Share Your Faith

 

We can get our flames to go higher, burn hotter, and shine brighter if we will move beyond belief and Share Our Faith. 

 

We need to renew our efforts with our spiritual lives, otherwise there will be slippage, backsliding, regression. It is critical to re-infuse time and energy, to refocus. Our relationship with Jesus deserves top priority.

 

We need to keep our lamps trimmed and burning (see Mt 25:7).
Jesus wants us to trim away all of the soot, to cut away all sin.
Jesus wants our flames to shoot up, higher, hotter, and brighter,
so our flames, our lights, will shine brightly before others (see Mt 5:16a).

 

PART ONE:  The First Six Months

PREPARATION AND INTERAL
EVANGELIZATION PHASE

 

Month One:  Introduction of the Share Your Faith Program

Where we have been:  Year I, Learn Your Faith and Year II, Practice Your Faith

A three-year program, like a capital campaign, but instead focusing on our spirituality, inspired by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.

      “Keep your lamps trimmed and burning” (Mt 25:7);

      “Your light must shine before others” (Mt 5:16).

   

Where we are going:  Year III

Follow Jesus’ invitation to share our faith, help strengthen fellow believers, and evangelize.

 

Jesus told John’s disciples:  “Go and tell John what you hear and see” (Mt 11:4).

 

Jesus told the Gerasene demoniac:  “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 (Mk 5:19-20).

 

Jesus' command:  “Go make disciples of all nations.  Teach them to observe all that I commanded you” (Mt 28:19,20).

 

The Pentecost event:  Peter stood up, raised his voice, and proclaimed (Acts 2:14). The Role of the Holy Spirit which bestows the gift of faith, deepens faith, and inspires believers to share their faith.

 

Peter’s Pentecost speech.  Once he received the gift of the Holy Spirit he spoke boldly about Jesus and led other people to the faith (Acts 2).  We all have received the same Spirit and are charged to do the same.

 

The Role of Scripture:  we cannot share what we do not have ourselves; it is a time of renewal, a time for each of us to draw closer to God and Jesus individually and as a community: “Eat this scroll, and then speak my words to them” (Ez 2:9-3:4).

 

The Goals of Year Three

• To strengthen the faith and conviction of our regular members
• To gain the tools to be able to speak about our faith more clearly and boldly
• To bring people back to the Church through our personal testimony and invitations.
• A commitment to learn, practice and share the faith.

   

 

Month Two: Personal Prayerful Reflection

We cannot share what we do not know or are unaware of.

How did my faith and spiritual life get where it is today?

What people or events have made a profound influence on me?

What are two or three of the most significant spiritual experiences of my life?

How did they change my life?

The process:  written or spoken, do what is right for you

Introverts like to think about it by themselves and write it down

Extroverts want to talk it through

 

Month Three: Courage to Share, Personal Conviction, Going Public

Saying out-loud what we have been keeping inside

Overcoming the external obstacle of “What will other people think?”

Overcoming the internal obstacle of “I don’t want to appear crazy, fanatical, over-pious.”

In a world of privacy and individual freedom, the message we get: “You are free to think whatever you want, but please keep your ideas to yourself.”

 

Month Four:  Share Your Faith with Someone "Safe," Your Closest Friend-Believer

Part One:  Start with a “safe story.” Personal sharing is scary for many people, so start “non-personal,”don’t start with yourself, but with someone else.  Start with the story:  “My parents’ faith” or, tell the story of someone who has been very significant in your faith journey such as your grandmother or grandfather, aunt or uncle, nun or priest.

How was that person’s faith strong?  How did that person’s faith impact you?

Part Two:  Share some of your own faith story with your closest believer-friend.

 

Month Five:  Preparations for the Invitation Process

   “What does it mean to be a Welcoming Community?”

  The parish recommitment to “All are Welcome in this Place”

  A Christian theology of hospitality (service, footwashing, Jn 13:1-15)

  The nuts and bolts of hospitality:

    our mindset about who belongs in “my/our” parish

    the first ministry of greeter:  the usher

    the second ministry of greeter:  the neighbor in the pew

    the third ministry of greeter:  the presider’s welcome

 

Creating a welcoming environment:  moving over in  the pew, smiles, help with hymnals, explanations, directions, the sign of peace

    

Our participation in the liturgy and what it communicates to visitors.

Thinking about whom to approach:

• someone who is a Catholic but only occasionally active or somewhat inactive
• a family member, a young person (child or teen), a young adult (20s or 30s),
• a neighbor, a co-worker, someone you know that is searching
• someone who is non-Catholic or non-Christian who may be open

Steps to move toward an invitation:  invite them to share about themselves,

share about your own faith journey, invite them to church, offer to accompany the person on their personal faith journey

 

Month Six:  Share Your Faith with an Active, Practicing Catholic Family Member

The focus is strengthening each other rather than outreach to lapsed or inactive Catholics.

Before sharing, reflect on "Who is God to me?" as well as my faith journey:  the presence and action of God in my life story.

 

PART TWO:  The Second Six Months

SHARE YOUR FAITH
EXTERNAL EVANGELIZATION, OUTREACH,

THE INVITATION PHASE

 

Individuals who are sometimes active, inactive, or searching

 

Ideas for people to consider.

Select as many or as few as you wish.

Please feel to go beyond these suggestions.

 

Month Seven:

A family member

Month Eight:

A young person, a child, or a teen

Month Nine:

A young adult, someone in their 20s or 30s

Month Ten:

A neighbor

Month Eleven:

A co-worker

Month Twelve:

Someone who is searching