CBB Interview With Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble

PETE: The new evangelization is really about evangelizing the de-christianised. With that realization how can your new book The Prodigal You Love: Inviting Loved Ones Back to Church help?

SR. THERESA NOBLE: Evangelizing a culture that is bored of Jesus is really difficult. Evangelizing friends and family who are bored of Jesus, or hostile to him, is even more difficult.

When I first entered the convent, I worked in the Pauline Books and Media center in St. Louis. I noticed that there were a lot of books coming out about the New Evangelization. Excellent books. But most of them did not address the difficulties in evangelizing those nearest to us. I believe that reaching out to the people closest to us is key in bringing people back to the Church.

We all know, at the very least, one person who has left the Church. But I think we sometimes hope that someone else will reach out to them. We just can’t count on strangers to evangelize our friends and families. We need to be part of the evangelizing work in our Church, beginning with the people who are most difficult to evangelize, those who know us best.

Evangelizing the people who know our foibles, our sins and our hypocrisies is extremely difficult. But this is exactly why we need to engage in this work. When we allow God to transform us into effective evangelizers, we become holy. So a call to evangelization is a call to holiness. And a call to evangelize those closest to us? That is really a call to intense sanctification. I hope that The Prodigal You Love will help those who are willing to engage in this journey of sanctification and reaching out to their loved ones.

PETE: How much did your journey back to the church play a part in the writing of this book?

SR. THERESA NOBLE: I can’t really imagine what kind of person I would be if I had not left the Church, become an atheist and then returned. But I think it is unlikely that I would have written this book.

When I was growing up and difficult things would happen, my mom always used to tell me: “Make lemonade out of lemons.” Well, God has the best lemonade stand ever. He brings good from the bitterest of experiences. He enters our hells, takes us by the hand and leads us out. And then, because he is the best Father ever, he gives us a ring, the finest of robes and throws a party (Lk 15:22). God can make our lives better than they would have been had we not made the mistakes we made. I think my book is an example of that. From the darkness of my choices, God brought light not only for me but, I pray, for others as well.

PETE: One point you make in the book that I would like to discuss is that everyone has free will. Even though a person may be very “into” their faith they must be careful in that they do not force the faith onto others. This approach in effect turns people away. What pointers can you give to people to avoid this?

SR. THERESA NOBLE: I dedicate an entire chapter of The Prodigal You Love to this idea of respecting the free will of our loved ones because I think it is a very key concept to understand in order to effectively evangelize the people we love. God allowed sin and evil to enter the world in order to give us the ability to choose between good and evil. This is how much he respects and values our free will. We are called to imitate God’s unconditional, respectful love when we extend invitations to others to return to the Church. Saint John Paul II described this approach in Mission of the Redeemer, “The Church proposes, she imposes nothing.”

However, I would add that there are actually two extremes in the area of disrespect of free will. The first one that we have been talking about is obvious and this happens when people interact with loved ones in a way that is manipulative, forceful or aggressive. But the other extreme is not as obvious. I call it the policy of non-engagement. This happens when we never mention the faith to our loved ones or invite them to come back to the Church. This behavior is also lacking in respect for our loved ones’ free will. The people we love deserve to hear the Gospel message. If we do not share it with them, (or reshare it with them), who will? I actually think that in general more people fall into this latter category, often out of fear that they will be interfering or manipulative. But it is not manipulative to share our faith with others, as long as we do so in a way that is respectful.

PETE: So let’s get this straight. You were away from the church, an atheist, returned, became a nun, and now have written a book helping people bring others back to the Church. That’s a pretty amazing chain of events. Can you share with us how that all transpired?

SR. THERESA NOBLE: I rejected God and became an atheist when I was fourteen. My parents were devastated but they continued to nurture a relationship with me and show me unconditional love. Through my parents’ love I believe that I never really lost sight of God’s love because their love was rooted in his.

I stayed away from religion and God for many years. Then, in college and in the years after, I began to explore different spiritualities. I never explicitly believed in God but I was investigating, searching. Slowly over time, God gave me the grace to be open to know him again. Then, in one Damascus-like moment in Costa Rica I came to believe that God existed, that he was a person, that he loved me, and that he had a plan for my life.

I tell my story at the beginning of my book, but I do this not just to present an amazing conversion story. I tell my story because it is a story that can be repeated. Yes, it is amazing that I, a former atheist, am now a nun. But now close your eyes and imagine your loved ones who are away from the Church. My story can be their story, not in the exact details necessarily but certainly in the abundant grace.

PETE: A question unrelated to the book. I have two teenage daughters. What advice might you have for them and other teen girls when it comes to discerning their vocation?

SR. THERESA NOBLE: To be honest I sometimes have a tough time answering these questions because when I was a teenager, religious life was the last thing on my mind. So, firstly, if you are a teenager who is open to religious life, that is truly a gift from God, something to be thankful for in a culture that opposes everything religious life is about.

Secondly, I say this often to discerners because it is what I needed to hear: Relax and focus on letting God introduce himself to you. This is all we really need to do in discernment. Because through getting to know God we come to know ourselves, we come to trust his plan for us and we find the grace to accept his invitation.

PETE: Time for my signature ending question. This is a blog about books. What books are currently on your bookshelf to read?

SR. THERESA NOBLE: I have a few books on my current to-read list. This year I have resolved to read more, so this is just the beginning.

Here’s a picture of my future reading material: