Universal Joy

The other day I watched a video by Fr. Robert Barron on evangelism. Now I've never been real great at evangelism. Something about standing on a street corner passing out tracts has always made me a little nervous, and the thought of going door to door or walking up to a stranger and saying “Hey! Do you know Jesus?” makes me downright queasy. I say if you're comfortable with that, then godspeed you, but it's really not my style.

But I've been told in recent years that there may be other ways of doing it, and that thought has given me some comfort. Just cause I don't stand on street corners doesn't mean I'm a bad Christian – at the very least I could give money to missionaries (Now, how do I calculate 10% of the 74 cents in my bank account? Round up or down...?) I have things that I'm good at, and God has given me those talents for a reason... but how do I turn that towards evangelism? What I could really use (and, I think, what most Christians could really use) is a universal method of evangelism, to which I can apply my own personal interests and talents.

A universal method, huh? Well, being Catholic, it seems I'm in luck – after all, what better place to look for a universal anything than in the Universal (i.e. catholic) Church? And the Church does not disappoint, because Fr. Barron seems to have hit the nail right on the evangelical head. The best method for evangelism, the element which should lie at the root of all evangelical activity, is Joy. Contagious Joy!

As I've thought about it, I've realized that even in my own case it was Joy that brought me into the Catholic Church. I've told people before that it was the theology, philosophy, and history that brought me to the Church, that I found a consistency and cohesiveness here that I didn't see in the rest of Christendom. In fact, I've emphasized these reasons so much that some people have criticized me for putting too much trust in reason instead of faith (an accusation which I dispute, for reasons which will become clear presently).

But the real, basic reason I became Catholic, was actually joy. There may be other philosophic systems which are also internally consistent, but they don't give me the joy that I find in the Church of Christ. Here, I can actually be more loyal to my faith in Christ, in a way that actually makes sense to me. The logical consistency of the philosophic tradition, the layered richness of Catholic theology, the historical continuity with the Orthodoxy of the Church Fathers – these things are exciting to me. Philosophical and intellectual thought is what I love, it's what gives me joy... and I find those things in the Mystical Body of Christ, his Church. But here's the kicker, and here's why Joy works as a universal method, at least for Catholics: because the Catholic Church is catholic, it is universal. That means it's for everyone, and we really, truly, and fully believe that, in the fullest possible sense! What gives you the greatest joy? What really puts a fire in your belly? Whatever it is, we've got it!

Some of my conservative evangelical friends might balk at that last paragraph – how can I tell people that they can find joy in anything but Christ? The joys of this world are a lie and a distraction! Only Christ can give people lasting joy! We need to redirect people's gazes from what they think will give them joy, and turn them to Christ! Then they'll find true joy. Jesus + nothing = everything!

You say that fullness of joy is found in Jesus alone? I say yes! Yes yes yes yes! All good things find their fulfillment in Jesus. Whatever a person really loves, they can only find to the fullest degree in Jesus. So we don't need to direct people away from the things they love to show them Jesus! We need to show them a bigger, better, more focused picture of what they love. Are a person's desires keeping them from God? If so, the problem is not that they're loving and desiring stuff they shouldn't love or desire, it's that they're doing it wrong.

Augustine was right; we pretty much fail most of the time.

They don't have a full, accurate picture of the things they love. The cry of the Catholic Church, the solution to eradicating sin and coming to know God, is not less but more! More and better. If you really knew that thing which gives you joy, to the fullest, most perfect degree, you would know Jesus. So, for me, I don't need to deny my reason to get to know God; I need to perfect it. But of course I can't perfect it by my fallen human power, so it's a darn good thing I have grace – I need Jesus to perfect my vision for me, so I can see how my greatest joy is found in God. Until then, I need to have faith. So my faith cannot be a denial of reason; if I think I need to deny reason, I'm denying a part of God – I'm having less faith. And that goes for whatever it is that gives you joy! See how it all fits together? Man, I love Catholic theology!