Afraid to evangelise?

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kleine_katerine

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During a recent Q&A session with my parish priest a couple of weeks back he made a point that Catholics (at least in our area) are afraid to defend or promote their faith. He said they rarely participate in things like bible study groups etc. with Christians from other denominations as they fear being asked questions they don’t know the answers to. I think this is a shame, since the Holy See has issued very easy-to-understand answers to many of the common queries from non-Catholics.

I saw what he said as an oppurtunity to grow and have since been researching the various anti-Catholic arguments online and trying to find answers. I have no intention of going out to argue and try to convert people, but I thought, “what’s the harm in having the answers ready if someone asks?”

Do Catholics in your area suffer from this fear too?

God bless,

Katherine
 
absolutely.

I was at Father John Corapi’s Conference in Buffalo last week (section 324 2nd row) and I was talking to people and they were scared to go talk to the people on the other side of the street. (evangelicals that were screaming at us) So anyway, people were upset because they came outside for fresh air and people who don’t accept christ yet were yelling at us: ONLY JESUS CAN SAVE YOU, NOT HIS MOTHER. So I said to the catholics around. Lets all do an attitude check.

We love Jesus yes we do we love Jesus, how about you? We love Jesus yes we do we love Jesus, how about you? We love Jesus yes we do we love Jesus, how about you?

At an other break, I was talking to someone from Ottawa, and I said, <<you know what would be a great way to evangelize? to go inside the churches of protestants and go to bible “study” If the minister is wrong about something you tell him straight out with quotes from the Bible. It works. People notice that you’re catholic and that you know the Bible.>>

But then someone beside us said <<yeah it would be great but that would be scary, what if they would react like those anti-catholics screaming at us outside?>>

so I said <<Didn’t you hear Father Corapi? He said “the Holy Spirit not a timid spirit”!
You teach them with patience like it says in 2nd timothy 2: 22-26, and if that still doesn’t calm them down then wipe the dust off your feet, try and get peoples’ emails and phone numbers that want to know more and try in an other faith community.>>

I actually did that a few times at my uncle’s church. Until someone was insulted that I refuse to participate in sacrareligious communions. (not to mention one of the leader’s driving was terrible.)
 
I too was at the Fr. Corapi conference in Buffalo last weekend( FL8 Row 49 Seat10).
At the breaks, my 3 friends & I went across the street to talk to the evangelicals and we weren’t the only Catholics doing that. The guy with the bull horn would not talk, listen,or engage with anyone. He just kept shouting anti-Catholic slogans. I think he didn’t know enough to back up his slogans. But the other 6 - 8 evangelicals with him were engaged with Catholics discussing scripture, etc. Other Catholics were much calmer and better at it than I so I didn’t interupt. We prayed for them all. I just wish I could evangelize calmly instead of getting excited and worked up. I need to practice that. I have a bad habit of yelling back when yelled at…as if the loudest one wins!
It really was a good learning experience, inside and outside the arena.
I, and maybe other Catholics, could use a good, practical class in evangelization.
 
I was scared I would have been like Corapi and be very impatient and say I don’t have time to argue and then try to tell them the truth, not discuss. It would have drowned the seed if you know what I mean.

Anyway, if you listen to WLOF 101.7 fm they’re playing weekly wisdom right now.
 
lynnareyno said:
I just wish I could evangelize calmly instead of getting excited and worked up. I need to practice that. I have a bad habit of yelling back when yelled at…as if the loudest one wins!
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If Fr. Corapi ever comes across the pond and does a talk or two over here I am cerrtainly going to go. Watched him on EWTN a few times and learned a lot from what he said.

I have to say I get a fraction…enthusiastic too. Annoys me, so can’t imagine how other people must find it. I was talking to a baptist friend of mine recently about communion (she was explaining how it works at their church and vice versa). I asked her if she thought the bread and wine were merely symbols of Christ. She, of course, said yes. So I got a little too excited and started quoting passages at her (I was even trying to be calm…but it didn’t work). Poor thing. I manage to stop myself before I got too pushy thank God but I think it overwhelmed her a bit. Although it was sweet, a few minutes later I caught her looking through her copy of the New Testament for passages to refute what I’d said. She found none by the way.

If Catholics were less scared of what other people think/say and more prepared to at least give it a go then parishes would probably invest more time in teaching people where their faith comes from. At some point I think we all take it for granted. I only started attending Mass in April and I know at time’s I’ve done that.

Oh well, just have to keep studying myself and praying hard for the strength and wisdom to share it all when asked.

God bless,

Katherine
 
Yea, Its good your on fire for God!
kleine_katerine said:
If Fr. Corapi ever comes across the pond and does a talk or two over here I am cerrtainly going to go. Watched him on EWTN a few times and learned a lot from what he said.

I have to say I get a fraction…enthusiastic too. Annoys me, so can’t imagine how other people must find it. I was talking to a baptist friend of mine recently about communion (she was explaining how it works at their church and vice versa). I asked her if she thought the bread and wine were merely symbols of Christ. She, of course, said yes. So I got a little too excited and started quoting passages at her (I was even trying to be calm…but it didn’t work). Poor thing. I manage to stop myself before I got too pushy thank God but I think it overwhelmed her a bit. Although it was sweet, a few minutes later I caught her looking through her copy of the New Testament for passages to refute what I’d said. She found none by the way.

If Catholics were less scared of what other people think/say and more prepared to at least give it a go then parishes would probably invest more time in teaching people where their faith comes from. At some point I think we all take it for granted. I only started attending Mass in April and I know at time’s I’ve done that.

