Are you afraid to share your Catholic Faith?
Catechism Meditation:
The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: “All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.” Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: “So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” ―No. 1816
REFLECTION. If you are striving to be a Catholic Christian and defend the faith, then you must speak from the heart of the Church. You must be in a confident ability to charitably inform, or even sometimes correct, misunderstandings about the Catholic faith. “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet 3:15b-16a).
There are times when someone who is not Catholic may have a question about your faith. Why do Catholics not eat meat on Fridays during Lent? Or why do Catholics have to confess their sins to a priest? It’s a great opportunity to be able to explain your faith with mutual respect. There are other times, though, when someone may be insulting, belittling, or attacking your Catholic faith. In those situations it’s easy to get angry or defensive.
Being prepared to share your faith requires study and love. You do not have to be an expert, but you should know the basics, and that means spending time with the Bible and the Catechism. However, even if one memorizes bible verses and the entire catechism, it is of no use if one does not grow in love because of it. As Terry Barber says in his book, How To Share Your Faith With Anyone, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Be kind. Don’t be a bully or come off like a know-it-all. Evangelization is about saving souls—bringing souls to Christ and bringing our separated brethren to the fullness of the Faith.”
PRAYER. Father, help me to grow stronger in my faith.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” ― Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
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