… I’m 66 years old and I figured out when I was 11 that every Catholic was supposed to be an evangelist. I did not get the support in 12 years of Catholic school to turn me into one. Looking back, I would have assumed that in Catholic schools, all the students should have been trained for all the various church ministries like being a lector, extraordinary Eucharistic minister, etc. I’m not sure that anyone graduating from a Catholic high school is any more prepared for that today than 50 years ago.
What also I don’t hear, is that we each need to do is to support the missions in the U.S. and around the world.
I see a conflict with this idea that we’re all supposed to be evangelists and the wisdom of Paul in 1 Co that we each have different spiritual gifts. I don’t think it has been established that we all have the gift or charism for evangelization.
Aside from street evangelization or proselytizing. you’d think there’d be traveling Catholic evangelists to have crusades (a la Billy Graham) in cities across country. You know what I mean, Maynard? specialists who can handle a group of curious people and pull people into the Church.
Sirach raises a couple of very important points.
Firstly Flame and Jim, the main problem is that the Church isn’t with you at all. Sirach knew as an 11 year old, and I’ve also known since I was young, that it is the Church that has to evangelise, with you as part of it.
Secondly the Catholic religion being out-and-out individualistic, rejects Paul’s teachings on spiritual gifts. In the real teachings of Christ, it is the Church that is supposed to evangelise, heal, teach and so on with each of us as part of it, whether we pray, line up chairs, put a pound in the collection, or whatever.
Because the Church can’t manifest any common life, any care by members to enlighten and develop each other, it has no Gospel to offer the needy of heart. A rare voice like Pope Francis has to watch what he says in these surroundings.
There are pitifully few and pitifully tiny Catholic evangelising ministries. They get zero Church support (as opposed to the prayers and small contributions of a handful of stalwarts). I’ve seen the official Church stance switch from active sabotage to out-and-out opposition to evangelisation.
Lastly Flame and Jim, in case God is in spite of all these factors helping you spread Good News (because He can make something grow out of nothing just like the frankincense tree grows out of stones), remember that the momentary reaction you get isn’t the most important thing. Think of all the seeds you have sown. It’s not about winning arguments or manipulating people into coming to your church any time soon. Even if you fluffed and bungled it, people may remember that someone cared, someone believed, enough to take the risk of looking stupid.
The needy of heart have seen amply that there is no belief, no grace, no gifts, only despair. They don’t exactly need the Church to just show them more of that.
