An Inspirational Story Acts as Hinge for Two Truths

This inspirational story of a young Muslim woman who is converting to Catholicism is making the rounds and with good reason. She is attracted to Jesus because of the mercy he shows, and by extension, through the mercy she has seen U.S. medical personnel demonstrate by treating wounded enemies. (The story is reported by a journalist in Iraq who spent time with Fr. Bautista, found via Deacon Greg.)

As Fr. Bautista continued speaking with us, he described the fascinating story of a young Muslim woman who was entering the Church under his guidance through the RCIA process. Her story was moving. While working with Americans, this woman, who must remain anonymous, was touched deeply when she realized that the U.S. medical personnel not only treated wounded Americans and Iraqi civilians, but also treated wounded enemy combatants, including one who was known for having killed U.S. Marines. As she put it, “This cannot happen with us.”

This dramatic extension of mercy even to enemy soldiers caused her to take the next cautious step. She asked Father Bautista to “tell me more about Jesus.” As Father described Jesus and his life in the Gospels, one thing stood out among the rest for the Muslim woman he called “Fatima” (not her real name) and that was how kindly Jesus had related to, as she put it, “the two Mary’s.” Fatima was moved to see how Jesus deeply loved Mary, his mother, who was sinless, but also how Jesus deeply loved Mary Magdalene, who was “a great sinner.” As these discussions continued, Fatima reached a point where she said to Father Bautista, “I want to become a Christian.”

Since Father Bautista sees himself as a chaplain for all troops, not just Catholics, he decided to introduce Fatima to other chaplains from Protestant and Orthodox backgrounds. After some time had passed, Fatima returned to Father Bautista and said, “I want to become a Catholic like you.” When Father asked her the reason for her decision, she said, “You were the only one who told me about the other Christians, so you left me free to decide for myself. That’s how I knew this was the right decision.”

As their catechetical lessons developed over time, Fatima’s family discovered her plan and was warned sternly by her father that if she continued on this path, she would be disowned by the entire family and would never have contact with them again. At this point, Father Bautista became concerned for Fatima’s well-being and cautioned her to look carefully at the consequences of her decision and to think seriously before continuing her path into the Church.

Fatima paused for a moment and then looking intently at Father Bautista asked, “Do you give up so easily on Jesus?” The question took Father aback for a moment, but then he thought, “This is incredible; this Muslim woman is already bearing witness to me about how important my own faith is!”

Read the whole story here.

This morning, catching up from a missed day of devotional reading, that story was instantly called to mind when I read this quote and thought of how the demonstration of mercy beyond plain justice moved Fatima to ask, "tell me more about Jesus."

We should meditate on the life of Jesus because Jesus is a summary and compendium of the story of the divine mercy ... Many other scenes of the Gospel also make a deep impact on us, such as his forgiveness for the woman taken in adultery, the parables -- the prodigal so,, the lost sheep, the pardoned debtor -- and the raising to life of the son of the widow at Naim. How many reasons based on justice could Christ have found to work as great a wonder as this last one! The only son of that poor widow had died -- he who gave meaning to her life, he who would help her in her old age. Jesus did not perform His miracle out of justice, but out of compassion, because his heart was moved by the spectacle of human suffering.

St. Josemaria Escriva, quoted in In Conversation with God:
Daily Meditations, Vol. One: Advent and Christmastide

I was moved again to think of Fatima and her attraction to the truth when reading an email this morning with a press release for an upcoming book about interacting with Islam.

I am thrilled to bring your attention to a new book, Faith, Reason, and the War Against Jihadism by George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington's Ethics and Public Policy Center. In his bold manifesto, Weigel calls all Americans to confront and recognize the religious passions that fuel Islamic Jihadism. Weigel claims that, in order to do this, we must begin to:

1. Realize that the great human questions, including the great questions of public life, are ultimately theological
2. Demonstrate acknowledgment that the greatest achievements of the West are works of spiritual grace
3. Retire the idea that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are the three Abrahamic faiths
4. Stop trying not to offend. Truth-telling is the essential prerequisite to genuine inter-religious dialogue
5. Try to bring about a non-violent regime change by engaging with the Iranian people, NOT their oppressors ...

Reading "stop trying not to offend" instantly recalled Fatima's question, "“Do you give up so easily on Jesus?” I will be curious to see what the book says. I found it interesting that I so well understood the chaplain's back-pedaling in an attempt to keep "Fatima" safe. He had forgotten what many of us have, here in the West. Speaking the truth may offend the hearer, even if done in charity and kindness. However, as long as we truly are speaking with charity and kindness then it is not a service to backpedal, but a grave disservice to the hearer. What they do with the truth is then up to them.