Evangelization is for Everyone

For formation the past two months we have been reading Pope Francis’ The Joy of the Gospel. In his Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Francis reminds us that everyone in the Church, not just priests and religious,has a duty to spread the Gospel. “All of us are called to offer others an explicit witness to the saving love of the Lord, who despite our imperfections offers us his closeness, his word, and his strength, and gives meaning to our lives” (121). We are not alone in our mission of spreading the Gospel, because the Holy Spirit strengthens and guides us. We are only able to evangelize be Christ is working through us, and it is ultimately His love that flows from our hearts into others.

Sometimes I think to myself, “I don’t have a crazy conversion experience like St. Paul, or I’m not as holy as the saints. How do I share my faith with others?” The Pope is asking us to share our everyday experiences of God’s love with those around us, no matter where we are at in our faith journey. Something I learned from my spiritual director that has helped me recognize God at work in my life is praying this prayer every morning. “God open my heart to the gifts you want me to receive, and open my eyes to recognize them”. At the end of the day I reflect on what God has done, and that way I have examples to tell other people.  

Going back home for winter break I was able to evangelize by talking with my family about my experiences at SPIRITUS. I shared how I’ve seen God working through my community members. Whenever I need an encouraging they always have the right things to say, and they treat me with love and compassion. My family also has taken in an exchange student from China, and this was her first Christmas. I had the opportunity to explain the meaning of Christmas to her. I don’t think she fully understood everything I told her, but that’s ok. Evangelization is not just talking about our faith, but also bringing Christ’s love to others. I was able to evangelize to the new member of my family by simply loving her- by treating her as a sister and spending time with her.

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to evangelize by sharing what God has been doing in my life with family and friends, and I invite you to accept this challenge as well.