Do you leave your comfort zone to evangelize?

[Jesus1]

i used to have no patience w/ the arguments of protestants… However, i had to realize that old (St. Francis??) saying, “There but 4 the grace of God go I”… They have a veyr long history of being brainwashed…
if u aren’t already, i would suggest praying the rosary over your RCIA group… :knight2:

First of all, the idea of praying the Rosary over your RCIA group is excellent! One of the things that the Blessed Mother promised us that when we pray the Rosary, she defeats heresies. I have seen it at work in my own life.

There but 4 the grace of God go I is Biblical, I just don’t know where it is

When I first came back to the Catholic Faith, I got into Scott Hahns materials, the Bible, Gerry Mettatics, etc. I was listening to one of Gerry’s tapes, and he prayed the Rosary every morning, asking our Blessed Mother to please let him witness to someone. So, I joined the Renew group at our somewhat liberal Catholic Church. The facilitator was a bit, ahem, condenscending, but they let me stay (praise God!). So, I realized the women were hungry too, or wouldn’t be there. So, I would always say hi to them, make small talk, offer little practical advice on baby raising, etc. Then, during sharing time, (I love to read Tan’s books on the saints - excellent material for your spiritual and prayer life - I highly recommend them to everyone), I would include practical prayers the saints used, or Bible verses, whatever. The facilitator would at times say things to try to perhaps soften the effect of what I said, but I still remained positive, kind, friendly. While praying the Rosary one day, I was inspired to pause between verses, and I did, and felt like I got so much more out of it. So, I shared that next time. The facilitator started openly laughing at me, but the other women, over her laughing, started asking me really good questions, which I was able to answer. I started praying the Rosary in the mornings when I could, that God would give me a chance to witness to these women, and every time I prayed a Rosary, I met one of them at the store, wherever, and I would talk to them about God, and set up a time to go over the Bible with them. I was able to do that with about 3 of them over a period of a couple of weeks. I would invite them over, or they would have me over, and for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, go over verse after verse. You should have seen the gratitude in their eyes! Try it!

When you go to a restuarant, and the waiter raves and raves about how great a dish is, its the best, etc. what do you do? You order it! So, rave about how wonderful the Church is, in a non-threatening way, and how it has helped heal you, find love, etc. (give them cotton candy type things at first), and then soon they will be open to the more serious things later. Be excited! It’s contagious!

A woman that I talked to, had 2 daughters, and both went into the convent a couple of years ago. I asked her what she did to cause this? She said that everytime they went into a church, she always pointed out something beautiful about it. If the sermon was horrible, she pointed out the stained glass windows, etc. If what was going on at the altar was questionable, she pointed out the beautiful Tabernacle. Do you get the point? Do the same

Hope this helps. God bless you all

 

[Genesis315]

First of all, the idea of praying the Rosary over your RCIA group is excellent! One of the things that the Blessed Mother promised us that when we pray the Rosary, she defeats heresies. I have seen it at work in my own life.

Me too It’s a very typical experience. As St. Pius V said discussing St. Dominic spreading it:

“Christ’s faithful, inflamed by these prayers, began immediately to be changed into new men. The darkness of heresy began to be dispelled, and the light of the Catholic Faith to be revealed.”

That’s exactly what happened to me when I started praying it

 

[Jesus1]

Me too It’s a very typical experience. As St. Pius V said discussing St. Dominic spreading it:

“Christ’s faithful, inflamed by these prayers, began immediately to be changed into new men. The darkness of heresy began to be dispelled, and the light of the Catholic Faith to be revealed.”

That’s exactly what happened to me when I started praying it

Your quote by St. Pius V is right on. I had started praying the Rosary after hearing about Our Lady of Medjugorie, and how she asked that of us. So, I tried to pray one almost every day, even with a wee one that I was taking care of. Over a relatively short time, every couple of days, God would expose another heresy that I was believing so that I could get rid of it. The only way to express how I felt, is that every couple of days, God ripped another set of blinders off of my eyes. I couldn’t believe how many lies I was believing about God, things that I thought were truthful (but now I know they weren’t even Biblical!) I just kept falling more and more in love with the Bible and what God was doing in my life

