Ministry to apostates

Some verses of the New Testament seem to indicate that there is no hope for apostates: that a person who embraces the true faith and then turns away from it can never return.

Other verses, such as in today’s first reading (James 5:13-20), seem to indicate not only that there is hope, but that restoring apostates to the faith is a commendable ministry.

My brothers,
if anyone among you should stray from the truth
and someone bring him back,
he should know that whoever brings back a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.

This would be the subject of no little controversy in the early centuries of the Church, but it would eventually be understood that the Church needed to pursue a ministry of reconciliation for the truly contrite.

To be sure, the danger of unforgivable apostasy is real, especially if coupled with the sins of presumption or despair.

Ministry to apostates can also be risky: like a drowning swimmer who pulls down a would-be rescuer, the apostate can sometimes get a hold of the weaknesses and temptations of the would-be reconciler, to the ruin of both.

Yet we must never give up on our fallen away brothers and sisters. We must always pray for them, at the very least, that they may return to the fullness of the faith and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.