Word to the Wise
Sunday, May 14, 2023 - 6th Sunday of Easter - A
[Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; 1 Pet 3:15-18; John 14:15-21]Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. 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, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. [1 Peter]
Some years ago, Pope St. John Paul II proclaimed what he called a "new evangelism." It was not to be aimed for those who were non-Catholic, but for those who ARE Catholic and have become lukewarm or simply don't "practice" their faith anymore. A survey by the Pew Research Institute several years ago indicated that the second largest Christian denomination in the USA would be former Catholics! There are many reasons why there are so many "former" Catholics. These range from inaccessible opportunity to anger and disillusionment with the church or its leadership for theological/ideological reasons or even just an argument with a particular pastor on the local level. In the survey, when those who remained Catholic were asked why they continued, they often cited good preaching and a welcoming community as important factors.
The new evangelism really demands that we who remain Catholic have a good grasp of what the "church" teaches and practice it with joy and not with a grim smugness that I sometimes see in those who are "more Catholic than the Pope." The First Letter of Peter, in the second scripture for today, speaks of being "ready to give a reason for your hope." In parish missions, I have often referred to those who are "accidental" Catholics and those who are "intentional." For the first kind it is a matter of being born in a Catholic family, so that's who they are. For others, like those who come into the church at Easter, it is an intentional decision. The most effective "evangelists" are those who identify with Catholic faith and can share it with "gentleness and reverence." I have often referred to a ministry from our Catholic student center at Texas Tech called ASK A CATHOLIC A QUESTION. It is from a table outside the university student center. I think the real effectiveness of this table comes from the gentle and reverent way the students share their faith. The "new evangelism" happens when all of us who are practicing Catholics do the same. AMEN