Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Evangelization: It Starts With Us

It is important to stand up for your faith! Everyone can attest to this statement, but do we really do what we say? Everyone can be faith filled and have the urge to do God's work while they are in the middle of worshiping during church, but it is often a different story once we leave the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

Evangelization is not tolerated today. We are told, "It is okay for you to believe what you want to believe, just don't talk about it to anyone else." We are given the perception that religion is great in church, but we should keep it to ourselves after that.

A work friend of mine was recently in trouble with the law. She was arrested, brought before a judge and was given a 45 day jail sentence as a result of two consecutive drunk-driving charges. Her arrest has caused each of her co-workers to pick up her shifts while she has her paperwork filed and can return to work under Huber Law. As I take each one of her shifts I pray that the Lord can help her to feel His presence as she goes through this very difficult time. Shortly before her incarceration, I had a chance to talk to her. I found out that she is an atheist, but has not always had the lack this lack of faith. I found out that she had regularly attended a Catholic church while she was little, but her parents had ceased to attend and she found what she considered "better" ways to spend her Sundays.

In an attempt to show her that God still exists and is very much a part of her life, I told her that I was attending college seminary after graduation this year and offered to share my faith story with her. I was not trying to brag or show off my strong faith, but I wanted to show her that God has the power to influence our thoughts and decisions if we open up to him. It is my prayer "amid the pots and pans at work", that God continues to open up her heart to Him. Perhaps by some miracle her eyes can open to His love and her faith will be renewed.

Religion is a bigger subject than people think. God needs to be talked about wherever we go. The subject of God should not be stopped once we walk out of the church doors, but it should be carried to all those we come in contact with. Young people of today need to know God and know how much He loves them despite all of their faults and mistakes. This is our job as Christians and Evangelizers. Are we up to the challenge to take the Gospel to the streets?