Great insight from CARFLEO’s friend, Joe Sinasac of Novalis. In paraphrasing Jean Vanier he writes, “the way to engage non-believers in an exploration of faith was to start not with doctrine, but with beauty. In this, Christianity has blessed the world with an astonishing over-abundance through the centuries. Only after we have touched their souls and their hearts do we begin to deal with intellectual matters.” It well may be that this approach is valuable in our approach to Religious and Family Life Education in our schools.
How do we attract a new generation to consider Christianity? This question is common table talk at practically every gathering of Christians I attend these days. It is a question that Pope Francis answers in his annual message for World Communications Day, celebrated by the Church on June 1 this year.
As Francis acknowledges, it isn’t enough to distribute facts about our faith, or even arguments, as if all we needed to do was eliminate ignorance and everyone would suddenly see the light. The challenge of the New Evangelization is not a lack of information about Christianity; it is a lack of empathy.
“Effective Christian witness is not about bombarding people with religious messages, but about our willingness to be available to others ‘by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence’ (Benedict XVI…
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