God Meets Us Where We Are

By Scott Ferrier, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

Thomas Aquinas’ principle that “whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver” is of great importance to us when, for example, we are evangelizing a co-worker or an acquaintance, engaged in a dialogue about God or spiritual or ethical matters. This requires imitating the divine pedagogy—God meets us where we are. The well-known Protestant minister Francis Schaeffer used to say, “To evangelize, you have to find out what tent people are living in.” 

I have to first listen, to learn the interests of the other person, in order to discern ‘where they are coming from’. They might be fallen-away Catholics or Christian Scientists or raised with no religion—whatever the case. In order to know how to approach them, even if my goal is to win their friendship, I can’t simply impose upon them the truths of our faith in direct fashion unless I know they are ready to hear it. So I need to know my faith deeply. I may have to “come in” by other doors—the natural law, for example, which every person has the sense of, even if they won’t admit it. (Hint: it’s in our nature).

When I was “dialoguing” with fellow pilots in the cockpit (and nothing better to do than ensure the autopilots were doing their job!), the argument was made that there is no objective morality (relativism)—what is true for me may not be true for you. I would challenge that by saying, “Okay—let me have your wallet! (And reach around to pretend that I was actually going to take it from them!) I made a point I doubt they’d forget. From there, I’d go on to discuss how it is God who made that nature.

My desire is to bring them to Christ, but I must do it with prudence and charity and not impose the truth. In any case, in those moments of dialogue and witness, it is the Holy Spirit working through us that yields the fruit of our planting. In the economy of salvation, the Holy Spirit reveals and unveils and prepares for the reception of Christ, as He does within the Church. He “prepares … recalls … manifests … makes present …unites” (CCC, 1092).