Talking about faith to strangers?

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**Well, of course it’s great, when you become a priest and we all hope it works out the way you hope it will.
What’s of course of high importance, is as we are told on many places of the Bible; humility (Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honour.

As we all know, there where in history priests of much superior grade in the eye of God that several popes who where not elected. Remember the Holy Priest of Ars and others. St. Paul wasn’t even priest but the prince spiritual of Christianity.

It’s great, that you had success in Christian talk and addressing people. I myself had just today to suffer an ill success and great flop, when a guy mailed me, that he doesn’t want to hear more of this stuff; he sticks to all Gods in all religions as a “one in all religion”. It was all in vain.
Well we have to experience such thing quite often, to learn to do better next time. I just wrote to him:
No problem and no bad feelings at all. We’ll anyhow meet again in the face of Jesus Christ one day – but you’re very welcome for any further question.

Let’s NEVER GIVE UP – and sometimes overcome ourselves.
**
 
William_II said:
As crazy as it sounds, I’d like to convert all of the Earth to Catholicism one day. If I were ever elected Pope, this would be my goal.
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Pope Benedict believes that everyone is called to be Catholic, so this would be his goal as well 🙂
God, who desires to call all peoples to himself in Christ and to communicate to them the fullness of his revelation and love (Dominus Iesus)
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it’s God’s intention to reunite the world in the one and only Church Jesus established
 
**I have several friends who are severely ill. Two of them with he heart, and they often think to die next minutes; some of them (among them the twin brother of my wife and the wife of my brother and several friends) with cancer, knowing they won’t be with us too much longer.
My 55 years old nephew took up his work again in a constructing firm, even though he has to go undergo “chemo” every so long.

The brother of my wife solved the problem by ignoring his illness, even though he had two operations and quite a few chemo-treatments - and be bought a new sailing boat and now sails on the Lake Constance. They all pray and trust in God. Some of them use their to others well known malady (I red this word first time now in my dict.) as a start to talk about God to others. No, they do not accuse God. The heart patient, whenever he has a heart attach that makes him convinced he will die today or next minutes, he prays: Dear God – if I die now, please let me come to you; not my but Your will be done. (match the Lords Prayer in this forum
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=260342&goto=newpost

And besides: We do not know, if this very healthy young person we spoke to the other day, will die before us, which means – will see God before us. And: There is do death, for who believes in God will live, even when he dies.

So, we might well ask those who doubt: “But what when it’s true after all?” We can’t present believe – not even Jesus Christ did (thought He could). Everyone living on this earth must believe himself, or else he will see when it’s too late. He couldn’t prove his alleged non-existence of God either. (My mail address:

Krippenfiguren at t-online.de
**
 
William_II said:
This thread puts forth a compelling and important topic.
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but why then have we literally lost the thread?
No further posting ever since 18th of August 08
It really happens every day, that some of us get involved in a disput about religion, and at night in bed they think - oh, why didn’t I say…
 
*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

Thank you for sharing this thread! I can tell that you are very passionate about Jesus Christ and have endured so much unbelievable pain yet still testify. You are a surely a true and unique witness. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary bless and keep you!!

