Laymen Evangelisation

[BrunoMaria]

If we engage in laymen-evangelization, which we in fact are called to, we often meet problems and I wonder how you handle this.
I for instance - as so often, had a little conversation with a woman I casually met in a spa. When I mentioned that I and all believing Christians overcome strokes of fait - (like the dying of our son etc) by and with belief only, she outed herself as absolute disbeliever who can’t other but mock about “the silliness of belief”.

Actually it doesn’t matter how we or they or language rules call disbelievers. If atheists, gnostics, or 20 more labels. Who cares. All in common they simply refuse to believe in God. This women told me: "…it’s a laugh to believe in "the Dear God with that big bushy beard and Angels with Swan-wings, and the “terrible virgin birth of Christ without sex and all the fuss made about Mary and the lot. Why do you believe all this rubbish??? Just because Church and Bible says so?!”

No, I said, I do believe, because so often in my life plainly felt it’s truth and so do all real believers. I wouldn’t see any sense in life if I had no believe in God. And yes, the virgin birth is a plain reality and we do adore Holy Mary, because God honors Her and She is the Virgin Mother of God’s begotten Son Jesus Christ. This I told her literally as translated here. Then there where a lot of words to and fro, and she insisted on her empty mind and finally declaired “THE NATURE” as “her and all really thinking people’s force behind all, they believe in”. She insisted, that there is a professor of physics, who launched a lecture all invited priests where terribly surprised at it’s deep logic that proves the human-made concept of God that will dissolve by nearer investigation.
Well, after a while I gave up, telling her that I feel very sorry about the emptiness of suchlike views, and I invited her for another talk in 50 years - “in heaven” (probably she condemned herself before such dialogue can take place.

It really turns out in most cases of that kind, that we feel a certain wrath within these disblievers. A rage, concealed by a superficial superiority of belief and believers. A turmoil in the mind of these people. Yes, actually a fight and war among demons going on - a fear of being defeated when this person turns back to God’s truth - which actually the soul of this person does know same as the demons know, for they say and see God - this human though, left God. OK - we could simply say “Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain” - but it’s not plain stupidity, for there is a force behind it, and their victims fell for it. Not really lamentable victims, for they voluntarily fell. God does offer enough aid to enter His way versus all of enemies temptations. But these people even fight it fiercely and mock Chris wherever they can. They fell for a dark force mentioned.

It really is very often with very many refusers of God so very useless, that I really often gave up - according to Jesus’ words in Mt 10,14, to let them go and have their nice life here, for it’s their last time in their imaginary happiness.

I must admit, the religious talk yesterday in the spa to this woman, which was just one out of countless similar talks about belief with disbelievers I had in my life, cost me pounds of nerves and make me sick :-(((

How do you manage suchlike situations?
Christ odered all of us to engage in Laymen-Evangelisation - we can’t leave that to clerics only - as disbelievers never hear nor listen to clerics.

Yours
Bruno

 

[Michael_Mayo]

There is still something good going on with such people. They are seeking truth that they can believe in. It is simply not in their power to believe as you do. They have no choice in it right now. What they need is an encounter and our joy should attract them.

It would be good for you to read Evangelii Guadium which is all about evangelization.

I never tire of repeating those words of Benedict XVI which take us to the very heart of the Gospel: “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction”.

vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.pdf

 

[BrunoMaria]

They definitely do refuse believe in Jesus Christ on purpose. Another thing would be if they simply don’t know. But they do know - even Gnostics do, who claim “I just don’t know”. In the West nobody is able to announce he doesn’t know a thing about Jesus Christ - unless he’s completely nuts.
Disbelievers hardly ever are as stupid as being unaware of the Gospel. Since all our Western hemisphere and civilization is founded on Christianity (because clerics only could read and write and teach), there is hardly a person as uneducated to be completely unaware of Jesus Christ and His doctrine.
Yes, I too know a lot of disbelievers of all persuasions (who doesn’t?) and they all refuse to believe in the one and only God, who revealed Himself personally in many ways from speaking to Abraham, Moses and the Prophets, up to Christ speaking to people like you and me; finally founding His Church on St. Peter.
Try to define the difference between to “refuse to believe” and “just simply don’t believe”. There is none.
An example:
I simply don’t believe there is another world like ours there in space (because God did His act of salvation just once) - and I do refuse to believe this “many worlds theory” - in spite of many scientists arguing contrary to my conviction. Absolutely same thing.

