Five reasons to evangelize, even when you don't want to

Evangelization is not my cup of tea. I don’t like conflict. I don’t like to be challenged. I also don’t like to appear weak or misinformed, and while I’m definitely knowledgeable when it comes to Church teaching, I always get flustered when faced with an opportunity to share. My gut ties in knots, my hands get clammy, and my tongue can’t articulate my thoughts.

But it is the Year of Mercy. Like it or not, we are called to show mercy to our fellow man. What better way to do this than by sharing the truths of the Catholic faith? Here are five points I consider when it's time to share my faith (even when I don't want to):

If I don’t evangelize, who else will?

It happens all the time. You’re at a party or backyard barbecue, and someone makes a comment about Catholicism or Christinaity or prolife issues (etcetera, etcetera). For timid evangelizers, it’s tempting to walk away from such a situation and hope (assume?) someone else will take up the cause. But what if no one does? What if you’re the only Catholic this person knows? We have a responsibility to bring Christ to others, just as we have the responsibility to raise our children in the faith or attend mass on Sunday. The Holy Spirit really does move in mysterious ways. Ask him for guidance before you speak; he probably put you in the person’s life in the first place.

People are open to dialogue. Really.

We live in contentions times. The media would have you believe that division runs deep and permanent. But I’ve found that even those who hold beliefs diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Church still hope for peace, understanding, and compassion. The key is to stop shouting at one another and start listening instead. Everyone has a story or a purpose behind what they believe. Showing genuine interest in what they have to say will open their hearts to the truth.

Your faith experience may have been vastly different from the person you are engaging. That’s a good thing.

A friend of mine is a fallen away Catholic. We were talking about why she left the church, and she mentioned that while the Mass left her feeling spiritually dry, she always felt uplifted after leaving a protestant service. I shared my experience, remarking that if there is no Eucharis,t I leave the church with an empty ache. My friend was quiet for a moment, then: “I never looked at it that way. My preparation for the sacraments and their reception seemed so cold and forced. I wish I had had the kind of upbringing you did.” She ended the conversation by saying we should talk more about the faith, and we have - all because I shared my own love story with the Eucharist.

So what can we take away from this? Simply that though each of us walks a different path to the cross, we don’t have to walk it alone. Sharing your own story may be just the thing to bring someone home.

People need to know the Truth

It’s no secret that misinformation is rampant when it comes to the Catholic faith. On the one hand, critics of the Church will say we worship Mary (not true). On the other hand, naysayers will attack the church for hating women (also not true). Add to this list the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, the Vatican’s financial resources, and the Pope’s misindentification as the antichrist. These attitudes won’t change if we don’t challenge them, explaining with charity the true teachings of the faith.

Similarly, though, we all know how the media loves to spin the Holy Father’s words. It has led to much division even within the Church, and we as the faithful must take steps to prevent this from happening. While I would love to buy Pope Francis a Kindle Fire so he can watch movies on the plane instead of giving interviews, I know that the way he communicates is unlikely to change. So I read the full text of his remarks and put them within the context of Church teaching. Then I can share the full truths of the faith with those whose only authority is the mainstream media.

You’re an evangelist already

You’d be amazed how much your actions already reveal the teachings of the Church. We live our faith everyday and the people around us take note. I’ll admit I feel like a train wreck half of the time (okay, it’s probably closer to three quarters, but I digress). But that’s a trick the enemy uses to discourage us from the Catholic life. We have the chance to show our friends and neighbors what Catholicism in action looks like. This became a reality for me when an athiest acquaintance remarked that he had always viewed religious people as hypocrites until he met my husband and me. He said that we were the real deal - people who embraced the teachings of the Church and lived them every day. I don’t share this story to toot our own horn. Rather, I think it’s important for us to recognize that we are living witnesses to the love of Christ.

The world is watching us. The world is waiting for us. We cannot let fear set our lights beneath a basket. Let us pray for one another, that we all might have the courage and the strength to cast that light into the darkness, even when we’d rather cower in the corner.