Antonia —

You don't need a blessing to do the right thing. The Church teaches it is every person's privilege to make their own prudential decisions, about things that are not matters of absolute moral law, with prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

You may have overdone the matter with your Grandmother, just as she overreacted with you.

If you were rude, you might want to apologize. Only you know the situation and have the grace to see and respond.

Mary Ann

Hi, Antonia —

One of the toughest things to deal with, from within the family, can be handling religious value issues among family members.

Different members come from different generations and have various backgrounds, religious upbringings and maturity levels, etc.

Nevertheless, it is important to work toward a balance of family cohesion while developing a better spiritual life within the family.  If a family member is not ready to talk about the Lord,
drop it, for family cohesion, but pray for her on a regular basis.

If, over the years, your faith has grown immensely and is something you enjoy sharing with others, you still have to respect your grandmother's wish not talk about an issue, she currently has no interest in.

This is where your silent witness as a caring, loving, granddaughter, will pay dividends. Many times we can convert family members more with our actions than by our words, especially, if they see us as the religious freak in the family.

Again, pray for your grandmother on a daily basis that she will have a conversion of heart.

I hope this helps,

Mike