From the earliest days of the Church, followers of Christ were called to evangelization. The Gospel of Matthew chronicles the commissioning of Jesus’ disciples when he says to them: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:18-20).
This is an important passage — not just because of the command to spread the good news of Christ to others, but because of the understanding that the disciples would be passing on what Jesus had taught to them. For you cannot give away what you do not have.
The same is true for modern-day evangelization. Our call remains to “go … and make disciples of all the nations,” but many times we feel hamstrung because we are not exactly sure all of what the Church teaches and why. And it is that fear of being asked a question to which we might not know the answer that stops most evangelization in its tracks before it has a chance to really begin.
Tim Glemkowski, president of L’Alto Catholic Institute, addressed this very topic at a recent talk he gave to employees of Our Sunday Visitor. He asked us, what do we usually do when we don’t know the answer to something? Google it! We have a whole digital world of answers at our fingertips.
It is important to say, however, that not all Google searches are created equal, and it can often be hard to know where to find reliable answers, especially regarding matters of faith.
Enter SimplyCatholic.com, a new initiative from Our Sunday Visitor that offers a repository of trustworthy and accessible information about the Faith.
The mission of Simply Catholic is simple: to help Catholics know and love the Lord and his Church so that they may be equipped to share their Catholic faith with others. In short, Simply Catholic is here to help you be a better disciple of Christ.
On SimplyCatholic.com, you’ll find succinct yet complete answers to basics of the Faith, curated and edited by an expert in theology. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on the home page, you can browse by category or use the site’s robust search feature. Still can’t find your answer? Just email simplycatholic@osv.com, and we’ll get back to you.
We have an active Facebook community with nearly 18,000 followers, so look for us there at @osvsimplycatholic. We’re also on Instagram.
And, finally, because we know everyone’s busy and it’s hard to remember to visit a website, we come to you once a week on Tuesdays via an email newsletter. Sign up is quick and easy right on SimplyCatholic.com.
So if you have pledged this New Year to get a little bit better about learning and sharing the Faith, Simply Catholic is there for you. Be sure to check it out.
