Evangelizing to Catholics--Where to Begin?

[cradlecatholic]

My husband and I recently began attending an informal bible study at the home of fellow parishioners. These are folks who appeared to us to be in complete communion with the Catholic Church. After hearing some of their ideas on various subjects, we have since learned that many of their beliefs are contrary to what the Catholic Church teaches. Nonetheless, I’m sure they all consider themselves to be faithful Catholics.

So where does one begin to help such people understand what it really means to be a faithful Catholic? They do not hold to the inerrancy of Scripture or to the authority of the Church.

 

[j_arden]

I’ve found that asking questions is a good way to get people thinking about contradictions, such as being Catholic and thinking the Church isn’t authoritative. Without making any of your questions personal, i.e. making it seem that someone has to answer to you, and with kindness and charity, ask them how they square the Church’s claim to authority and the required obedience to that authority with their beliefs. They could very well be honestly ignorant of the nature of the Church’s claim to authority. There are many representatives of the Church, such as priests and religious, who openly teach that dissent from any doctrine is alright as long as one follows her/his conscience. Most of these people neglect teaching the corollary about the obligation to form one’s conscience. Charity demands that we give people the benefit of the doubt in such matters. Also, using official sources such as the Bible and Catechism makes it less likely that they will think you are making a personal attack. As St. Paul writes, speak the truth in love!

Also, maybe suggesting a study on the authority of the Church would be a good idea for the whole group.

• JP

 

[tru_dvotion]

cradlecatholic,

I do not have the answers for you. But I can lament with you! These people you speak of are the majority. In the past, sure there were dissenters and heretics. But we all knew who these people were. But these days it is not too easy to tell, there are heretics and dissenters next to us in the pews, they are readers, they teach Catechism, they are extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, they lead the RCIA, they belong to the Prayer group, they are members of the finance committee, they are even ordained ministers. These are our insufficiently converted Catholics.

However, I would hasten to add, many cradle Catholics fall into this same category. These cradle Catholics have been converted by their own inactive faith life, by Protestant televangelists, by popular media, by ecumenical gatherings and yes, by insufficiently converted Catholic converts. It is a case of the blind leading the blind to nowhere.

How do you evangelize them? I haven’t got a clue. Because you see… there are so many groups and lay movements in the Church at the present that would counteract your efforts to evangelize these people to come back into being Catholic rather than some type of hybrid that calls himself Catholic… that your effort could be quite fruitless. It would take a tremendous move of the Holy Spirit to bring back these people from having confession once a year to once a week, from looking to be entertained by the liturgy to deep spiritual Catholic awe and devotion, to shed the halleluiah feel good celebration in favor of embracing the cross and suffering, that no human being could possibly achieve this on his own. But If anybody has answers I would like to hear them too.

 

[cradlecatholic]

j_arden, thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely keep them in mind the next time I go to my bible study meeting.

tru_dvotion, thanks for the sympathy. It certaintly was somewhat shocking to learn these seemingly devout Catholics know so little of their faith. Until about 5 years ago, I was probably even worse off than they are. I am so grateful God has helped me realize the Truth. I’m beginning to feel the weight of this responsibility, however, when I look around and cannot find any other Catholics faithful to all the teachings of the Church. That is why I’m thankful for these forums.

 

[dhgray]

There is a whole Catholic ministry dedicated to Evangelizing Catholics called Couples for Christ.

{canned}
**What is Couples for Christ? **

Couples for Christ (CFC) is a movement intended for the renewal and strengthening of Christian family life. It is an association of Christian couples who have committed themselves to the Lord and to one another, so that they may grow into maturity as men and women of God and fulfill their primary vocation of raising up their families under the lordship of Jesus Christ and for the service of the Kingdom of God. Couples for Christ is a work of Christ which raises up Christian couples and establishes Christian families committed to the work of evangelization and winning the world for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It grows mainly through the establishment of localized units in different parishes.

**Is CFC recognized by the Catholic Church? **

Yes, CFC is a servant and lay arm of the Roman Catholic Church in the work of family renewal and evangelization, and has a number of bishops as its Spiritual Directors. The Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has granted Couples for Christ recognition as a PRIVATE ASSOCIATION OF THE LAY FAITHFUL in accordance to Canons 321-329 of the Code of Canon Law. Furthermore, CFC operates under the auspices of the Family Life and/or Evangelization Offices of parishes and dioceses throughout the world.

If you would like more information, please let me know.

 

[cradlecatholic]

dhgray:

There is a whole Catholic ministry dedicated to Evangelizing Catholics called Couples for Christ.

If you would like more information, please let me know.

Sounds very promising. I would definitely like more information. Thanks!

 

[Ray_Marshall]

tru_dvotion:

But these days it is not too easy to tell, there are heretics and dissenters next to us in the pews, they are readers, they teach Catechism, they are extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, they lead the RCIA, they belong to the Prayer group, they are members of the finance committee, they are even ordained ministers. These are our insufficiently converted Catholics.

Sad to say, this is very true.