The Catholic Church that I belong to now, really have a strong devotion to our Lady. I know that God sent me here to learn even more about what a wonderful Heavenly Mother she is to us. My 3 year old was having little accidents during the day, not making the restroom. I was getting a bit frustrated because of the cleanup, but then I remembered to say the Rosary for the specific intention, and withing about 2 days she was potty trained. Our Blessed Mother is truly amazing! Take all of your intentions to her! Just remember Jesus’ first public miracle, changing water into wine, only after our Lady told the waiters to listen to Jesus, because remember, He wasn’t going to help out at first. She still does that even now for us, her earthly children

God bless all of you

 

[Em_in_FL]

Catholic.com is a great place to discuss the faith, but do you ever venture out into other forums to defend the Catholic faith and to inform people with false notions about it?

Looking around the Internet, I have seen many public forums where the true teachings of the Catholic faith are not represented, and other religions impose their inaccurate views of Catholicism.

I spend a lot of time on “secular” forums… (I’m a mom, I like to talk about my kiddos )…

I LOVE pushing the limits… sharing my experience with NFP to those who really only know about contraception… sharing my family’s decision to try to be the best Catholics we can be… constantly sharing that we go to Mass every single weekend…

I feel very strongly about evangelization out in everyday secular forums…
I think it’s important to make Catholic ideas and beliefs known in the mainstream… and to share that it’s not HARD to be a good Catholic in today’s world. Yes, there’s some effort involved, but it’s certainly not impossible! I want to bring others to the faith… not by fear… but with ease…

 

[Teelynn]

Me too It’s a very typical experience. As St. Pius V said discussing St. Dominic spreading it:

“Christ’s faithful, inflamed by these prayers, began immediately to be changed into new men. The darkness of heresy began to be dispelled, and the light of the Catholic Faith to be revealed.”

That’s exactly what happened to me when I started praying it

I can certainly vouch for this myself. I started praying the rosary and trying very hard to dedicate myself to it after we had a very (what seemed at the time) horrendous and terrible family crisis. Miracle after miracle has taken place, much conversion and reconcilliation. There is still much to be done in this situation, but I can tell you for a fact…dedicating oneself to the rosary does indeed change lives…dramatically.:yup: Parts of my family and I are bit by bit also seeing the heresies very clearly. The Blessed Mother is truly amazing! The rosary is truly “THE WEAPON.”

Tee

 

[tamccrackine]

I’ve tried on a few forums I used to go to. I had to stop on one because they pretty much banned any religious speaking because Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics and anyone other than Christian would get their nose out of joint and accuse us Christians of “pushing our religion onto them” It got rather nuts at one point and I have to admit, I learned (term used loosely) that there is an actual religion called Christo-Pagan. I was informed that when I said by mere definition, how can that be…the two are polar opposites in both beliefs and practices, that I am just an idiot.

I next tried to help start Christian Moms Forum yet the main mod there quickly turned her vileness onto Mormons and Catholics. She is a very hateful person and her following on that board is very anti-Catholic. I’ve been asked many times to rejoin the board to help defend Catholicism, but what’s the point if I’m the only true Catholic on that site and all they do is bash me? Emotionally, I can’t handle it all.

There’s a few other forums I’ve spoken up on when Catholicism is addressed and it never ceases to amaze me how inaccurate people are when they try to talk about Catholicism. To include alot of Catholics. I do share the truth when I see it but this is the internet, so I can’t spend alot of time on the computer lest I forsake my true duties, kwim?

I also have a blog and that is a very obvious Catholic blog. I’ve gotten hate mail from some family members and friends because they hate that I’ve spoken against abortion. They think I’m pushing my morals onto them when I write that abortion is murder

And I don’t even want to get into a discussion of my holier than though, hateful, anti-Catholic sister in law. (My mother in law is anti-Catholic, though not hateful). To make a very long and painful story short, I have broken all contact with this woman because of what she’s tried to say and do regarding my religion and how it applies to my husband and kids. I’m not kidding when I say she has openly attacked Catholicism to my kids and have openly tried to tell them being Catholic is sinful and we’re going to hell. (And she wondered why I didn’t allow the kids to be in her wedding this past Feb )

But I’m a work in progress for God. I’ve got a big mouth, love to talk and/or argue, but I sometimes need to learn to shut up. kwim?

