Question: How do you talk about religion that doesn’t cause conflict?
The answer is not to bury our heads and never talk about religion. Or use social media to express your opinion by degrading people, hitting them over the head, chastising them by demanding an apology or judging them that they are not a “good bishop.”
Catholics are not accustomed to talking about our faith. History tells the story of people who came from another country and were Catholic and lived in a Catholic bubble “ghetto.” No one was going to ask you about your faith because we all assumed we knew about the holydays and fasting. We didn’t have to talk about our faith because nobody was asking.
The Catholic bubble has burst, we live in much more secular world, We tend to stand out and I think that’s a good thing. We wear ashes on our heads, and people snicker and ask what is it with you Catholics with ashes on your forehead.
Are you ready to talk about your faith, are you ready to explain what you believe and why? Sadly, the temptation is to ‘blend in” and that’s not what we want to do. We treasure our faith. We have no need to be embarrassed or afraid about talking about our faith because it is about our relationship with God.
Unfortunately many Catholics feel ill equipped to respond when people ask us about our faith. We’re not sure how to explain ourselves, we fear we might get it wrong.
The trick is to talk about your faith like ou are talking about your best friend. Remember, the disciples were fishermen and no great theologians. Keep it simple and talk about your faith in everyday language in a simple way that is not simplistic, but it makes sense to people. Talking about our faith is not about winning a debate. People debate online forget to be civil.
First simple suggestion when speaking to others about your faith is speak from the heart. Catholics can be very sterile and stern when talking about our faith, we quote Scripture or the catechism. Might I suggest you simply share what God has done for you. How God has changed you. What God brings to your life.
How has Jesus touched your life, transformed your life. Simply speak about yourself and your relationship with God. How and why does God make you a better man and better woman.
When you talk to other people about your relationship with Jesus tell them how He has made you a better person. This is what our relationship with God does. We don’t follow the commandments out of fear of God, better do the right thing or we get in trouble. Rather, we do it because this is how God treats us with such great love that we want to treat others in the same way.
Simply put, Catholic, Christians, or persons of all faiths want to conform to the way God thinks, speaks and acts. Jesus came into our world to show you how God thinks, speaks and acts. Respect for all people wherever they were born, compassion for the poor and a heart that accepts and welcomes people of all genders, nations and cultures.
We live a moral life because God is a Gpd of justice, mercy, compassion, fairness, charity. We strive to treat other as God treats us. Moral life is practicing the spirit of the commandments and the beatitudes. Not just memorizing the chapter and verses. Beatitudes compel us to go out and do things, to be peacemakers, hunger and thirst for righteous, to except being persecuted for righteousness.
What would Jesus have us do?
This past week, at the National Ecumenical Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington DC, the Rt. Reverend Mariann Budde, asked the President of the United States for mercy for those who are afraid—the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented workers. I would consider these people to be under the heading of the poor and the oppressed, the folks for whom Isaiah and Jesus seemed to be concerned. I listened to the bishop’s gentle and sweetly phrased homily, and I did not hear her scold or condemn the president. I only heard a plea that our government should have some feelings for those on the margins.
But some folks got upset.
And that’s okay. Sometimes our faith should challenge us. Sometimes we should wrestle with the practical and the ideal. Sometimes we should reject simple, safe answers—especially when we are followers of Jesus.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we find the grace of love in our hearts and share our faith with people. It’s time to take a stand and stand out. These things may stretch us beyond our comfort zones and compel us to love the way God loves us. Human dignity is our starting point, not pointing fingers or dividing our people. We need to stand out and talk in the way Jesus thinks, speaks and acts.
