Letter to Father Barron

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Aquino [mailto:jonathan.aquino@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 10:41 AM
To: 'rbarron@usml.edu'
Subject: On your article on evangelization, "Have You Heard the News?"


Dear Father Barron,

One of your articles ended with the words, "how can you not want to grab everyone you meet by the lapels and tell them about the resurrection?" What prevents me from enthusiastically sharing the good news of the resurrection is the potential "bad news" of the uncertainty of the Last Judgment and the possibility of damnation. How I would love to shout to the world, "Eternal life! Eternal life!" - unfortunately I must add, "but only if you pass the Last Judgment". Suddenly the good news does not seem so sparkling, now that it has this uncertain string attached.

I'm curious how you handle the Last Judgment in your evangelization - is it best left out of good-news preaching? i.e. is it a detail that for most Catholics is best not worried about too much?

Jon