-
© intheskies – Fotolia.com Jesus Christ, the model par excellence of evangelization, turned over tables and called spiritual authorities “vipers”, but in regards to the world around Him he rebuked James and John, the sons of thunder, who asked Him if they should call down fire from Heaven to destroy a Samaritan village that rejected Jesus’ presence. For whatever reason, some people are not ready to receive the Gospel. Christ asks us to bring it to them, not to force, coerce, or destroy them.
- Knowing you do not convert people. That is not our vocation. We do not keep tally marks similar to days stayed in prison. There is but one Person that inspires others to convert and that is the Holy Spirit. With all my own efforts, it is amazing anyone converts. It is a miracle to think how many people convert despite the vast difficulties we Catholics show when misbehaving. The Holy Spirit converts, all we do is sow the Word of God, be a light, salt, and witness to the Power of God in our lives. We are called to evangelize.
- Prayer. More prayer and less planning.
- With God’s grace, cooperate with Him to become a canonizable saint.
- Listen so that you know which medicine to prescribe. I have seen it before. “Billy left his wife. Doesn’t he know marriage is until death do us part?” Of course it is and telling him like this will not do anything to help his situation. Rather, it is better to know what problems are in his marriage. What are his pains? There may also be Elizabeth who just had their third baby. Her energy is drained by raising these three kids all under four. In almost complete exhaustion, she tells her husband that she wants to go on the pill. “Elizabeth, contraception is a mortal sin and cannot be used as such for any reason.” will probably not help her situation. Her fear of another pregnancy and the responsibility this entails is driving her decision. Rather than condemning her action anathema, a better way may be to solve her problems so that contraception is not needed. Something as simple as giving a helping hand with the children while she goes grocery shopping may be all she needs.
- Encouraging good behavior is another simple way to evangelize. Say a good friend that struggles with pornography is seen at Mass after an absence of a few months. A little smile and encouragement will probably go much further than bringing up his faults again. He already knows porn is destroying his relationships, we need to offer him what true freedom and true love really looks like.
- Know your audience. This is very important. Some of those we encounter are lax and uncatechized Catholics, some are super and holy Protestants, some are virtuous atheists, and some are just plain apathetic. Each of these people are searching for love and happiness but are in different situations of life. Each have different questions that come from different perspectives and life experiences.
- Use words. I know we always hear to preach the Gospel and use words when necessary. I am not discounting good actions that put the Gospel in 3D. But words are important and mentioning Jesus and Mary in our daily conversations is important. We speak about our wife, kids, work, and friends. Jesus is our closest friend and He should enter into our conversations naturally just like other loved ones.
- Prestige. Some spiritual actions are better left unseen by others. You should not ring a bell or toot your own horn when dropping a few bucks in the collection basket. However, Scripture also mentions to let your good actions be seen by men so that they can give glory to God.
- God has placed us in this life and at this particular moment in history. The vast majority of our evangelization is going to be with people in our day-to-day lives. Therefore it is very important to build character and live virtuously. This takes practice and spiritual direction if possible.
Do you have any other tips for evangelizing?
5 thoughts on “10 Tips for Evangelization”
Great Tips, J.Q.! Good to see another FUS grad doing the work of the Kingdom. God Bless!
I guess I would add 1. to not give up hope for a person, even if he or she seems disinclined to ever convert, 2. make sure the Church is seen as a loving place – instead of a place with factious bickering, 3. offer up your sacrifices and/or Communions for a person’s conversion (a la St Therese), and 4. give visible signs of your faith. That is, I hope that when people see my relatively large family or the cross around my neck, hopefully I’m acting in a way that provides an example of the joy to be found in the Christian life.
Thanks for these tips because i really struggle with ways in which to evangelize. As a homeschooling mom, I feel like I’m not “out in the world” as much as others but it’s empowering to know I can still do my part.
I’d like to say something about your #8
We shouldn’t need to talk about Mary the mother of Jesus, She’s not special in any way other than she was chosen by God as the Virgin mother, and we especially shouldn’t direct our prayers to her, as she is dead and not alive like the Heavenly father or Jesus.
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:46-50
You cannot claim to love me and despise my mother! Our love for Jesus should also propel us to honor his mother. She was chosen by God to become the mother of His Son! That is no small privilege. If we truly believe in the resurrection, we would not simply say ‘SHE IS DEAD and not alive’. In any case, we know that she is alive with her son in heaven!
Pingback: Trackback