Today, Jacob and I evangelized in Harvard Square. We were one of four religious groups evangelizing out in the Square! That’s the most I’ve ever seen at once and the reason I’ve (playfully) named this post “Turf Wars.” We saw the JWs and the LDS missionaries (not surprising to see), but there was also a pretty large group of non-denominationals scattered across the Square, probably 6-8 in total. They were preaching the Gospel through microphones, which I think people generally find offputting, but, hey, they’re preaching the same Gospel, so that’s cool, right?

Well, they didn’t quite feel the same way about us. We approached a man with their group to find out what organization they were with. That’s where we learned they were non-denominational. They were not from the area and were doing a tour of Ivy League schools. I was hoping we could bond over our shared Christianity, but one of the first questions the man (who was very charitable and well-meaning) asked us how “deep” into Catholicism we are. We’re like, pretty darn deep. He then proceeded to share some of the reasons he is not Catholic. The one I remember most (because we engaged him on it) was that Catholics worship the saints. I asked him whether he asks his friends here on earth to pray for him, which he replied yes to. We then explained how we believe that the saints in Heaven are members of the Body of Christ too, just as the earthly friends we ask to pray for us are too. Jacob whipped out his pocket Bible and was citing verses for this topic and others we later discussed. 

We also spoke for a while about faith and works, which I always find is a moot conversation. Personally, I think that Protestants and Catholics are at root saying the same thing here. The Protestants just like to say that good works are evidence of the faith necessary for salvation, while we Catholics say that works are one of the ingredients necessary for our salvation. Either way, good works need to occur as part of salvation.

Our interlocutor also had a mistaken understanding of the Catholic Church’s view of salvation, which we were able to correct. Some Catholic had once told him that everyone outside the Church is damned, but we explained that while the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches there is no salvation outside the Church (CCC 845), our understanding of the Church extends beyond the formal institution of it–that people of good will outside the institution can still be saved mystically via the Church that Christ established.

Our friend seemed to have a mistaken view of how Catholics view grace. He basically thought that we view the Sacraments as means of doling out grace, and that you need to accrue enough grace to carry with you at the pearly gates to prove you’re good enough to get in. Jacob used a really good metaphor to explain how we think about the Sacraments. I’m not sure whether he came up with it on the spot, or if he’d heard it somewhere, but it was good. He said that before Baptism, we’re like coal, but Baptism makes us into a diamond. Then, as we subsequently sin, the diamond gets damaged, and Confession repairs the diamond, making it new again. Our friend was wary of the Sacrament of Confession. I asked him whether he confesses in his tradition. He does. He pointed out the Bible says to “confess our sins to one another,” to which I said that a priest is a fellow Christian. I felt like I saw the wheels turning in his mind about that. He felt that confessing to an authority figure was different.

We also spoke about the Eucharist. Jacob whipped out John 6 in his pocket Bible. I explained the Aristotelian metaphysics that help us to wrap our minds around the idea of the Real Presence in the first place.

All in all, did we convince him? No. Did he convince us? Also no. But it was a beautiful exchange between people who were able to respectfully disagree in a country where people are all too often unable to do so. Our new friend told us we are the nicest Catholics he’s ever met. On one hand, it is disappointing that he has not had charitable interactions with Catholics in the past, and I expressed my apologies to him over this fact. But on the other hand, I was really grateful to the Holy Spirit that charity had won the day in our case. In debate-type situations, it can be very easy to let pride get the upperhand, but by God’s grace I feel we were able to make love our aim.