Oh well, just have to keep studying myself and praying hard for the strength and wisdom to share it all when asked.

God bless,

Katherine
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I am not afraid to evangelise, and will talk and discuss anything anywhere ---- except my family!! They dont want to know and I have given up trying in conversaton, as such. My way is Pray, and Pray again. Also if I am missing when they call and ask where have I been I tell them. Mass, Confession, ect. I do not get a reaction, but I feel they “hear " my example!
Every now and then they slip up and reveal something, and I say " thank you Jesus”!
I love Fr. Corapi also!
Just wondering if anyone else, has my problem and how do they deal with it?
On one hand I am told to leave them alone, on the other we are encouraged to evangelise, so it becomes a fine line?
God Bless 🙂 :confused:
 
I have a way to evangelize that is new. Evangelize through online gaming. I made a group for all catholic steam gamers to join. Best of all if we get enough people in the group, we’ll have our own forum here on Catholic Answers. click on my signature to join the group. I’m thinking of doing a fund raiser to get a server going for team speak also. One channel could be for weekly wisdom from Father John Corapi and and other could be for Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. We could maybe have our own theology on mic. (get it? instead of tap it’s microphone) It’s like the Alpha course except no meal and it’s by microphone.

Anyway, I too have this dilemma, some people in my family are content in going to church on Sundays. It saddens me because Jesus is trying to tell them through their guardian angels that He is saying: “You say you want to spend all of eternity with me and you just give me one hour?” Some don’t even give that. I have never even heard of Eucharistic adoration until I was in 10th grade. I didn’t even know what the Catechism of the catholic church was about. Now that I do, I can’t help talking about it. But most times, my siblings and one of my uncles tell me to hush up. I continue talking about how awesome the Church is regardless of what they think, they don’t have to listen if they don’t want to. I have honestly thought of giving my family some pamphlets about EWTN and Salt & Light television.
 
“do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2: 15. Know the Bible, God’s word to us when you talk to other people.
May God Bless
newbear:manvspc:
 
when I first started wandering the streets looking for the poor the beaten the broken and the damed to tell them the good news I was scared and awkward. I’ve told the good news to at least 90 people 3 of them converted 2 were led back to there faith and 1 interested enough to read the bible for himself (a devout satanist who listened to me talk about jesus for an hour and a half) and all of that is not becuse of me but the holy spirit working through me. It is only the holy spirit that converts the heart of man.
 
May God Bless you and keep you in the palm of His hand. Your work is wonderful and you are carrying out His work as He intended, in deeds and actions - not just talking about it.
I shall pray for endless success in your work.

God Bless you. 🙂
 
I have a close friend who is anti-Catholic, but thinks she’s in the true Church; I’d love to share what Catholicism really is (the distinction between honoring Mary and worshiping God), and to ask her where exactly does she think the RC’s got off track. Where is the scholarly historical evidence. Once she said something about Constantine. She does love Jesus, but I pray He will help her see her predjudice and show her the Truth through His Holy Scripture. She gets kind of emotional.

I have several protestant friends and want to be able to talk with them and stretch my apologetic legs, but it seems the opportunity never comes up. Maybe I have to work on an approach. Of course, the Holy Spirit will provide; I just need to be ready.

Happy evangelizing!

Mimi
 
jpk1313 said:
when I first started wandering the streets looking for the poor the beaten the broken and the damed to tell them the good news I was scared and awkward. I’ve told the good news to at least 90 people 3 of them converted 2 were led back to there faith and 1 interested enough to read the bible for himself (a devout satanist who listened to me talk about jesus for an hour and a half) and all of that is not becuse of me but the holy spirit working through me. It is only the holy spirit that converts the heart of man.
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When you go up to people what do you say? I know that I have lots and lots to learn before I could ever effectively do this, but how do you go about it? In my town everyone’s very middle class and conservative. Street preachers are discreetly scoffed at and ignored and the majority of people handing out leaflets are disregarded as lunatics. I don’t care if people think I’m nuts (I’m kinda eccentric anyway) but if they assume that of you before you even open your mouth, how can you get them to listen?
 
I dont do very well in public evangelization, however I am a lot better in one on one situations. I would start there. And with people I consider friends or aquiantences. Your more likly to have a respectful conversation and not have to deal with numerous objections coming from more than one person when speaking to someone. NEVER aim to convert someone or even get them to agree with your points. Just be glad that God has given you an oppurtunity to give the Catholic point of view which is hardly the case. I always have on hand a pamphlet to give away to someone so they can read it alone. (I suggest the Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth) by Catholic Answers. These are like little spirtual hand grenades that can be very effecive. Also listen more than you talk. If you want to grow in evangelization you must be a good listener and scratch were your audience itches. Most important, be very humble and leave any sense of self-importance at home. You will be looked at in a not so kind light, and maybe even by some you will appear lost yourself. Take comfort in knowing that being a soldier of Chrst is not easy, but it is our suffering that unites us to our Jesus.
 
I also subscribe to the one on one apostolate, it is more effective and more lasting. I’ve noticed people are more cowardly in a crowd but more likely to face their issues in a one on one dealing. And again of course always pray first for the people as well as offer up a little sacrifice for them:thumbsup:
 
I love to talk about my faith with anyone and everyone. My problem is that I know the answers I just cant articulate very well. And in my experience, when you are in a conversation with someone with a very good knowledge of the bible, you better know it too. As well as why, we as Catholics do what we do…in and out!! Ive been stuck several times. I just couldnt site my sources 🙂
 
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