The earliest definition of evangelism is converting the non-believer. The Jesuits had it all over the rest of the Church with their outreach to China and native North America. How many evnangelical Christians work in Muslim countries? I will give them credit for their work in China, though.

That said, I do think Catholics can do a far better job of welcoming inactive Christians. I wouldn't call it evangelism. It's more like hospitality and welcome--sometimes bad words because of conservative/traditionalist squeamishness about touchy-feely stuff and the like.

Why have most Catholics failed at welcome? An overdeveloped sense of entitlement. As long as the so-called orthodox focus on the "fullness" of their own status and think they're entitled to people breaking down the door, they'll continue to scratch their heads and wonder why everybody else is so stubbornly reading the Sunday funnies in bed while they eat their oatmeal/muesli and slurp their morning coffee.

I'll mention for the record that while I've never been in a parish that wasn't at least marginally friendly, every parish has had something of that overblown sense of entitlement. Catholic parishes don't get members on their own good graces. The grace is God's and the hard work to get new members (or lack of it) is their own.

Todd:

In response to your question:

The answer is, thousands at least; perhaps tens of thousands, though I can't be sure of that since as a requirement of their posting they must keep their location secret and generally discuss their missionary work only after the fact. (The same is true in China and such places, which are often euphemistically referred to as "East Asia" in evangelical churches when funding for a missionary team must be discussed publicly.)

Recently there was a brouhaha in our average-sized Soouthern town that certainly made the local press but managed to capture the attention of the national press as well. It concerned a zoning issue that one of our local parishes had taken to the County Common Council. During a preliminary hearing on the matter, a member of the Common Council who is reportedly a member of the Unitarian church lashed out at the Catholic Church and her teachings about abortion and not ordaining women to the priesthood. Her comments were not only inappropriate to the setting but caustic, inflammatory and offensive to the Catholics in our community. Her remarks garnered more attention than did the zoning issue.

This occurred at about the same time that I had preached a homily on the Gospel of the talents and the one servant who buried the talents with which he had been entrusted. One suggestion I made at the end of the homily in the context of our extending the gift of faith we have been given to others was that parishioners consider inviting someone to Mass with them the following week.

It was with great surprise that a youngish man in our parish, a husband and father of three, invited this politician who had made these publicly critical comments about the Catholic Church to Mass with him the following Sunday. Whispering was widespread prior to the start of Mass that "she" would be here this morning.

As it turned out, the woman sat throughout the Mass, approached the altar for a blessing at the time of communion and then remained quite awhile after Mass to meet many of the parishioners. She was clearly moved as her eyes were teared up during all these introductions and offered her apologies to all whom she met.

I have never seen a more moving or courageous demonstration of evangelization on the part of someone in our Church, although I am convinced there have been many others. This parishioner could have remained within the chorus of "us much maligned Catholics" but he took a risk to expose this woman to Catholics who really do believe such things as the value of human life from the point of conception and the fact that only men can be ordained to our priesthood. It also allowed Catholics an opportunity to embrace an outsider with 'the other cheek.'

I share this story to illustrate that the Spirit of evangelization is alive in our Church and to encourage others to share some of their experiences of welcoming others - ones which display an attitude that Deal describes as that of "I'm glad you're here."

I am not loudly proclaiming my Catholicism incessantly for several reasons:

1)I have found that the evangelical (I do not refer to self described evangelical denominations, but to evangelism as an action) style described above has alienated many agnostics I know.

Many agnostics and atheists are offended when being overtly evangelized (picture an eager Christian constantly talking about Jesus and asking if one is saved). They feel like they are being treated as spiritual notches on the belt, and that the Christian in question sees them only as potentially getting the Christian points with God-- in other words, the agnostic can sense a utilitarian friendship formed for the purpose of converting him. This makes them all the more antithetical to theism, because it encourages them to view God *only* as Law Giver, and *not* also as Abba.

If I truly love my agnostic friends, then I love them whether they are Christians or not. I respect their pace. I ask the Holy Spirit to guide my speech so that I will never be an obstacle to God's grace in their lives. I further ask the Holy Spirit to guide me to speak up about faith when appropriate. Opportune moments come, but I need to *pay attention* to when it is the right time by asking God and listening to His response. I do not simply barrel through and blab about Jesus all the time whether my friend wants to hear it or not.

