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Question

Reverend Father,

My name is……, I am thirty-three years old and I am writing from…., at whose university I collaborate with the chair of Italian literature, mainly dealing with Dante’s studies.  I appeal to you and submit a doubt of a “theoretical” nature, related to my research, indeed :  according to theology, does facilitating (although unknowingly, through one’s work) the conversion of a non-believer constitutes a meritorious act for the purpose of salvation?

Thank you for the attention you will want to dedicate to me and my best regards.

Respectfully…


My dear,

  1. You may have heard about Edith Stein, the Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity after reading about the Life of Saint Teresa of Avila.  After her conversion, she went to teach in a Dominican nuns’ institute, in Speyer.  In the meantime, she was called from all over to give lectures and to teach.  Someone made her an observation and told her to speak a bit less about Jesus Christ because He was always present in all of her speeches. She replied that she couldn’t do otherwise, anymore.  
  2. After all, Saint Paul said that “all things were created through Him and for Him” (Col 1, 16).  Well, if this is true, how can we not also outline our speeches toward their final goal that is to talk about Christ and to join Him?  Giorgio La Pira said, referring to the words in the Apocalypse where it is stated that Christ is the Alpha and the Omega and are the first and the last letter of the Greek alphabet, that Christ is the sense in the way we talk and in our speeches.
  3. It is not about exploiting your role to proselytize, in the worst sense of the terminology, because this would result as tedious and, not rarely, reboil over into the opposite effect. For a Christian, it should be normal to do everything that he does towards its ultimate goal. It is not necessary to strike a pose to bear witness to the Gospel.  It is done in the same way a lit lamp makes no effort to illuminate.  
  4. I don’t believe that Leon Bloy had the goal of converting anyone when he wrote his famous novel “La femme pauvre” (The poor woman).  Nevertheless, Raissa and Jacques Maritain, after they have read in a review that if you wanted to occupy your time with something intelligent that that one was a suitable reading, they read it and through the reading they came to the faith. 
  5. In the Vatican Council II’s message addressed to the men of thought (this message was delivered by Pope Paul VI right to Jacques Maritain) these words can be read: “ For this purpose, without troubling your efforts, without dazzling brilliance, we come to offer you the light of our mysterious lamp which is faith.  He who entrusted this lamp to us is the sovereign Master of all thought, He whose humble disciples we are, the only one who said and could have said:  “ I am the light of the world, I am the way, the truth and the life.” (n.6).
  6. It is primarily, therefore, a matter of doing one’s duty well.  It is normal for a Christian that the exercise of one’s duty implicitly reflects the sovereign Master of all thought and leads to confront Him.
  7. Finally, you ask me if “facilitating (although unknowingly, through one’s work) the conversion of a non-believer constitutes a meritorious act for the purpose of salvation”.  The answer comes from the Holy Spirit who said through the mouth of St. James: “My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (Gc 5, 19,20).
  8. Here, a double affirmation is being made.  The first one: “whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death”.  The second one: “and will cover a multitude of sins”. Well, it is exactly the second affirmation that has received a double interpretation.  Some people say that it is about the covering of the sins of who converted, according to what is stated in Proverbs “Universa delicta operit caritas” (but love covers all offenses, Prv 10, 12) and also what St. Peter says: “because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pt 4,8).  Others say that the multitude of sins of those who convert another one is covered.  The two interpretations work together just fine.  So, whoever cooperates for the conversion, since he/she performs a great act of charity, receives the benefit of the covering (of the forgiveness) of their own sins.

           While I wish you to do good deeds to yourself and other through your teaching, I ensure you that I will remind the Lord of you and I bless you.

           Father Angelo