Does the Catholic Church Want to Convert Others?

[Bryan_Paul]

Many, many thanks and blessing to all who responded. A very special thanks to Genesis315 for the outstanding references. So much to think and pray on. You have all been gracious and edifying. I so appreciate being a small (broken) part of this great Church. God bless you all.

 

[outremer]

As a recent ‘revert’ to Catholicism, it seems that the Church, through the actions and words of the Pontiff, value all religions as valuable expressions of man’s quest to understand the meaning of existence. I don’t see much in the way of preaching Christ crucified on the world stage by our Pontiff. Is this considered indiscrete nowadays? Can anyone tell me if Catholics are still charged with sharing the Gospel and if so, why it is not an explicit mission of Christ’s Vicar on earth? Is that something that is being left to the foot soldier while the supreme leader appeals to diversity, tolerance, and 'I’m OK, you’re OK"? It seems that the Holy Father might wish to mention the name Jesus when making an address to interfaith folks or, say, to the world through the UN, leading his flock by example.

Not in the sense of converting believing members of “false religions” to the “true religion” of Catholicism. I don’t believe Christ was mentioned in the Pope’s address to the interfaith prayer service at the 9/11 memorial.

I believe he doesn’t want to intimidate members of other religions. Pope Francis is a good man.

 

[Here_For_Donuts]

I guess every situation is unique. For the Apostles, since nobody in the world knew the gospel, they had to go town to town and verbally preach. In a nation like medieval Italy (or America), where practically everyone is at least vaguely aware of who Jesus is, it’s probably more important to walk as He did, thus preaching by example like St. Francis, but at the same time always being prepared to give an account for one’s faith when asked.

There’s an episode where the Apostles found a common bond between the gospel and the pagans’ religion in Acts 17. The shrine to the “unknown god” is used as a starting point of discussion.

I suppose an important thing also is to advertise the fact that you’re Christian without being overbearing. Maybe it could be a simple act, like wearing a crucifix or something.

I’ve often imagined a future in which I’m baptized and living a Christian life. It seems terrifying yet exciting, especially regarding evangelization. My whole family is lapsed Catholics who abhor the Church, and since “a prophet hath no honor in his home,” I suppose I’m also terrified at the prospect of needing to witness the gospel to them. All things are possible with God, though.

 

[KCT]

St. Paul did not evangelize just by going into a town and being a really nice, holy guy. Neither did the apostles or the martyrs. These men got out and shouted the good news from rooftops. They preached it. If you try to live your faith just by being nice, then people are just going to think you are nice. Believe it or not, scripture does call for the conversion of sinners to faith in Jesus.

No one has ever walked up to me in the grocery store and said, “You seem nice. Tell me about Jesus.”

I hate to say it, but Catholics in general (not all of them) are not as good at speaking about and sharing the Faith as our Protestant brothers and sisters are. It’s something we need to learn from them.

St. Paul Street Evangelization does great work. Even if you’re not interested in street evangelization, they teach great evengelizing skills. If they’re holding workshops near you, go. I traveled over 2 hours to attend one and it was worth it.

 

[kkollwitz]

Where I live (Greenville SC), Catholics mos def evangelize others.

 

[bobballen_18]

To my knowledge, no one has used that quote from St. Francis, whether he actually said it or not, to claim that words have no value and that as long as we are acting like Christians we are okay. As far as I know, the quote has just been used to emphasize the importance of actions. To me, it has often been a reminder that sometimes, what we say is either not going to have any effect or is not going to mean much to others, if we are not also not living what we speak.

So the quote, regardless of who said it/if it was said at all, is (I believe) only emphasizing the importance of actions, not saying that we are not called to evangelize with words.

