Never pass up an opportunity to share your faith with others. Always be ready to give an answer for the hope that you have because of your faith in Jesus Christ. So, keep your message short, keep it positive, and keep it personal. Proclaim the narrative of our gospel message, and please click here for insights as to how you can do this well. Remember that, regardless of its immediate impact, a seed may be planted that will later bear fruit. Most of the time, the questioner is interested in hearing your point of view, regardless of whether they will accept it or not. Otherwise, they would not have asked the question.

But remember that you are just a messenger; and so, if any blessing comes from your testimony, it will be Holy Spirit who will be convincing them of God’s truth. Sometimes, a seemingly innocent question might just be a set up for a put down. Accept mockery with dignity and compassion for the hurt that is within a person who is trying to embarrass you. Let the peace of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you deflect such comments and reveal the joy and the hope that is within you. Often, a spectator will witness such an awkward interaction, and the Holy Spirit will touch their hearts even if the questioner remains negative.

The only person to whom you really need to give an explanation is the Lord on judgment day. Every other explanation to people is just a form of evangelization. Let the Holy Spirit speak through you and with you in spreading the good news that gives you hope and confidence in God’s plan for your salvation. Try to include the message of salvation: 1) the world as we know it is not how God intended it to be, 2) but Jesus came to heal our brokenness, 3) and through his church we can discover an inner peace that only comes from God. So, invite them to explore this further for themselves, or with you, or in the church.

Sure, there are problems in the church. But they were not caused by the church as such. These problems were caused by not following the teachings of Jesus, as found in the Bible and explained in the Catechism. In fact, the continuation of the church throughout centuries of problems from within and from without, shows that God is not finished with his church yet. Most of all, God is not finished with us either, so he invites us to walk together in the footsteps of Jesus, along with other forgiven sinners in the community of his church. Invite them to encounter Jesus themselves, and thus discover where God in their lives.

In summary, remember to keep your remarks short, positive, and personal. Try to deliver your testimony so succinctly that, while they are in the process of trying to formulate their reply to you, you already complete your message. But most of all, keep in mind that you are not trying to win an argument. Instead, you are hoping to win a soul for Christ. From this vantage point, you yourself are part of the message that you are trying to convey. The Holy Spirit will do all the rest. Then, after your encounter, continue to pray for the person to whom you gave a reason for your hope, so that they might discover Christ as well.