Are you being called to share the Catholic Faith?

While chaperoning my daughter's fourth-grade field trip at the Heart of Jesus Retreat Center in Santa Ana, I came across a small booklet by Servant of God Sister Ida Peterfy, SDSH, titled Do Whatever He Tells You. Drawn from John 2:5, the title recalls the Blessed Virgin Mary's instruction to the servants at the Wedding at Cana—words that immediately preceded Christ's first public miracle, the turning of water into wine. The booklet served as a reminder of what God had been calling me to do, something I had put off for many years: launching The Christian Witness Podcast, a project for which I had created this website several years ago but had put on hold while I produced my own podcast on YouTube @JoshRader.

Interestingly, I discovered Sister Ida's booklet at the very time I was discerning whether or not to try and restart the witness podcast. The idea had been on my mind for weeks leading up to the retreat. During Mass, it seemed as though God was giving me a sign to restart the project and move forward with it. In his homily, the celebrant, Fr. Aristotle, held up an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (the image you see here), the very same icon I had chosen for my own YouTube channel, @JoshRader. But what caught my attention even more was that it was also a mosaic, like the vision I had for the Christian Witness Podcast. His image was composed of hundreds of smaller photographs representing the people who had influenced his vocation—the same theme of the witness podcast and the image you see here above on this website that I had created years ago with the idea of the many who would give witness to the Mystical Body of Christ. His was the Sacred Heart; mine was the Face of Jesus, and both are signs of His love for us.

As Fr. Aristotle explained that the mosaic was made up of countless individual lives and testimonies that had sustained his vocation, I was reminded of the calling God had placed on my heart to help others share their testimonies, and I saw that as a sign. I remembered the inspiration for the Witness Podcast: "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses" (Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi). That quote was the inspiration for the vision that had been put on my heart—that through the testimonies of disciples, others would be inspired, might come to know Jesus Christ, and deepen their existing relationship with Him. The encounter I was experiencing there at the Mass that day was just that: a kind of self-reflection and affirmation based on a witness testimony of Fr. Aristotle that was rekindling in me the inspiration to return to the project.

I thought, "I have to do this," and I thought I will give this testimony here on this website to give you an idea of how God worked in my life to pursue this project. As I began to write this reflection and post here, I felt a nudge to do a reverse image search of the photograph I had taken of Fr. Aristotle's icon. I'm not entirely sure why, but I decided to google it—and yet there again, another sign appeared. The publication date of the image was March 30—the day of my wedding anniversary. Then, the year was 2017—the same year I decided to return to school and pursue my vocation of learning to teach the Gospel. It was also the year my wife entered RCIA. Then, after she completed RCIA, we renewed our marriage vows, and since then we have both grown much deeper in our faith. It was there at Franciscan University that I was inspired with the idea of the Christian Witness Podcast. All of this converging together made me think that these signs are not accidents, but God's hand at work. It confirmed my desire to produce this podcast.

I think God works in these ways through little signposts along the way of faith, and I want to encourage you to consider what God may be calling you to share, but I also want you to provide a catechesis on some aspect of the faith. Sharing the faith is not merely about personal experiences and encounters with God, but his Word and message for His people. Once I realized this call to return to this idea, I went back to my own personal website (www.joshrader.com) and began to write on the Sacrament of Marriage. There you will find some examples of written catechesis, in particular on the Sacrament of Matrimony, because I believe the Christian Witness Podcast ought to be ordered to faithful husbands, fathers, and leaders who are called not only to be the primary catechists of the faith in their homes but to share it with others who likewise are fulfilling the call to be men of faith in the community of disciples.

I hope you will consider giving witness to others so that we find the courage to embrace God's will, to help build His Kingdom on earth, and to encourage others to rise up and serve as His witnesses. If God is calling you to share your faith, please send me the testimony you wish to share, and if you consider one thing above all other things, it is truly to do whatever He tells you.

Thank you for your consideration, and I hope you will share what God has put on your heart. May God bless you.

Sincerely,

Josh Rader