Spreading the faith

Tom Monaghan writes that evangelization is the call of every baptized Christian . . .

Thomas Monaghan

As Catholics we all know that we’re called to “spread the faith” — to evangelize. We’ve all heard Blessed John Paul’s call for the New Evangelization. And as Legates, our very mission statement is to study, live and spread the faith.

Evangelization is not just something priests and religious are called to do. In our own generation, the Second Vatican Council made it clear that we’re all called to spread the Gospel. But how do we do this? Oftentimes the hardest part can be starting the conversation or, frankly, overcoming the fear that while we may believe and be confident in our faith, we may not be able to explain it in a clear way — especially to a stranger. So we never try.

I would like to share a simple thing that helps me in this area. I carry copies of the Catholic Answers pamphlet Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth: The Catholic Church and God’s Plan for You.

The pamphlet isn’t very long (only 30 small pages) and it easily fits into a jacket pocket or purse. When I’m traveling, I often strike up a conversation with the person next to me on the plane. Without much effort I can usually bring up the topic of my faith. This is where the pamphlet is a useful tool because it lays out the basic teachings of our Catholic faith and answers common objections or misunderstandings people have.

Sure, if the opportunity presents itself, I may have a longer conversation about what my faith means, but having this pamphlet has been a great help, so I always carry several with me. In fact, on a recent flight I gave a copy to someone at the beginning of the flight and he read the whole thing before we landed. He was clearly hungry for the truth and this little pamphlet really seemed to speak to him. Most people take it to read later, and that’s fine too.

It’s inexpensive and can be purchased in bulk at Catholic Answers (see order information below). I’ve found this to be of help to me. But however you do it, let’s all continue to study, live and spread our faith!

Thomas Monaghan is Legatus’ founder and chairman. He is a member of Legatus’ Naples Chapter.

Order the pamphlet from Catholic Answers or Amazon.