See It to Live It

Are you reluctant to evangelize? Laura Nelson shares three easy ways to subtly share your faith without seeming holier-than-thou.

Working at a Catholic parish for years, I once heard a man push back on the idea of going to Mass every Sunday by saying, “Every Sunday?!? I don’t know anyone who goes to Mass EVERY Sunday.”   

The reality is, he probably didn’t know anyone who went to Mass every Sunday. There are a lot of Catholics who don’t. And even the best-intentioned Catholics might miss Mass occasionally due to illness or lack of access to Mass. 

They won't know what they don't see 

But what if that man actually did know people who went to Mass every Sunday? What if those people just never mentioned their Mass attendance in his presence? Perhaps they didn’t think it was his business. Or perhaps they felt like he didn’t care about it one way or the other. Regardless of the reason for not mentioning their church attendance to him, as far as this man knew, they just didn’t attend at all.  

And, because this man didn’t see or hear about people he knew going to Mass every week, he didn’t think it was a realistic expectation. He didn’t think it was possible for “real people.” The thing is, this man isn’t all that rare. Most of us need to see things close up to feel like they’re real. Saint Thomas the Apostle isn’t the only person throughout history who needed to see to believe. 

Three ways to bring your faith out of the shadows

So how can we make our faith more visible to others without coming across as preachy or, heaven forbid, holier-than-thou? Here are a few tips that have helped me bring my faith out of the shadows and into the public (or at least into the neighborhood): 

Name-drop your routine.

If you go to Mass or are involved with volunteering at your parish, just drop that casually into a conversation.  

• “I was on my way to Mass at Saint Patrick’s the other day when I passed the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile on the highway!”
• “This little boy in my catechesis class said the cutest thing the other day …”
• “We’d love to have dinner with you but we like to go to the Saturday evening vigil Mass at Our Lady of Victory to pray for our favorite NFL team before the Sunday game. Can we have dinner on Friday instead?” 

Wear your faith on your sleeve.  

• Wear a fun and faithful Catholic T-shirt or scarf. You’d be surprised how many people will glance your way and smile or nod. They might go to Mass this week because of you! 
• Put a cool Catholic sticker on your car. “Follow this car to Mass. We’ll end up there eventually.” I’d buy that bumper sticker! 

Don’t be afraid to ask a few questions. 

• “We go to Saints. Peter & Paul. Do you know where that is?”
• “We’re new in town. Do you know where the nearest Catholic church is?” Note: Only use this if you really ARE new in town. No need to create an extra reason to have to go to Confession …
• “What church do you go to? Have you ever been to Saint Agatha’s? We love it there!” Another note: Don’t lie if you hate Saint Agatha’s (see note above re: Confession). But also don’t complain about it to others just because you had a bad experience there once ten years ago … (see note above re: Confession). 

In the end, it’s not that complicated to let others see you living your faith. You might help someone realize that living their faith is actually doable. I mean, if you can do it, maybe they can too! 

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Copyright 2025 Laura Nelson
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