How can I evangelize when Japanese don't care and I have trouble believing that it's true?

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ethereality

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In today’s reading St. Paul talks about his evangelism efforts, becoming all things to all people. How can I evangelize the Japanese when they are apathetic and slothful regarding religion, perhaps even content with their lives, and nationalistic to the point of racistly thinking Christianity is ‘something for foreigners’? How can I do this, especially when I have tremendous difficulty believing that it’s actually true? (I think, deep down, I think Christian faith is probably incorrect, for the irrational reason that “reality should be different if a loving/wise Creator were in charge”, i.e. the problem of suffering + God not healing more often.)
 
It is impossible to convince others of that which we do not ourselves believe, as such efforts come across as insincere. Why would you want to pass along something that you think is incorrect?

Evangelization often falls on deaf ears. Sometimes all you can do is charitably put the information out there and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit. But if you have serious doubts yourself, perhaps your first priority is to address your own unbelief.

My parish priest once told me that when he delivers a homily, he preaches first to himself. Educating others is an exercise in futility if he doesn’t first seek to educate and edify his own soul.
 
I think Christianity is good for society even if there were no Creator God or afterlife. Without it, people seem more given to self-destructive behavior like porn addiction. (This is a rampant problem in Japan, even to the point of women getting groped in trains, and suicide from despair, and people not getting married or having children now.)

I’ve tried desperately to come to belief over the past few years, and it seems to me at this point that “I am unable to lift myself by my own bootstraps”, that I simply cannot believe that it’s true unless God gives me more grace. Of course I keep praying, but God keeps … well, keeping me in the same position of uncertainty. I believe enough to refrain from grave sin, but I don’t have confidence that it’s true. I lost that confidence when I thought God would heal me if I sincerely prayed for healing, and over the course of 1-2 years God didn’t heal me. I’ve kept praying for healing and it’s been more like five years now.
 
I will join my prayers to yours, so that you may be healed.

I, too, struggle with difficulties that I have prayed about for years and nevertheless continue to be afflicted with. I may complain about this 😛 but I have not stopped believing. It’s important to bear the trials of life with patience and optimism because we don’t want our impatience and pessimism to be what others understand as the fruits of our belief.

As challenging as that may be, I promise you that no one is drawn to the faith by those who are visibly unsettled, pessimistic and doubtful. Sometimes life is just so complicated that we can’t transmit our joy of believing to others, but that may simply mean we should concentrate our efforts on tending to our own needs instead.
 
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It seems to me to be odd to base your faith in God and Catholicism on whether or not God grants the healing you want, when God did not grant the relief His own Son requested in the Garden. It seems that God has a bigger picture than we do. Perhaps you would be a better witness to the Faith if you believed despite the fact that God has not granted your wish?

You seem to be putting God to the test: heal.me as I desire, or I will not believe in You. And yet you do not let go. Why is that? You keep yourself in a state of suspension between belief and disbelief.Surely God would have granted your desire if it were good for yo, but remember, His idea of what is good for you takes into account your immortal soul, your eternal life, not just your body and your life here on Earth.

I agree that you are not in a state to evangelize. In order to get there, you need to do something about yourself. Maybe learn more about God, read more about saints, esp those who suffered. Ask God to tell you things; He may tell you why He does not heal you. You seem focused on one single point, let go of that and start looking more widely around you at things outside yourself.
 
Isn’t this the 60,000 dollar question?
Perhaps instead of praying to be healed, pray to use the suffering of it for the conversion of sinners. Don’t forget the “Your will be done” in Our Father.

I don’t think they are content. There’s a ton of personal problems, super high suicide rates, etc. There’s a personal face and a public one.
Now, especially if you’re a foreigner, I don’t think most people would appreciate public evangelization, as they like to keep to their selves in general. So one needs to get to the root of the problem of the irreligiosity.

On that point, it’s simple, losing WW2 and having Japan reformed by America brought about a Westernization in most things but Christianity. Prior to this, Japan had never lost a war against another country, and when they would have, they were protected by the “kamikaze”. So it was crushing defeat. Now, most will still make temple visits, and still have a Buddhist funeral (shinto for life and Buddhism for death), but without much belief or understanding. Some may argue that belief is less important than action to them.

Modern disinterest is in direct contradiction to earlier evangelization efforts. I say it is because most of them are closed off to this sort of thing in a way.

