Spreading the Word 

   “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you: yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Peter 3: 15 – 16) 

   As a Christian I have a responsibility to share my hope and my faith with others.  I pray that this blog is one way of sharing.  But the example I give in the way I live my life and my willingness to speak of my faith and hope will reach far more people than this blog ever could.

   Sharing faith carries responsibility; I must not only share but I must be knowledgeable in what I share.  Sharing personal opinions as fact risks sharing what may not be correct, possibly misleading others.  I need to understand my faith if I am to properly share it.

   I once told someone who wanted to know more about Catholicism that I would never answer a question off the top of my head.  If I didn’t have what I knew to be the right answer, I would admit it, research it, and only then answer their question.  Too many of the answers learned as children weren’t fully understood or were incomplete; they need to be confirmed before sharing with others.

   Just as important is the way I share.  St. Peter says to do it with gentleness and reverence.  In other words, I must respect the views and opinions of others if I am to effectively defend my faith.  It I start the conversation with, “You’re wrong and here’s why” I will most likely shut the door to any meaningful dialogue.  Only by listening and caring for the other can I begin to open a path to better understanding between us.

   I want to share my faith with anyone who is interested, but I want to do so properly, with respect and love.  Anything less is not fair to them or to my faith and the God I love. 

Let me share my faith.

Let me do it correctly.

Teach me, instruct me.

That I may better know my faith. 

Amen