To the OP: Yes, the Catholic Church wants to convert non-Catholics (and Catholics who have not fully embraced the Catholic faith). As others have posted/hinted at, one of the primary purposes for the Church’s existence is for the evangelization of all people. Sometimes, it is hard to understand the words of the Holy Father (I’m speaking of myself here too…) and why he says what he does. And I think it’s okay to question what he means and what he is actually saying, as long as we are motivated simply by the desire for understanding and not some negative attitude. I would say to just remember, as I just mentioned, that one big reason (some would argue THE reason, and they are probably right at least in some sense) for the Church’s existence is for evangelization. It is up to each of us individually to discern, with the help of the Church and the graces we obtain through the Sacraments, how God is calling us to evangelize! We should always pray that our daily lives only serve to greater glorify God - very basically, if we are doing His will, then we are likely glorifying God and evangelizing as we are called to do.

 

[DebChris]

No one has ever walked up to me in the grocery store and said, “You seem nice. Tell me about Jesus.”

I hate to say it, but Catholics in general (not all of them) are not as good at speaking about and sharing the Faith as our Protestant brothers and sisters are. It’s something we need to learn from them.

St. Paul Street Evangelization does great work. Even if you’re not interested in street evangelization, they teach great evengelizing skills. If they’re holding workshops near you, go. I traveled over 2 hours to attend one and it was worth it.

To my knowledge, no one has used that quote from St. Francis, whether he actually said it or not, to claim that words have no value and that as long as we are acting like Christians we are okay. As far as I know, the quote has just been used to emphasize the importance of actions. To me, it has often been a reminder that sometimes, what we say is either not going to have any effect or is not going to mean much to others, if we are not also not living what we speak.

So the quote, regardless of who said it/if it was said at all, is (I believe) only emphasizing the importance of actions, not saying that we are not called to evangelize with words.

To the OP: Yes, the Catholic Church wants to convert non-Catholics (and Catholics who have not fully embraced the Catholic faith). As others have posted/hinted at, one of the primary purposes for the Church’s existence is for the evangelization of all people. Sometimes, it is hard to understand the words of the Holy Father (I’m speaking of myself here too…) and why he says what he does. And I think it’s okay to question what he means and what he is actually saying, as long as we are motivated simply by the desire for understanding and not some negative attitude. I would say to just remember, as I just mentioned, that one big reason (some would argue THE reason, and they are probably right at least in some sense) for the Church’s existence is for evangelization. It is up to each of us individually to discern, with the help of the Church and the graces we obtain through the Sacraments, how God is calling us to evangelize! We should always pray that our daily lives only serve to greater glorify God - very basically, if we are doing His will, then we are likely glorifying God and evangelizing as we are called to do.

A televangelist trying to make a point asked the question, “How many people have you brought to Christ?” My mother, still living at the time, said in her simple way, “at least six.”
Evangelization is not always done on the street corner. It does come first and foremost from how we live our lives. As my mother further explained, the people who asked her to sponsor them into the Catholic Church saw “how loving our family was.” We lived overseas at the time, so they were coming from completely outside the Christian Faith.
We do not always know what impact our lives have, and even St. Paul says that we are living epistles. Our lives bear witness to the Gospel before the first words uttered from our lips. Unlike my mother, I cannot claim any specific number who have come to Christ on my account. I do know that I am recognized as a Christian even by those who claim no faith. I have been approached, in a Muslim country and publicly asked for prayer. I could not help but think that the person asking had more faith than I did.
It may be that my only job in evangelization is sowing the seed by the life that I live, and it will be somebody else who will be the final person chosen to act as RCIA or Confirmation sponsor. In the final analysis, conversion of the heart belongs ultimately to God.

 

[djames99]

As a recent ‘revert’ to Catholicism, it seems that the Church, through the actions and words of the Pontiff, value all religions as valuable expressions of man’s quest to understand the meaning of existence. I don’t see much in the way of preaching Christ crucified on the world stage by our Pontiff. Is this considered indiscrete nowadays? Can anyone tell me if Catholics are still charged with sharing the Gospel and if so, why it is not an explicit mission of Christ’s Vicar on earth? Is that something that is being left to the foot soldier while the supreme leader appeals to diversity, tolerance, and 'I’m OK, you’re OK"? It seems that the Holy Father might wish to mention the name Jesus when making an address to interfaith folks or, say, to the world through the UN, leading his flock by example.

Absolutely. The conversion serves as the final redemption of the Cross, and was mandated by Christ himself.