St. Francis suggested we "preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." Talk is cheap, and talking about Jesus is easier than trying to BE like him. We can and should do both, but in balance, and actions can evangelize more than words do in many cases.

When words do come, it is usually good to begin with things we have in common. Atheists can be more diligent about following natural law, to the extent that they understand it, and in living out the natural virtues, than I am, and I need to respect that and recognize our shared values (and only later, if I think the comment will be well received, mention that God is the Author of these values).

2) I do not want to pray loudly in the street like the hypocrites. I pray to my Father in secret. I am not *ashamed* of my faith, but *trying to avoid being ostentatious*.

3) I do not have a bold personality. Discretion is my natural way of life. It makes sense for me, personally, to evangelize in a way that is consistent with my temperament. That might mean showing up with a meal or a hospital visit for a sick friend (corporal works of mercy). Perhaps I can express that loyal type of love God has for us with my actions.

4) Although I admire Mr. Hudson's underlying desire to see more people grow to love Jesus, I am somewhat offended by the self righteous tone of this article. Those of us who are quiet about our faith with words, but try to preach the Gospel with behavior, are not necessarily complacent or blandly dutiful. Mr. Hudson cannot read the minds of others. I appreciate the opportunity to comment so that perhaps he and others can see that there is more than one way to evangelize, and that it is entirely possible that at least some of those who appear complacent are simply evangelizing in a more discreet way than he notices. The approach he suggests is not wrong, but it is also not the only valid approach to evangelization.

Sincerely,
Angela

Jesus offends some people. He just does. So does witnessing to Him.

Wow.

Thanks for sharing that.

Deacon Ed,

Aware of my spirituality, a gentleman in my community recently volunteered that his faith was "spiritual rather than religious, because the Church didn't do very much in the face of the sexual abuse scandals". I moved the conversation along to give the Holy Spirit some time to advise me on how to address this with the gentleman. I think He just did. Thank you for being a conduit.

I think you have articulated what cradle Catholics do intuitively and instinctively to Evangelize - most of which is not visible to the naked eye in the parking lots and pews. The story of Zoe's sister is another quiet example of real roll up your sleeves Evangelization. Lifting the light of love in service to those in need.



Putting an emphasis on infidelity as the horse to drive people out of bed and come to Mass is paradoxical to getting them to come. Damage isn't done by fidelity to the teachings of the Church, it is the first step of the journey to conversion.

The process of conversion begins with the love of the law because we want to love Christ and ends with a love for Christ that burns so intensely that we avoid transgressing the law so that we don't hurt and offend Him.

Catholics will never permit the Mass to be a place where the focus is one where we recognize the congregation. It is the antithesis of the purpose of the gathering. The Deacon's story is a magnificent example of a testimony of love without compromising fidelity. What Deal, I think is alluding to, is the cross in the road on this journey. Wanting Christ, knowing fidelity is donkey, but lacking the fire. We have all been there.

I would love to read some suggestions at how we turn the heat up at that precious intersection without compromising the focus on Christ and an intense communion with the Body and Blood of Christ at the Liturgy.

I have a few.


Increase our prayer for our priests that the Holy Spirit inspire them to teach fidelity to the teachings of the Church.

Be genuine at the "kiss of peace" which hopefully is going to be moved shortly to a more appropriate time. Make sure we look into the eyes of the people around us as we shake our hand and verbalize our prayer that Christ be with them.

Ignite Adoration. If you don't have it in your parish, make the suggestion for Holy Hours and work on it until it happens.

Work with our priests to bring in speakers on subjects who faithfully teach and inspire, follow it with time for food and social exchanges.

Anyone?

Deal,

I agree with you to a point. I have to admit that while you sought to not be another convert haranguing the Church for not being what it never was, that was exactly what was causing me to cringe as I read the article.

Here’s what I agree with – your naming of the two attitudes of dutifulness and complacency. What I struggle with is yet another attempt to import more Protestantism to somehow “fix” Catholicism.

