St. George Catholic Church

2019-2020 Budget Report and Letter

In last week’s bulletin article, we heard that we all have a call to fulfill God’s Great Commission to go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching them what Christ has taught us.  But when we hear this call, we may find ourselves asking: How do we bring this message to others?  And who do we even ask?  This week I want to tackle the question of who we can talk to about this message and how we speak to them.

We live in a time where it is very taboo to speak of things like religion in polite company.  No one wants to be the family member that sparks the religious debate at the dinner table during the holidays or causes unpleasantness among their friends because of a religious or moral debate.  We believe that these will always be the consequences when we seek to speak with others about conversion.  But this doesn’t have to be.  The Church has always taught the importance of the virtue of prudence.  Prudence is the ability to think through a situation and do the right thing in the right way.  Like all things, prudence takes practice.  Just because one conversation about the faith goes poorly or one invitation to something like RCIA or a program at the parish is rejected, this doesn’t mean that we stop trying. Evangelist and writer Sherry Weddell talks about the different stages that people find themselves in on their path to become a committed disciple.  We should consider these stages and the types of conversations that are helpful during each of them when we propose the faith to others.  In the practice of prudent  evangelization, it would do each of us well to keep these in mind as we prepare to talk to someone about the faith or the possibility of becoming Catholic. 

Some people only have an initial, tenuous level of trust in something identifiably Christian.  Some others are curiously asking questions or are even open to change without pursuing it.  Others are taking necessary steps on the road to their conversion but are still not fully committed.  No matter what step they are in, Weddell says that we can identify better where the person we are talking with is when we can answer the question: What has your relationship with God been like up until this point?  Knowing this information solves many of the issues each of us have individually in inviting people into a deeper level of conversion. This is the initial stage of the RCIA program that we call the inquiry period.  Before teaching the faith, we want to know where the candidates are currently.  This starts even before the initial class.  The Church relies on us to aid her in this step of the process.  So, instead of just asking who do we invite to come to RCIA or to consider the Catholic teaching in some area, we first have to think of who is present in our lives now that needs to hear Christ’s message.  And not just the names of people but their stories and experiences and thoughts.  What stage are they at?  How can you tailor your invitation to them?  Hopefully these suggestions help spur you on in your efforts to aid the Church in making disciples of all nations. ~Zach Krueger