Jesus commanded us to “proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). We hear that call, but have no idea what to do with it on a Tuesday afternoon. Evangelization causes us to picture the street preacher with a bullhorn, or the argument that ruined someone’s Thanksgiving, or the coffee invite that turned out to be a theological ambush.
There are reasonable fears here. We are afraid it will cost us a friendship, or in our rush to recruit people to Team Catholic we make it too personal too quickly, turning the person into a project, or pontificate on questions nobody is asking. We use God in a way that has nothing to do with the person in front of us.
This is why St. Paul VI, in his Evangelii Nuntiandi, said:
“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (EN 41).
4 Practical Ways To Share Your Faith
What follows are four habits, in the order they work, to assist you in evangelizing the people you love into the Church.
1. Lead With Prayer
Everything depends on prayer because conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit, not human wisdom (1 Cor 2:4). You believe that, right? Sadly, I ignored this truth. I ran ministries in my 20s and never let prayer lead the way. I would “bookend” my talks with prayer, but never interceded for the Lord to lead seekers to the parish, to overcome resistance in souls, or to send volunteers who could multiply the ministry’s effectiveness. My vanity left no room for that.
I basically told God, “Don’t get in my way and watch what I can do for you!” This is the height of stupidity, and the Father will not let such stupidity act in His Son’s name for long.
So here is a better way.
Pick three people who are skeptical, lost, or are stuck in an objection against faith, and pray for them daily by name. Give them to the Father, beg for their conversion, and ask for opportunities to bless them personally. Ask God to raise up “Andrews”, someone not you that they will listen to (John 1:40-42). Give up lecturing and start fasting. As Saint Anselm said to Saint Monica: “Speak more to God about Augustine and less to Augustine about God.”
2. Ask Questions and Listen Closely
After prayer, the best habit is asking questions. Questions should not be a setup or an ambush for a “gotcha!” moment. Genuine questions strip us of agendas and tenderize our hearts. As Sherry Weddell, author of Forming Intentional Disciples, states, “Never accept a label in place of a story.” Listening gets us to their story.
In my prison ministry an inmate kept attacking me with accusations disguised as questions. When he made a comment about video games, I pivoted, “Did you grow up playing video games?” That launched a whole new conversation about the NES, the Sega Genesis, and his PS2 that was broken when his home was raided by the cops. Then… his life story came pouring out.
On the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 Jesus asked questions of the two disciples and listened to their sorrow. Then He taught. So when a coworker mentions that he is exhausted, or a sister finally says her marriage is in trouble, resist the impulse to supply the spiritual solution. Ask a second question, then a third, until you understand their burden well.
3. Share Your Story
Next, share your story of Christ in your life. You are not telling other people what they need to believe or do, but what Christ has done for you and in you. In sixty seconds, share one specific moment of encounter with God that changed you permanently.
Do not make it dramatic or polished, because that will sound fake, forced, or weird. The point is to make God’s saving grace relatable or ordinary life. When you share your story, people have a tendency to find themselves in it, if they are genuinely listening to you.
4. Make an Appropriate Invitation
The rule for invitations is “Aim small, miss small.”
For the skeptical: an invitation to go to Mass might make them defensive, so look for a place where they feel most comfortable and at ease, such as coffee, a meal, or evening drinks and ask them questions to understand their perspective. The goal is reducing defensiveness.
For the curious and open: ask them to Mass and get breakfast afterward or say that you will be praying about something he told you and then follow up in a week. The goal is normalizing grace in ordinary life.
For active seekers: they need big answers to real questions, so the larger invitation is to join the OCIA at your parish, with the offer to join them in the process.
I brought 125 Protestants and 300 unbaptized souls into the Catholic Church through our OCIA program over an 8-year span at my parish. The sad news? A third of my students were dropouts of other OCIA programs where real answers, training in prayer, and community support were absolutely lacking.
I got to work with Ascension to help build its OCIA program, Invited: Your Journey into the Catholic Church, to solve exactly this problem. The teachings are structured for an adult seeking real answers. This is complemented with prayer and reflection to lead them into deep spiritual maturity.
Cardinal George once said: “You evangelize what you do love.” These four habits can overcome the fears and mistakes we all make and lead those we love into the arms of Christ.
Invited was created with the conviction that OCIA should make disciples, not just deliver doctrine. Following the approach recommended by the Directory of Catechesis, the kerygma anchors the whole process. Three priorities shaped the curriculum: fidelity to Church teaching, accessibility for those new to the Faith, and genuine formation of the whole person—mind, heart, and soul. All Invited videos are free on the Ascension App alongside over 150 additional resources, such as podcasts, articles and more, to help participants go deeper into the lessons. Learn more –> Invited: Your Journey into the Catholic Church
Image: Photo by Junior on Unsplash
