Catholic Evangelization: Leading Others to Christ
Most Catholics get really nervous when the topic of Catholic evangelization pops up. And I can’t say I blame them. After all, what vision comes to mind when we think of evangelization? For me, it’s the street preachers I passed in college yelling out, “If you died tonight, do you know for sure you’d go to Heaven?” I also tend to think of the door-to-door evangelists from the Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon sects. And immediately my mind says, “That’s just not me. I can’t do that.”
Some Catholics look at people like Father Robert Barron and Matthew Kelly and assume that those are the “special” people that God equips and calls to evangelization. Not us. We’re just average Joe (or Janet).
And besides, we could never push our faith onto someone else, right? It would make us seem intolerant at best, and arrogant at worst.
And what if we’re challenged? What if people start to argue against what we believe? Most Catholics just don’t feel they know their faith well enough to stand up for it. They aren’t comfortable with evangelization and they aren’t equipped to do it. And so . . . an entire generation becomes increasingly secular, embraces more and more evil, and discovers less and less happiness.
But what if I told you that Catholic evangelization is easier than you think it is? In fact, what if I told you that it really isn’t anything like we picture evangelization to be? And what’s more, it’s much more natural and comfortable to us? Let’s take a look at what it really means to evangelize.
1. Be a Witness
First of all – and this is an absolute requirement – you have to have a real relationship with God. Nobody who sees being Catholic as being a member of a social club is going to be effective at evangelization. In fact, if this is the way you see your faith then YOU are in need of evangelization. The Catholic faith is all about having a relationship with God through Jesus and living as members of God’s family. Then we need to live that relationship in our EVERYDAY lives. If we do that, we will display for the world to see the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that Saint Paul promises in his letter to the Galatians (
2. Build Relationships with the People God Has Placed in Your Life.
Take an authentic interest in the people around you. Be a good friend to your acquaintances and co-workers. Love your family and your friends. Pour yourself out for others in love. When people recognize the fruits of the Spirit in you, and they come to see you as someone they can approach and talk to and trust and share with – you have the recipe for evangelization. Sooner or later (and for many of us very often) the subject of your faith will come up. Notice that in these first two stages you are not talking about your faith at all. But if you’re truly living a relationship with God, others will notice. The subject of religion or faith or suffering or “how do you stay so happy” will come up. And then it’s time to . . . .
3. Give a reason for your Hope
Saint Peter tells us in 1 Peter 13:15 that we should “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” When people come up to you and start asking questions about life, about what makes you different, or about God directly, this is your opportunity to evangelize! You’re not being pushy or arrogant, either. Hey – they’re asking you!
Now, in order to be ready for this final step in the evangelization “process,” you need to know your faith. Questions will come up. Challenges may come up. You really need to know how to answer. After all, if you don’t know your faith how are you living it? OK, now before you start to complain that you DON’T know your faith and that was your reason for being uncomfortable evangelizing in the first place, I need to dispel a myth that is everywhere in the Catholic Church. That myth says that you only had one chance to learn your faith – before Confirmation – and you blew it. Learning our faith is something that we should ALL be doing ALL the time! It’s not an activity reserved for theologians or for those really radical Christians. It’s something we ALL need to be doing. Let’s put it this way. At what point do spouses stop learning about each other? The answer is never – if they want a healthy marriage that lasts. So why would we think our relationship with God is any different? Keep getting to know Him. Study your faith. No more excuses. OK?
Well, there you have it. Live a relationship with Jesus. Care about people. Be ready to answer their questions about faith. That’s really all there is to it!
Oh – and I nearly forgot one really crucial element – FOOD! For some reason, food is always part of evangelization with Catholics. Take people out to lunch or out for a coffee (or a beer) and see how much more natural talking about God is!
Catholic Evangelization Is a Necessity!
But the bottom line is that evangelization is not an optional activity reserved only for the few people who are really good at it. Jesus gave His command to the entire Church – go out and preach the Gospel. We don’t have to stand on street corners or go pounding on doors. But we do have to live as witnesses to a real relationship with Jesus, and we do have to prepare ourselves to give a reason for our hope!
But you know what? We really don’t need a command to force us to do this. Think about a time that you fell in love. Did you need any urging to talk to people about the object of your love? Did you need a command to introduce your beloved to the people around you or to talk about your relationship? No – in fact, you may have needed a command to shut you up! We naturally want to share our love with others. When our hearts are enflamed with passion, we don’t need any more urging. So if our hearts are really aflame with love for Jesus, the fact that we are “commanded” to spread the Gospel should take back seat to our desire to share our love with others.
Now, don’t get me wrong here. If you do this, some people will think that you are intolerant and arrogant. The dominant philosophy in our culture is modernism – the belief that nobody can really know objective truth because it’s always colored by our experience and biases. These are the people who say things like, “well, that may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” Modernists assume that anyone who claims to know what is true is either arrogant or deluded or both. But don’t let our culture cower you! If you are living a real relationship with God and are truly experiencing the Gifts of the Spirit, you don’t just know the truth, you have a personal relationship with He who is Truth! Be bold in your trust of that truth. Share the joy. Evangelize!
Bonus Tip
Of course, it’s probably not just a matter of deciding to evangelize and then going out and doing it. The best way to grow in any area of Catholic spirituality is to develop virtues. Make a plan. Start small. Stick with it and slowly grow.
If you’d like help growing in the habit of Catholic evangelization or any of the other spiritual virtues that make up the “lay rule of life,” I encourage you to take your next step by considering the offer below to get more involved with From the Abbey. Learn your faith with online classes or grow in the spiritual virtues with an online spirituality program. Take your next step today!
Brought to you by Jeffrey S. Arrowood at From the Abbey, dedicated to helping you rediscover the JOY of learning and living your faith so you can grow in intimacy with God.