One of the biggest frustrations that the teens in my program encounter is that they so rarely bring their friends from school to our program! It's not that they aren't inviting their friends, it's that their friends are refusing to come with them! One of my volunteers pointed out that this is not a topic that gets addressed very often, and I think that they are right. I think that we do need to figure out what the problems are, and find a way to deal with them.
Problems with Evangelization
The Guilt Trip! - This is a very easy trap to fall into, that enslaves volunteers and youth ministers, specifically. It is really easy to send a teen or a friend or a family member into a guilt trip to get them to attend mass or a church event. However, this doesn't usually end well, because the person goes into it with a closed heart, and leaves resentful that their friend/family member/stranger "forced" them into something they weren't ready to receive. The guilt trip comes across as accusation.
Youth Ministry and "Church" Stereotypes - The media. It's always the media. But look at movies like, Easy A, and how they portray Christians (Amanda Bynes' character specifically), and tell me that is attractive to you. It isn't. But it's entertaining, and it feeds the misconceptions about what Christianity is, and so people eat that stuff up! But it's dangerous and wrong. I have never met a Christian who is what the media says we are, and yet, not much is happening to change that portrayal. Special interest groups get up in arms about the way the media portrays certain groups, but nobody seems to be refuting the portrayal of Christians.
Haven't earned trust - People don't care what you know until they know how much you care. This is now and always will be the Truth. I think of the comedian Jim Gaffigan, who says that nothing is more off-putting than a stranger coming up to you to talk to you about Jesus. He imagines the conversation going this way:
"I'd like to talk to you about Jesus."
"Yea, I'd like you not to."
You could say that to the Pope, "I want to talk to you about Jesus"
"Easy freak. I keep work at work.
People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. You have to earn the trust of the person with whom you are speaking. You have to build their confidence. You have to prove your own credentials. Why should I trust you? Because you said so? That's not exactly reassuring.
This is why "street preaching" is usually ineffective. Now, I'm not saying that it's always ineffective, or that we shouldn't go out into the streets and tell people about Jesus. But just know that it is better to go out to teach people about Jesus who have reason to trust you. And trust takes time.
Hypocrisy in the Church - "The greatest cause of atheism today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable" - Brennan Manning. The outside world sees a lot of hypocrisy in the Church, and can't accept that. However, what those who aren't Christians don't see is that the Church never says to be perfect. Because we can't be perfect. The Church says to love with all of your heart, to have faith in God's mercy, and to keep trying. However, it is important to be authentic with our struggles. To proclaim at Church that I live a holy life, and to put on that show, and then to go out into the world and openly deny that, is dangerous and wrong. If you want to show Jesus to those around you, admit your brokenness, and allow Jesus to transform your own heart, and your own life. Don't tell people that it's easy when it's not easy. Don't go to church and put on a show. Be yourself. And try to be better.
We don't know what Evangelization is, or what the GOAL is. We think that the goal of Evangelization is conversion. And that's not exactly true. The goal of Evangelization is obedience to God. God asks us to preach the Gospel. He asks us to proclaim the Good News. We have no control of whether or not the person accepts that message. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this about Evangelization (CCC 905):
Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, 'that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.' For lay people, 'this evanelization...acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.
This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers...or to the faithful."
Conversion of heart is good, but it's not something that we have any control over. Which is why that isn't the goal. You can't make a goal for something you can't control. However, doing everything in your power to inspire a person to convert, is in your control.
So what now?
Jesus doesn't want you to be successful. Not necessarily. He wants you to answer yes to His call to talk about your faith. That's the most important thing about Evangelization. Think about it. Can Jesus even be considered a successful evangelizer? No, not when you really think about it. At least, not by our standards of Evangelization. And why do I say that? Simply because He wouldn't have been crucified if He had successfully converted everyone. Believers don't crucify.Jesus doesn't expect you to "win" people. I hate that word, especially in the context of evangelization. It is not a game. It is serious. And when we think of the goal of evangelization as how many people we can "win," it makes it about you, instead of the person with whom you are preaching the good news. The focus should be on that person's soul, not on our own bragging rights.
It seems like a hopeless situation. But I promise you that it isn't.
Let me ask you a question. How do you behave when you have a crush, or when you are "in love?" How do you behave when you are passionate about something? I can tell you clearly that I know well what the people who I know and love, know and love. I know that certain friends like the show, "How I Met Your Mother." I know that my boss likes "Ancient Aliens." I know that my sister likes to cook. I know that my dad like politics. I know that my mom likes gardening. I know these things, because those people, in a way, "evangelize" to me about them. They share their love for those things with me. We are called to love like that. To love Jesus so much that those who are closest to us know that we love Him that much. So that they feel comfortable asking us questions about Him. It doesn't mean that we have to go out and be crazy all the time.
Of course, pray about it. Ask for the Holy Spirit to come and guide your words while you speak about your faith, so that you can speak to them in a way that they can hear you. He will give you the right words. And the right courage. Also, of course, ask Mary. Mary, who brought Jesus to Elizabeth when she was pregnant, and, as a result, brought great joy (Luke 1:42)!
Jesus' left with these words, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" - Matthew 28:19-20. Our goal is not to stay where we are. We are not to simply go to Mass, and then leave our faith there after we walk out those doors. We are supposed to go out into the world, and bring Jesus with us as we go. This is not just Jesus' advice, or suggestion, but His command.
Questions for Reflection
1. What does the word "Evangelisation" mean to you? What images does it bring up? How do those images make you feel?
2. Who is someone in your life who has spoken to you about Jesus? What effect did that have on you? Why did it have that effect on you?
3. Where is the hardest place for you to talk about your faith? Why?
4. What is one practical way that you can talk to someone about your faith this week?
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