Evangelize, evangelize, evangelize

The new hot topic in the Catholic Church seems to be "Evangelize". At times it seems like we are hit over the head more with the word evangelize than the Jesus stick. Yet, what does it truly mean to evangelize? According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself."

To young people, what does that mean to evangelize if we are too stressed out to go to Mass. We feel that it does not pertain to our lives. Then, we have the older generations who evangelize by hitting the grandchildren over the head with the Jesus stick. There is that sense of Catholics being private with their faith. However, if we are being private with our faith, then we are clearly not evangelizing our faith to others.

While praying after Daily Mass, one of the "regulars" came up to me asking how she could get her daughter to come back to the Catholic Mass. Just because I go to Mass every day, does not make me an expert on the topic. I just always offer the invitation. If people want to ask me what they can do with their time, then I will say, "Well, you can come to Mass with me." Sometimes, all we want is for someone to offer us the olive branch and invite us to Mass with them.

When I started this process, evangelizing was a difficult topic to even wrap my head around. We are told to bring the Good News of Jesus to everyone, yet Catholics are not knocking on every door telling people about their Catholic faith. At times, it is a delicate topic, but if you are truly called to Spread the Good News of Christ, then you step out of the comfort zone. We are not just called to speak the Good News, but we are called to act on our faith. It is the little things that show people that we are Disciples of Christ.

Evangelizing is not about hitting people over the head with the Jesus stick. I have been the victim of the Jesus stick, and it is not a fun stick to be hit over the head with. Evangelizing is about not being afraid to practice your faith and share your faith with others. Allow others to see you wearing a cross or some saint medal. Allow others to see you wearing a scapular. Evangelizing is not about making people feel like they are horrible people because they are not as holy as you are. Evangelizing is about when given the opportunity to speak the Good News of Christ and invite someone to Mass with you, you take that opportunity.

In time, each person you meet will realize that Christ is about service to others. By serving others, you will start to evangelize. Hopefully, society will be more willing to see that we are evangelizing and spreading the Good News of Christ.