Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Guest Writers

Friends in need

byStaff writers
25 January 2014
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA
Girl looking out window sadly
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Michaela Hillam

MY heart is heavy. There are so many people running through my mind – people who I know have had an experience of Christ, who even followed Him for a little while, but ultimately fell away from their faith.

I see them now living lives of darkness and their eyes are empty, shoulders slumped. They say to me, “I don’t understand what’s happened to me.” “Why is life so hard?” “Why do I attract all the wrong guys?”

They’ve grown proud, cynical, ignorant. It’s so painful to watch. I ache for them but I know there is nothing I can do but stand on the sidelines and pray.

It’s like the story of the paraplegic and his four friends.  There was nothing the friends could do while their paraplegic friend suffered, day in, day out, but serve him and stand by him. When the time was right, though, they took him right to the healing power of Jesus.

They were not the saviours – Jesus was. Waiting for that time is tough.

It means watching them fall, deeper and deeper – swallowing your tongue when they make bad choices, bailing them out when they are in trouble, crying tears for them that they will never know about and experiencing such a deep sense of hopelessness on their behalf. If only they knew.

I’ve come to notice that in every case there is a common denominator just prior to their falling away. Either there’s a boy involved or they experienced a calling to something but decided not to follow it.

The former scenario involves not being formed enough in the Father’s plan for love and life and thus they fall into sexual sin. The latter scenario involves saying “no” to God’s “Perfect Plan A” for their life and falling out of sync with His voice.

This is then soon followed by entering into the former scenario. When I hear of a young woman getting into a relationship I fear for them because this world encourages us to give in to our every desire because, “you deserve it”.

Related Stories

All Catholics invited to pray rosary for peace with Pope Francis next Tuesday

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

It teaches us that love means to “give and take pleasure”, to sleep with your boyfriend to “see if you’re compatible”, that “I want it, therefore I must have”.

They stop coming to church, lose touch with their Christian friends, move in with their boyfriend for “financial reasons” and it’s not until they face wanting to send their first child to a Catholic school do they even consider returning to the Church. But I guess that’s the consolation – often they do come back.

Perhaps their journey to the Lord is a more roundabout one, but in the end their hearts will be completely sold out for Him – perhaps even more so than the rest of us long-time faithfuls?

So where does that leave us? To trust in the Lord and His greater plan, but also to not give up on these people in our love for them – even if this means praying from afar or walking beside them through their bad choices.

But I’m imperfect and my prayer life shows this. My heart is moved, I become passionate about their return to Christ, I offer up petitions for them, but then grow apathetic.

Their return cannot be done by my prayers alone. Please join with me in praying for the protection of these new converts in their journey towards Christ, for godly role models in their lives and for the return of those fallen away.

Michaela Hillam is a young Catholic blogger from Brisbane.

[divider]

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Thank God He is with us every step of the way

Next Post

Sacramental lesson raises questions

Staff writers

Related Posts

Vatican

All Catholics invited to pray rosary for peace with Pope Francis next Tuesday

27 May 2022
Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria
World

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

27 May 2022
Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia
Australia

Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

26 May 2022
Next Post

Sacramental lesson raises questions

Carmel Nash

Commitment to Church, school begins at home

Marie and Rodney Stower

60 years devoted to love

Popular News

  • Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

    Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Brothers’ community mourn the passing of Brother Tony White

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Blessed Sacrament desecrated in robbery of sacred vessels at Canberra church

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • All Catholics invited to pray rosary for peace with Pope Francis next Tuesday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Vatican

All Catholics invited to pray rosary for peace with Pope Francis next Tuesday

by Staff writers
27 May 2022
0

By Catholic News Agency THE Vatican is inviting Catholics to join Pope Francis in praying the rosary...

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

Gunmen kidnap two Catholic priests in Nigeria

27 May 2022
Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

Ethiopian cardinal brings sense of gratitude to Australia

26 May 2022
Blessed Sacrament desecrated in robbery of sacred vessels at Canberra church

Blessed Sacrament desecrated in robbery of sacred vessels at Canberra church

26 May 2022
Pope Francis – ‘My heart is broken’ over Texas elementary school shooting

Pope Francis – ‘My heart is broken’ over Texas elementary school shooting

26 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping