God is a person too, in fact, three persons. And human beings are, of course, persons too. Every thing else pertaining to our Faith are just means to the end of enabling and encouraging us to love persons. There are many people who are enthusiastic about religion, but not very enthusiastic about loving neighbors, enemies, sinners, the sick, the poor, the imprisoned, etc. (see Matthew chapter 24)
True unselfishness, true love of neighbor (including enemies) lived out all the time is practically impossible for lay people living in the secular world. But "with Christ all things are possible."
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