Do Not Reproach a Man Who is Turning Away from Sin

One of the most unpleasant things I see online is whenever there is a news story about some celebrity who converts to Catholicism, Catholics will make snarky comments about the conversion. They will question the celebrity's sincerity, say it is just a fad, he's doing it for show, we shouldn't be happy about it until we know if it's "real," and in general belittle the story.

This is so disheartening. Who knows whether one's conversion will last; our Lord Himself tells us that "other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away" (Matt. 13:5-6), so obviously this sort of thing will happen. But whether it does or not is anybody's guess; many people whose conversions do not seem promising later become steadfast, and many who seem streadfast fall away. It is impossible to judge the working of grace. You simply do not know. People questioned St. Paul's conversion as well, for "the disciples...were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple" (Acts 9:26). 

This is why we must never be too hasty to pass critical judgment on these things. Does not the prophet Zechariah advise us to not despise small beginnings? (cf. Zech. 4:10) Faith is supposed to begin the size of a mustard seed; it only grows with maturity. We are being ridiculous if we look at faith in its infancy and judge it by standards more appropriate to full growth. We would do well to be more lenient in our assessment of such things, "for with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matt. 7:2). This passage should terrify us if we are being severe about the conversions of others. How wicked to look at people who have taken the first, fumbling steps of faith and scrutinize their intentions with hostility! Maybe they will persevere, and maybe they won't; that's not the point. The point is you don't know. You are entirely ignorant of what's going on in their interior life. In the Book of Sirach we read, "Do not reproach a man who is turning away from sin; remember that we all deserve punishment." (Sir. 8:5) Or, as Shakespeare put it, "Use every man after his desert, and who shall escape whipping?" (Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2).

If you truly believe that a person's conversion is lacking, then pray for them. Unless you personally know the individual and can respond in a more direct way, prayer is the only responsible course of action. How jaded do you have to be to complain that someone's initial ascent out of the cave into the sunlight doesn't look exactly the way you would have it? Can you see the heart? Do you discern all ends? Of course not, "for who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" (1 Cor. 2:11). 

Next time you hear a story about some celebrity conversion, instead of sniping, say with Paul, "in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice" (Php. 1:18) and pray for that person in all humility, thanking God for whatever good He has worked in them and lamenting your shortcomings. That celebrity may yet get into the kingdom of heaven even before you.