 

[distracted]

I next tried to help start Christian Moms Forum yet the main mod there quickly turned her vileness onto Mormons and Catholics.

I’m so glad i’m not the only one who is the victim of anti-Catholic hatred. I get persecuted @ every turn for my Catholic-ness… and sometimes get dis-heartened, take it too personally, etc… You are an inspiration…

i also have a blog and that is a very obvious Catholic blog.

Can you please show me how to make a Blog - I don’t know much about Blogs… Maybe you should even explain to me what they are?? I vaguely know & have been interested in starting one… (?).

And I don’t even want to get into a discussion of my holier than though, hateful, anti-Catholic sister in law.

I know what its like to have these kinds of people in my life. Of course, they are in my past becaue i refuse to deal with them. I had this one really close friend. We used 2 do everything together, got along great while i was calling myself “Christian”. When i learned about the Faith i was raised in (which she ws also raised in but fell away from), she not only ditched me (gradually…) but eventually got to the point of visciusly attacking me. once, while talking to her, i got the distinct impression i was dealing with a demon! I had never seen here (or anyone) act like this just because of the Catholic faith…

But I’m a work in progress for God. I’ve got a big mouth, love to talk and/or argue, but I sometimes need to learn to shut up. kwim?

You and i are a lot alike. I say: Someone’s got to have a “big mouth”…
Catholicize the World…

PS: u could PM me about blogging… unless others on this forum need the info too?? Most people are more computer-literate than i am… . Thanks & God bless…

 

[Brian_C]

I try at work to do so. I have a wayward Catholic, an Episcopalian, and a backwoods primitive black Baptist that I try to spread the faith to. Helping with RCIA was waay out of my comfort zone.

 

[smolderingwick]

I try at work to do so. I have a wayward Catholic, an Episcopalian, and a backwoods primitive black Baptist that I try to spread the faith to. Helping with RCIA was waay out of my comfort zone.

Going out of our comfort zones is the only way we will grow…
God bless you for doing that… and i am sure he will

 

[uncle_bob]

i used to have no patience w/ the arguments of protestants… However, i had to realize that old (St. Francis??) saying, “There but 4 the grace of God go I”… They have a veyr long history of being brainwashed…
if u aren’t already, i would suggest praying the rosary over your RCIA group… :knight2:

Maybe you have an even longer “history of being brainwashed”…

 

[Brian_C]

Let’s keep it charitable.

 

[Jesus1]

I spend a lot of time on “secular” forums… (I’m a mom, I like to talk about my kiddos )…

I LOVE pushing the limits… sharing my experience with NFP to those who really only know about contraception… sharing my family’s decision to try to be the best Catholics we can be… constantly sharing that we go to Mass every single weekend…

I feel very strongly about evangelization out in everyday secular forums…
I think it’s important to make Catholic ideas and beliefs known in the mainstream… and to share that it’s not HARD to be a good Catholic in today’s world. Yes, there’s some effort involved, but it’s certainly not impossible! I want to bring others to the faith… not by fear… but with ease…

I’m the same way about NFP, and the Rosary, Confession, etc. The more that I read about these subjects and listen to people like Scott & Kimberly Hahn, Fr. Corapi, etc., the more I feel as if I can participate more fully in these Sacraments and heavenly gifts. An example, at Mass, I learned to understand the Eucharist, but the rest of the Mass, I was going through motions, whatever every one else was doing. But as I read and studied more about our Mass and meanings of all of it, I appreciate every second of it so very much more. My point is that the more we know and get other respected Catholic’s insights into as many topics as possible, our ability to reach out to and evangelize more people increases since we can find more angles to teach them about the Catholic Faith. After studying several authors on how God brought them to NFP, plus my own experience, I feel that I have more of a convincing argument that makes people at least interested in what I am saying.
After feeling like I lived in darkness before, and the joy that I have today, I just want to make sure that everyone else has a chance to get to receive these blessings and joy into their own lives as well.
Give me a chance, and I always try to slip something Catholic into every conversation (yet I still haven’t figured out how to turn the topic of making pies into something Catholic yet - lol)