For Fear of Offending Others

In my young adult ministry planning meeting last time we talked about evangelizing.  A lot of my fellow leaders mentioned that they don’t usually talk about being Catholic in their workplaces.  It doesn’t surprise me, Catholics seem to be pretty quiet about their faith for some reason.  Why is that?  Why are we so afraid of telling people what we do and believe?

I never considered myself an evangelist until my parish priest called me an “Evangelist” on one particular evening when I was introducing my 5 Protestant friends to him that I had brought to mass with me. (They came because it was my birthday and that’s what I wanted to do – bring them to my church and meet my friends there, etc.)  I’ve never been one to get up in people’s faces, but I love talking about my faith when given an opportunity.  I take pride in my parish and what is going on at my church so I talk about it at work because it’s part of my life.
Sure sometimes my friends look at me like I’m crazy when I tell them I’ve volunteered to chaperone high school kids on their weekend long retreat.  Or that I give up one night a week to sit and talk with 8th graders about God.  Sometimes I do care. It sucks to be looked at funny for something that you really, genuinely enjoy doing… but it’s also really great to share the great stories that I have to tell because of what I do at church and experience in my relationship with God.

It makes me sad to hear when people seem to be really timid to even bring it up. You can talk about your faith because it’s part of who you are.  It really surprises me that someone who is involved in a lot of things at the church can somehow go years of working at the same place and coworkers not even know he is Catholic.  There are countless other examples, I’m sure and I’m not really picking on anyone in particular.  But I’d like to challenge you and even myself because I know speaking out and “spreading the Good News” is something that I have to work on too.  There have been times when we’ve had a discussion at work and I feel something inside of me tugging to speak truth.  Sometimes I’m too afraid to say anything so I just keep quiet.

Let’s be proud of our faith. Not to the point of becoming like Pharisee’s where we look down on others.  But like Christ who was confident in God’s Truth to be able to speak that in a loving way to others.

The Pope, Our Father

I’ll be honest… I’ve been somewhat disappointed with Pope Benedict’s pontifical term so far. He seems a lot colder and less willing to reach out to his people. It’s my perception of the media coverage which very well could be just that. We all know that the media isn’t always exactly unbiased in their reporting.

I guess it’s hard because as a young woman, all I’ve really heard about Pope Benedict is all the things that he disagrees with regarding World Youth Day, the way that the youth enjoy music, the liturgy… And whatever else – especially in terms of his visit to the United States. As someone who learned how to appreciate the Catholic faith through this “unliturgical” music, it’s quite frustrating. World Youth Day Toronto was an AMAZING experience. To be with hundreds of thousands of other Catholics and celebrate Mass together in one place is one of the greatest experiences. I got to visit University of Stuebenville my first year of high school and went on the weekend conference. This is the moment my Sacrament of Confirmation really kicked in. I knew that I was Catholic, I owned my beliefs.

I agree that liturgy is really important! I don’t want the Church to fall victim to the world’s ever changing standards and moral code. I believe that the Holy Spirit works through Her and the Pope to guide God’s people. I also would agree that while these experiences are great, may not be essential to the foundation of our faith. But it’s still frustrating to not feel the same connection that I did with John Paul II who loved the youth of the Church. These extraordinary experiences help to keep us going.

That really is another topic but the truth of the matter is, no matter how disconnected I feel, Pope Benedict was appointed to his position for a reason. Because I believe the Holy Spirit works through the Church, I know that he has a purpose for our Church. And like God’s law, obedience is vital. Even if I don’t understand or quite feel right with it.

I think it’s important that as Catholics we stick by our Pope. Now, this doesn’t mean that we have to be quiet and not be willing to question or try and clarify when we disagree or don’t understand. I think some amount of discord helps to get us all thinking and learning. But when it comes down to it, I think we’re called to obey the Church. I realize that this is pretty controversial among the youth. Shoot, most of young adults seem to shy away from the Church because they feel this disconnect and it’s really hard to obey when you don’t feel a connection.

So while Pope Benedict may not be as charismatic as his predecessor, that’s ok. He has his purpose and he is the figurehead of the Catholic Church. God has a purpose and a reason for his strengths as well as his weaknesses. The Holy Spirit is doing something through him.

Must… stay… awake…

[Rollover text: What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!]

I love XKCD comics in general, but this one in particular is SO me.

Not about the same topics that the little character is probably talking about (i.e. science, math, computer stuff), but about God/faith/religion issues.

I’ve had MANY nights of staying up ’til 3am or later on IM or writing email responses to people who were saying things about the Catholic faith or about God or whatnot that were wrong… because I just HAD to correct them!!

Now, if it were any other kind of topic, I would just wait ’til morning to do anything about it, or just sign off of IM. But faith crises? Can’t ignore them!

I wonder how much of it comes with pride, and how much of it comes from a sense of responsibility due to working for the Church and just (hopefully) being a good Catholic.

(I’d like to think it’s the latter. I hope it’s the latter.)

But I think it IS our responsibility to set things right whenever and and wherever we can.

There are so many rumors and misconceptions out there about Christianity, and especially about the Catholic Church. And there are a lot of privately held beliefs that are construed as doctrine/dogma… and a lot of tradition that has been turned into superstition by those who have not been corrected.

So it’s important to evangelize — even to those who think they know the truth! I actually find that I evangelize the most in this way: to people who’ve had bad experiences with the Church and with Catholics. They look at me and they wonder why I’m different than that bad experience….

But I think that’s our responsibility in many different fields: To go boldly into the darkness, bearing light.

Ha, Jesus thinks so, too: In Luke 5:4, Jesus tells Peter, “Duc in altum!” Put out into the deep! He wants Peter to go to the hardest, darkest places… not just in the shallow water where it’s pretty easy to *fish for men*.

So, friends, I tell you: DUC IN ALTUM! Go get ‘em Tiger(s)!