The Biggest Lie When It comes To Defending Your Faith
by Natalie Orefice
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15
There are many lies when it comes to defending your faith. It is necessary to be aware of what these lies are so that you can be confident in speaking to others about your faith. It is often said, ‘don’t talk about religion, politics or money,’ yet, these three compelling topics arise in all sorts of social settings that we might find ourselves in. St Peter has instructed us to be prepared to defend our faith; still many people avoid speaking about their faith outside of their own home or parish setting due to indecision: why do we think that strangers wouldn’t be interested in hearing about the wonders of Jesus and the gospels?
All people have been designed to know and love God whether they know it or not. Thus, it should come as no surprise that others question your faith since all people are in search of the Truth. During the time of the Covid 19 pandemic, there has been a huge surge in internet searches for prayer as reported by Crux here. Parishes have reported, in many cases, that many more people online have streamed and attended virtual Mass compared to the numbers usually seen at actual churches up and down the country. Furthermore, many of these online searchers who have attended online mass are not even Christians. It is a fact that through the huge volume of online traffic that has made its way towards catholic websites that there are huge numbers of people wanting to know and thirsting to know more about Christ. It is a myth that faith is something private; Christ has given each of us a mandate to ‘go and make disciples’ (Mat 28:19). If you never speak up, if you never take a risk and try to defend your faith then you are failing to respond to what Christ has asked you to do. The reason many Christians feel inadaquate to defend their own faith is that they feel that they need to expertly know the catechism and that it isn’t their personal responsibilty to convert the “non-believer.” The reality is, that no matter how holy, intelligent and wonderful a person you are you will not convert anyone unless you speak up! You need to see through the lie because it is not really about being mute: so speak up with volume!
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about conversion - none of us have that much power. The biggest lie about defending your faith is thinking that what you say will result in an individual becoming a Catholic (it’s not that easy). However, Pope Francis reminds us that we must have parrhesia. and so utilise apostolic courage to the defend the faith. It is only possible for a person to have the boldness to attempt to defend the faith by relying on prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit. When you do speak out, do so ‘with gentleness and respect’ (1 Peter 3:15) as people are not persuaded to change their views if they feel that they are being attacked.
Ultimately, it is our relationship with Jesus and staying faithful to His Church that will draw the interest of others. Jesus grants us the perfect example throughout the gospels as to how to live our lives. Pope Paul VI famously wrote: ‘modern man listens more willing to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.’ Be brave, do speak out and defend your faith. You will likely be pleasantly surprised with the response you receive.