Dear Mom,

Let me begin with telling you how very much I admire your holy witness of faith. You are for all purposes a gentle martyr for the Catholic faith. In your steadfast devotion and love for your dear husband you are displaying the very depth of all that it means to continue in a faithful and peacefully disposition as you pray without ceasing for the conversion of your husband. This is most difficult and does cause one to collapse from the mental exhaustion and suffer burn out. I praise God and thank Him for the great gift of your witness to me this day.

I want to share with you just a couple of comments that I believe to be true as I have traveled this journey through the hearts of other mothers who suffer this trial as well.

First and foremost it is important to keep uppermost in your mind and heart that your dear children love their daddy completely and without reservation. If you were to behave otherwise and show your angst with the situation, your children will react strongly though you may never speak a word of it to them. Because children are loyal to their parents the children will defend their father through a sublime desire to show that loyalty in imitation. However if you step forward in love for your husband and show a tender and kind attitude with compassion for his lack of knowledge and faith I am certain that the Lord will honor your response. The children in turn will model your behavior. Continue with your steadfast devotion to the Sacraments and a life of prayer within the home. Do not be intimidated but be gentle yet firm in your desire to practice an active and vibrant faith.

Though it is necessary to defend the faith it may not be possible to get your point across especially if your dear husband is not yet ready to be open to your comments. Remember 'for those who believe, no proof is necessary; for those who do not believe no proof is enough.' At this point in your journey it may have to be your steadfast witness and your expressions of love for the Eucharist and the Mass. Your husband will see the peace that practicing your faith brings to your spirit and that will tell volumes.

A dear friend of mine who was in a similar situation (her husband has since converted) suffered a miscarriage. Her husband is a loving man and was heartbroken for the loss and the physical pain that the miscarriage had visited upon his wife. One evening he came into their bedroom to find her curled up in the bed reading her prayer book. He told her that he was glad she was able to find comfort in her devotions and it made him grateful that these simple traditions and prayers brought her emotional, physical and mental healing. What a powerful witness of faith this dear woman was able to exhibit through the grace of God.

Do not believe that your prayers are falling upon deaf ears. Remember this truth: your husband was created for God by God. God owns your dear husband. It is God's intention that this man will return to God. Keep praying and stay close to the Lord so that you are able to pray with peace and steadfast strength. When we pray that our loved ones return to God this is a prayer that the Lord desires for us as well. It is always within the Lord's will that all men return to Him. What a comforting thought.

During the Christmas season when there is such an open struggle between the secular and the holy the differences that are always apparent are more sharply viewed. It is for this reason that you may be feeling such a sorrow about the situation. In your sorrow and your steadfast prayer life you are giving to the Lord the tools necessary to work a work within your husband's heart. Go peacefully into your work with the clear knowledge that you are doing the Lord's will and that Jesus is using you each moment of each day to bring your dear husband closer to the fullness of the faith. Praise our loving Lord that He has brought you into this man's life. You are making a difference though you will probably never be aware of the impact your prayers have meant this side of Heaven. Only when you are able to view with the Lord the meaning of your witness will its impact reach its full realization.

Let us pray together a Hail Mary for all women who find themselves in abusive relationships. Lord, we ask that You guard and protect these dear ones and give them the courage to leave such situations. Please allow that they have the strength to leave these situations and protect their children as well. Please allow that those who work to protect these women and their children have the resources necessary to do their work well and according to Your will. Amen.

Sending out a prayer,

Rita Munn