A Night at the Crucifix — How to Talk with LDS Missionaries Without Losing the Heart of Christ

I recently lost a rich Facebook thread where we explored the heart of the Mormon (LDS) and Catholic faiths, especially the truth of Scripture. Since that conversation is gone, I’m bringing it here for my fellow Catholics, so we can learn, understand, and engage with love. You are invited as I need more devout Catholic: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577683963351

We may not agree on every doctrine, but if we both claim to love Jesus Christ above all, then we owe each other the courtesy of listening with open hearts. That conviction brings me back to a night years ago in Logan, Utah — a night I will never forget.

Sitting on the Grass with Two Missionaries

One evening at Utah State, I was walking toward my Catholic church when two young Mormon missionaries stopped me and asked why I was going in.
I don’t believe that’s standard LDS protocol, but I welcomed the conversation.

We sat down on the grass outside, and they quickly began their script on the “Apostasy of the Catholic Church.”
I smiled and replied: “We are all in apostasy — thank God Jesus saves us from ourselves.” Then I explained the Sacrament of Confession as Christ gave it to His Church.

They tried to circle back to their talking points, but I simply invited them to join me for a Bible study inside. To my surprise — they agreed.

In the Presence of the Word… and the Word Made Flesh

Inside, they met five friends from across the country — three of whom had entered the Church with me after a year of Scripture, study, and encountering Jesus in His Sacraments.

We read the coming Sunday’s Gospel and shared reflections. The missionaries kept flipping through their own books, missing much of what was unfolding.
When they quoted from their translation, a lifelong Catholic woman gently corrected them — not to shame them, but to reveal the fullness of the Word as preserved in the Church that compiled the Bible.

Then they asked to see the chapel. We entered quietly. Four candles lit the Altar, their glow falling on the life-sized Crucifix above it. The silence was thick, almost alive, and every eye was drawn to the Savior.

A Moment of Truth

Our Catholic leader asked softly:
“Who is Jesus’ brother in your faith?”

They hesitated, then answered on the third try: “Lucifer.”

With love and clarity, she responded: “Do you know how repulsive that is to a Christian?”

It was a hard, awkward moment. I felt for them. We spoke a bit longer outside before they left. I never saw them again.
But seeds had been planted — in their hearts and in mine.

My Invitation to LDS Friends — And to Catholics

Instead of circling the same old arguments, here’s my proposal:

Bring me one Scripture you cherish most from the Holy Bible.
Share how it is understood in LDS teaching, with references from your other books.
I will respond with the Catholic interpretation — the one handed down for 2,000 years by the same Church that preserved the Bible.
This is not about straw-man accusations like “you worship Mary” or “you pray to the dead.”
This is about the Word of God itself — unfiltered, unaltered, and interpreted in the light of the faith that Christ established.

I know this is not easy. If your faith has been your air since childhood, stepping outside it for even a moment can feel like suffocating. But freedom in Christ is not the loss of the good — it is the gain of the eternal.

For Catholics Reading This

My fellow Catholics — this is how we can engage with love, clarity, and truth. We do not mock, we do not belittle. We listen, we ask, we share. We know our own faith well enough to explain it clearly, and we invite others to see Christ in His fullness.

If we truly love Jesus, we have nothing to fear from the truth.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:32

Those two young missionaries had the courage to step inside that night.
Will we have the courage to invite, to explain, and to walk with them — even if it costs us something?

Because this is what it means to “deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow” (Luke 9:23).
It is to risk everything in order to gain everything — Christ Himself.

Those two young missionaries had the courage to step inside that night.
Will we have the courage to invite, to explain, and to walk with them — even if it costs us something?

Because this is what it means to “deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow” (Luke 9:23).
It is to risk everything in order to gain everything — Christ Himself.

If you’d like to see more conversations like this, visit my Facebook page: ttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577683963351