Why are Catholics so reserved, generally speaking, about sharing their faith?

[scylla]

I want to second that comment earlier…

Where are the nuns?

We have two nuns here in our parish I know whom I have never seen in habit. Why? You know modern thought of women, has made many nuns feel as though a habit is negative. They do not realize the power and presence a nun can have. I see them today, with nothing to distinguish them as nuns. This is kind of sad to me, but watching the good example from EWTN gives me hope. A new generation is coming.
The Pope is right, we do not have to be afraid. The future is bright and things are changing. Many Catholics are afraid to share their faith because of bad experiences, prejudice and bad examples out there, but I believe things are changing for the better.

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Matthew 7
6 Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you.

Apocalypse 22
15 Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and unchaste, and murderers, and servers of idols, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie.

Catholics have NO NEED to argue. When one makes an honest sincere inquiry, then plenty of Catholics respond. But, polemics? See The Scriptures above.

When an outsider responds to the Grace of God to inquire, and so cherish the Truth, Catholics are obliged to cooperate in every way.
Ephesians 4
11 And he gave *some *apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors…
Not all are called to evangelism.

Anyone who has no desire to save the lost i would question whether they them selves are saved. Christ called us all to go and spread the good news. Now if you think that was just for the apostles ,you are not understanding your call. God Bless

 

[Bobby_Jim]

Maybe it’s just a cultural thing in North America and Europe - traditionally a lot of American Catholics were of European extraction, and who knows - maybe those cultures are just a bit more reserved about such things… I’m thinking along the lines of the stereotypical Norwegian Lutherans that Garrison Keillor would speak about - you just don’t talk about that in public, kind of like sex. I think some of those tendencies would also be inherent in a lot of other traditionally Catholic European ethnic groups. I will say no more to avoid stereotyping anyone else.

 

[KatarinaTherese]

I think most Catholics just don’t know their faith very well, and so they don’t really know what to say about it. My personal main problem in sharing the faith, though, is that most people just don’t seem interested (though wearing a Rock for Life sweatshirt or carrying around Story of a Soul, which I’ve been reading, seems to get people asking)!

 

[TNT]

SPOKENWORD:

Anyone who has no desire to save the lost i would question whether they them selves are saved. Christ called us all to go and spread the good news. Now if you think that was just for the apostles ,you are not understanding your call. God Bless

Of course…their legitimate successors as well.
And The Gospel for all this :

---

Just so all will be certain what you are speaking of, of course.

Just to reiterate:
Catholics have NO NEED to argue. When one makes an honest sincere inquiry, then plenty of Catholics respond. But, polemics?

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you. 16 But with modesty and fear, having a good conscience: that whereas they speak evil of you, they may be ashamed who falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

When an outsider responds to the Grace of God to inquire, and so cherish the Truth, Catholics are obliged to cooperate in every way.

 

[GaryZak]

Simple, read your NAB BIBLE:

The letter of James chapter 1:

Doers of the Word.
1:19 Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, * slow to speak, slow to wrath,
1:20 for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.
1:21 Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.
1:22 Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.
1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.
1:24 He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like.
1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law * of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does.
1:26 * If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue* but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.
1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows * in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

 

[serendipity]

I’m less reserved than I use to be, but Istill think of religion as a private thing. If some one seems to be seeking, then I feel more inclined to tell them what works for me and why. If people ask me “if I have been saved” then I feel that it is an opportunity to discuss faith too. Also, with family members who have drifted away from the Church, it is easier to talk about these things around holidays, as we have had many of the same experiences and share similar thoughts at certain times of the year.

I had some sort of conversion experience about a year ago, which ahs driven me to learn more about harcore apologetics, so I am better equipped to speak about ym faith than I have been int he past. Although I spent some time in a Catholci school, with a relatively strong relgion program, it was in my chidlhood, and did not equip me to discuss topics as well as I wanted when issues came up as an adult. My family moved formt here when I was in high school and my relgion was more challenged.

The education I received form my parents and church did not help me as an adult, to articulate beleifs to adults. It’s funyn ebcuase so many people on this forum seem to mark Vatican II as the end of religious education, but my mother was thoroughly educated under Vatican I system and she has a very poor grasp of Catholic apologetics; much worse than the majority of those I have met who have been the products of the Vtican II system. This may be a fluke. But one of the high schools I attended had many Catholic haters, who propogated their beliefs in the public school. So amny questions I would bring to my mother, and she would not know why Catholics did anything, but she just belonged to the church because her family did.