I see the attitudes of dutifulness and complacency as signs of a tired and worn-out faith that lacks the grace and, therefore, the energy and desire to reach out to one’s neighbor. Pope John Paul II warned of settling “for a life of mediocrity, marked by a minimalistic ethic and a shallow religiosity.”

In Novo Millennio Inuente, Pope John Paul II called upon us to make our communities a “training ground in holiness and schools of prayer.” And Pope Benedict XVI understands the power of the liturgy to inspire awe and to engage the faithful in the transcendence of the Almighty.

After suffering through the interpreters of Vatican II’s efforts to Protestantize our liturgy, divesting it of any opportunity to engage the faithful in the transcendence, I cringe at more proposals of “chummy-glad-hands-gimme-a-hug” liturgies that leave us disengaged from the Divine and, therefore, removed from the river of life.

This concentration on community has left us high and dry, as it replaced our concentration on heeding the Universal Call to Holiness.

The solution to dry and shallow religiosity is going to be found when we "Duc in Altum" – Put into the Deep. In other words, when we create communities that are truly a training ground in holiness and schools of prayer. What people want to find in our spiritual communities, more than a handshake, are other people who are “serious” about their faith.

Concentrating on our holiness, inspiring awe in our liturgies, will lead all to a lively faith and self-emptying love that is eager to connect with with their fellow congregants.

Pleeeaase … no more worldly liturgies to build community!!! 30+ years of this is quite enough, thank you very much.

My New Year's Wish for Deal Hudson

That, when he writes about the Church, he would quit spending 90 percent of the time bitching and complaining about how lousy he thinks the Church is.

Not that I really care what he thinks, but it is highly scandalous to constantly invite people to join in such bashing of the Church, the bishops, priests, music, art, architecture, catechesis, liturgy, Mass-goers, non-Mass-goers, non-traditionalists, and on and on and on.

Sick and Tired,

Converts often get confused when remembering the superficial nature of a protestant service and miss the superficial social graces which in reality is meaningless in the quality of authentic generosity.

This is the time to witness as to why Catholics immerse themselves into the depth of our precious Liturgy and encourage those commenting to approach this kind of closeness to Our Lord.

In a genuine desire to be fishers of men, observations about what we think is going awry is a valid first step to suggesting and executing the fix.

A wise man would take better care he doesn't find himself taking pot shots to discourage the Holy Spirit.

Flannery O'Connor expressed hope for the day when the Evangelicals would realize the historical truth of the Catholic faith and when Catholics learned Evangelical fervor--both in spreading the faith and in personal discipline.

Recently, I had a very interesting conversation at a Books-A-Milllion in Cleveland, TN (the HQ of the worldwide Church of God).

I was there to grade papers using the wireless, and i overheard a local college English instructor talking with the barrista.

I interjected a comment about grading, he came over to where I was seated, and we strated talking about whta it's like to teach English these days, shared about our respective colleges, etc.

I talked about how I try to teach things like Natural Law/harmonia and the importance of having a religious worldview, etc., while trying not to overtly exprses my own particular beliefs unless necessary.

As our convesation progressed though, I told him I was Catholic, and I mentioned the Flannery O'Connor statement above.

it turned out he had been studying Catholicism for several years, but had a few objections. They all basically boiled down to this:

He acknowledged that Transubstantiation seemed like the truth, but his problem was, if Trnasubstantiation is true, why don't Catholics act more Christ-like? I explained 1 Cor 10 and the fact that most Catholics these days go to Communion all the time and never to Confession, which only distances them from Christ. He said, "You know, no that you say it that way, it's perfectly obvious, and I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but I never did. Wow."

I agree with Fr. Richard.

I am a convert who finds myself in a parrish where people know the faith only tepidly; they don't know (or seem to care about knowing) the why behind the duty, oftentimes. I was so hungry for authentic Catholicism (which is purest beauty) that I was led to EWTN where I have matured tremendously as a Catholic Christian through the catechtical programming & devotional practices offered. I am constantly saddened by the ignorance of a vast number of my Catholic brothers & sisters.