Take celebrated atheists like Nietzsche, Lenin and a long list of more. Their refusing to believe in God was such an aggressive refusal, that at least these two ended up in insanity and madness. These atheists never even seeked God, but simply refused God, which all of today’s mockers of God do too. Simply look into disbelievers forums and see yourself.

What will all these disbelievers do, when all they fought they finally see to be true after all?!

Yours
Bruno
a very similar topic can be found here:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=11472618#post11472618

 

[christofirst]

There is a vast difference between “knowing about” and “believing in”, and the difference is faith. How can YOU possibly know that THEY are simply refusing to believe? Are you a mind-reader? Do you really think that such a prejudiced opinion of non-believers could actually ever help any of them to come to know and embrace the Faith?

You have been blessed with the gift of faith, and you are cooperating with that blessing. Rejoice, thank God, and let others see the reason for your joy. Your invitation and your loving example will lead others to the Faith. In my experience, accusations and confrontations are liable to drive people away.

It is my great hope that when non-believers come to see the truth of the Faith, when whatever obstacles preventing them from accepting this grace are finally removed, that they will then believe! Whether this happens during life or at the moment of death, so long as it happens, that is what is important to me. We are called to be God’s instruments, as it were, in making this happen.

 

[christofirst]

Bruno,
Maybe I was too harsh with my last post. The tone of your posts just struck me as angry and defensive, and I responded in kind. For all I know, maybe some people will react well to an aggressive style of evangelization. It is just not my style. God bless you and your good efforts to spread the Faith!
Chris

 

[Michael_Mayo]

They definitely do refuse believe in Jesus Christ on purpose.

From their perspective trying to believe in a “God with that big bushy beard and Angels with Swan-wings” is just like trying to believe in The Hindu God Ganesha.

They see no reason to believe in either.
I do not know about you, but I have no choice. I simply cannot believe in such a god.

Of course they usually refer to the most “manlike” images of God, as if belief in God requires a “big bushy beard”.

Most that I know pride themselves in being rational, believing only what evidence suggests.
Where we differ is in what we accept as evidence and how we interpret it.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

On the lips of the catechist the first proclamation must ring out over and over: “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.” This first proclamation is called “first” not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things. It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment. (164 EG)

All this demands on the part of the evangelizer certain attitudes which foster openness to the message: approachability, readiness for dialogue, patience, a warmth and welcome which is non-judgmental. (165)

Let us remember:

approachability,
readiness for dialogue,
patience,
a warmth and welcome which is non-judgmental

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Taking the first step, being involved and supportive, bearing fruit and rejoicing
24.
The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast. Such a community has an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of its own experience of the power of the Father’s infinite mercy. Let us try a little harder to take the first step and to become involved. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. The Lord gets involved and he involves his own, as he kneels to wash their feet. He tells his disciples: “You will be blessed if you do this” (Jn 13:17). **An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others. Evangelizers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice. **An evangelizing community is also supportive, standing by people at every step of the way, no matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be. It is familiar with patient expectation and apostolic endurance. Evangelization consists mostly of patience and disregard for constraints of time. Faithful to the Lord’s gift, it also bears fruit. An evangelizing community is always concerned with fruit, because the Lord wants her to be fruitful. It cares for the grain and does not grow impatient at the weeds. The sower, when he sees weeds sprouting among the grain does not grumble or overreact. He or she finds a way to let the word take flesh in a particular situation and bear fruits of new life, however imperfect or incomplete these may appear. The disciple is ready to put his or her whole life on the line, even to accepting martyrdom, in bearing witness to Jesus Christ, yet the goal is not to make enemies but to see God’s word accepted and its capacity for liberation and renewal revealed. Finally an evangelizing community is filled with joy; it knows how to rejoice always. It celebrates every small victory, every step forward in the work of evangelization. Evangelization with joy becomes beauty in the liturgy, as part of our daily concern to spread goodness. The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of the liturgy, which is both a celebration of the task of evangelization and the source of her renewed self-giving.