Because I have been attacked for my religon so many times, I do not like to initiate conversations out of the blue about my fiath, unless there seems to be some sort of door opened like some one expressing that they are seeking spiritual answers or have questions. I don’t want people to feel that I am in some how attacking their beliefs with the intention of converting them. Sure, I love it when peopel ebgin to seriously consider Catholciism after having a dialogue with me, and better yet, if they are moved to convert, because I do believe it is the ost perfect religion. But it has taken me a long time to be able to perceive the “are you saved people” with less hostility, and I don’t want people to have that sort of conflict with me.

 

[Tony_B]

I know, I know, I know, there are 80+ posts here, however, have to add b/c this is most important to me. I agree with alot of what was said in previous posts… nearly read all of it too.

WHERE CAN WE IMPROVE??

1. The CHURCH NEEDS teachers.

Learn & Teach. Christ was the greatest teacher. Don’t be frustrated when know one is learning. At Christ’s time of need his “pupils” (followers) left him & denied him.

1. STAND UP & be proud for what u belive in, especilly Christ’s teachings.

Where I am from we have “nice” teachers but poor teachers who knew little of the church or could care less about our catholic school system. And those that did know, had no time to teach. The system is broken & needs to be fixed.

 

[wcknight]

Being in a country with mostly protestants and some who really hate Catholicism because they think we are toast and we work for the devil,. so, anyone we convert will be toast, there is hesitantcy to speak out. Some folks think we are devil worshipers, idolaters, and have four heads. They think the Pope is the anti-Christ and the Church is Babylon revisited.

It was not that long ago that Catholics in this country were greatly discriminated against. We could not get jobs, we were looked down upon.

And as one already said, there is the feeling that TV evangelicals, door to door Witnesses, LDS missionaries and various cult groups have given religion a bad name. There is a sleaze factor and money grabbing image that makes talk about religion appear phony.

I will engage anyone who wants to discuss what our beliefs are, and I will defend our faith with my last breath, but when I encounter a dyed in the wool fundamentalist bigot, I just want to strangle them.

And last, I think mosst Catholics have no idea what their responsibilities are as far as evangelization goes.

Living in a free country, all religions are tolerated (theoritically). But talk about religion is not allowed in some work places. The employer or employee can get sued for harrassment, if someone objects to being preached to.

wc

 

[lassi]

In my case, I always get very nervous and tense when the subject of religion comes up when I am around Protestants. One reason is becasue where I grew up, we were the only Catholic family in town, and there were a lot of anti-Catholics there. Also, there was no shortage of anti-Catholic tracts where I went to school. And nowadays, it seems like when Catholicism comes up in a conversation, many people make un-Christian and uncharitable remarks about pedofile priests and wise cracks about not using birth control.

 

[EA_Man]

Most Catholics think that as long as they “go to Church” they’ll go “to heaven”. Many Proestants think this too. Nothing could be further from the Truth.

It is your relationship with Jesus Christ that determines whether you’re going to heaven or not.

Witnessing is telling others what Jesus Christ has done in your life. This assumes that you know Jesus Christ in the first place.

If you know Jesus Christ why aren’t you talking about Him?

 

[chadwilliams]

WhiteDove:

Why are Catholics generally shy and not on fire about evangelizing or speaking of their faith???

I think it is a combination of a few.

1. Many might not be very confident in the way to handle the CONFLICT that will possibly arise when sharing our faith.
2. Many Catholics that I know of are intensely personal about their faith…in other words, “it’s between me and God.” That isn’t very conducive to sharing.

 

[chadwilliams]

EA_Man:

Most Catholics think that as long as they “go to Church” they’ll go “to heaven”.

I strongly disagree with you. Maybe you’ve met a few that think that way, and it is unfortunate, but I would say that most Catholics realize that they have to do more than just “go to church” to get to heaven.

 

[arcturus]

A few observations from a former Catholic…

From a lifetime of observation, my view is that Catholicism is generally speaking very self-absorbed. So, while the average cafeteria-Catholic could care less about evangelism, the fervent Catholic is more obsessed with how great and beautiful the “One True Church” and its traditions are.