But now it is very hard to spiritually connect, except with a select few, at my home parish because most people are so immature in their faith...continuously being fed milk and never advancing to meat. No one even knows when to kneel at Mass anymore without the priest giving them some sign and they timidly enter into the Mass responses. They do not know that Satan is a reality, that we are in a spiritual warfare and that we are the Church militant upon earth. Some do not even seem aware that the Mass is a sacrifice and that we are in need of a Savior. They do not know how to discern what is of the world and what is evil or damaging to their souls. There is no true reverential fear of the Lord which is evidenced in the fact that no one visits Jesus in the Tabernacle before or after Mass....no one--ever. God is fit into a very busy social Church schedule that is hard to distinguish from the world around it.

This is not true of the Hispanic population at our parish who are very devoted to our Lady of Guadalupe. The Hispanic songs constantly speak of and praise Jesus...no flowery language that promts me to ask myself what I just sang or that teaches heresy concerning the Eucharistic Body & Blood.

The majority of Catholics I meet do not know or understand Scripture by heart to the point where it leads & guides their thoughts & actions. This is ignorance of Christ and His desired response from believers. Marcus Grodi of the EWTN program Coming Home brought up an excellent scripture about apostacy recently from Hebrews 6:1-8.

It says: Let's go beyond the basic teachings of the faith to perfection/maturity..4)For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5) and have tasted the goodword of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6) if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to open shame....7 &8) for those who receive God are blessed from Him while those bearing thorns are rejected & cursed; whose end is to be burned. * * *

We must stir up and fan the flame of the Spirit individually by prayerful devotions, delving into Scripture & the Catecism; tradition (teachings of the Church Fathers), and full participation of our hearts in Mass/Liturgies that incorporate the Mystery, Glory & reverence befitting an awesome God. A properly ordered and healthy community arises from extolling Christ and not ourselves. Many Catholic Retreat Centers have become centers for New Age Spiritualism and many groups newspapers & colleges no longer are true to the "Catholic" with in their name.
I have never understood how any Catholic that truly understood that Jesus is the Author of Life (& all that entails) could ever cast their vote for a Pro-choice/abortion Candidate for President?? Why would they yoke themselves directly or even indirectly with the killing of innocents, when God plainly states in Scripture that we are to have nothing to do with murder of innocents for it is an abomination to Him. Catholic Liturgies are full of the concept of life; human dignity. Issues are complex; war, death penalty--but abortion is very plainly barabric by any standard.

My Catholic parish was overwhelmingly pro-Obama discerning all the car bumperstickers. How can I invite someone to my parrish when I am ashamed over such behavior by both priest & laity? I wept and most especially for those Eucharistic ministers I saw drive away in those cars. Their witness made me want to flee the parrish, but there was no where to go, for Jesus is truly in the Catholic Church...even within my parrish...where 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name. I am eargerly awaiting the New Springtime Pope John Paul II referred to. I hope to see a more Eucharistic-centered Catholic priesthood and laity very soon and the fruits of such a Church.

Turly if we realized what a gift we have in our Catholic Faith, we would shout it from the rooftops.
but alas, our "little faith".
thus should we pray, Our Lord, increase our faith. Send us your Spirit that that you may renew the earth.

Each of us can pray tht God will give us opportunities to live our lives in ways that invite people to want to know Jesus christ. We will be amazed at what will happen.

Deal, I think you missed the fact that 54% of Catholics did evangelize on November 4th. The message was loud and clear. Life ain't what it used to be.

I present a challenge to each Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist: Smile. Be welcoming. Look the recipient in the eyes. Make that person feel that you are glad he is there. Make her feel that you are glad to be sharing this wonderful meal with her.

You never know if this person is struggling with "Is this the right church for me? Should I continue to come? Does anyone care?"

The priest doesn't meet everyone. The ushers don't greet everyone. But almost every single person interacts with us. Make that person feel that you want that interaction. Welcome them with your eyes.

The Church would do best to begin evangelizing and all other activities on the basis of truth in such matters as the offenses of too many of its bishops and other clergy and the true and deadly nature of that criminal-terrorist pathology known as Islam.