One thought that I had is that: it important to realize that lack of interest in Catholicism is due not only to people’s personal will but also due to bondage of the evil one. While we should talk, sometimes a more potent weapon is prayer. My priest also says that we can witness best by our lives. As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words.” Mother Teresa was surely an excellent example of Catholic witness that is far above me. Given that lack of interest in Catholicism can be due to spiritual warfare/bondage, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary has the most enmity with the serpent, maybe we would do good to listen to the words of St. Dominic and St. Louis Mary de Montfort on talking about faith to strangers as they promoted the Rosary (St. Dominic, Blessed Alan Roche, and St. Louis Mary de Montfort) and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (St. Louis Mary de Montfort and St. Maximilian Maria) as the most powerful way of converting heretics and sinners - I hope to post more on this later.
bpbasilphx"Perhaps it is because of you that the good name of God is blasphemed among unbelievers"
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It is important for us to be as personally holy as possible in order to witness, but it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary that works through us - through our own weakness, so we should not let our own limitations stop us. A most wonderful means of holiness, followed by St. Louis Mary de Montfort, His Holiness Pope John Paul II, St. Therese of Liseux, and St. Maximilian Maria is True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin montfort.org.uk/Writings/TrueDev.html
. It causes:
Excerpt: 6. Transformation into the likeness of Jesus ** If Mary, the Tree of Life, is well cultivated in our soul by fidelity to this devotion, she will in due time bring forth her fruit, which is none other than Jesus. I have seen many devout souls searching for Jesus in one way or another, and so often whey they have worked hard throughout the night, all they can say is, “Despite our having worked all night, we have caught nothing.”(Luke 5:5)** To them we can say, “You have worked hard and gained little:”(Hag. 1:6) Jesus can only be recognized faintly in you." But if we follow the immaculate path of Mary, living the devotion that I teach, we will always work in daylight, we will work in a holy place, and we will work but little. There is no darkness in Mary, not even the slightest shadow since there was never any sin in her. She is a holy place, a holy of holies, in which saints are formed and moulded.
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**219. ** Please not that I say that saints are moulded in Mary. There is a vast difference between carving a statue by blows of hammer and chisel and making a statue by using a mould. Sculptors and statue-makers work hard and need plenty of time to make statues by the first method. But the second method does not involve much work and takes very little time. St. Augustine speaking to our Blessed Lady says, “You are worthy to be called the mould of God.” Mary is a mould capable of forming people into the image of the God-man. Anyone who is cast into this divine mould is quickly shaped and mouled into Jesus and Jesus into him. At little cost and in a short time he will become Christ-like since he is cast into the very same mould that fashioned a God-man.
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**220. ** I think I can very well compare to sculptors some spiritual directors and devout persons who wish to produce Jesus in themselves and in others by methods other than this. Many of them rely on their own skill, ingenuity and art, and chip away endlessly with mallet and chisel at hard stone or badly-prepared wood, in an effort to produce a likeness of our Lord. At times, they do not manage to produce a recognisable likeness either because they lack knowledge and experience of the person of Jesus or because a clumsy stroke has spoiled the whole work. But those who accept this little known secret of grace which I offer them can rightly be compared to smelters and moulders who have discovered the beautiful mould of Mary where Jesus was so divinely and so naturally formed.
They do not rely on their own skill but on the perfection of the mould. They cast and lose themselves in Mary where they become true models of her Son.
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Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *
 
*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.
**221. ** You may think this is a beautiful and convincing comparison. But how many understand it? I would like you, my dear friend, to understand it. But remember that only molten and liquified substances may be poured into a mould. That means that you must crush and melt down the old Adam in you if you wish to acquire the likeness of the new Adam in Mary.
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KingAlfredMy faith has become somewhat of a stumbling block in my efforts to be sociable. Most of my coworkers routinely talk about stuff I find unbecoming, and can’t comment on. So, I gradually drift away, and find myself limited to rigid cordiality. In time, this earns me the reputation of being anti-social. It’s frustrating, but I can’t lower myself to mean gossip or childish antics.
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It is also important for us to make as many friends as possible. Our faith should not get in the way of that. The Sacred Heart of Jesus had friends: obviously, his first miracle was at a wedding. St. Teresa of Avila, one of the 3 woman Doctors of the Church, was extraordinarily popular. It is from her that I read some of the funniest jokes within Catholicism. St. Teresa of Avila - she was praying while using the little nun’s room, and a devil appeared to her, mocking her for choosing to pray while on the can. Her reply? What comes from my mouth is for God, what comes from the other end is for you, devil… or another St. Teresa of Avila - Sometimes she couldn’t help complaining to her closest Friend about the hostility and gossip that surrounded her. “When Jesus told her,” Teresa, that’s how I treat my friends" Teresa responded, “No wonder you have so few friends.” But since Christ has so few friends, she felt they should be good ones. And that’s why she decided to reform her Carmelite order. catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=208. And St. Teresa of Avila is no small Catholic figure. From her reformed Carmelite order came St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Liseux, the patron saint of missionaries who never became a missionary herself because of her illness that caused her to die at age 24 and to say “I have reached the point of not being able to suffer any more, because all suffering is sweet to me.” She was also devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary according to True Devotion to Mary Mother Teresa named herself after St. Therese of Liseux, from the original name of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. So she is no small saint, despite her “little way”!!

