The conversion to Catholic faith starts with an acknowledgement of God's free gift of salvation and slowly moves to a spiritual maturity and the natural concern for the evangelization of others, through faith feeding.

In the study of Christology one must look to the core, divine mercy. Divine mercy is the love and grace of God. Conversion is in effect, by the grace of God, the rebuking of life in sin to trusting in ones faith in God. As a convert one must have the willingness to turn towards God before expecting to converse with him. Initial conversion requires putting God first. Family, friends and neighbors come next, and oneself last. If the convert is fortunate as he is infused with the Holy Spirit, he will feel a genuine warmth and comfort that is subtle at first but growing slowly to overwhelming. The infusion of the Holy Spirit will mark a defibrillating effect in his faith. It will not be as if a bolt of lightning had struck him, but will be a change of behavior usually in a consistent positive march forward that will continue on a path to full communion with his Lord.

The convert’s growth will exude the example that he will practice by making his faith public. Some examples are; saying grace quietly in restaurants, conducting spiritual fellowship and moral Christian socialization in and out of church, and the overall example he sets. The growing desire to please the Lord, to follow in his path will become priority in his life. He may slide back a bit but perseverance and prayer will keep the new convert on track. Once God's grace has infused the convert with the Holy Spirit, only the free will of turning a deaf ear to God's Word will turn him back to a life of sin. Bishop Braxton states,

“Conversion is an experience of self-transcendence, resulting in a shift in one’s point of view. Conversion engages the whole person, not unlike the risk of entering the uncharted waters of a deep, personal friendship or the experience of falling in love." [1]

Conversion can be like love at first sight. Once found it will need to be nurtured, keeping the pump primed with scripture, prayer and spiritual awareness. If conversion is not nurtured the convert will face the imminent return to sin. The new Christian must gauge the extent to which he has spiritually come to life. He must also recognize what a deeper commitment in his growth to sanctification will mean to the overall definition of life here on earth. The greater reality is the converts’ eternal communion with God. He must choose to walk through only the doors that God opens and not yield to self guidance that forces open the doors that he desires. He must be wise in accepting the open doors and wiser still in accepting the closed doors with trust and gratitude. The new Christian is taught through his ongoing conversion to see and be more Christ like as he prepares to see God face to face. How can he ever expect to see God unless he has completely transformed into Christ's likeness. Bishop Braxton states,

“Depending on one’s temperament and personal experience, conversion may have a strong intellectual component, but it need not be exclusively, or even primarily, an intellectual experience." [2]

By the example of Saint Therese of Lisieux a "Doctor of the Church" we see the simple example of faith "the little way" that she exuded. She admitted never hearing God speak to her but felt as if he was within her every moment guiding and inspiring her. She taught that love is served by God's justice and conditioned with his mercy. The new Christian needs to freely accept from God what is needed to please God. In this childlike trust and acceptance the Christian will gain an unchained freedom to build on. This will lead to the transformation of his persona while constantly moving him closer and closer to sanctification. Lax morals that seemed acceptable at one time are easily repelled in favor of the examples of the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, of the commandments and the beatitudes, and of the Word. If one can persistently practice these morals he will gain unmatched strength in conviction. Christian values and concrete choices will be shaped harmoniously with the morals of the church exuding social justice and healthy Christian interaction. Bishop Braxton offers a more challenging explanation of conversion by saying,

“Conversion is not simple but manifold. It involves at least the embrace of a religious sense of reality, an affirmation of God, a radical response to the person, life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus Christ, a genuine commitment to a community of faith, an ongoing struggle for moral responsibility and authentic living, and the liberation of intellect made possible by critical thinking freed of the Enlightenment bias against faith and commitment. Thus, we may speak of religious, theistic, Christian, ecclesial, moral, and intellectual conversion." [3]

Setting aside idols and belief in one God is mandatory. The societal pressures of material wealth or sexual preoccupation for example, can exhibit quite a conundrum. It is an inner battle of sorts, or a tug of war between Christ and worldly idols. Finding the strength to say yes and to use ones God given talents in support of the many church functions, ministries, and organizations can seem demanding. The ability to balance these talents is necessary to be effective. Satan can cunningly combat good with evil tempting a Christian to be overextended, thus producing ineffective results. A Christian can combat this with intellectual reasoning. Intellectual reasoning requires tough choices. In depth studies of the rights to life pose complex definitions as well as finite interpretations of when to take a life or which life to save. One example would be the choice of curing a sick Mother at the expense of her unborn child.

The theologian is on a constant search for the lost lamb to bring it back into the flock for nourishment. This is what he lives for. His support of the convert has the reward of spiritual merits attached to his efforts. Ecclesial conversion is fostered through the living faith of the Catholic. Catechesis, identity, and sacrament are inclusive with community participation. Bishop Braxton further explains;

“Ecclesial conversion is at the core of the Catholic theologian’s vocation. It is the embrace of the Catholic Church as one’s true spiritual home, the locus of both grace and freedom on the road to salvation." [4]

Epiphanies, received graces, gifts and revelations should be openly shared. Living faith can be reinforced by ongoing conversions and supporting stories. Genuine gifts of self, service, hospitality, exemplar dialogue, sharing of burdens, forgiveness and love reinforce conversion. More evangelists are needed including priests and laity. Laity can help in support ministries that not only encourage conversion in faith but also for some, a life of vocation. The ultimate ecclesial goal in this century is to convert the culture of death, that our society finally gave way to in the last century, back to a culture of life. Nothing is more important.

Evangelization is the rousing of faith, the spreading of good news, and the nurturing of the body of Christ in preparation to see God face to face. Christians help each other as they approach this sanctification. They pray for each other, they wash each others feet, they teach each other and they listen. Middle of the road Catholics, non Catholics and non Christians stir up questions when observing orthodox Catholics. The orthodox answers exhibit an initial act of evangelization. Ministry follows through kerygma, catechesis, liturgical prayer, and theology of conversion. Most important as Pope Paul VI states in Evangelii Nuntiandi,

"For in its totality, evangelization—over and above the preaching of a message—consists in the implantation of the Church, which does not exist without the driving force which is the sacramental life culminating in the Eucharist." 28 [5]

The embodiment of the sacramental life strengthens the new Catholic from day one. If he can maintain his faithful obedience graces will flow without doubt. The strength of the classic indoctrination in the Catholic Church is that it requires a period of time to qualify. Without being coerced, a new convert's genuine commitment to faith is observed. The Holy Spirit must be given the proper amount of time to mature in any one particular convert. With this approach, the sacraments, the liturgy and fellowship will bear the most perfect fruit for the new Catholic. The catechist must also be a compelling witness as Pope Paul VI professes,

As we said recently to a group of lay people, "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses." [6]

One role of the parish priest is to develop the ecclesial community of the Church leaving a special supportive role for the laity to help in producing multiples of evangelizers. All the faithful must search out these lost lambs, helping to renew and enliven their stagnant faith with the basic gospel and catechesis.

The strategy for spreading the good news can be defined in reaching out to five groups. This group includes; active Catholics, inactive Catholics, the un-churched, Protestants and non-Christians. The most rewarding and effective group to evangelize are active orthodox and middle of the road Catholics. Susan Blum Gerding in John Paul II's 'The New Evangelization" boldly states,

"All five of these groups need evangelization, but if we could re-evangelize the active Catholics among us,the rest would be a piece of cake." [7]

Most of the time active Catholics have not been taught properly or have not had key issues explained in a clear cut way. The commitment of our orthodox faith must be shared in all of its beauty and fullness by our example and genuine sacrifice as we strive to become more sanctified. Active Catholics have the greatest potential to be spiritually enlivened in their own faith and in the ongoing evangelization of others within the five groups. They are versed but may be lax. It could be likened to strengthening partially developed muscles. When the active Catholics are in full strength they will be more patient, precise and compassionate. This will allow them to be much more effective in getting the explanation out to weaker Catholics. David Thorp in John Paul II's 'The New Evangelization" states;

"Evangelization is growth up and out: up because it attempts to help those that are already Christians to make progress in the spiritual life; out because the church must reach beyond her existing membership and seek to add members to the body of Christ." [8]

There is no faster way to evangelize than to show a genuine example of praying, scripture reading, worshiping, being charitable, and socially interacting in and out of the Church. To befriend others and gain their trust is the first step in the ability for active Catholics to recognize the true happiness and completeness that Catholic life exhibits. Once a genuine trust is gained, gentle evangelistic nurturing can begin. This is a sort of chipping away at a soon to be, beautiful granite sculpture. Proper conversion takes time and is very different for each person.

An evangelizer can passively recruit middle of the road Catholics to start going to church at least every Sunday, reinforcing them with biblical references and example while never being coercive. This is where the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit will show their strength and lay a perfect foundation for temperance. The evangelizer should continue with active programs to integrate new people into the community from all age groups. The goal of the evangelizer is to seek new converts and disciples to continue starting the cycle over and over.

All of the examples discussed can be applied to institutional and relational evangelization. Lay associations and movements, and groups combined with religious training will be more efficient. In relational examples one can give testimony to a brother, a mother, a son-in-law, a daughter, an uncle, a good friend and can ask them to join one of these institutions confidently knowing they will find the necessary support in faith feeding.

In closing, the path from conversion to an effective evangelizer is merely part of the design of salvation. We accept the graces of God and we put our faith into action and grow our Christian example. This ultimately makes the living Christian feel compelled to share the "Good News" with others.



Bibliography

1] P27; 2] P26; 3] P25; 4] P34: Bishop Edward K. Braxton, "A Reflection on Theological Pluralism" [Address at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, March 19, 2005.]
5] P28; 6] P41: Pope Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi" [To the Episcopate, to the Clergy and to all the Faithful of the entire world an exhortation promulgated in Rome, at Saint Peter's, December 8, 1975.]
7] Susan Blum Gerding, Ed. D. Chapter 10: Six Steps to Effective Evangelization, John Paul II and the New Evangelization pg 127
8] David Thorp. Chapter 20: Evangelizing as a Parish, John Paul II and the New Evangelization pg 253