I've heard the evangelical community described as "a mile wide and an inch deep", and this superficiality lends itself easily to "community" and quick conversions. I'm not trying to born-again-Christian bash, they are good people doing what they think is right, but the contrast needs to be drawn. The Catholic faith is the opposite - it is truly profound, can satisfy the full spectrum of humanity, from the simplest to the most scholarly and devout. This depth doesn't lend itself to the evangelical style of conversion at all - Catholicism can't be summed up in a sound byte.

I feel the best thing we can do is to live the Church to it's fullest, which most Catholics are not doing and which, even if they are, is a daily challenge in this secular world. Catholicism took a devastating hit 40 years ago and the result is that no one under 50 or so is well educated in the faith unless they or their parents made a huge effort to do so independently. See the posts over at David Mills's piece "Contraception and Conversion" if you're not convinced of this - the arrogance of those who want to reinvent Catholicism is breathtaking.

All Catholics need proper formation, that should be the real concern here. The rest will come. The Truth is IRRESISTIBLE - people will flood into the faith once our ship is righted.

Mr. Hudson,

Evangelicalism has its own methods and characteristics and so does Catholicism. And the evangelism proper to Catholicism is intrinsically tied to the liturgy, which you did not mention. If you think Catholicism is the truth, then celebrate that and proclaim that.

We all know that we are sinners, doing our best and that we fall, frequently. But that is all you point out. But when it comes to evangelicals, you never point out their deficits. Why?

The touchy-feely stuff comes after objective truth. And the Mass is objective truth: it is not the place for the touchy-feely. Have a community breakfast afterwards if you want touchy-feely. The Mass is not where we celebrate ourselves; it it the place where we worship God. The primary purpose of the Liturgy is not to lift the spirit of those in the pews. It is to worship God. That's the difference between Catholics and evangelicals. Get it right.

I really believe that part of the reason that evangelicals are more successful in their evangelization is that they give hope in Christ for this life and not just the next. The message that I think has resonated thru the Church for so long is "hold on by your fingertips, offer it up, and things will be better in the next life". While I am not debunking redemptive suffering, I certainly don't see Jesus proclaiming that message when confronted with the sick and suffering. He healed them all.
Are wenot commissioned to do the same? This is Evangelization with Power to change lives.

Also, I certainly don't see anyone telling the hungry and downtrodden to "offer it up".

It is my understanding that if you bring a small container to be filled at the Feast, it will be filled, but only to its brim. The water jars at the wedding feast at Cana were huge. Their contents were converted to the finest wine.

Evangelicals offer only services. In the secular sense, a protestant/evangelical service seems a bit empty for all the conjured yummy feelings that congregants believe they are being fed by the chef du jour. It seems an intellectual feeding dependant on the verbal talent and social inteligence of the reigning Protestant pastor, not a Real spiritual feeding from and of God, Himself. I hesitate to be fed mullarky. A service is all that is offered to Evangelical/Protestant congregants.

Catholics have the Mass and the Eucharist. Priests don't perform a service in the secular/protestant sense. In persona Christi makes the difference. Jesus does the feeding of His flesh and the drinking of His blood, and the converting of the heart, "par excellance."

I try to open my heart and bring the largest vessel to be filled. Cumbersome to carry home without spilling a bit, it is my experience that its contents spill on everyone I bump into. I hope that's the best 'service' I can offer.

Jesus didn't start a religion. He formed the Church. All of us would do well to assess the spiritual reality of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb that far and away transcends picking nits, golden tongued pastors, and carting around small vessels.

Through His blood we are all saved and we'll hopefully all be counted around His table one day in the hereafter. He did allow me though to be seated around His table in the here and now. Now THAT'S Communion! Lucky me.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
...
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
...
So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We can speak the truth loudly and boldly, but if we don't speak it in love, it is nothing. Conversely, if we don't speak the truth, it is not love. We don't need sappy sermons, but the truth spoken in love.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, but it is the ultimate outpouring of love. We forget that at our own peril.

The average American Catholic is really a Romanized Protestant. How can you expect him or her to evangelize?

Ben, I haven't been called "touchy-feely" since the early 80s when Phil Donohue and Alan Alda where all the rage with their "sensitive man" message. Thank you, you brought back great memories.

