CEM POC Easter Newsletter April 2025

God’s Good News!

Some time ago, I was having a meal with a Catholic friend who was sharing with me about her Christmas vacation. As was the case with most people, she had made the decision to take a vacation to go home to spend time with her parents. While she was home, she paid a visit to an old friend who lived alone. This friend was not a believer and had been divorced for several years. The non-believing friend confessed to being somewhat down at the thought of facing Christmas alone and shared with my Catholic friend that he had also been recently diagnosed with some very serious health problems.

During their visit, my Catholic friend encouraged her friend to “get out more”, to consider joining a sports club, and suggested time spent with a counselor. I listened attentively and then asked…” Did you invite him to church for Christmas?” My friend looked at me in shocked horror and replied vehemently, “No, he’s not a Christian and he wouldn’t be open to that!” Because I was preparing for an upcoming talk on evangelization, I pressed a bit harder and said, “Yes but you never know what God may be doing in this person’s heart and Christmas is a prime time for people to think about the Church, it’s very natural.” Again, came the stunned and insistent response delivered with even greater passion, “I could never force my religion on him! He’s my friend and I wouldn’t want to alienate him!” Finally, armed with what I thought would be the final word on the matter, I responded, “But you know that the Church encourages us to share the faith with others and an invitation is not an imposition especially when it comes from a friend.” At this point, the woman became indignant and with stern words admonished me by saying “That’s fine for you Mario, you’re ‘that kind of person’ but I don’t do those kinds of things!”

Now I share that story (the details have been changed slightly to protect the innocent) not as a way to discredit my friend but to hopefully illustrate the incredible irony of the encounter. This was a “good Catholic” who would never think to miss a Sunday mass. This person prays before meals, tries to live a virtuous life and maybe even has a personal prayer routine. She espouses all of the correct Catholic political positions and, externally, no one would say that she was not faithful. So how is it that, someone who was raised in the faith, does not understand the very real need to share their faith with others? Simply put, there is an evident lack of formation that is not an isolated instance. So in this issue of the CEM POC newsletter I’d like to challenge all of our supporters to think and pray about some of what I believe are the top 7 reasons to share our faith with others.

Seven Reasons to Share Our Faith

Reason # 1: Because Jesus asked us to!

If Jesus is real and His claim to divinity is legitimate, then how He tells us to live out our faith carries enormous importance. When Jesus tells us to love our neighbors and even our enemies, he’s not just speaking figuratively…He actually expects us to engage those people in our lives with charity and an abundance of grace. Part of that grace is the invitation to abundant life in Him. (scripture). The command to “go into all the world and make disciples” ) Mt 18:19 is for the entire Church and not just for a select few who are professionals in the Church. He even says that if we are “ashamed of Him and His words” that He would be ashamed of us. (Lk 9:26). Jesus reminds us that the “harvest is plentiful but that the laborers are few” and that we should pray for more people to be sent into the fields to harvest the souls that He thirsts for. Are we open to answering Jesus’s prayer?

Reason # 2: Because the Church encourages us to!

Pope Francis’s first encyclical when he took office was “Evangeli Gaudium” or the joy of the Gospel and the entire document is devoted to reminding the faithful of their need to share the faith. He is echoing an earlier encyclical from Pope Paul VI on the same topic which states that “the church exists to evangelize”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it even more clearly. “Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, "that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life." For lay people, "this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.”

Reason # 3: Because it really is good news!

When friends get married, they send out invitations to everyone they know, when a new baby joins the family, pictures and announcements are sent out far and wide, when a favorite sports team wins an important game fans are exuberant in rejoicing and sharing with their friends. This happens because marriage, baby’s and victories are all occasions of Good News. The truth that God loves us and that we have access to heaven is also Good news. It is the best News that someone could ever receive even beyond winning the lottery. We should be eager to share it.

Reason # 4: Because the world is hurting and searching.

The world is full of a lot of pain…divorce, cancer, war, violence and innumerable sorrows. People need the hope and healing that Jesus offers us. People invest enormous resources in improving their careers, their physical health and their mental health. Peace and purpose that flows out of investing in one’s spiritual health has been shown to have a positive impact on all of those aspects of our lives.

Reason # 5: Because there may be dire consequences if we don’t do it.

We already see the fruit of a world that has no moral compass and that invest the majority of its time in the pursuit of personal pleasure regardless of the cost. When any organization fails to recruit new members then that organization risks extinction. Fortunately Jesus promises to help us and be with us until the end but how many churches have closed because of shrinking congregations? And ultimately, not sharing the faith may impact our souls as we will be liable for refusing to show hungry people where they can find food. Our sins of omission are actually serious sin and God reminds us that we may be held accountable. Ez 3:18-19

Reason # 6: Because it’s good for our soul

The bible says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” When we speak about our faith and we see others set free from serious sin. It brings us joy. When we see people come alive in their faith then we come alive in our own faith. Jesus reminds us that “to whom much is given much is expected” Lk 12:47 and the gifts that we have been given in our faith should be invested in the work of God and not buried or those gifts can be taken away from us. Mt 25:28.

Reason # 7: Because we want to love others.

At Christmas, we celebrate by giving gifts because we want to imitate the ultimate gift that was given to us in the person of Jesus. We give gifts to people that we love and the best gift that we could give to others in our lives is the same gift that we celebrate on Christmas…the gift of Jesus. There is no greater gift and it’s 100% free to everyone who would want to receive it.