Talking about Wave Walking

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 10:14 am by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Talking about Wave Walking 2014-12-27T10:14:29-05:00 Fr. Dwight Longenecker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How is the gospel best spread? By talking about how the faith has changed you. It is by telling faith stories. It is by sharing the amazing, simple and real experiences of the faith. It is talking about wave walking. Sherry Weddell emphasizes this in her important book Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus.

What is a “faith story”? Here’s one I shared earlier this week–the story of my visit to a man’s deathbed and the transformation in his life as he received the graces from the sacraments. A faith story is a shared event in which the faith actually did what it was supposed to do: save people, heal people, change lives and change the world. Like Sherry Weddell, I am a convert to Catholicism from Evangelical fundamentalism. Like Sherry, I grew up in an atmosphere where it was natural to share our faith stories. The Christian folk in our church shared their faith with one another all the time. They spoke freely about answered prayer, prayer requests and the daily communication with God.

On Wednesday evenings we would meet for fellowship and a prayer meeting. Part of this weekly meeting was the pastor inviting anyone who wanted to stand up and share what God had done for them that week. Housewives would give a brief answer to prayer. Businessmen would recount an experience sharing the faith. Children would stand up and say what they were thankful for. Every week one dear old saint named George would stand up, and in a trembling voice say, “Well pastor, I don’t have much to say tonight except that I love my wife Flossie”, and then he’d reach down to take her hand and start to weep a bit. “The Lord has given us to each other and not a day goes by that I don’t thank him for Flossie.”

When all the theologians, scholars, philosophers and professional religious people are done, this is the down home, heart to heart, rubber meeting road kind of evangelization. We don’t follow Christ for what he can do for us, but we do expect our faith to work. The problem with so many Catholics is that they don’t really expect their religion to DO anything for them. They have been taught to fulfill their duties and say their prayers, and they give at least lip service to the beliefs that confession really absolves them of their sins and heals them and the Eucharist infuses supernatural love into their lives and that anointing brings healing. But they don’t expect the daily surge of God’s power in their lives.

This is where faith stories become so important. As we share faith stories people are inspired, faith grows. People come more and more to believe, trust and expect God to do great things. This is one of the reasons why I try to weave at least one faith story into every homily. In teaching confirmation class I tell faith stories so the children not only learn the facts of their Catholic religion–they learn how faith works and how God can touch their lives.

Faith stories should be at the bedrock of our lives as Catholics. We are sometimes so intent on learning the catechism or the arguments for the faith or apologetics, but we neglect the real stories of real people whose lives are transformed by God. Faith stories, after all, make up the heart of the sacred Scriptures.What is the Bible but one long, ancient collection of faith stories–the stories of real people who made a transaction with God, who set out on the great adventure and changed their world with God.

Why do we tell and re-tell the lives of the saints? Because they are our faith stories. Pope Benedict XVI said that the saints are “lived theology” and “the sacred Scriptures can only be interpreted through the lives of the saints.” It is in these faith stories that the Catholic religion lives and we should not be ashamed to tell our stories, and if we don’t have a faith story to tell? Then we better get one soon!

This is the theme of my upcoming book The Romance of Religion: Fighting for Goodness, Truth, and Beauty The book explores the need for stories and the importance of using the great stories as the pattern for living out our own great romance.

Evangelization takes place as real people first live the faith, then share their experiences. As others see the example and hear the stories they will be attracted and inspired to follow the way and embark on their own great adventure.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

January 13, 2014

Church? I Haven't Been to Church in Fifty Years

Next Post

January 20, 2014 I Don't Want to Go to Church!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Anglican Matters Apologetics Architecture Blobble Study Book Reviews Brideshead Caitlin O'Rourke Catholic Art Catholic Culture Church Politics Chust for Nice Contemporary Culture Duane Mandible Ed Blanch Film Reviews Fr Harvey Nicolaitan Frank Viola Mantilla the Hon More Christianity Mrs Brady Catholic Old Lady Mystery of the Magi Norman Anderson Queen Hillary Saints and Supernatural Spirituality The Inklings The Vicar Theology Todd Unctuous Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz