Faith-filled storytellers

Submitted on August 16, 2001

Send to friend Everyone loves a good story. From tots to the elderly, we like to hear and read stories or watch them on stage and screen. And most of us like to tell stories. We often delight in relating something that happened on our vacation, a memory from our childhood or a passed-down episode from our family history. Why is it, then, that so few of us are willing to share our faith stories? Why do we refrain from telling stories of our encounters with God and stories of how God has worked in our lives? Stories are a wonderful and easy way to pass on the faith to the next generation and to others. Jesus taught with stories. The Catholic Church nourishes us with stories, drawing from Scripture and the lives of the saints. Should we not be doing the same with our children, grandchildren, family members, friends and neighbors? The U.S. bishops think so. They are looking to adults with a mature, vibrant faith to be the messengers who pass on the faith by telling their own stories of God in their lives. This is what the early Christians did. This is what we must do. In their recent pastoral letter "Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us?" the U.S. bishops called for the Church to prepare adults to spread the faith. It is a major undertaking. Some studies show that only 10 percent of Christian families discuss their faith with any regularity and, in 43 percent of families, faith is never discussed. For many years, the Archdiocese of St. Louis has emphasized adult faith formation. Offerings range from Paul VI Institute courses to parish RCIA and Scripture study programs. In addition to these learning opportunities, most parishes offer faith-sharing programs, such as Renew. These small faith-sharing groups provide an environment where we can learn and practice how to share our faith experiences through storytelling. Anyone who has participated in such groups knows, however, how easy it is to avoid the faith-sharing part of the session by focusing on reading and discussing Scripture. We find it difficult to reveal our intimate relationship with God. We fear embarrassment or what others might think. We fear pricking old hurts and memories that bring tears to our eyes. Yet unless we are willing to take such risks in our world of family and friends, we will miss the experience of healing, joy and love that flow when hearts are opened to one another.