When Necessary Use Words?
Preach the Gospel; when necessary, use words.
Has there ever been a saying more disastrous for the church than that one? St Francis of Assisi is often claimed to have said it but there is never a citation. There is a good reason. It is not in any of his writings. There is no evidence he said it. It is just a false tradition. St Francis did use words a lot. He was authentic. There was never a disconnect between his words and his actions. But if you are bold and passionate why hesitate to use words? It does not make sense. No, this saying is not for people like St Francis. This saying is for modern western society. That is where we have developed the idea that it is impolite to talk about faith. This is a saying that tries to get Catholics to accept that idea and keep their faith to themselves. Nothing could be further from St Francis.
The reason this saying is so popular is it gives us reason to be chicken. It allows us to avoid guilt while we think more about our own petty concerns than we do about the work of Christ. Sure there is some truth to it. It is possible to be too forward with you faith. But the people who use it are in no danger of that. These are people who you work with for years and nobody ever knows they go to mass. They just don’t say a word no matter what topic comes up. People like that typically know this saying well. There are way to many Catholics who are like that. They just don’t want to be associated with Jesus outside of a church context.
Now, I admit I have made both errors. I have chickened out. I also have said too much at times. We are going to have that. The natural impulse in today’s society is to say nothing. That is what would happen if I was just listening to my flesh. I think that is true for most of us. It is a huge risk to mention faith to our acquaintances. There is a real chance they will react badly. But there is a risk in not doing it as well. It is the risk we take when we keep God out of one area of our lives. We can end up with friendships that are false and superficial because we haven’t shared what is at the center of our lives. We show them this secular version of who we are and that is the person they befriend. What can happen then is that is the person we become. We start to do things against our faith. How can I explain why I don’t want to go to a strip club without telling them I am a Christian?
When we do use words living the gospel becomes easier. People expect you to be moral so it becomes easier. The saying that “actions speak louder than words” is another one of these untruths we love but words do need to mesh with actions. It is not always the case that the actions come first. Often the words come first and our actions follow. We know that when we associate ourselves with Jesus that anything we do reflects on Him. That can motivate us to live holier lives. We will tend to pray more for our associates. We will be more careful with any words or actions that might cause scandal. This is all a good thing. When we bring in the name of Jesus we allow Him to work not only on our friends but on us. When we refuse to admit we belong to Him we block that grace.
If you truly want to help outsiders come to faith, the ultimate way to do it is to lead by example. Follow Jesus’s commands, especially to love your brother, and just as the Bible says, others will recognize you as a Christian by those actions. Simultaneously, they will be drawn to you and your faith because your actions reflect the gentle love of God.
Nothing is more jarring to a non-Christian than to hear the Bible preached at you. The only thing worse than this is having the bible preached at you by a Christian who does not appear to be LIVING the Gospel. This quote by St. Francis of Assisi is not saying that one should avoid quoting the Bible to avoid getting judged- rather, it is saying that you can preach most effectively by living a Godly life and attracting others to that flame.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:07 pmI like the idea of picking you moments. But if your moment is never then you have a problem. Most of the time it is based on an assumption people will react badly. But they don’t always. People do hate being preached at. But having a friend share their sincere love for Jesus is not the same thing. If your heart is in the right place you need to trust that God will let them see that. You can’t wait until you become a saint. Sharing the faith will be a step in that direction but you may still be a long ways off. Pray for opportunities. When they come up then speak up. It can be with a person that surprises you. You just never know what is going on in a person’s soul.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:56 pmDoes anybody know who first attributed this statement to St. Francis?
March 30th, 2009 at 6:30 amWords can be a cop out; when we chose to pray but not do and play it safe. Actions show we are willing to risk because we have faith. It’s one thing to say “I believe you can cross Niagra Falls on a tight rope pushing someone in a wheel barrel”, it’s quite another to be willing to be the one in the wheel barrel.
Finally, I believe most people are attracted to Jesus not because of His words but because of His loving actions documented in the bible and being shown through His disciples today. On the contrary, it took relationship with Him and His actions of love to hear His words which often challang and shake people’s lives. Many walk away from His words because they have no experience of His love to trust Him.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:21 amSo words without actions can be a cop out. But actions without words can be much the same. We tend to avoid what is hard. But that is precisely what will benefit us the most.
My point is that this saying is often used by people who are trying to avoid their clear duty to speak their faith. I have never heard it used to inspire great acts of Christian charity. I have often heard it used as an excuse for a sin of omission. That is failing to say what you are called to say.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:06 am