And St. Therese of Liseux’s example also makes me think: The Sacred Heart of Jesus said, “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” So…sometimes I wonder, is Mother Teresa a fulfillment of the truth that the Sacred Heart of Jesus spoke. For example, did St. Francis of Assisi, who left his rich house for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, receive this promise “in this age” through the many hospitals, churches, schools, and even city: San Francisco, named after him? And the Immaculate Heart of Mary, she surely has schools, hospitals, churches, Maryland, and Mexico. As Octavio Paz, Mexican thinker, writer and Nobel Prize recipient said, *“When Mexicans no longer believe in anything, they will still hold fast to their belief in two things: the National Lottery and the Virgin of Guadalupe. In this I think they will do well. For both have been known to work, even for those of us who believe in nothing.”

Bruno Shultz, do you think it is wise to pepper one’s conversations with the jokes that the saints, the Pope, and the bishops make in order to present the message?? I hope to send out an email today to my friends, with witness of Catholicism, but not all of them are Catholic - most are not, and a select minority, could take some offense to Catholicism. I was thinking about interspersing my account of my life happenings with funny quotes by the saints such as His Holiness Pope John Paul II who said, “It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope.” or Bishop Fulton Sheen, “Hearing nuns confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” I didn’t even read about the last one from a Catholic source, my gmail popped it up for me!

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. **
 
“Don’t we too often think the reality of God - our faith - is not a theme to openly discuss with anyone? Kind of “too private and anyway once own opinion”?”

My problem is that although Christ is my whole life, my Christololgy is so esoteric, it doesn’t fit neatly into any identifiable, denominational tradition. For example – and this is just one of many – I sharply distinguish the period of the Incarnation from that of the Post-Incarnation. Accordingly, I distinguish the life, times, teachings and meaning of Christ’s death from the teachings and experiences of the Post-Easter Church. So…it’s best for me to remain silent, but try my best to set a good example on a daily basis.
 
AveSantaMaria said:
Bruno Shultz, do you think it is wise to pepper one’s conversations with the jokes that the saints, the Pope, and the bishops make in order to present the message?? I hope to send out an email today to my friends, with witness of Catholicism, but not all of them are Catholic - most are not, and a select minority, could take some offense to Catholicism. I was thinking about interspersing my account of my life happenings with funny quotes by the saints such as His Holiness Pope John Paul II who said, “It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope.” or Bishop Fulton Sheen, “Hearing nuns confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” I didn’t even read about the last one from a Catholic source, my gmail popped it up for me!Bruno is probably sleeping about now. Since he uses humor, and since the Lord has given us a sense of humor (and certainly has one Himself), I think it is entirely appropriate to show the human side of evangelization and theological matters. Many of the greatest orators in history peppered their speeches with humor, if only to maintain the interest of their audience. Jesus must have laughed when he gazed upon the motley crew of Apostles that he had to work with, knowing that the Father had given Him a real challenge. Just know your audience first and tailor your words to suit them.

Christ’s peace.
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**It’s very consequential what pro18guy said. If the lord had no humour, He had not given us the sense of humour, and surely Jesus had humour too. Without, life would be dull and we couldn’t laugh. No animal knows laughing, which is part of our soul.

Of course there’s a dirty, filthy, ugly kind of laughing; when it’s lacks love, then it hurts. Take the laughing about Christianity or the misfortune of somebody. Here gloating replaces humour.

Definitely it’s wise to pepper one’s conversations with the jokes that the saints, the Pope, and the bishops make in order to present the message, as long as our joking doesn’t ridicule anything holy, nor any person or heaven itself.

As to stay silent about Christianity would get near to disregarding Jesus order to stand up to our faith in God and teach mission all creatures and “tell them My word” (Mat 28:19 + Mark 16,15), we really must speak up to Christianity.
Even when some of those we speak to, would pull our leg about it.

Many often admire the passion of dissenter, when they firmly talk about their believe – be it Islam, Hindu or whatever. Let’s do alike. Those who take fun of it, deep in their inside too will admire our courage.

