Should I be spreading the gospel? Confused

[James1990]

Hi guys… Im one who has little faith. Further… I still have many doubts about the church and the catholic religion as a whole. I can believe with strong conviction that God exists but does he exist as per the catholic church? That part I still have my doubts. However, I want to choose to trust in Jesus and the catholic interpretation (the sacraments… etc.)

In this state of faith… I feel that by integrity. I should not be spreading the gospel or sharing about Jesus at this stage. Why? Because I feel that it is not right for me to be sharing and trying to convert others to the faith if I myself don’t think for sure that it is right. I’m only placing my hopes and trust in it. Notice the difference?

This leaves me in a conundrum. I feel that by wanting to trust and hope in the church yet at the same time not knowing for sure, I feel that I am left with practicing my catholic faith only personally and not reaching out to others. But this conflicts with the church teaching that we are to go and evangelize.

But how can I bring myself to evangelize if I myself am not sure of it? I mean I would hate for someone to tell me something that they think is good for me or to try out something without actually confirming and having 100% believe in it in the first place.

I see there are two things I should be doing…

1. Finding out about the truth of the church with 100% certainty and spreading it then.

Ive been doing this for 1 year plus but there is little decisive evidence? Even then… the evidence is good enough for me to want to trust in it myself but not for me to spread it to others… Like I feel theres a 99% chance of it being right for example… while if i were to actually spread the gospel I would have to say to people that i was 100% sure of it before it would be an effective message. Because in the community i live in… I feel that if i am unable to share with 100% conviction they will not be stirred. (Like say… I told them hey I have very good reason… I am 99% sure of something of Jesus and I told them this… they would tune off…No conclusive proof = its just my opinion and bias = any religion could be right.)

But through integrity I know that I am not 100% sure and thus find it hard to do this. Further… after 1 year of searching I still am not 100% so I have doubts if I ever will get to 100%

1. Just living the faith as a personal one.

Thanks for reading! I know its wordy. Your thoughts?

 

[Blue_Rose]

Take some time to look into your own faith. Are there courses or faith development programs on offer at you parish or nearby that you could join?
Even joining in with RCIA meetings is great because when I went through RCIA other Catholics joined just for something to do but found out more about the faith than they knew and their relationship with God expanded and grew deeper. They said it was a great thing for them.
Or perhaps you could talk to a Catholic about how you feel such as a priest or Spiritual director? Or someone who knows the faith well and is devout perhaps.

If you doubt the faith it’s not a good thing to evangelise because you will get people question you with tough questions and you might not be able to answer them or it could cause you further doubts.

Work on your own faith first! It will be rewarding. Prayer is the best thing and stay away from reading/ Listening to or partaking in anything against the faith because it could cause you further doubts.

Catholic Answers is a good place to start! It’s helped me.

All the best to you.

 

[RedFox0456]

I would suggest trying to open your heart to God. I don’t know if there is an easy way, but no amount of study is going to give you a definitive answer here. In my own case, I had to get pretty desperate before I could honestly pray to God and tell Him that I really truly needed His help. There is a certain sort of Truth that can be given without words, and you are able to see things through a new lens.

But to your initial question - I wouldn’t worry about spreading the gospel in terms of preaching to people. Do try, though, to be a living example of the gospel to the people in your life. Be honest if people press you for your thoughts on a matter - if you aren’t sure just tell them. Honesty is better than a forced answer.

 

[catholicscot]

Living your faith is never just a personal thing. It is your relationship with God and should shine out of everything you do. If you don’t feel able to evangelise with words then evangelise by the way you live your life. This should lead people to notice that you are full of joy, at peace and compassionate. If they ask you why you are like that tell them about those aspects of the faith that make you joyful, serene and loving.

 

[Brendan_64]

Hi guys… Im one who has little faith. Further… I still have many doubts about the church and the catholic religion as a whole. I can believe with strong conviction that God exists but does he exist as per the catholic church? That part I still have my doubts. However, I want to choose to trust in Jesus and the catholic interpretation (the sacraments… etc.)

The fact that you are willing to put your doubts aside and trust in the Church, despite your doubts, is in itself a testament of strong faith on your part.

We all have doubts, but we should all strive to humbly obey and accept the Church’s authority above our own flawed understanding. We should of course strive to overcome our doubts, but even Apostles such as Thomas had doubts, and he had the benefit of the visible presence of the risen Lord to help him overcome.

Blessed are those who believe, but cannot see. You doubt, you cannot see, yet you believe despite your doubts.

In a world full of doubt, I would say that a person like yourself, who believes and trusts despite personal doubts, is an ideal person to evangelise.

There are many ways to evangelise, but one of the most important is to evangelise through how we behave and deal with others as this will be a direct result of our faith.

Trust in God, accept the authority of His Church, and listen. You will be fine. Go ahead, strive to live the Gospel, show others through the example of how you live and gently let it be known that you live like this because you believe in Christ.

Shoving religion down the throats of others does not work, particularly in a world where doubt and scepticism are the norm.