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Michigan bishop tells Catholics to spread the word about Jesus Saginaw, Mich. (CNS) -- In a pastoral letter, Bishop Robert Carlson of Saginaw has urged Catholics to "stop conforming to the world, and start transforming it. It's time for a new springtime of evangelization." He said he did not have a specific evangelization plan in mind, just a desire that Catholics speak up about their faith and invite others to go to church or discuss their faith experiences. Catholics should let God "use our words and deeds to knock at the door of people's hearts," he wrote. "The process begins with God's initiative, and it can only be brought to fruition by God's grace. But He invites us to share in the labor." Double standard Bishop Carlson pointed out that people often like to share information about good books, movies, recipes, songs and restaurants, but many Catholics "are reluctant to share the good news of faith in Jesus Christ." Contemporary culture, he noted, sends the message that is "selfish to keep good things to ourselves, but rude to share the good news of Jesus Christ." Catholics have "grown comfortable with this double standard." He urged Catholics to "stop following our culture, which tells us to keep God out of the public square, and start following the Lord, who tells us that we will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth." Witnessing Bishop Carlson said Catholics can follow the "road map" of early Christians who were able to "survive and thrive in a hostile culture" by witnessing to the Gospel in ordinary and extraordinary ways. "The Church today, like the early Church, needs people who are ready for martyrdom -- people who are willing to let their words and deeds bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, people who are willing to make sacrifices so that the truth of the Gospel can be heard, our culture challenged and our world transformed," he said. Bishop Carlson noted that, although Christians are not often called to be martyrs, they should still be prepared for extraordinary sacrifices. Speaking out He also said they should not hesitate to speak out about their faith, saying that actions alone are not enough. "In a world that is hungry for meaning, the clarity of words is a necessary part of our proclamation of the Gospel," he wrote. "In a world saturated with false words, the challenge of the word of the Lord must be verbalized again and again." He urged Catholics to ask others about their faith or to invite them to church. "To talk openly about our faith in the Lord may be a little beyond our comfort zone," he added. "But it places the Lord openly at the center of our lives and invites others to do the same." (1/24/08) |