Here at Montrose, we are lucky enough to have a Catholic-centered school in which most of us seem comfortable talking about our faith and sharing the Good News. Faith is around every corner. There is the option for daily Mass, Bible study club on Fridays, chapel period, religion and theology classes, and a prayer before we start the lesson in some classes. Being surrounded by people who mostly share the same faith as you is very constructive, and it is not all that difficult to find someone any day at school who is willing to talk to you about Catholicism. We share in faith-filled conversations often, so often we think that we’ve done enough.

While that is all good of course, think about the people who don’t share those views. Those friends outside of school that you were just hanging out with. Think about all the opportunities you’ve had on a day-to-day basis where you could’ve shared your faith with someone new and didn’t. Why? Is it that we just never thought about that possibility, or is it something else entirely? 

I think at the root of all of it is fear. There’s this hesitation, whether you notice it or not,  

A fear that says: “Well, I don’t want to be inflicting my views upon someone else.” Even for the strongest believers, it is not easy to share the faith. Mission Network News reported about Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, a group that is equipped for spiritual rescue and to share Jesus with others. Hutchcraft said: “I’ve talked to hundreds if not thousands of people about this and always the subject of fear comes up — fear of messing it up, fear of not knowing enough, fear of them rejecting me, fear of losing something.” 

It is hard not to think about how we could mess up our relationship with a certain person if we talk about our faith. Especially when you know they don’t share the same views as you on pretty much every topic. But if we truly believe that our faith is based on God’s forgiving and saving grace, why should we not share that? Even if you know that the person will most likely put up a wall and not let your words in, there is no harm in saying it kindly. It is almost like an invitation, and the point is that you made an effort. You give them a chance to think about the faith where they might have otherwise blocked it out completely. They are given the chance to dwell on letting God in.

But instead of saying something, we usually stop. We let our reputation get the better of us. We don’t say anything so as to not “mess anything up.” It is hard when we have this desire to not turn people off from the Gospel with “pushy conversations.” It is so much easier for us to just nod along and not bring up controversy. Silence is what’s left. That way, we can stay away from the stress of losing the ease of that friendship. It is too hard to find a common ground where we are not going overboard and still driving our point deep, but this is where the trusting in God part comes in. The harder it is to share the faith, the more we will grow in it. It might be just what that person needs to hear, even if it isn’t obvious to you. Even if they never admit it. All we need to do is start; just say something. The rest is up to God. 

Ava Ryan ‘23, contributing writer

23aryan@montroseschool.org