-
When someone describes themselves as being "raised Catholic", what assumptions do you make about them? Do you assume they go to Mass, pray, follow Church teachings, etc? That phrase could mean that the person is living like the next Mother Teresa. It could also mean that their grandmother was a Catholic and the family has always called themselves Catholic, even if the person you are talking to has never been to Mass. In other words, the label doesn't tell us anything except that the person (in some way) self-identifies as "raised Catholic". Everything else will need to be figured out.
To further illustrate the issue, what if I told you I am a cradle Catholic, who was raised in a very faithful family, went to a Catholic school, and now I work in Catholic ministry, what would you assume about my life? Would you know, Jesus hasn't always been a part of my life? Would you know that I had years of rejecting God and living a sinful lifestyle? Not unless you know my story.
We have to be very careful, when evangelizing (or accompanying someone in any stage), that we don't make assumptions about the other person. We need to stop filling in the blank spaces for others and instead, we need to get to know them. As the phrase goes, "never accept a label in place of a story". It is a very wise saying, because too often we accept the label, because it is easier. We don't have to invest in a relationship or listening if we just accept the label at face-value.
Other assumptions include:- Since a Catholic is very "involved" in ministry, therfore they are already an intentional disciple. This might be one of the most dangerous of all assumptions, because it means that we think they have already had an initial encounter with Jesus which led to conversion. So, we assume they are good with Jesus and therefore we don't evangelize them. This is a terrible way to operate. What if they are just waiting for someone to help them come to know Jesus? What if they are open to the Gospel, but never hear it, because we assume they don't need to? This assumption completely sabotages evangelization, because most Catholics would not evangelize them at all, but just accept that their outward actions tell us the entire story of their heart! Remember...Judas was "involved".
- Priests, bishops, religious, and lay Catholics in leadership positions know how to effectively evangelize and disciple others. The truth is, this is more often the opposite. I work full-time, training leaders on how to work on parish renewal, but I can't start with the parish, I have to start with the leadership (including pastors). In my work, I have learned that even the best Catholic leaders lack knowledge and skills that they need to be good evangelists. Skills such as how to effectively proclaim the kerygma and invite a response, how and when to give your testimony, how to have deep conversations and assess where someone is on their spiritual journey, how to bring someone to conversion, how to equip someone to be a great evangelist, etc. If we assume folks know how to do these things, we won't help them grow as disciple-makers and evangelists.
Instead of making such assumptions, what if we started to operate differently? What if we stopped filling in the blanks of the stories of those around us and really started to ask deep questions and listen attentively? What if the only assumption we made was that we can't assume anything about someone? What if we invested deeply in others and started to really learn where they are, what they need, and how we might assist them in growing closer to God?
Think of how you might operate differently, even amongst other staff members or highly-involved volunteers at your parish. This lack of assumption could lead to a healthier culture, where we all started to look for opportunities to minister to one another. We would start to truly hear what others are saying and responding appropriately, to meet the needs of others, rather than just filling in the blank spaces ourselves.
The real challenge is to do this intentionally. So, start to ask yourself some of these questions:- Who have I made assumptions about or accepted their labels in place of their stories?
- Who do I need to get to know better, in order to serve them as they need to be served?
- What would we do differently if we stopped making these assumptions (think in terms of evangelization opportunities, even for leaders).
- What do I need to pray about and who do I need to pray for, now that I have identified these things?
As St. Rose of Lima said:
“Know that the greatest service that man can offer to God is to help convert souls.”
This service, if done well, should be without false assumptions, which can lead to us not evangelizing others in the ways they need us to.