When you know the reason for your hope in Christ, it becomes easier to share this hope with others.įor me personally, I have several experiences that I call on frequently that I like to share with others, depending on the situation. This “reason for hope” shouldn’t be a script you follow when speaking to others, but rather a touchstone for yourself. How has Christ worked in your life in the past? How is He working in your life today? How has Christ touched my heart? How have I grown in love for Him and other people because I seek to follow Him? How is my life different because I choose to be His disciple? What words of your heart come up that you would like to share with others about your experiences with Christ? Have you experienced joy, sorrow, desire, aversion, love, hate, anger, hope, or despair in your walk with God? Something fun could be to write your own “elevator speech”-basically a 20-30 second version of the reason for your hope. Ask yourself and prayerfully discern what your own cause for hope is. Peter’s advice: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). A great way to feel more confident is to follow St. Talking about your faith can feel awkward when you begin to share it with others in a way you haven’t before. I have even seen and heard my guardian angel! (No kidding, really!) This makes me so grateful and joyful that like the apostles I cannot help but tell people about it-of course when the timing is right! 2. I’ve experienced powerful healing from my own wounds in my past. I’ve encountered His mercy and love in the sacraments, in prayer, and frequently in other people. When you encounter the person of Jesus Christ and experience His love, mercy, and goodness in a personal way, not sharing His goodness with others is practically impossible! Even under threat of arrest and punishment, the apostles could not stop proclaiming Christ: “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).Īs a personal example, I have encountered Christ in simple, small ways and in amazing ways. And not just any person, but the Son of the living God. He wanted them to see and touch and believe this truth: Jesus is REAL. When the apostles saw the Resurrected Lord in the upper room, He invited them to encounter Him by going beyond seeing Him with their own eyes and truly touch His wounded side. Take time each day to be with God and allow Him to be with you. If you want others to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8), then you need to “taste and see” for yourself first! Develop your relationship with God through the sacraments, prayer, scripture reading, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. You cannot give others what you do not possess. Witnessing to Christ means that you have a relationship with Him and want to invite others to encounter His love and mercy for themselves. First, in case you missed them, here are the last two blog posts for some context: Mission of Mercy and Christian Witness. Here is a list of 7 practical tips for how to live out the new evangelization in your own walk of life.
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