Cinnamon rolls and Jehovah Witnesses

I was up to my elbows, kneading my cinnamon roll dough when I heard the knock on the door signalling someone was here. It was two women, one who I knew and the other who I did not, but since I knew one of them, I knew they were Jehovah Witnesses come to tell me about the Watch Tower paper that they had for me.

I invited them in and the woman who I did not know started in my telling me that they had revamped the Watch Tower and since she and I were familiar with the bible, she thought I would be happy to see their new format. How she knew I was familiar with the bible was a mystery to me, however, I listened to her speil and continued kneading the dough, apologizing for having my back to them.

When the woman who was telling me about the Watch Tower stopped, I asked her if she knew where the bible came from. She told me it was the inspired word of God, to which I replied, yes, but how was it pulled together?

She did not know, so I proceded to give her a history lesson on early Christianity, the divorce from the Church in the 1500s and the beginning of their sect in the 1800s.

I told her that her sect had changed some of the words in the bible and that they knew Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, Divine in Nature, to be 'a god', but that indeed He was not 'a god' but God.

That did not sit well with her. I told her that God loved her immeasurably and that He wanted her to be with Him forever in eternity and the way to do that was to understand the Triune God.

She told me she felt uncomfortable. I replied that this was our home, and I was sorry that she felt uncomfortable. I told her our home is Catholic and that indeed, Catholic means universal and she was part of the larger, universal church.

I then turned and talked to the woman, who I knew, who had been silent up to this point. I asked after her mother, her work, and we caught up on what was new with her.

I think this threw the woman who had been uncomfortable as she listened to this other woman and me exchange information about our lives.

They left shortly thereafter - I would have loved for them to have stayed and had tea, and indeed, I invited them to return in a couple of hours, when the cinnamon rolls would be done.

They may return in a year or two . . . let us pray for these dedicated women, who go and face hostility, anger and irriation when they are trying to spread their religion.

Let us pray that we will receive them as Christ receives us - openly, lovingly and yet with a sense of knowing that Christ is God and He is Our Savior and Lord of All. Let us never back down from the truth, but invite others who come into our homes to experience the truth as well.

For, if we love our neighbor, we can do no less.