{"id":4868,"date":"2025-10-02T15:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fallriverfaithformation.org\/?p=4868"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:26:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:26:05","slug":"whys-before-whats-in-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fallriverfaithformation.org\/es\/2025\/10\/02\/whys-before-whats-in-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"“Whys” before “Whats” in Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

David Carvalho | Diocese of Fall River<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What happens when, after the well-intentioned planning and scheduling of ministries and programs, participation lags, enthusiasm fades, or programs seem to fall flat despite our best efforts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many ministers experience a familiar frustration\u2014people don\u2019t show up, don\u2019t seem interested, or simply stop engaging. It\u2019s easy to blame the culture, poor catechesis, or even the individuals themselves. But what if the problem runs deeper than a lack of interest or discipline?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if the problem is that we’ve focused too much on the what<\/em> of faith\u2014and not enough on the why<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Content to Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In every parish, it\u2019s common to teach people what<\/em> to believe: prayers, doctrines, the Sacraments, liturgical practices, Church history. And while all of this content is important, it rarely sticks unless people first internalize why<\/em> it matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider this: Many former Catholics were taught how to pray. They received their Sacraments. They showed up for classes and Mass\u2014for a while. But eventually, they stopped practicing the faith. Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not because they didn\u2019t know the \u201cwhat.\u201d It\u2019s because they never internalized the why<\/em>. Without a sense of meaning or relevance, they concluded\u2014consciously or unconsciously\u2014that none of it mattered. In their view, faith offered no purpose, no transformation, no urgency. The message that Jesus died for them may have even been met with a resounding yawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the heart of the issue. People aren’t rejecting Catholic teaching because it was poorly explained\u2014they’re walking away because it never personal<\/em>. And when a person doesn\u2019t believe that God is real or that actually He\u2019s acting in their life, church attendance or religious education becomes optional at best, irrelevant at worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Step: the need for Encounter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To illustrate this principle, think about marriage. Speaking from my own marriage, I didn\u2019t marry my wife because I read a book about marriage and thought, \u201cThis sounds like a good idea.\u201d I married her because I first encountered her and fell in love with her as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love creates purpose. And that purpose carries us through good times and bad, for richer or poorer. The same is true for our relationship with Jesus. Unless someone has fallen in love with Christ\u2014unless they\u2019ve encountered Him as real and personal\u2014the content of our faith becomes information without transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Himself makes this clear. In Matthew\u2019s Gospel, He tells the parable of the house built on rock versus the house built on sand. The storms come to both. But only one remains standing. Why? Because it had a strong foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That foundation is Him<\/em>. We may know a lot about <\/em>Him. But do we know<\/em> Him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rediscovering the Why: Life to the Full<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author and speaker Simon Sinek famously teaches that \u201cpeople don\u2019t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.\u201d Ministry is no different. The Gospel is the greatest \u201cwhy\u201d the world has ever known. And Jesus summarizes it beautifully in John 10:10:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the core of our faith. The core of the Good News, or kerygma<\/em>, tells the story of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. A God who created us and loves us.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Sin, which damaged our relationship with Him.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Jesus, who died and rose to restore that relationship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Our response: to live in relationship with Him and receive eternal life.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    This \u201cwhy\u201d must come before any \u201cwhat.\u201d Without it, sacraments feel like checkboxes, doctrine feels like memorization, and church feels like obligation. But with it, everything changes. The sacraments become lifelines. Doctrine becomes wisdom. The Church becomes home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sharing the Why: The Power of Testimony<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One of the most effective ways to communicate the Gospel is through personal witness. This doesn\u2019t require a dramatic conversion story. It simply involves sharing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n