The Catholic Church is for sinners.
If you don’t have any…you can’t be a member.
It’s as simple as that. And, I don’t think many would refute it.
However, I think our viewpoint is sometimes completely different.
And, that difference can keep us from being effective evangelizers.
What do I mean? Let’s take a look.
An evangelizing moment
Infant baptism preparation classes are an evangelizing moment in Church ministry.
When someone comes to get their first child baptized, I have them go through a prep class. They learn what Baptism is and what it does. They talk about the theological significance as well as the practical aspects (did you know you should give the priest a stipend?).
The obvious reason for this class is they need to understand what’s happening as well as their responsibilities as Christian parents, which are substantial.
The less obvious reason is, these are young couples are often estranged from the Church. Starting a family gets them thinking about God again. We want to capitalize on that.
The sticking point with evangelization
There are several couples that do these classes for me and sometimes they get frustrated. These are people really trying hard to live their faith and do the right things to raise their kids Catholic.
It’s disheartening to see these young couples not practicing at all and not doing any of those things. They aren’t registered in the parish, don’t go to Mass, don’t have a Christian name picked out, don’t have good Catholic godparents, and sometimes it’s years before they come to get their child baptized.
I’ve had people quit the baptismal prep ministry because it gets them too upset…and with good reason. Those things are important.
But something’s slightly off with that viewpoint.
A mistaken viewpoint of the Church
All of us sometimes have the idea that the Church is for the people who have arrived…who have things figured out. The Church is like a club for the people who do the right things.
Church people go to Mass, confession, and coffee shop. They send their kids to Catholic school, volunteer, tithe, and say the rosary.
It’s not a conscious thought, but it’s there.
The Church is not for the people who have arrived. It’s exactly the opposite. The Church is like a hospital for sinners. Who’s in a hospital? Sick people. They’re there to get healed.
The Church is the place where the spiritually sick go to get healed.
Evangelization takeaway
The thing about baptismal prep is it’s an evangelizing ministry. The people you meet when you’re evangelizing aren’t always in the right place when you first encounter them.
It’s your job to get them there. To awaken them to the beauty and wonder of the Catholic Faith.
The Church is the place where spiritually sick people go to get healed.
If you see the Church this way, it makes it easier for you to accept those that don’t seem like they belong. The ones that don’t do the right things, or don’t know and follow Church teachings.
Show them acceptance, show them love, show them the truth, and help them understand how to live well. Then, the “right things” will be something they do because God’s love is welling up from within them. Not just because it’s the right thing to do.
Amen!
Doing Baptism prep classes would be fun I think. In some ways the further away from God someone is, the greater the opportunity for evangelism.
You are definitely right about that! I think it would be fun. I like that kind of stuff though.
I also have to say that I can see where it’s frustrating. You keep running across the same types of things and they don’t always listen to you. You don’t get much back in that ministry. But, it’s a great challenge as well, and you have a chance to make a big impact and a big difference.
Yes. In cases where people are hearing me out of obligation more than interest, instead of trying to teach or even merely inform, I aim at piquing their curiosity.
Many converts/reverts I know came/returned to the Church simply through becoming curious. Then on their own initiative they built a momentum of curiosity/ answers/ more curiosity/ more answers.