Though many Catholics would like to share their faith in Jesus with inactive Catholics and others, they are intimidated by what they imagine this means.
“Who me? I have no idea about how to evangelize or share my faith!” they might say. We need to know three simple things to begin.
First, we need to have a deepening personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pope Francis stated that “each one of us should take a bit of time and think: Jesus, you are within me. I want to encounter you each day. You are a person, not an idea. You are a companion on the journey, not a program. You are love that resolves so many problems. You are the starting point of evangelization. You, Jesus, are the source of joy.”
It’s difficult to invite inactive Catholics and others to meet Jesus in the Catholic Church if we don’t know him personally.
Second, 12 basic skills or abilities in sharing faith and evangelizing were identified by studies done by the late Susan Blum Gerding. Although we may have to stretch ourselves to learn some of these skills, others are built upon already existing abilities, strengths or spiritual gifts that we received at baptism and confirmation.
Third, we need one another to evangelize effectively. People are most effectively evangelized by an intentionally Christ-centered Catholic faith community. In such a community, many or all of these skills, abilities and charisms are held. “Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:4 – 5). The “common good” is that our whole world be evangelized to Jesus Christ.
The following exercise can help you surface or resurface your present skills and abilities. You will also come to know some of your weaknesses in sharing faith.
For your Lenten spiritual discipline or sacrifice this year, why not decide to learn and/or build brand–new skills and abilities for evangelizing others?
Individual Activity:
Place the letter representing your present skill or ability in the space before each number below:
A. No present ability
B. Low present ability
C. Moderate present ability
D. High present ability.
__ Ability to establish rapport, friendship and a hospitable and open climate for sharing my faith with others.
__ Ability to identify another person’s needs, problems, current spirituality and level of conversion or faith development.
__ Ability, through my lifestyle, to present a “silent witness” to my faith. In other words, I practice what I preach (or believe).
__ Ability, to verbalize what my faith in God means to me, and how it has changed or affected my life.
__ Ability to discuss with others the basic, central truths of the Gospel.
__ Ability to invite another person into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
__ Ability to pray with a person who is actually seeking a new or deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
__ Ability to provide such a person with immediate follow–up (i.e. referral to a priest, counselor, social worker or community agency, if needed).
__ Ability to invite, introduce, and include a person into my parish faith community (if he/she is not already a member).
__ Ability to introduce him/her to an appropriate small support group
(i.e. Bible study, prayer group, young adults, separated/divorced, etc., depending on his or her needs.)
__ Ability to peacefully and joyfully share my faith with others in the ways that I can, and not in the ways that I can’t – according to my present life and parish situation.
__ Ability to teach or train other Catholics in all the above behaviors.
Reflection Questions:
What two or three skills or abilities are my strongest ones? Why?
With what two skills or abilities do I most need to grow stronger? Why?
(Complete the sentence) By doing this exercise, I have realized that my skills or ability to share faith and evangelize are…
Small Group Exercise: Invite each person to share their responses to the questions/statements above. Just listen. Concluding question:
Where can we get help to learn and build new skills for sharing our faith and evangelizing inactive Catholics and others?
Author’s Note: Some material adapted from Susan Blum Gerding, Ed.D., Heart Evangelization: Building Bridges Between Proclamation and Justice.
- John J. Boucher, frequent contributor to The Catholic Free Press, is a Catholic evangelization consultant, co – author of Sharing the Faith That You Love: Four Simple Ways to Be Part of the New Evangelization, and a member of the Parish Renewal and Evangelization Committee of the Diocese of Worcester.