As Catholics, we tend to dismiss our abilities to evangelize and to “witness” our Christian faith to others. We say we’re not good at it, at least not as good as Protestants, and we certainly don’t want to bash people over the head with our faith. No, we don’t!

But, as Catholics, I’ve discovered several ways to easily inspire a conversation about faith without being so obvious and without bringing out the “brick.” It’s also a way to follow Pope Francis’ theme of leading lives of joyful Catholicism, focusing on the positives of knowing Jesus and not starting the conversation with a bunch of “don’t”s.

Here are some simple ways to get that conversation going so you can positively witness to the faith by sharing your own experience and knowledge:

1) Wear some outward sign – I wear a Miraculous Medal and a cross. Lots of people wear crosses, so that doesn’t generally open the door to conversation. But my medal — time and time again — has led people to ask me what it is and led to a great conversation about faith.

2) Read the Bible – Catholic evangelist Hector Molina spoke at my parish’s mission retreat this year, and he inspired this post with a story he shared. When he’s flying to give talks around the country, he explained that he has a captive audience of his fellow air travelers. He always carries his Bible and reads it, which often gives rise to conversation about favorite verses and ultimately religion, and even prays his rosary.

3) Pray the Rosary in public – This one will really get a conversation going and you’ve got to be brave about it! Can you be as bold as Hector and pray the rosary on the plane? If not, try a walking rosary at your local park or public path. Pray the rosary in rhythm to your steps as you carry it. You might not have a conversation by praying but you never know who is watching and what effect it may have on them.

4) Talk about going to mass, reconciliation, Holy Days and more – Casually mention to your neighbor, or your child’s friends’ parents or the fast food worker, what you’re doing or just did as it relates to church. They just might ask you for more information and give you the opportunity to explain.

5) Pray before meals – Of course, you should pray before meals anyway to thank God for our many blessings, but there’s an added bonus. People will notice. I’ve heard so many stories of people commenting to others about how great it was to see someone praying in public.  Again, even if it doesn’t inspire a conversation, you never know what impact it might have on someone watching nearby.

6) Read a Catholic book – You should also be doing this anyway to grow in your faith! But carry one with you always, so if you have down time, you can pull out the book and read a few pages (side note: great program on How to Read More Books from Brandon Vogt here). Books are always a good conversation starter. I was at the park one day with my kids and reading St. Therese’s “Story of a Soul“. Boy did that start a conversation with the Protestant man sitting next to me. He did not have a good view of the Catholic church and we discussed the whole idea of “saints.” This was early in my Catholic days, so I’m not sure I had the best answers to persuade him, but I sure tried.

That leads me to my conclusion. When these conversations do start — and they WILL — be prepared! “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.” 1 Peter 3:15

You can prepare yourself by reading great Catholic books, listening to shows on EWTN radio like Catholic Answers, Open Line and Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo, which give great explanations for common questions and misperceptions about Catholicism.

Also, consider blogging or journaling so you have fresh in your head stories from your own life about the power of God and God’s graces that have benefited you. No one can argue with your authentic experience. It also helps to know key Bible verses, especially when chatting with Protestants who have a largely Bible-only view of Christianity.

What things have you experienced that unexpectedly started a conversation about faith and Catholicism?

To truly advance in growing into the saint God designed you to be, I highly encourage you to make praying the rosary daily a priority in your life. If you just don’t think you’ve got 20 minutes to sit down and ask for Mary’s prayers as you reflect on the life of her Son, let me find 20 minutes for you :). Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be a contiguous 20 minutes and you don’t have to carry a rosary with you. You have 10 fingers, right? That’s good enough.

Here are 11 perfectly good ways you can pray the rosary TODAY even on the busiest of days!

1) In the shower – What else do you have to do in the shower? Praying is much better than letting your mind wander. Keep your eyes on the Lord! If you’re not done praying by the time you’re finished, continue while toweling off, getting dressed and even blow drying your hair.

2) While running – Do you go running regularly? Make praying the rosary your activity instead of listening to music. There are podcasts, such as on the free Laudate Catholic app, that you can listen to as you run.

3) In the car – It’s amazing how I can quickly pray the rosary just going to and from the grocery, while getting gas, taking the kids to school and more. A few car trips definitely add up to 20 minutes. I often use a free CD from CatholicCity, which I pray along with. It makes me feel like I’m praying with a group! It’s also a great way to learn to pray the rosary if it’s new to you (because it can be quite confusing to newbies). See other free Catholic resources.

4) While exercising – Try the wonderful SoulCore program that pairs core exercises with the rosary. Purchase the DVD and get two important things checked off your to-do list: fitness and prayer. This program has the approval of Lafayette, Ind., Diocese Bishop Timothy Doherty.

5) While cleaning – Pray away as you vacuum, fold the laundry, mop, dust, etc. And while you’re at it, you can bless those who will reap the benefits of your efforts of a clean home and wear those nicely-folded clean clothes.

6) Taking the dog for a walk – Do you walk your dog everyday? Make that your time for praying the rosary. Again, much better than letting the mind wander. Keep your mind focused and make it a fruitful time!

