Faithful Catholic
When it comes to faithful Catholics, our approach should be to discern how we can help them deepen their spirituality, understanding of Catholic truths, and call to evangelization. Also, depending on their level of commitment, we may attempt to recruit them for street evangelization!
We too are faithful Catholics, and we know that we have weaknesses in our faith and spiritual life. Therefore, we should expect other faithful Catholics to have them too, and from time to time, we may uncover them in conversation. Some faithful Catholics struggle with attending Mass or finding the time for prayer, whereas other faithful Catholics struggle with communicating the truths of the faith, which is why they are hesitant to evangelize. As with others, we must ask questions. For faithful Catholics, we want to see what their struggles (or opportunities) are, and be prepared to offer One Good Reason for them to lean deeper into their Catholic faith.
For example, faithful Catholics sometimes complain about “not getting anything out of Mass.” Even though they admit Mass is important and typically attend, they would rather be doing other things. This is a common occurrence, but it presents an opportunity to proclaim the deeper truths of the Eucharist, of which many Catholics fail to recognize the significance. Asking if you could give one good reason to be more excited about Catholic Mass, by explaining the Biblical roots of the Eucharist, and how Jesus is made really and truly present, can hardly fail to inspire excitement once the teaching is fully understood. It’s Jesus, after all!
On the other hand, many faithful Catholics also struggle with their prayer lives. If this is the case, then we can offer One Good Reason to start praying more, emphasizing that prayer is necessary for salvation, since prayer is ongoing communication and connection with God. From there, we can offer practical tips and popular devotions for getting started. We can provide them with resources and encourage them to find community support, like in prayer groups or Bible studies.
Finally, if people are struggling to evangelize, we can offer One Good Reason for that as well: Jesus commands it! Once it’s clear that God wants us to make Christian disciples, we can appreciate that evangelization is not just a fair weather option for Catholics. From there, we can provide faithful Catholics with helpful resources (like St. Paul Evangelization Institute) to help deepen their commitment to, and understanding of, the faith, so they can then feel inspired to preach the Gospel. If it makes sense, we may even want to invite them to become part of a street evangelization team, as well.
While there are many more reasons we could use, here we have given three good reasons to deepen one’s commitment to Catholicism: The real presence of the Crucified and Risen Christ in the Eucharist, the necessity of prayer for salvation, and the divine commandment to make disciples of all nations; each is suited to address a particular struggle common among faithful Catholics.