**The Church today is full of “theologically and liturgically illiterate” Catholics. **

I have wondered for some time now, why there are so many former Protestants and even Jews taking the lead in apologetics and other apostolates in the Church today.

The reason is simple. They had to go through an RCIA course. And many of them were fully conversant with the Bible before they even took that course. They have been educated in the faith.

Most of us cradle Catholics have not been educated in the faith since we were teenagers. And most of that education is suspect in an era when “do your own thing” is the mantra.

I think the main reason that our Bishops are so slow in whipping us into shape is that to their horror, they have discovered that they forgot to educate us. They know that if they start preaching sin to adults for the first time in their lives, that they will lose half their congregations. This is part of the Bishops’ Purgatory.

I sense there is a move being made to correct the situation, but it will take a generation or two. And the Church will most likely be a lot smaller. And what there is of it will be mostly Hispanic in culture.

I heard Archbishop Flynn in the St. Paul Cathedral preach that latter comment on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe to a packed church of Hispanics a couple of years ago.

 

[tru_dvotion]

**The Church today is full of “theologically and liturgically illiterate” Catholics. **

I have wondered for some time now, why there are so many former Protestants and even Jews taking the lead in apologetics and other apostolates in the Church today.

The reason is simple. They had to go through an RCIA course. And many of them were fully conversant with the Bible before they even took that course. They have been educated in the faith.

Most of us cradle Catholics have not been educated in the faith since we were teenagers. And most of that education is suspect in an era when “do your own thing” is the mantra.

This is very true. When I was teaching the Grade 5 Catechism class, there was a young woman in her early twenties who was teaching the grade 7 class and preparing them for Confirmation. The odd thing about that was that she was just converted at the Easter Vigil a few months earlier from the Evangelical wing of the Lutheran Church. I used to wonder what Evangelical nonsense was she indoctrinating our youth with… for surely, 2 years of RCIA would not have rid her of all previously absorbed evangelical and Lutheran heresies. There are others, since all new converts tend to become active in parish activities, certainly a larger percentage than cradle Catholics. Hence, the majority of lay organizations on the grass roots level have been anything but Catholic in origin. I welcome the converts, but I wish they would sit back and learn a bit more before getting involved in active leadership in the parish. I cannot help to mourn all the disadvantages all this non-Catholic influence brings down on us. Luther must be laughing in his grave.

 

[Malachi4U]

Once a Catholic is out of High School his religious education from that time on usually ends and then begins to decay. Most protestants continue their education 1-2 times a week till they die.

Haveing a Catholic Bible study is good and at least a few Catholics are showing they wish to continue learning. In the Bible study you need a leader or someone who knows Scripture and Dogma/Tradition/ teachings so they can correct the faulty theological views with facts and references. You should also have a Catachisim course or at least on handy to rely on too.

 

[Chris_W]

I think most un-orthodox or ill-informed Catholics are so, not so much by intellectual decision, but by a true lack of understanding. Because of this lack of understanding they have been unable to defend (even internally) Catholic doctrine. Adopting protestant positions on various matters at least gives the person some sense of confidence of belief because they have perhaps had that position explaned to them (by protestant friends or other catholics) or perhaps that position sets better on the uninformed mind than the Catholic belief.

My point is, I think most Catholics (and Christians in general) are truely hungry for truth. I think they would love to be confident about what the Church teaches…they just lack the defenses they need.

I like the suggestion of asking leading questions. For example, you might ask, “How can we be sure we know the truth…with certainty?”. For this question there are only two possibilities, either we cannot know for certain (which contradicts the Bible), or the Church is infallible, because I assure you no one can explain how Sola Scriptura leads a person to a certainty of belief.

Fear not. Ask genuine questions without any hint of being condescending, and you will be surprised how responsive some people will be. The least threatening questions might be ones that give the Catholic position and the Protestant position, and then ask how we can know which one is correct.

Good luck. Warning: What you are entering into (apologetics) is addictive

 

[tru_dvotion]

Good points Chris,

There is one other thing. Most of us, Catholics, do not like to rock the boat. We tend to bend backward to find something conciliatory with people for fear of being wrong or for fear of appearing “uncharitable”. This label is used all too often and out of context. Who is your friend: The one who leaves you in error or the one who brings attention to it? Most people prefer the illusion of being right rather than to find out they are wrong.

 

[dhgray]

Couples for Christ works for Christian family renewal

CFC intends to carry out its work by focusing on three specific objectives:

Individual renewal. Before one can even consider the whole family, the husband and wife first need to renew their commitment to God. CFC takes the basic message of Christianity and proclaims it anew so that those who hear it can make a renewed commitment to God in a way which will allow them to receive a fuller experience of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Family renewal. As couples renew their commitment to God, they also renew their commitment to one another and to their Christian family life. Gradually, the new life that they find in the Lord filters down to all their family relationships.

Church renewal. As individual families are renewed, they form a network of equally committed Christian families which not only support one another but also strengthen the Church of which they are members.

www.couplesforchrist.us