I Am Catholic … Hear Me Whisper

wilderness, isolation, alone, balance, mountains

At the beginning of my faith journey, as I was learning and struggling to accept all of its teachings, I was pretty timid about sharing my Catholic faith. I was fearful of getting into some sort of biblical or theological debate with other Christian denominations or religions. I wasn’t sure I could defend, with love, the reasons as to why I believed Catholicism was the truth.

but 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, (1 Peter 3:15)

That was scary in the beginning. It seemed as if everyone knew more about Catholicism than me and there was always something more to learn. But that is the beauty of our faith and our journey, it is never-ending, we will always be learning and growing.

Yes, we do need to know our faith and why we believe what we believe. But I am never going to be that person who whips out bible verses or is an apologetic or theologian. I will leave that to the Patrick Madrid and Scott Hahn’s of the world.

When I do get into a deep discussion, I get help from those experts who do that well. I have an array of resources to share that were ‘game-changers’ for me as I was doing my own research. I just say to that person, “I am not the best at explaining this, but I have a doc, link, video, webinar, CD or talk that I would like to send you if you are cool with that.” To date, nobody said, “No.” And after most people review it, they say, “I didn’t know that – thanks for sending it to me.”

This past year, since I left my executive career and became a Catholic Speaker and Author, I am super jazzed to share my faith with those who do not have a deep relationship with God or organized religion. And that includes all of those “new age” spiritual but non-religious peeps out there. Let’s not forget those lukewarm Catholics who do not have much of a relationship with God, too.

Catholic Storytelling

I love to share my God stories and how He has impacted my life over the past 5 years since reverting back to the faith.

When I am speaking, people come up to me after and say “I wish you could meet my daughter, son, sister, etc. If they met you, they might consider coming back to the faith because you can relate to them, I can’t, I’m their parent.” People also say they are afraid to talk to their family about the faith because when they tried before, it went gravely wrong.

Well, here’s the deal. We need to prepare and understand how to engage at a vulnerable level that will meet that person where they are. It is not about you, it is how you relate to them and their circumstances. And you are not going to get to them by Catechizing, chastising or guilting them to Mass and if you try that, you might just push them away for good.

Mark 5:19-20 tells us, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.”

Storytelling is an art and a science. It amazes me at how much time people put into any type of presentation or marketing campaign for their products or services. But when we talk about saving the souls of those who are closest to us, we do nothing to prepare to deliver a powerful story that will inspire action.

So, how do you do just that?

You must capture their attention in 1-3 minutes and get their “yes” to continue the discussion. That’s all the time you get. You can’t share a 30-minute conversion story because they don’t care, they can’t relate and they won’t listen. Keep in mind, your approach is not to tell a typical ‘story’ with a beginning, middle and end. It is more like a teaser, a hook and a nugget to keep them intrigued for what comes next. This should become an ongoing conversation with your loved one, unique to the two of you based on your existing relationship.

I have been working with a few parishes to lead workshops on how to design, refine and deliver your God stories. If you are interested in this personally or for your parish, please let me know as I can film one of these workshops and make it available in video form on my site. 

I will leave you with this. Since my reversion, I cannot stop sharing my faith and how it has transformed my life. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explains:

The New Evangelization calls each of us to deepen our faith, believe in the Gospel message and go forth to proclaim the Gospel. The focus of the New Evangelization calls all Catholics to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize. In a special way, the New Evangelization is focused on ‘re-proposing’ the Gospel to those who have experienced a crisis of faith. Pope Benedict XVI called for the re-proposing of the Gospel “to those regions awaiting the first evangelization and to those regions where the roots of Christianity are deep but who have experienced a serious crisis of faith due to secularization.” The New Evangelization invites each Catholic to renew their relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.

Heck, I left my executive career to share my transformation and help others deepen their relationship with God and the faith. We all have reasons we love being Catholic and how our relationship with God has impacted us, let’s not keep it inside, it’s what Jesus asks of all of us, we must share the love and mercy of God. Do not be afraid.

I am Catholic – Hear Me ROAR!

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6 thoughts on “I Am Catholic … Hear Me Whisper”

  1. Tenho foi explorar para um pouco para qualquer alta qualidade artigos ou weblog posts nisto meio espaço .
    Explorar no Yahoo eu finalmente tropecei em cima
    deste web site . Leitura isto informação então sou feliz para transmitir que tenho um incrivelmente
    excelente sentindo estranho eu apoderou só o que eu precisava.
    Eu tanto definitivamente fará certeza para don? t
    esquecer isto local e dar – num ápice na uma constante
    base .

  2. Perfect line: “Well, here’s the deal. We need to prepare and understand how to engage at a vulnerable level that will meet that person where they are. It is not about you, it is how you relate to them and their circumstances. And you are not going to get to them by Catechizing, chastising or guilting them to Mass and if you try that, you might just push them away for good.” I have always felt guilty that I’m not a better apologist. After all, I have a “degree” and I’ve been “in ministry” and I “know stuff!” But I can never remember the Bible references when I need them. Some would say it’s just because I don’t care enough about lost souls to memorize them. Maybe…but I think it’s because, like you, I’m more in love with story and poetry. I find it’s there that the Holy Spirit speaks to sheep and children alike and all things are made clear. I find too that in sharing stories and writing poetically, I see my own soul transformed by the fires of joyful trials and triumphs and a thousand other little things that speak to me in ways all my intellectual straining could never do. Great article. Keep telling stories and sharing your wisdom. You truly understand what it means to see the kingdom like a little child. I’ll probably never grow up either…the curse of being a poet and a writer!

    1. Mark, I totally dig your comment! And yes, always learning, always making progress on the journey and the meaning of life. I am more than humble now and know I must be like a child and let God live my life. Let’s both never grow up and always go God. Lately, I have been giving and consecrating myself to Mary – wow – it has been amazing.

      And, hey, I am pretty sure you are like me, though – you KNOW the stories of the bible and certainly of the Gospel enough to engage at a “what the parable, story or lesson is to me” and that’s all you need. I sometimes say, “It’s like the story of the prodigal son…” or some story I have learned from – but again, don’t beat yourself up!

      Just encounter Jesus everywhere like you are doing…..

      I actually ran a workshop on how to design, refine and delivery your God story this past weekend and we all discussed our problems, former failures and supported each other – awesome community building to help with the encounter they hope to have this Christmas. It’s all about vulnerability and story telling – love breeds vulnerability. It’s time we go there. God Bless you, Mark!

  3. You were able to find a “Catholicism” that suited you? Wow… all those thousands of saints who lived before Vatican II were so deprived, weren’t they? Never being able to live out a “Catholicism” that suited them.

    Oh wait… they all understood that living out the Catholic Faith was about loving and pleasing God, doing His Will, obeying His Commandments, seeking to attain Heaven and helping others do the same.

  4. You were able to find a “Catholicism” that suited you? Wow… all those thousands of saints who lived before Vatican II were so deprived, weren’t they? Never being able to live out a “Catholicism” that suited them.

    Oh wait… they all understood that living out the Catholic Faith was about loving and pleasing God, doing His Will, obeying His Commandments, seeking to attain Heaven and helping others do the same.

  5. Pingback: SATVRDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit

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