I will never forget a call I listened to on Catholic Answers several Tuesdays ago. A woman told Karl Keating she was feeling guilty because she felt more love for the Catholic Church than Jesus Himself. I was appalled, and waited for Karl to say something appropriate to get her on track. Instead, he assured her she had nothing to worry about, that if you loved the Catholic Church you loved Jesus, as if they are one and the same.

That call said it all to me. The Catholic Church is equated to Jesus, it is “the Church” that is being worshiped and glorified. Many devout Catholics, the ones you would think would be most likely to evangelize, spend their time and energy in trying to maintain their relationship to “the Church” and living up to its rules and regulations.

EA-man, I can relate. All the time I was a Catholic and just had a relationship with “the Church” it never entered my mind to share my “faith” with others. I just looked at non-Catholics with suspicion as folks whose eternal security was in question and that was their problem. When I was a teenager and came into an understanding of, and living relationship with the person of Jesus, and knowledge of the the gospel message, I couldn’t wait to share the Good News about Him with others. I suddenly realized the compelling need others had for Him as well and wanted them to know about it.

When you consider all a Catholic has to do to keep himself in a state of grace by his own works, there is no wonder there is so little left over for evangelization.

 

[Cubsfan]

arcturus:

A few observations from a former Catholic…

From a lifetime of observation, my view is that Catholicism is generally speaking very self-absorbed. So, while the average cafeteria-Catholic could care less about evangelism, the fervent Catholic is more obsessed with how great and beautiful the “One True Church” and its traditions are.

I will never forget a call I listened to on Catholic Answers several Tuesdays ago. A woman told Karl Keating she was feeling guilty because she felt more love for the Catholic Church than Jesus Himself. I was appalled, and waited for Karl to say something appropriate to get her on track. Instead, he assured her she had nothing to worry about, that if you loved the Catholic Church you loved Jesus, as if they are one and the same.

That call said it all to me. The Catholic Church is equated to Jesus, it is “the Church” that is being worshiped and glorified. Many devout Catholics, the ones you would think would be most likely to evangelize, spend their time and energy in trying to maintain their relationship to “the Church” and living up to its rules and regulations.

EA-man, I can relate. All the time I was a Catholic and just had a relationship with “the Church” it never entered my mind to share my “faith” with others. I just looked at non-Catholics with suspicion as folks whose eternal security was in question and that was their problem. When I was a teenager and came into an understanding of, and living relationship with the person of Jesus, and knowledge of the the gospel message, I couldn’t wait to share the Good News about Him with others. I suddenly realized the compelling need others had for Him as well and wanted them to know about it.

When you consider all a Catholic has to do to keep himself in a state of grace by his own works, there is no wonder there is so little left over for evangelization.

There is no more zealous opponent of the church than a fallen away catholic.

You must have been very poorly cathecized (spelling) because from your post it truly shows. Would you not agree that the good works performed by Mother Therese and her order have probably done more to evangelize than any of the Prot televangelists?

 

[Milliardo]

arcturus:

Instead, he assured her she had nothing to worry about, that if you loved the Catholic Church you loved Jesus, as if they are one and the same.

The love for the Church is love for the Master. One cannot fall in love with the Church without falling in love with the Master. That’s the point of it all.

That call said it all to me. The Catholic Church is equated to Jesus, it is “the Church” that is being worshiped and glorified.

Protestants also do that with the Bible. Is the Bible equated to Jesus as well then?

Many devout Catholics, the ones you would think would be most likely to evangelize, spend their time and energy in trying to maintain their relationship to “the Church” and living up to its rules and regulations.

No different really from how Protestants see the Bible, trying to live up to its rules and regulations. Note that we’re not trying to de-emphasize the Bible here, but merely to point out that the Protestant also puts it in such a regard the same way a Catholic regards the Church.

All the time I was a Catholic and just had a relationship with “the Church” it never entered my mind to share my “faith” with others.

Now that’s a personal problem with you; do you blame the Church for that as well?

When you consider all a Catholic has to do to keep himself in a state of grace by his own works, there is no wonder there is so little left over for evangelization.

Actually, evangelization is two fold: one by preaching, and one by example. They go hand-in-hand. One cannot preach and live a life opposite of what he preaches; and one cannot live life without telling others of his faith. So they go together, never separate.

 

[gardenswithkids]

arcturus:

When you consider all a Catholic has to do to keep himself in a state of grace by his own works, there is no wonder there is so little left over for evangelization.

