Great discussion in the comments from Sarah Reinhard’s guest post about getting kids (and families) to attend Mass. I think it’s a common theme among Catholics that we’re nervous or hesitant to invite people to join us at Mass. I’m no different – I think part of it is that, even though I’m a very extroverted, hand-flapping catechist with LOTS of ENERGY and IDEAS and EXCLAMATION POINTS!, I’m not one to talk easily about my interior life, whether that be my relationship with God, my marriage, my vocation to motherhood. I tend to guard very closely the things I value the most.
See, look what a great job I just did of rationalizing my non-inviting of people to Church! I could do this all day!
That’s where I think programs like Catholics Come Home or retreats (Christ Renews His Parish, ACTS, etc.) can be so helpful – not just in reaching out to the community in terms of advertising in an “official” sense on behalf of the parish, but in giving us an excuse to invite our friends and loved ones to join us at Mass.
“Hey, our priest this Sunday challenged each of us to invite three people to join us at Mass next weekend, and I wondered if you’d like to come with me?”
“Our parish is having this retreat thing, and I don’t really know anyone who’s going, but I’ve heard great things about it. Would you be interested in going?”
“The Word became flesh and told me I have to go out and make disciples of all nations, and I just wondered if you would be interested in coming to, uh, Theology on Tap.”
Wait a minute, that last one – shoot. It looks like, when it comes to evangelizing…there are no excuses.
(See what I did there?)
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