ARTICLE – The Primary and Most Important Mission of All Catholics

July 28, 2025 by Pierre-Alain Giffard News, Recommended Texts

The most fundamental and urgent mission of every Catholic is to invite others to know and follow Jesus Christ. The Church exists to evangelize. This bold assertion, articulated in Evangelii Nuntiandi (§14), echoes the very heart of the Gospel and the mandate of Christ Himself. This is not a peripheral task, nor an optional undertaking for a few specialists. It is the defining identity and vocation of all the baptized. Grounded in Scripture, affirmed by the Magisterium, and shaped by centuries of tradition, the mission to evangelize is the Church’s deepest self.

Christ’s Mandate: “Go, Make Disciples”

The foundation of this mission lies in the final command of Christ before His Ascension: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20, NRSVCE).

These words are not addressed solely to the apostles but, through them, to the entire Church in every age. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and duty… to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all people throughout the earth” (CCC §900).

To invite others to Christ is to participate in the very mission of Jesus, who came “to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). The call to evangelize is not merely about spreading religious information; it is about facilitating a life-giving encounter with the living God, present in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Baptized and Sent

Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized that every Christian is a missionary disciple. In Evangelii Gaudium, he writes: “In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples… Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization” (§120).

This call is not reserved for clergy or religious. It is the sacred duty of every Catholic—parents, workers, students, retirees—to bear witness to the Gospel in word and deed. The Church teaches that the laity, especially, have a unique role in bringing the Gospel into family life, workplaces, schools, and the public square (cf. Christifideles Laici, §15–17).

Evangelization as Love in Action

Inviting others to know Christ is not an act of religious conquest; it is an act of love. To evangelize is to offer the most precious gift a human being can receive: friendship with God, healing of sin, and eternal life. As St. Paul affirms, “The love of Christ urges us on” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Evangelization is a response to this love and a desire that others may come to experience it. In Redemptoris Missio, Pope St. John Paul II states: “Faith is strengthened when it is given to others!” (§2).

The Church, like her Lord, does not impose but proposes: she offers Christ as the answer to the deep hunger of every heart. True evangelization respects freedom while inviting conversion.

Witness as the First Step

The most powerful invitation to follow Christ is the witness of a transformed life. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Pope Paul VI insisted, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, §41).

The Church evangelizes by word and sacrament, yes—but also by holiness, joy, forgiveness, and mercy lived out in daily life. In this way, every Catholic home becomes a “domestic Church” (cf. Lumen Gentium, §11), radiating Christ’s presence into the world.

The Eucharist and Mission

The source and summit of the Church’s life is the Eucharist (cf. CCC §1324), and it is from this wellspring that the missionary impulse flows. At Mass, the faithful are not only nourished but also sent: “Ite, missa est”—“Go, you are sent.” To receive Christ in the Eucharist is to be empowered to bring Him to others.

The Second Vatican Council’s Ad Gentes explains: “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature” (§2).

Mission is not an activity the Church sometimes does; it is what she is. The same is true for every baptized Catholic: mission is not one ministry among many—it is the heartbeat of the Christian life.

Mary, Star of Evangelization

Mary, the first disciple and the model of evangelization, shows us how to invite others to Christ. At Cana, she simply says, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). At the Visitation, she carries Jesus to Elizabeth, who is filled with the Holy Spirit at the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1:39–45). Mary’s presence always leads to Jesus. Catholics, in imitation of her, are called to be “bearers of Christ” to the world.

Urgency and Hope

In an increasingly secularized world, the urgency of evangelization grows. Many live without knowledge of Christ, or with distorted images of who He is. Yet the Church does not despair. She knows that the Gospel is still “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith” (Romans 1:16).

Pope Francis reminds us: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus” (Evangelii Gaudium, §1).

It is this joy—the joy of knowing and being loved by Christ—that Catholics are called to share. Not out of obligation alone, but out of overflowing gratitude for the gift we have received.

Conclusion

To invite others to know and follow Christ is not just one aspect of the Christian life—it is its very essence. Rooted in baptism, sustained by the Eucharist, inspired by the witness of Mary and the saints, and mandated by Christ Himself, this mission defines the identity and purpose of every Catholic. It is a sacred duty and a glorious privilege: to help others discover the One who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

May every Catholic, in the power of the Holy Spirit, rise to this mission with faith, courage, and love.

Pierre-Alain Giffard
pierre.alain.giffard@gmail.com

Recommended books:

BOOK – Revive and Thrive: Transforming Parishes into Mission Driven Communities provides a blueprint to breathe new life into parish communities and engage in the core principles of evangelization and disciple-making.
BOOK – Your Faith Has Made You Well: Discovering God’s Power for Healing. A guide to unlocking a life of faith and confidence in God for healing.

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