Dear Ed, I think I have an answer for you.\u00a0 From the description you gave me in your last note, I can tell that some of your frustration is resulting from your defensive attitude.\u00a0 As you discuss the faith with your peers, and try to convince your professors and family members of the trustworthiness of the Church\u2019s teaching on all these issues, you have a nagging doubt in the back of your mind: \u201cWhat if they don\u2019t agree?\u00a0 What if I can\u2019t explain it well?\u00a0 What if they ask me something I don\u2019t know?\u2026\u201d\u00a0 The insecurity resulting from this subconscious worry makes you come across as arrogant and belligerent, and that turns people off.\u00a0 What\u2019s the solution?\u00a0 Simple.\u00a0 Be confident in Christ and his truth.\u00a0 The revelation God has given us through Jesus and his Church is dependable \u2013 more so than anything else.\u00a0 You have the answers that everyone (whether consciously or not) is looking for.\u00a0 In this light, every discussion (or \u201cargument\u201d as you call them) becomes an opportunity for you to identify the many obstacles to the truth that are blocking others from coming closer to Christ.\u00a0 As soon as you identify them, gently try to move them aside. This will give the Holy Spirit more room to work, and little by little that soul will be drawn to God.\u00a0 The story of today\u2019s saint may be instructive in this regard. Edwin was a pagan king of Northumbria (northern England) with great influence over the rest of the English kings.\u00a0 He asked for the hand of St Ethelbert daughter in marriage (St Ethelbert was king of Kent, in southern England), but since she (Ethelburga) was a Christian, he was denied.\u00a0 He persisted.\u00a0 He assured Ethelbert that Ethelburga would have complete freedom of religion and that he himself would look into the Christian teachings, and so won permission for the marriage.\u00a0 St Ethelbert wisely sent along St Paulinus as Queen Ethelburga\u2019s chaplain, and the holy monk set about by prayers and discussion to win Edwin over to the Christian faith.\u00a0 For a long time neither Paulinus\u2019s nor Ethelburga\u2019s efforts showed any results.\u00a0 But eventually he agreed to gather his highest officials for a conference with St Paulinus on the true faith.\u00a0 During the assembly, many of the pagan counselors and priests gave personal testimonies, showing that they had already been thinking deeply about the falseness of their gods and the pure light of Christian revelation.\u00a0 One of the heathen priests put it especially well as he described the apparent senselessness of human life without Christ\u2019s doctrine: \u201clike the swift flight of a sparrow through the warm room where we sit and sup in winter when there is snow without.\u00a0 It flies in at one door and out at the other, into the dark and cold from which it has just emerged.\u201d\u00a0 Finally, St Paulinus spoke, simply but clearly putting forth the fundamentals of Christian dogma.\u00a0 The whole assembly was won over, and that Easter Edwin, his counselors, and hundreds of his subjects were baptized.\u00a0 It was the beginning of a long and prosperous reign, the first Christian reign in northern England.\u00a0 It ended after 17 years, when St Edwin died defending his Christian Kingdom against pagan insurgents from Wales. Believe in the power of Christ\u2019s truth, my young nephew \u2013 believe in it deeply.\u00a0 Ask God to increase your faith and confidence in him.\u00a0 Then, instead of the fragile light of vain uncertainty, your eyes will glint with the deep, warm light of Christian joy as you engage all questioners in fruitful discussions about the saving truths of our faith. Prayerfully yours, Uncle Eddy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Ed, I think I have an answer for you.\u00a0 From the description you gave me in your last note, I can tell that some of your frustration is resulting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":145992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3719],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-142254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncle-eddy"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n