The definition of grace from the glossary in the back of the Catechism reads:
GRACE: The free and undeserved gift the God gives to repond to our vocation to become his adopted children. As sanctifying grace, God shares his divine life and friendship with us in a habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that enables the soul to live with God, to act by his love. As actual grace, God gives us the help to conform our lives to his will. Sacramental grace and special graces (charisms, the grace of one’s state of life) are gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us live our our Christian vocation.

So, I can’t keep myself in a state of grace from my own works. By the very use of the word “grace” we acknowledge it is a free gift from God. What I can manage to do by my own works is FALL from that state of grace! But I can never get or keep myself in a state of grace without the help of God.

(By the way, I consider helping former Catholics understand Catholic teachings that they previously misunderstood to be a form of evangelism. Arcturus, I’ll pray the God gives you the GRACE to return home!)

 

[EA_Man]

Cubsfan:

There is no more zealous opponent of the church than a fallen away catholic.

You must have been very poorly cathecized (spelling) because from your post it truly shows.

I don’t believe that the answer to questions about doctrine are answered by more doctrine.

I wanted a genuine, personal, relationship with Jesus Christ. And I came to the conclusion that I didn’t require an army of intercessors to allow that to happen.

Also how is it possible that I could have been poorly indoctrinated by an “infallible” teaching magesterium?

 

[Peace-bwu]

Catholics were not treated fairly in the beginnings of American history, although the early explorers were Catholic, the colonial settlements were suspicious of Catholocism. I believe that this is the root of the problem, and it led to the biggest problem The Catholic Church in America faces… a weak understanding of Church teaching. I suffered this as a teenager, although I went through CCD in the ‘80’s and Catholic teen youth group in the 90’s I simply was not given everything I needed to know and defend the Catholic Church. This is the biggest crisis we face. This is why so many Catholics have looked for other denominations, or believe false doctrine or simply quit going to Mass. The comment I hear most often is that “as long as a person is good, they will go to heaven…” Most Catholics who fit into this slot simply dont’ want to hurt another person’s feelings or infringe on a fellow American’s religious freedom, or they have been verbally insulted so many times they have clammed up, because they either don’t know how to explain why we dont’ worship Mary, or no matter how they explain it seems to do no good, because the person they are talking to doesn’t listen and continues the attack.

Thankfully I discovered the Catechism as a young adult. I can defend the faith with some confidence now, but I seem to pull back a bit because I dont’ want to turn people off completely, I usually wait for them to bring up the topic and then I’m on fire, but later I wonder if what I said made sense or if I said the right thing etc.

The solution to the problem is for better Catechesis, Apologetics during the homily, classes taught by people who know Catholic Docrine, a focus on REAL, affordable Catholic schools, Catholic homeschool (I cant’ afford the local Catholic Elem. so we homeschool) young people need to know what an unparalleled gift they have with Apolostolic Tradition and a responsiblity toward that gift.

 

[Peace-bwu]

arcturus:

A few observations from a former Catholic…

From a lifetime of observation, my view is that Catholicism is generally speaking very self-absorbed. So, while the average cafeteria-Catholic could care less about evangelism, the fervent Catholic is more obsessed with how great and beautiful the “One True Church” and its traditions are.

I will never forget a call I listened to on Catholic Answers several Tuesdays ago. A woman told Karl Keating she was feeling guilty because she felt more love for the Catholic Church than Jesus Himself. I was appalled, and waited for Karl to say something appropriate to get her on track. Instead, he assured her she had nothing to worry about, that if you loved the Catholic Church you loved Jesus, as if they are one and the same.

That call said it all to me. The Catholic Church is equated to Jesus, it is “the Church” that is being worshiped and glorified. Many devout Catholics, the ones you would think would be most likely to evangelize, spend their time and energy in trying to maintain their relationship to “the Church” and living up to its rules and regulations.

EA-man, I can relate. All the time I was a Catholic and just had a relationship with “the Church” it never entered my mind to share my “faith” with others. I just looked at non-Catholics with suspicion as folks whose eternal security was in question and that was their problem. When I was a teenager and came into an understanding of, and living relationship with the person of Jesus, and knowledge of the the gospel message, I couldn’t wait to share the Good News about Him with others. I suddenly realized the compelling need others had for Him as well and wanted them to know about it.

When you consider all a Catholic has to do to keep himself in a state of grace by his own works, there is no wonder there is so little left over for evangelization.