Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
It can be a shock to the system when we find out our friends, coworkers, or others we generally enjoy being around have an entirely different view on a major issue of the day than we do. 
Recently, an acquaintance said women who favored an end to abortion didn’t belong at an event because they couldn’t be real feminists. I started to explain why I felt otherwise; after a look of disbelief, the acquaintance nodded. “Oh, right,” she said. “You’re Catholic.” End of discussion.
I kicked myself later for not taking the conversation back to the topic. My views on abortion and many other hot-button issues did not change the second I started checking the Catholic box on forms. They evolved, as I studied Church teachings and their origins. I was forced to actually think about my positions rather than be for or against stuff because that’s what all the cool kids thought. And in many cases, I found that my true beliefs were very different from the opinions I had spouted off for years.
My point here is not to imply or say that people with opinions counter to mine are wrong or uninformed or that those opinions were not formed after much consideration. The point of this is a mea culpa to God because I failed to speak of His kindness and truth in a very small assembly. And if I am fearful of speaking to one person whose view is different, what will I do in a group of a half-dozen or more? What will I do if the day comes that I am faced with the choice of earthly life… or denying him? And so, I resolve anew to speak up for the Lord, since I desire nothing more than a place in His circle.
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