The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
Who should share their faith story? Everyone! It doesn’t matter if you are outgoing or shy. Ms. Ward encourages her readers by sharing her own initial reticence and explains how the Holy Spirit helped her to move past those feelings. We all need to spread the good news. We live in a very hungry world. Sharing Your Faith Story makes it easy. In the first half of the book, Ms. Ward provides all the tips and tools you need to realize and share your own story.
Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story is a compilation of 30 conversion stories written by Catholic authors. Some of the authors are “cradle Catholics” like me, while other authors found their way to the Catholic Church after a long, and sometimes winding journey. Yet, the variety of experiences all point to one thing: a love for Christ and His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
“Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story” encourages Catholics to use the simple, workable tools outlined in the book to help organize and share their stories with others. The personal stories leave the reader inspired and motivated to share their stories. Each story is unique. I loved all of them because each story shared their journey of faith where they were at, what happened, and where they are now.
Three posts this week: I discovered our joyful duty of passing it on. As Pope Paul VI wrote: Here lies the test of truth, the touchstone of evangelization: it is unthinkable that a person should accept the Word and give himself to the kingdom without becoming a person who bears witness to it and proclaims it in his turn. Then, In Bread Upon the Waters, Deanna Klingel tells the true story of Father Tien Duong, a Catholic priest who grew up in the strife and hardship of Communist Vietnam. The biography is filled with incredible personal stories told to Deanna during her long hours with Fr. Tien. Fr. Bob Hilz teaches us that the Eucharistic Liturgy, the Mass, is the clearest source of God-power in our life. The liturgy, in the scriptures, teaches us how to live a good Godly life on earth and provides us the energy and power to do that.
Kendra was a cradle Catholic but without understanding or practicing the doctrine or engaging in the sacraments. This gifted, rich party girl, whose career and worldliness controlled her life, had a passion for well-being which led her to go on a diet that cleansed her body as well as her spirit. Following the plan, she went back to Catholicism by attending the nearest Catholic church for Easter Sunday Mass with a hangover and not sure what to do during Mass. She continued to go to Mass while catechizing herself.
She empathizes with others who might want to return to the church, telling them, “Jesus meets you where you are.”
Her description of her confession after 26 years is priceless:
It was as if I was fainting but still upright and coherent. I felt a bit like I was floating, yet I remained on my knees. My whole body radiated with a sense of peace .. like the best drug I have ever had.
I remember when I first heard that all Catholics were called to evangelize. I was on a Cursillo retreat, and the whole concept scared me. While I came from a family where attending Sunday Mass was a given, my parents were quite private about their faith lives. They expected the local Catholic school to impart the riches of the Catholic faith to me, but faith matters were seldom a topic of dinner conversation.
I was quite intimidated by the concept of faith sharing, but I have found a book that takes the intimidation out of the process. Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story by Nancy H.C. Ward is a down-to-earth field manual for evangelization. The author deftly provides concrete ways for you to tell your own conversion or reversion experience.
Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story tops the posts on JoyAlive.net this week with a stunning review from Virginia Lieto, who writes, “I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the conversion stories of others. If you are an RCIA Coordinator, this book would serve you well in learning where people are coming from, to better guide them to where they need to be – in the loving arms of Jesus Christ and His One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” And enjoy the fun endorsement from Barb Szyszkiewicz! My Holy Spirit Mission delights readers of the Catholic Writers Guild and Fr. Bob Hilz delves into The Last Things, encouraging us with, “Let us get as close to Jesus each day as we can so we are ready to meet him right after we die.”
JoyAlive.net features Deanna Klingel with her conversion story: I told my new husband, I don’t really know what it is that holds the Catholics so together, but whatever it is, I need some; her book, Bread Upon the Waters, the true story of Father Tien Duong, a Catholic priest who grew up in the strife and hardship of Communist Vietnam. In Fr. Bob Hilz’ The forgiving love of Jesus, he comments: If you are reading Joy Alive, I know that you have met Jesus!