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Finn_Bowen
Guest
I generally do not believe in using deception, force, or fear to convert someone. What are some methods to convert lost sheep? Better yet, what can I do to ensure that the person WANTS to be a Catholic?
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Splagchnizomai
Guest
Be a great and holy example of Catholicism. Be a mirror of Christ.
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bscastro
Guest
The absolute best way to convert someone is to glorify God through your life by being the best Catholic you can be.
How do we do this?
I have noticed and found through experience that words first or words alone leave you open to being thought of as judgmental or hypocritical. By “showing” before “telling” you walk your talk.
Hope this is helpful. And by the way, nobody’s perfect, but if you try to live your faith despite that with love and charity, people will be inspired.
God bless,
Bryan
How do we do this?
- Love God above all else with our whole mind, heart, and soul.
- Love our neighbor as ourselves.
- Devout practice and obedience of the Catholic faith.
- Frequent and reverent reception of the sacraments.
- Not speaking badly or disagreeing with Church teaching - it’s one thing to question for clarification, it’s another to disagree without reason.
- Understanding and knowledge of the faith - i.e. know your Catechism.
- Charity toward everyone we come in contact with.
- At work - diligent completion of work, not gossiping, being joyful despite hardships.
- At home - patience, politeness, kindness, generosity
- In society/community - works of mercy (e.g. charitable giving, volunteering, consoling others, etc.)
- Among friends - “the golden rule” - don’t talk behind people’s backs, only speak highly of others (without lying), keeping personal commitments to others.
I have noticed and found through experience that words first or words alone leave you open to being thought of as judgmental or hypocritical. By “showing” before “telling” you walk your talk.
Hope this is helpful. And by the way, nobody’s perfect, but if you try to live your faith despite that with love and charity, people will be inspired.
God bless,
Bryan
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bscastro
Guest
This is a great summation of my somewhat longer post above.
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mommyof4
Guest
Excellent advice from the previous posters. I will just add that Patrick Madrid has written a wonderful book called Search and Rescue: How to bring others into (or back into) the Catholic Church. You can see it here on Amazon.com amazon.com/Search-Rescue-Family-Friends-Catholic/dp/192883227X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333042863&sr=8-1
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Splagchnizomai
Guest
This is a wonderful expansion and more in-depth exploration of my somewhat shorter post above.
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JRKH
Guest
And Trust in the Lord.
And Pray for conversions
As to more “verbal” things, simply be prepared to answer in charity any questions that others might have.
These can often times come up when you can’t, or won’t do something that someone else wants to…or you don’t laugh at an off color joke…or some other instance where your faith sets you apart.
Like the sower, we can only plant the seeds, we cannot be sure of the quality of the ground the seed lands on.
Peace
James
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virtueseeking
Guest
Start here, then…
Love, prayer and invitation. I am unable to count the times I heard, “no one ever asked”, so…ask.
Blessings
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PJM
Guest
VERY GOOD BECAUSE ALL THAT YOU MENTION ARE SPECIFICALLY FORBIDDEN BY THE CC.
The best way is to:
REALLY Know your faith so you can explain it when GOD gives you the opportunity to do so.
LIVE your faith publically and piously
Pray for God to guide you in the above.
God Bless you and WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
Pat [PJM] here on the FORUM
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hannajomar
Guest
St. Francis used to tell his friars, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.”
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jmcrae
Guest
Pray for them. Be a good example to them. Invite them to Mass and answer their questions. Be enthusiastic about your faith. Don’t criticize Church authorities or complain about things going on at Church - mention only the good things, and speak of them cheerfully.
Mention that there are classes for Inquirers, if they have a lot of questions.
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Finn_Bowen
Guest
That’s good advice. However, I feel I should be ready to honestly answer some questions whenever someone brings up the controversies within the Church, such as the scandals, Crusades, or the Inquisition.
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JRKH
Guest
These things CAN be difficult for a number of reasons, but mainly because either
a) The person asking has a lot of bad information - and an agenda of their own
b) We have not particularly looked into the area being asked about.
Of course often times BOTH of these conditions apply…
The thing to remember is that it is OK to say, “I don’t know”, but then you can follow this up with, “But I’ll find out and get back to you”. It’s also a good idea (depending the topic) to ask the other person to produce documented sources etc.
This gives both of you the opportunity to study up - producing resources etc to get at the truths of a given matter - and create a truly useful exchange of ideas and growth rather than the simple exchange of “positions”.
Peace
James
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