Private! Keep Out!

Reasons Catholics Don't Share Their Faith

    Fidei Defensor has had a great summer!  We've been out spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church at the farmer's market virtually every Saturday this summer.  We even made it down to Manitowoc for Kite Fest.  All over we have been talking to Atheists, Agnostics, non-Christians, non-Catholics and many Catholics.  Interestingly enough we've had many, many Catholics tell us that they're so pleased to see a fellow Catholic doing street evangelization and that it bolsters their own faith.

     But why don't more Catholics do this?  In a previous Facebook post (Mar 20th 2015) we answered the adage "I follow what St. Francis said, 'Preach the Gospel boldly; only when necessary use words.'" Feel free to browse in the Facebook page archives for the answer (hint: St. Francis never said it.)  Today we're going to be looking at another excuse many Catholics use to not talk about the faith:  My faith is a private matter.

    There are a couple problems with this adage: 1) According to the Catholic Church, no it's not  2) Since when does 'private' mean 'never talk about'?

    The Catechism of the Catholic Church is pretty plain on whether or not we should verbally share our faith:  Paragraphs like 848 state that we have "...the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."  Numerous whole encyclicals from numerous popes down through the ages have practically begged the laity to verbally evangelize and explain the faith to others.  Evangelii Nuntiandi by Bl. Pope Paul VI and Evangelii Gaudium by Pope Francis are just two of the many examples.

    But two of my favorite examples are from the earliest section of the Catechism and a document from Vatican II.  In the Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church it states, "... evangelization is the fundamental task of the People of God."  Who are the 'People of God?'  Every one of us who belong to Christ.  From the laity to the pope... soup to nuts if you will.  Our "fundamental" i.e. Primary, most basic, most important and everyday task is to talk about the faith to others... Catholics and non.

     My other favorite example is paragraph 14 of the Catechism.  Notice how close to the beginning this is.  This is one of the first things the writers / compilers of the Catechism thought of... and it goes like this:  "Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men."

     Are you baptized?  Do you believe in God?  Then you must "confess" (verbally) your faith before other people.  Notice this is a command.  Not a request; not optional.  When we're going through our examinations of conscious at the end of the day are we adding the omission of NOT talking about our faith to others that day?

    To further deal with our original excuse we must ask ourselves: Since when does 'Private' mean 'never share?'  Almost everything else that is 'private' has some condition under which we share it.  I would think telling someone else about the best, most fulfilling way to live their lives would be one.  I mean, what would we think of a Doctor who kept a cure for a miserable condition back because he thought it was 'private?'  We even have safety exceptions to HIPPA laws.  If a patient admits suicidal or homicidal ideations to a counselor in session, the counselor is able (some would say 'bound') to let the proper authorities know.

     In the end, the best way to deal with this objection is to respond with this simple one line:  Our faith is NOT private... it is DEEPLY PERSONAL but NEVER private.