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Too Introverted to Evangelize?

Too Introverted to Evangelize?

Last updated on: December 23, 2013 at 6:15 am by willduquette

Too Introverted to Evangelize? 2013-12-21T11:17:47-05:00 willduquette

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People were discussing the New Evangelization on a Catholic forum I read, and one fellow asked, “What do I say to someone who says he’s too introverted to evangelize?” Someone suggested pointing out that Jesus commanded that we do it, which is true; but in this context not, I think, especially helpful. Our introverted hero is clearly familiar with the notion that evangelization is something he’s supposed to do; he simply questions his ability to do it. Or, possibly, he’s making an excuse not to do something he’s uncomfortable with.

I have a number of thoughts about this, being myself an introvert who accepts the call to evangelize.

First, I think that it’s true that we’re all called upon to share the good news of the Gospel, and that being an introvert doesn’t excuse you. My pastor tells me that most priests are introverts. If we can do it, other introverts can do it too. Not well, necessarily; but that’s not our problem. As Chesterton said, if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly. (If, saith the Dogmat, that’s the best you can do.) If our hero is unsure of his ability, not to worry. It isn’t his ability that’s in question anyway, it’s the grace of God.

But suppose our hero is making an excuse to avoid doing something he’s uncomfortable with. What, then, is he trying to avoid? What is his concept of evangelization?

For many years, I thought evangelizing was striking up conversations with people, bringing the conversation around to the Gospel, and selling Christ to them. Really, I did. And I was no good at it. Not at all. Not with friends, and most certainly not with strangers. (I can leave the house, be driven to the airport, check my bags, get on the plane, fly across the country, rent a car, and check into a hotel without having a single substantive conversation with anyone about anything.) (And I prefer it that way.)

But it turns out that evangelizing doesn’t mean glad-handing and being a salesman. Evangelizing is not sales. And if the introvert in question has the idea that evangelization involves salesmanship, it’s no wonder he’s looking for excuses not to do it. I would, if I were him; and in fact, I did just that for many years.

Mind you, some people really do have a knack for striking up conversations with strangers. And if they love Jesus, it may come out in their conversations; and conversion may result—not due to a hard sell, but simply because one person told another about the love of Christ. But in fact, there are many ways to evangelize, and not all of them involve talking to strangers face-to-face. I like to say to our RCIA candidates that there’s no way to the Father except through Christ, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; but within that framework, there are as many ways to the Father as there are people. Each of us is unique. Your way of evangelizing—your apostolate—will be different than mine, and it might or might not involve significant interactions with other people.

For example, consider Cistercian monks: the ones who practice silence day and night, and spend their days in prayer, remote from the world. Clearly, they are not going out and trying to sell people on Jesus—but they are evangelizing the world by their example, by their presence, and most especially by their prayers for those of us out here in the world. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis notes that when we pray blessings for someone who annoys us, this is a kind of evangelization. How much more is it evangelization, then, when it’s your life’s work to pray for others?

So there are ways and ways to evangelize. The question is how to find out what way is yours, and what your apostolate is.

And here’s the good news: grace perfects nature. Whatever your way of evangelizing is, it will be natural to you. It will use your talents, and your skills, and your spiritual gifts. When you begin to do it, it will seem the most natural thing in the world.

At this point in the sermon, many people will quote St. Francis saying, “Preach always; when necessary, use words.” Perhaps you can’t preach with words, they say, but preach with your life. And then they end with that thought. I’m not going to go there, for two specific reasons. First, it’s not at all clear that St. Francis is the source of the quote; he gets a lot of words attributed to him that aren’t his, and I’ve heard that those aren’t. Second, these words always strike me as permission to stay in my comfort zone and reflect happily that somehow, magically, evangelizing is happening in my vicinity. I think we need to go deeper than that.

Grace perfects nature, as I said; but that means that nature needs to be perfected, not excused. To evangelize well, we need to grow, to grow into the person Christ wants us to be. And Christ (alas!) has no particular interest in leaving us in our comfort zones. A chicken can’t grow to maturity if it stays in the egg; a baby can’t grow to maturity if it stays in the womb; you and I can’t grow to maturity if we stay in our comfort zones. We have to be willing to grow.

(Please note: I’m preaching to myself here.)

So…suppose I’m willing to grow, I’m willing to learn to evangelize as I should, and I accept that this will take me out of my comfort zone. What do I do next? I can’t simply just move in the direction of least comfort; that would be stupid. Being eaten by sharks is uncomfortable, but it isn’t evangelization.

The answer, I think, is discipleship.

Discipleship. Following Christ. You have to know Christ before you can tell people what it’s like to know Christ. And you have to be willing to follow where He leads. And you have to trust that He will in fact lead you. You have to have the courage to pray, with our Blessed Mother Mary, Fiat voluntas tua: let it be done to me according to Your word.

And if you have the courage, and you have the trust, and you have the will—and He will grant you these things if you ask in prayer (but you need to keep praying)—then He will lead you into discipleship, and into your own particular apostolate. It may take time. It may take years. It may take decades, depending on how much preparation you need for what He has in mind. But if you are living the life of a disciple, a life with Christ, you’ll be all right. After all, it’s your job to follow. It’s Jesus’ job to lead.

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photo credit: SmithGreg via photopin cc

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