Sharing your faith with words

By John and Therese Boucher 

Special to The CFP 

Some years ago, John met an old friend at a school reunion. After they caught up on all the day-to-day news, John wanted to share how Jesus had become the center of his life. He told Greg about his experiences and gave him a small New Testament. Greg was not a churchgoer, but he found something reassuring about John’s story. 

Day after day and year after year, Greg carried the unopened book in his briefcase. He took it with him wherever he went. Then one night about 10 years later, during a business trip to Asia, while he was mulling over some serious personal difficulties, Greg noticed the New Testament sitting in his briefcase. He took it out, opened it, and encountered God’s living word. Something stirred in his heart. He read a few more pages each day. Little by little, he sought out people with whom he might talk about Jesus and eventually returned to confession and to enjoying life as a churchgoer. The following Christmas he called John to share his story. 

John’s conversation with Greg is somewhat similar to the conversation Jesus had with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). In the beginning, Jesus did a lot of listening. He respected their experience of disbelief. He was patient with their confusion — he then spoke. 

So how do we share our faith with the people in our lives? How do we move from compassionate caring to active sharing? The place to begin is by asking ourselves questions about our own spiritual journey. When did it begin? What are the high and low points in our story? Where is God in our life now? Our responses will help us clarify the story God wants us to tell. Remember, our story has the power to shed light on the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that no one else’s can.  

This is so very important today, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic when so many people are burdened by fear, isolation, and loneliness. They need to hear the good news of Jesus as an answer to their deepest needs. As Pope Francis explains, “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.” (The Joy of the Gospel, 164) Sharing our story of faith puts human flesh on the Gospel and might be the lifeline others need since so many feel like they are drowning. 

In addition to sharing part of our story when the time is right, we can also share a faith story from Scripture or from a saint’s life. Whatever we do, choose an episode that the person can easily understand. For example, “Your situation reminds me of the time that Peter wanted to walk on the water to get to Jesus.” If we share an event from our own life, remember to keep the focus on our experience of God, not our spiritual achievements. In fact, we might even share some of our failures in following Jesus and the ways God reached out to help us. 

Sometimes, when an opportunity to share our story comes up, we may find ourselves plagued with doubts. When this happens, take a moment to pray for this person. Prayer is the first act of evangelization. Then, take a good look at our relationship with this person. Is what we are considering a way to show the care and compassion of Christ? 

Remember also to avoid exaggeration or religious jargon – words that only active Catholics would understand. If our story arouses a response, then continue the conversation and see where the Spirit leads. If not, then just move on to another topic. 

– This article was taken from the June 2020 issue of The Word Among Us magazine, wau.org.  

Used with permission. The book “Sharing the Faith That You Love,” by John and Therese Boucher, from which these articles were adapted, is available at www.bookstore.wau.org. 

The diocesan Parish Renewal and Evangelization Committee is sponsoring “101 Ways to Evangelize:  

Reaching Catholics Emerging from the Pandemic,“ from 7-9 p.m., Thursday, April 29, via Zoom. The speaker is Susan Windley-Daoust, Ph.D., author of “101 Ways to Evangelize,” and director of missionary discipleship, Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. Registration is free. Send name, email, and phone number to Esperanza Oliveras, prae77group@gmail.com, by Monday, April 26, to receive the Zoom link.