Courage? Why does it take courage, to reveal out faith in God?! When we have been to the “most wonderful place” we’ve ever been, we tell enthusiastically all we meet about it.
Knowing about heaven of Jesus word, we really ought to all the same tell enthusiastically anybody about it.
If wouldn’t believe in our “most wonderful place”, we wouldn’t bother. Let’s do so about belief in God too.

A good start with strangers always is: “A friend of mine lost his son. He said; he would have gone crazy about it, if he had no believe in God. Yeah, it’s true: My believe in Got helped me too in many cases indeed”. Or similar. (this friend who lost his son is me, just in case you know no other one’s suffering same fate).

A good advise is, to talk about holy things in very everyday language – never like praying and not in different way of talking. Believe is a “everyday thing” – so let’s talk about it in everyday language to others too.
**
 
Well said, Bruno! Also, recall that the Apostles locked themselves behind closed doors after the ascension. They were afraid to spread the Gospel, even after seeing the resurrected Jesus, and even after witnessing His Ascension! It was not until the Holy Spirit descended upon them that they had the courage, the fortitude, to spread the Gospel. And, once the Spirit had descended upon them like tongues of fire, they spread the Gospel fearlessly, even at the cost of their lives.

It is good to plan ahead, since so many of us have been caught flat-footed when asked or challenged about our faith. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen and fortify you, and you will lose your fear of evangelizing. What did Saint Peter say?

1 Peter 3:15-16 "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
 
You need to understand your audience, before you talk about your faith. Otherwise you may be doing more harm than good, which is at least for me, so often the case. I try and be patient and be happy for those that have a faith and seem to embrace it.

But, they also drive me completely nuts, because in their eyes who I am doesn’t really exist, I am simply an ear for them to use to share their faith.

See the person, know the person first. Care about them and what is best for them to hear, before you worry about what it is you want to share.

Unfortunately, most often what you think is best for them to hear, is what you want to say and you don’t know the difference.

Harsh but true.
 
**
You need to understand your audience, before you talk about your faith
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Well, in one of my clubs, I’d met people I never saw before. They are not my audience, neither am I their audience nor orator.
Still – we meet for, say 4 or 5 hours, talking to this gent or that lady. Smalltalk would be the usual, as in smalltalk you might talk about anything to people you’ve never seen before. Anything that’s important to you.
Important to us is believe. Of course I have to inconspicuously construct a reason that leads to talking about heaven. This morning I said: I never go to the cemetery, for my son is not there but in heaven! One of a Thousand other chances would e.g. be: Blyme, is was so perishing cold in church this morning 😉

Harm? Harm can not be done in talk about faith in God. What harm?.
know the person first. Care about them and what is best for them to hear, before you worry about what it is you want to share.
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When coincidently meeting (might be the word coincidently is wrong and should be coincidentally?), you don’t know a person, nor would you particularly care about them; - but still want to have some friendly talk. This smalltalk must not be about nothing worth while talking about. It mostly is though. But one might fill it with substance. When you meet later same people again, they know you are a Christian and you stand to it. Christian talk surely is not possible every time we meet people, but often it is – or would have been.

Good po18guy reminded us on 1Peter 3:15-16. Of course we must do this with gentleness and respect. My Christian friends and I more often than not undergone a disappointment too.
So what!?
We all are just as friendly to people who told us they don’t believe all this and don’t want to hear and stay atheists. Again: So what?!
Let them, and be friendly to them all the same, still making clear, that you are a Christian. They must experience Christians as friendly and loving people even then, when they speak maliciously against believe, us, or even God.
Often I change subject then, in order not to become guilty too by evoking their spiteful, defamatory remarks against God. But never I’d break friendly relations (in order to keep chances going).

