With those words, a college student taught something to a worldly, famous, immensely successful Washington journalist. It was the late 1990s when Robert Novak — a political conservative, born a Jew, but who lived as an agnostic for for 50 years — came to God and accepted the Catholic faith. Yesterday, he died of the brain cancer diagnosed about a year ago.
His journey to faith is an interesting story (see CNA via Catholic Online), more compelling than the political news about which he wrote for decades. After nearly dying in the early 1980s, a friend gave him some Catholic literature. But it wasn’t until several years later when his non-Catholic wife prevailed upon him to attend Mass with her at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. The celebrant of that Mass was a former lawyer, advisor to a high-ranking senator — and source for his widely read column. Mr. Novak continued attending Mass for next few years, but his self-confessed turning point occured at a dinner at Syracuse University where he met a student wearing a cross on her necklace. He asked if she was Catholic. She replied, yes, then asked if he was.
When he said he wasn’t, but that he attended Mass regularly, she said, “Mr. Novak, life is short, but eternity is forever.”
He then entered the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and he was baptized Catholic at Saint Peter’s in 1998. His wife, Geraldine, also became Catholic. Mr. Novak maintained that his conversion to Catholicism was the most profound aspect of his life; he recognized the legitimacy of the True Faith and believed the power of the Holy Spirit was revealed to him through the coincidences that led him to his conversion
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That college student did something wonderful that day in Syracuse. She spoke her faith and challenged a famous man without hesitation in order to save his soul. I was at a political breakfast recently where the speaker, a non-Catholic Christian and radio talk show host, began his talk with a question:
How many of you are not afraid to approach a stranger and begin talking religion and politics?
Perhaps three or four hands went up. He asked what was wrong with the rest of us. The two most important things in life, he said, are our relationship with God and how His will is carried out on Earth. We easily slide into conversations about sports, entertainment, the weather, work, whatever. But how many people have the courage to speak their convictions in order to save a soul.
Would you save a life if you could by convincing someone to stop smoking or abusing alcohol or eating food detrimental to a particular physical condition? Yes, I’m sure. But saving a soul?
Yet, that is what Jesus has charged us to do. We hear His ageless commandment echoed every week (or day) at the end of Mass: “Let us go forth to love and serve the Lord.”