7) At lunch – Take a daily lunch break and sit quietly to pray the rosary. During warmer months, why not pray outside and enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature that God has gifted us with?

8) Try a walking rosary (sans dog) – Once a week, consider praying a walking rosary. You hold the rosary in your hand and walk in rhythm to the prayer. Now, other people may see you doing this, so you have to be a brave and joyful witness. A priest in our parish used to do this in visible spots around town and it was incredibly powerful to see him walking and praying in the public eye.

9) As you fall asleep – I received this once as a penance after confession and what a joy it is to drift to sleep with thoughts of Jesus and Mary on your mind. The only downside to this one is you might fall asleep before you get through the entire rosary! Read Patti Armstrong’s post on what happened when she was too tired to pray the rosary. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I consider it a sign that someone needs prayers and so I’ll pray the rosary until I fall back asleep, offering it for whoever might need it.

10) At church – It’s so powerful to pray the rosary in the presence of Jesus or with others in your parish. Make a weekly date with Jesus to sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament or in Adoration to pray the rosary. Or, if your parish has a practice of group prayer of the rosary, join in! Better yet, start your own rosary group!

11) While waiting – How many times do we wait in a day? Waiting in line at the grocery, at the doctor’s office, in the school pick-up line? Work in a decade each time you’re in line and you’ll be done by day’s end.

Any other suggestions for ways to work the rosary into your busy life?

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Read More:

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• Why did I convert to Catholicism? Read my Conversion Story

• What Catholics Need to Know About Pornography

• Everything You Wanted to Know about RCIA & How to Join the Catholic Church

• How to Start a Conversation about Catholicism Anywhere

This is a wonderful post on dealing with difficult people, especially those who have wronged us and may not have apologized. This is from Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, O.C.D. from MyConsecration.org:

The Charity We are Called To Emulate Especially With Difficult People

If we feel a natural aversion toward someone, or if a certain person has done some wrong to us, we see that person’s defects far more easily than we see his virtues.  It will also be easy for us to attribute to him the wrong intention now and in the future.  This is the moment to be especially prayerful and careful in order to fight against our natural tendency to evil thoughts and to STOP ourselves from speaking badly of that person to others.  We must oppose these thoughts despite the tendency to say I was wronged.  Yes, so was Jesus wronged many times.  This is the time to act as He would, to be especially kind to that person and offer him some service while looking at God in Him…loving God in him despite his fault.  True charity…the charity Jesus demands of us…makes no distinction of persons, but has equal love for all, because we see and love only God in all people.  We love them precisely because God does….and we love them for God and we love God in them.  Yes, it is hard, but by calling on His Grace, He will grant it.  St. Therese demonstrated this:  “when I show charity towards others, I know that is You God who are acting in me.”

The MyConsecration.org site promotes Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and the Flame of Love apparition.A Free Flame of Love book can be ordered in the US at www.flameoflove.us.

All of my life I’ve sought to grow and become the best person I can be (though I have failed miserably on that attempt over and over). After so much seeking, I eventually realized Catholicism is the best, most proven path to self-improvement.

Father Ron Rolheiser, whose book “The Holy Longing” I reviewed previously, has written a follow up to that amazing work called “Sacred Fire” that delves into how we can become “mature Christians.” It’s essentially a road map to becoming fully who Jesus intends for us to be.

I love his writing, as he’s very theological and thought-provoking, yet approachable and readable at the same time. He takes a look at three periods in our lives, essentially youth, middle age and old age and examines how we can strive to reach our full potential at each stage.

A big portion of Fr. Rolheiser’s writing that resonates with me is realizing that “all symphonies remain unfinished” in this life. God intended us to be in full communion with him, and until we are, all things will pale in comparison. We all have this “sacred fire” within us, an “insanity for the light” — that full communion with God that we will find in heaven – that drives our actions.

Some of us try to fill that burning desire through drugs and alcohol, sexual relations, pornography … and burn out too quickly. Others find a restless boredom with this life, which they try to end by moving to a newer, more exciting city, changing to a better more fulfilling job, marrying a different individual, becoming workaholics, undergoing plastic surgery… only to find we’re just as unhappy as we were before the change.

Christian maturity in midlife, which I am square in the middle of at age 40, comes from recognizing we won’t be fulfilled in this life and being OK with that rather than giving in to bitterness, disappointment and anger at where our lives have taken us. Fr. Rolheiser talks about maturity in this stage as trying to “give our lives away” by striving to live more for others than ourselves.

A topic I will delve into separately is the idea of how to handle those who release negativity at their failure to “finish the symphony” into your life and how to absorb that energy rather than giving it back in kind.

I also found most fascinating the discussion of old age as a time to “give your death away.” He discusses how all of us will likely end up in a radically altered state from our current lives, unable to care for ourselves in some way or another. We can be a blessing to the person who cares for us or a curse. We can fight to hold onto life or graciously let go, making it a gift to those we leave behind.

If you truly want to become a better person, a better Christian, a better Catholic in the New Year. Grab a copy of “Sacred Fire” by Ron Rolheiser. It will inspire you reach for heights you never imagined and you may just end up being a saint after all. 🙂

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.