I need help from the spiritual giants on this website with the gift of spiritual discernment.
My mother is 77 years old. She has been a good Catholic her whole life. Catholics are not supposed to eat meat on the Fridays during Lent. For the last several years she has been eating vegetarian pizzas during Lenten Fridays, which seemed O.K. with me.
However, this year she is contemplating sin. She said she is sick of eating vegetarian pizzas. This year she plans to eat soy products that taste like beef or chicken.
I told her that would be wrong. That she has a total carnal mind that is trying to skirt the rules. That if she has to give up meat, then eating a food that tastes like meat would be sinful. I told her she needed to see her priest as soon as possible to get this straightened out.
I can't depend on a priest to agree with me. So what I need is two or three scriptures to spiritually slam dunk the old lady. Please help me!
I'm not one of the spiritual giants of this website, but i know alot about unconditional love and exhorting one another.( exhorting means to exalt someone else)
we are told not to act as stumbling blocks for others who are weak. we are to be respectful of those who believe differently, even those from different religion, on different topics, such as food, etc, to the point of giving in what we think is right, for the sake of theirs, so they dont lose faith. for example, food, beliefs, etc.
for example, If a person believes with all her heart that it is wrong to eat the meat during lenten fridays, and you see her walking around the edge of eating meat on those days, it is your duty to make sure they don't sin, by giving up meat yourself so you don't become the reason they stumble. 1 Corinthians 8:9
9Don't cause problems for someone with a weak conscience, just because you have the right to eat anything. (CEV)
1 Corinthians 8:13
13So if I hurt one of the Lord's followers by what I eat, I will never eat meat as long as I live. (CEV)
Maybe you should give up eating meat altogether, or at least during those days, for the sake of your mother's? that's love. think about it,It'll help her with hers by giving support, it comes from her own core that she believes eating meat is wrong on specific days, and she sees you eating meat..its tempting her. it If you see her stumbling from it, or straying from her beliefs then you should help her up by exhorting her by reminding how wonderful and pleasing she has been to God... That's all you can really do,
and if she still strays in spite of what you do, its not your fault. Maybe she is learning and maturing, realizing there's nothing wrong with eating meat, on her own.
no one would want to be the reason someone strays from their faith, try to be supportive and try everything you can do to help her keep hers, unless she strays from certain beliefs on her own.
Remember, God doesn't care about the doings, God cares about your character.
(who you are) If you go out of ur way to help your mother keep hers... That's something