If the prospect of sharing faith scares you, you are not alone? Many faithful people still shrink back from evangelization, feeling insufficient to the task. Often, the same people share enthusiastically about a good restaurant, a skillful doctor or an exciting vacation trip. They are almost grateful for the chance to spread word of their good fortune. But when asked to share faith - our most cherished good fortune, the same person is sometimes suddenly filled with apprehension. Even St. Peter who professed that we should 'always be ready to give an accounting for the hope that you have in Christ Jesus' experienced times of hesitation. This may be caused by a failure to realize that the success of evangelization is due not to the skill of the messenger but to the power of the message.
The power source for evangelization is God's grace. Grace is God's unconditional and insatiable love for us. Evangelization works best when it is energized by gratitude for God's grace. Tapping God's grace can be as easy as these four steps - drink deeply, share generously, act recklessly and pray gratefully...
1. Drink Deeply: Meditate on a scripture passage that reminds you of how much God loves you. (Consider Romans 5: 6-8 or your own favorite passage on God's grace). Take your time with the passage. Sip slowly, let your mind drink it in. Ask yourself: What word, image or phrase stands out? What attracts me to this message? Does anything cause me discomfort? Why? Is it possible that God could love me that much? Let that love enfold you as you read the passage again and again.
2. Share Generously: Gather with others who share a thirst for God’s grace and who seek God above all else. Invite them to bring a favorite scripture passage that speaks about their own experience of God’s love. Let each person share a time when they were overcome by gratitude for the lavishness of God’s grace. This could have been in an experience of unrelenting generosity, undeserved forgiveness or unfaltering trust? Who served as the messenger of that grace? How might we share this Good News with others?
3. Act Recklessly: Think of an extravagant gesture that you can make to someone in your life. Offer it without any expectation of response or return. If asked why you did it, simply tell the person inquiring about how abundantly you feel loved by God. Consider sharing your favorite passage from scripture or tell a brief story of a messengers that God has put into your own life.
4. Pray Gratefully: “Good and Gracious God. I welcome you in my company this day. Open my eyes to your will. Open my heart to a life more abundant than my mind can imagine. Direct my steps in your direction. Be the voice that others hear from my lips. Draw me toward you in my service to your people. I pray this in the name of the One who brought Good News to all who had ears to hear, your son, Jesus. Amen.
This method is adapted by Dennis Mahaney from Organic Outreach for Ordinary People: Sharing Good News Naturally by Kevin Harney. For more ways to energize your efforts, check out this new title from Zondervan Books.
For more about evangelization and your parish, contact contact the Office of Parish Life or call 716-847-5531.