Last time I had a heart-catheter (my abouth 11th) last September, I suddenly laughed laying naked on that operation table (where you are fully conscious). The staff who did the job, asked me, why I’m laughing. I told them the truth:
“I just said to my guardian angel; HERE YOU ARE – THAT’S WHAT YOU HAVE TO UNDERGO AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL HUMAN”
You know what the doctor replied: “Oh – I’m a Christian too and Christianity is the most important thing to me too”.
**
 
Bruno_Schulz said:
**.Last time I had a heart-catheter (my abouth 11th) last September, I suddenly laughed laying naked on that operation table (where you are fully conscious). The staff who did the job, asked me, why I’m laughing. I told them the truth:
“I just said to my guardian angel; HERE YOU ARE – THAT’S WHAT YOU HAVE TO UNDERGO AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL HUMAN”
You know what the doctor replied: “Oh – I’m a Christian too and Christianity is the most important thing to me too”.
**
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Bruno, as I was beginning my current treatment, I had to have a medication “port” surgically installed in my chest. As I lay on the table, I heard feet shuffling in. I looked and saw the doctor, who was 83 years old! He was Doctor Robert Hickmon, whom I found out had invented the Hickmon Catheter that is credited with saving perhaps millions of lives.

He showed me the device that he would install, then used ultrasound to show me the vein that would be involved. As he scanned the large veins beside my neck, he showed me one that bifurcated (divided into two). I asked if that was normal and he replied, “I don’t think the Good Lord made any two of us the same”. All of my nervousness vanished at that point. The surgery went without problem. He was just as caring with my wife in explaining the procedure to her post-operation while I was still unconscious.

I thought that he appeared ready to retire. In fact, he had already retired twice before! He since has retired for a third, and perhaps final time. God only knows!

Yes, a few words of faith at such times is a great comfort.

Christ’s peace.
 
po18guy said:
Yes, a few words of faith at such times is a great comfort.
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**Precisely! And this word of faith in God must come out of us first at any situation, not waiting before we understand those people whom we are going to speak to and know the person first, cared about them and know what is best for them to hear.
For if we choose that way – it’s too late and we might see this person never again and have lost a chance to do a good thing.

And in the two particularised cases of po18guy and mine, we even can take fun of most hurtful and distressing situations for us and others.

**
 
Bruno_Schulz said:
**Precisely! And this word of faith in God must come out of us first at any situation, not waiting before we understand those people whom we are going to speak to and know the person first, cared about them and know what is best for them to hear.
For if we choose that way – it’s too late and we might see this person never again and have lost a chance to do a good thing.

And in the two particularised cases of po18guy and mine, we even can take fun of most hurtful and distressing situations for us and others.

**
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Very true, especially since we are supposed to be defined by our faith. Unless we speak up, how will anyone know?
 
Nick9 said:
I find it difficult to speak openly about my faith where I work. There used to be a strongly anti-Christian element through one man especially and he used to make fun of me because of my faith. I confronted him and he promised not to do so again, and he has kept his word. Most people know I am Christian and I speak to individuals about my faith and one has started going to Mass because of me (well, God used me), but I would like to be more open. After all, I am aware that with Jesus I am strong. I don’t know what it is with me. It could be that it is not cool to speak about it and I feel embarrassed (I know Jesus’ warning there). I don’t feel that I am accepted enough at work for people to listen to me en masse, anyway. I discussed this with a spiritual director once and he said that if there is such hostility to the faith where I work then speaking openly about it may do more harm than good. I just have to trust that God will lead me to speak to those individuals who are receptive and not expect a sermon to the masses.

I must say, however, that where I work is a better place than when I started. There is no open hostility to Christianity like there used to be. I do pray for my work collegues every day and I bind Satan every morning before I go, as I was once advised to do by an exorcist priest.
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Well done! Prayers Work, as well as Living our Faith with couteous attitude. People Do notice attitude :getholy: :angel1: , and figure out Why: Our Lord/Church.
 
KingAlfred said:
My faith has become somewhat of a stumbling block in my efforts to be sociable. Most of my coworkers routinely talk about stuff I find unbecoming, and can’t comment on. So, I gradually drift away, and find myself limited to rigid cordiality. In time, this earns me the reputation of being anti-social. It’s frustrating, but I can’t lower myself to mean gossip or childish antics.
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You know, my wife has been told by many of her friends, ‘you know, you never say anything bad about anyone.’ And while that eliminates her from many conversations, people respect her for it – although I’m sure some ridicule her, as well. Whether you witness to God with words or actions/attitudes only, He will shine forth. Let the Holy Spirit dictate what, where, to whom and how to spread the Good News!

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving,
Dan
 
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