We had many encounters on Saturday morning as the Men’s Rosary Rally took place simultaneously near our group. One particularly long and ultimately positive encounter took place with a young married couple. The woman stopped to take a rosary, she said she has been having dreams and almost visions of the Blessed Mother and wanted to learn how to pray the rosary. When I asked if she was a practicing Catholic, she said a lot of the cliches that we hear: “I’m spiritual but not religious” and “I don’t go to church because of the many hypocrites that I see there.” She said she does go when the church is empty, she just doesn’t like going to Mass because the homilies are too judgmental. I was able to share the Kerygma with her. And when I kept on probing about what her root dissatisfaction with the church was, it ultimately came down to the sexual issues. She doesn’t agree with the Church’s stance on same sex attracted people. I spoke about the design of the human body, the plan that God has for sexuality, and how it calls for restraint in all types of sexual relationships, not just LGBT issues. We kept on going back and forth, and finally, Michael stepped in, thanked them for being open to talking with us, and asked that if they truly are open, to please read St. Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body. He then prayed for them, and the couple ultimately left smiling and in a very positive way. Lord, we ask that you continue to work in the life of Rose Ann and Ari and you open their hearts to Your Holy Will.

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