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“I have resigned myself to the fact that there are some people in this life with whom I will never be reconciled.” I was 22 and a second-year seminarian when an older friend said this to me, and I was shocked. How could a faithful man, one who had taught me a great deal about Christian faith and life, be willing to give up hope? Didn’t Paul tell us that in Christ we have been given “the ministry of reconciliation” and that we are called to be “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:16ff)? My friend’s comment became a sign to me of the dangers of accommodation.