I suppose if you could leave some pamphlets or something somewhere for those interested it could be helpful, things to read in private and ponder.
 
Jesus tells us to keep praying with the parable of the unjust judge, I think in Luke 18. That is one reason I haven’t given up. Another is that the suffering forces itself to the foreground so it is impossible to ignore. What am I supposed to do when I don’t understand and am suffering?
 
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When I first returned to the Church, I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries almost exclusively. I had also thought a lot about Jesus’s being born in a stable when my family was low on funds when our baby was born, which may have been a preparation.

Christ died on the Cross so that you could have eternal life in Heaven with Him. Whenever I feel pain, physical or psychological, I try to remember to offer it up, which I do like this: All for Thee dear Jesus, Who has suffered so much for me.

Offer up you pain for Jesus in reparation for sin: your own sin, sins of those whom you love, and maybe for the Japanese, among whom you are living now. There are also many saints who suffered a great deal, like St Teresa of Lisieux, who died of TB, St Maximilian Kolbe, who was first starved and then poisoned to make him die faster–he volunteered to replace a fellow-prisoner in Auschwitz who was among 10 condemned to death for the escape of other prisoners–or the 26 martyrs of Nagasaki, who were crucified by the Emperor, who had been led to believe they wanted to overthrow him.
 
ethereality said:
How can I do this, especially when I have tremendous difficulty believing that it’s actually true?
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Evangelization of others is best done by people who are reasonably strong in their own faith.
For someone who has doubts to be trying it is like someone who is still learning to run around a track being expected to not only run competitively around a track, but also leap hurdles on the way.
Or maybe like that warning you always get on airplanes: if the oxygen masks fall, put your own on before you try to help others with theirs.

I’d concentrate on just evangelizing yourself first.
 
What about connecting Catholic/Christian belief with some famous Japanese historical figures? Many of the popular ones from sengoku era were Christians or at least were not against it.
 
ethereality said:
How can I evangelize the Japanese when they are apathetic and slothful regarding religion,
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That sounds racist, not that I’m terribly PC.
Just have a look at what you said right there. An exercise in self-awareness. We need to be careful using negative adjectives to describe others because it will merely reflect our own negative mind-set.
I suggest you work on yourself for a lot longer before you try to evangelise to others.
 
Read what the Catechism says about spiritual sloth, aka acedia. I was
speaking technically, not casually.
 
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ethereality said:
In today’s reading St. Paul talks about his evangelism efforts, becoming all things to all people. How can I evangelize the Japanese when they are apathetic and slothful regarding religion, perhaps even content with their lives, and nationalistic to the point of racistly thinking Christianity is ‘something for foreigners’? How can I do this, especially when I have tremendous difficulty believing that it’s actually true? (I think, deep down, I think Christian faith is probably incorrect, for the irrational reason that “reality should be different if a loving/wise Creator were in charge”, i.e. the problem of suffering + God not healing more often.)
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while everyone IS called to share our Faith; we are not all called or equipped to do it in the same manner.

The MOST effective evangelization is living our Beautiful Catholic Faith fully and publically.

Learn your faith well enough to DO this; and trust the Holy Spirit to give you opportunities to Do more if that is HIS Will for YOU.

Pray very much; ending each prayer with THY will, NOT my will be done,

Patrick
 
Read the book “the believers authority”
Or a utube video

This will clearify
the Christian understanding
 
Hey ethereality, first off I know with your current problems it’s hard to believe but God LOVES YOU! So so so much. It took me such a long time to find out how much. Remember your faith is what heals you. You won’t ever be healed without it. You shouldn’t first look for healing. Look first for faith. Anyway our God is amazing daily recitation of the rosary has helped me so much to the point where I experience miracles almost daily. Just the other day I finished reciting my rosary went into the mall and then had to go back out to my car and I smelled the most glorious scent of roses that I can only attribute to either Saint Rose of Lima who I’ve been asking for intercession frequently or Our Lady. Both are known to create the rose smell when in their presence. I know this is not from the environment because it’s quite snowy where I live and there was no obvious reason for it. For everyone who struggles with their faith and believe me I do too sometimes… first pray for faith, recite the rosary… and read about miracles… like these for instance.

 
Thanks for the encouragement, but I find the webpage incredible, unverifiable, and containing exaggerations.
 
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