Since this whole shtick started with twelve people, call me an optimist, but I think there are enough of us who are are faithful to the precepts of the Catholic Church and strive to experience the Sacraments and closeness to Christ at the depth It is meant to be, and we have everything we need to turn a great deal of people on. Especially, if we are willing to focus on the smaller opportunities. In the last six months, the Holy Spirit opened up two opportunities for me to express how the Sacraments are my lifeline to my joy, love,stability. Both of those people have gone back to weekly Mass and report to me how it is changing their lives. I've just started on a third person.

Throw a Crucifix around our necks and be present in love to everyone we meet, especially when they are in a crisis. Be more than a smile and well-wisher. Do outreach. When the opportunity arises to give testimony as to what drives you, and that door WILL open, cast the net and rope them to the Sacraments.

Smiles and handshakes and sharing donuts and pancakes is put into perspective when you won't return a phone call to somebody sad, depressed, frightened, in trouble.

Our priests need to embellish what love really entails in concrete examples...sacrificial love requires hard work. Life requires messy clean-up.

I care for a quadriplegic person who calls himself a "flower pot person" because everything has to be brought & administered to him..everything. If he has an itch on his face I have to come & scratch if for him. His strength is made manifest through God's grace which is sufficient for him. I am the willing conduit through which God's grace flows. My life is on constant call 24/7. Love is not fitting a good deed into our day; it is becoming God's care for someone else no matter the need.

So glad to read the ideas of so many mature Catholic Christians on this site.

I was an altar boy years ago in the lst years of the Latin Mass. I understand that I will be accused of being an "old fart" but I do miss the Latin Mass, which was very beautiful, and gave the people a link to the early Church. The Church is supposed to be Universal, and when the Mass was in Latin, you could go to a Catholic Church anywhere in the world, and the Mass was still in Latin. Latin was the language of the Church and allowed Priests of every nationality to communicate. I am not trying to be silly here, I think that we lost something when we changed the Mass from Latin to the vernacular. We Altar boys in the Latin Mass used to joke:
"Latin is a dead language and that's as it should be: first it killed the Romans, now it's killing me!"
Mr. Hudson is a convert of 25 years ago, so he missed out on the Latin Mass; Not his fault, but I think he missed out on something good.

I have grown quite weary of reading commentaries -- here and in other Catholic forums -- regarding what we can learn from the Evangelicals, some of whom do not even consider Catholics to be Christian. Rather, it is they who should be learning from the Church. If that sound elitist, well... that's what happens when you have One True Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Deal, Good article, now follow up. Start a school and church in Gaza (since you wrote an article about Gaza) and start Catholic schools in our cities. There is a great, great need for Catholic schools in the cities. Pay the teachers less, but make the teaching conditions good. At the high school level, have a focus so you can tell parents that their children will have a skill. Preach the Gospel! We've lived in our town for ten years: the Mormons visit at least once a year, the Jehovah's Witnesses once a year, and the Southside Baptist Church once a year. Just last month the pastor visited us as he made his way through the neighborhood. Several years ago a Catholic came by asking for money for the Run for Life. We were recently invited to Grace Community Bible Church for the Christmas program! On Saturdays I go to my Catholic Church, and on Sundays we drive to the nearest Greek Orthodox Church, where we observe, marvel at the liturgy (What a contrast to that of the Catholic Church!), and experience the natural friendliness of the parishioners. Keep writing honest and informative articles.

Thaddeus,

You're presenting a red herring. Catholics get to encounter Christ in the Eucharist. If you want snappy preaching, go down to the evangelical group on the next block. By the way, most evangelical preaching isn't all that much, either. But even if it is, that's all they've got. Think about it.

Looking at the comments on this article, I have to say that a lot of the negative reactions to Mr. Hudson's article are actually and ironically proving his point just as well as the article itself. We should humbly admit that Evangelical churches do certain things better than the Catholic Church does, and if we combined those certain things with the truth of the Catholic faith, we could be a whole lot better at changing the culture.

You might want to think about that.

You got it right, Alex. Maybe than the Evangelicals would be willing to look at what the Catholic Church does right.