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If I told you I was a cradle Catholic, who was raised in a very faithful family, went to a Catholic school, and now worked in ministry, you would make a lot of assumptions about my life, no doubt. But, 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 discipling somone, that we don't make assumptions about them. As Sherry Weddell says, "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 might be that just because someone is very "involved" in ministry, then they are already intentional disciples. This might be one of the most dangerous of all assumptions, because it means that we don't think they need to have the initial encounter with Jesus that leads to conversion. So, we assume they are good with God. 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?
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.