8 ways to share your Catholic faith on Ash Wednesday…

Ash Wednesday will soon be here and it is a good day to share your Catholic faith with others. In fact, Ash Wednesday Masses generally have more people attend that even Christmas and Easter – which shows a high level of engagement. Below are some suggestions on how to evangelize on Ash Wed.

8 Ways to Share Your Catholic Faith on Ash Wednesday

1. When asked, explain why you have ashes on your forehead. It is nearly inevitable that if you get your ashes early enough in the day (and if you don’t wipe them off), you will run into someone who tells you that there is something (e.g., “dirt”, “smudge”, “stuff”, etc.) on your forehead. Remember, they are being polite in telling you this. So, return the favor by explaining what the ashes are for (a Biblical sign of repentance) and share your faith by explaining Lent and Ash Wednesday to them. As long as we don’t flaunt our faith for a show, it isn’t against the biblical directive of doing acts of faith for others to see.
2. Invite someone to Mass with you. While I don’t think inviting non-disciples to Mass is a great idea in most situations (see here for why) – on Ash Wed, anyone is welcome to receive ashes in a Catholic Church. They need not even be Christian to receive them. This isn’t the case for Communion though, so it is a good time to explain our liturgy, belief in the Eucharist, basis for Sacraments, etc. to them. If you don’t know a good way to explain why a non-Catholic cannot receive the Eucharist, then this explanation should help. 
3. Discuss lent online. Most of us are connected to others through social media. With these connections come the availability and opportunity to help them come closer to Christ and His Church. So, start a discussion about what lent is for, what it means, or ask what others are doing for lent. Keep it positive and encourage all to participate. You might post a link from an online blog (like this one!) or a video.
4. Fast and Pray for others. The heart of evangelization is found in our prayer. We cannot help others if the source of our spiritual life is not deeply rooted in Christ through prayer. Since lent is a time of “increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving“, we should use this increase in our prayer and fasting for others. The next step is to tell someone that you have been praying and fasting for them. If you want to reach an even higher level of evangelization, invite them to pray (and possibly fast) with you. Imagine that you pray daily and fast weekly for someone throughout Lent. Then at Easter, you write them a nice note telling them what you have done and why. The impact could be huge.
5. Witness to another person about your faith, if the opportunity arises. There can be multiple opportunities to talk about your faith with someone throughout Lent. If a chance arises, take advantage of it. The point isn’t to convince, preach, or change someone’s mind. The point is to share an important part of your life with another person. We talk about sports, weather, and other unimportant things freely, why not discuss something of real value, your faith? I would first pray that God provides such opportunities for you, then keep an eye out! “Jesus give me opportunities to evangelize” is a dangerous prayer, because he answers it! Some opportunities may arrive if you are avoiding meat on a Friday, take time from work to spend in prayer, or start to spend your lunch hour at daily Mass.
6. Invest yourself in a relationship with a new friend. To make any relationship work you have to invest time and effort into it. You must open yourself up to the other person and truly love them. True love would always want what is best for the other person. What could be better than helping them know Christ and the Catholic faith better? Ultimately all effective evangelization comes down to good relationships. So, spend your time investing in others! Many folks are willing to try something new during Lent, so why not start off by inviting someone to join you in a small group, praying together, etc. on Ash Wednesday?
7. Go out of your way to start Lent off with a bang. Don’t just “give something up” for lent. DO SOMETHING DARING! Write a nice note every day during Lent thanking different folks for being a part of your life. Say nice things to those you live with, work with, and are around daily. Start a random conversation in the grocery store line. Do something that pushes you to be a better disciple and a better evangelist. Start this Ash Wed!
8. Take a picture of your ashes and tag them on social media with the #AshTag hashtag. As long as you are posting in a spirit of humility and love for others, you can witness to a larger audience on social media. Just make sure you are praying for those who will see your picture.

BONUS FOR PARISH WORKERS – Find folks with the charism of hospitality and have them implement some of the strategies that I have outlined here!

If you have any further ideas – respond to our social media posts on Facebook and Twitter and tell us about them.