I'm looking for a quote

[Jenny_Z]

I’m in a discussion with a friend about witnessing to people, and I remember a certain quote, but can’t remember it exactly, or who said it. I thought it was Augustine or Thomas Aquinas, but I can’t find it.

It was the answer to a question about how to witness to people, and the answer was something like “By living the Gospel, and sometimes, you talk to them”, but that’s not even close to what it was… anyone have any idea? I love the quote, but I can’t remember it.

 

[cargau]

I’m in a discussion with a friend about witnessing to people, and I remember a certain quote, but can’t remember it exactly, or who said it. I thought it was Augustine or Thomas Aquinas, but I can’t find it.

It was the answer to a question about how to witness to people, and the answer was something like “By living the Gospel, and sometimes, you talk to them”, but that’s not even close to what it was… anyone have any idea? I love the quote, but I can’t remember it.

“Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words”… St Francis, I believe…

 

[Jenny_Z]

YES!!! That’s it, thank you so much

Wonderful quote.

 

[Joe_5859]

Although, there is some dispute as to whether or not St. Francis actually said these words.

It is a thought-provoking quote about our call to actually live our faith. But on the flip-side, we need to be careful not to use it as an excuse to shirk off our obligation to evangelize. We are called to explain and defend the faith with words, also.

Remember what Jesus did. He performed many healings and miracles, but he also preached the Sermon on the Mount.

Paul VI’s document on Evangelization gives us a good perspective. Section IV (paragraphs 40-48) are all about the methods of evangelization. The first thing he mentions (in para. 41) is the “witness of life”. I love the quote from that paragraph, which is similar to the above statement attributed to St. Francis:

Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.

However, he balances this out by making sure to mention (in para. 42):

Secondly, it is not superfluous to emphasize the importance and necessity of preaching. “And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?.. So faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ” [Rom 10:14, 17]. This law once laid down by the Apostle Paul maintains its full force today.

Preaching, the verbal proclamation of a message, is indeed always indispensable.

This is just my long, rambling way of saying that we need to both live our faith and talk about it.

 

[Jenny_Z]

Most definitely… our discussion centered around those certain denominations that go door-to-door, and are very in-your-face about evangelizing, and whether or not some of them are doing more harm than good.