 

[ccmcmg]

I’ve been very blessed when I’ve shared the Love of God, the Truth of the Faith and more.

I don’t evangelize to each and every person I meet, at least not by words. Sometimes one or two sentences telling of our faith or belief is all that we are all that we are called to do, and then to behave as God’s children. I have shared the joy of the Lord in bars, casinos, airplanes, bookstores, churches, and more…do I do it with each and every person I meet or see in those places? Nope. Don’t ‘force’ the feeling.

It’s not our job to convert them or save them; that’s God’s job. It’s ours to share the joy of it, and the truth of it. That’s what kept my uncle safe while living among people very hostile to Christianity, let alone ‘missionaries’ like him, for many, many years, and even after many of the Muslims converted.

 

[BrunoMaria]

How can YOU possibly know that THEY are simply refusing to believe? Are you a mind-reader?

Because they clearly say so.

For all I know, maybe some people will react well to an aggressive style of evangelization. It is just not my style.

Good, for we are to evangelize in love and never aggressive. Still, when they blaspheme God, The Holy Spirit and Holy Mary, then we’d better stop all efforts, as it leads them to refuse God in an angry way, which I very often experienced.

When not only the mentioned woman, but others too in private talks told me, that they refuse to believe in this “Dar God with that big bushy beard and Angels with Swan-wings”, I told them, that nowhere in the Bible we are told suchlike thing. On the contrary, we are told not to make any image of God in 2Mose 20,4 and no living Person has ever seen God. Though Jesus said: He who saw Me, has seen the Father. The humble efforts to depict God, arise of our wish to ho have a vague idea, but in fact has nothing really to do with God. In some paintings the Holy Trinity is imaged as three absolutely identical young persons.
But mostly suchlike talks end up by our counterparts breakup like “oh it’s all made up rubbish” - again; hardline atheists indeed refuse to believe. And when in spite of all our approachability, readiness for dialogue, patience loving mission leads the addresses disbeliever to blaspheme, then it’s time to change theme, not to make them swear at our account.

I don’t evangelize to each and every person I meet, at least not by words.

Nobody does - nor even the Pope or even Peter and Paul did.

It’s not our job to convert them or save them; that’s God’s job

Remember Mk 16,15 - which isn’t meant just for clergy.
To give sample would however be great. But in today’s world we don’t keep meeting same persons. Mostly we see people very “short-ranged”. Not as in the old days, as most met every day and all saw how everybody lived in everyday life. So our “mission” if at all we accept it, is mostly confined on just a few words we exchange to people we otherwise very rarely see - or people we never saw before and hardly will see ever again.
Let me give you an example (before in near next time I’ll be unable to look in here):
In diverse clubs and associations I frequently go, all the ame in other surroundings, when getting into conversation, I casually mention how very important believe is. I’d mention, that all that helped me survive my 4 strokes and 3 heart-attacks, was prayers. I mention, that to overcome the murdering of my son was solemn believe only.
OK - some find this stupid and silly and plain imagination of an old man. With some though, this little seed fell on not all that stony ground and might bring forth a new plant of belief - even if it sprouts only a long time after.

Yours
Bruno

 

[ccmcmg]

Remember Mk 16,15 - which isn’t meant just for clergy.
To give sample would however be great. But in today’s world we don’t keep meeting same persons. Mostly we see people very “short-ranged”. Not as in the old days, as most met every day and all saw how everybody lived in everyday life. So our “mission” if at all we accept it, is mostly confined on just a few words we exchange to people we otherwise very rarely see - or people we never saw before and hardly will see ever again.

Yours
Bruno

Hi Bruno,

Better that those ‘few words’ are of love than to drive them away. I pray that the people I’ve met and witnessed to remember me some day. I might be the one who made them think just a bit more about it; maybe that will bring them to Christ today, tomorrow, or in the future; I don’t have to have a debate or convince them I’m right. It might be a 2 minute, 2 hour, 20 year encounter with someone. We are so used to getting answers right this second, that it’s hard to accept that we won’t get immediate results, and may never even know the results. I’d rather crack that door open, than to slam it shut.

God bless you for sharing!