ARTICLE – Evangelization: Living and Sharing the Love of God

August 20, 2025 by Pierre-Alain Giffard News, Recommended Texts

Evangelization is at the very heart of the Christian vocation. It is the joyful mission of making Christ known to the world—not merely through words, but through lives transformed by divine love. As Pope Paul VI affirmed in Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), “The Church exists in order to evangelize” (EN 14). This does not mean simply transmitting doctrines or winning debates, but bearing witness to the living God who saves. True evangelization is less about argumentation and more about incarnation: becoming living vessels of God’s presence so that others are invited into relationship with Him.

The Heart of Evangelization

The starting point for evangelization is recognizing that it is not fundamentally a human endeavor but a divine work. St. Paul reminds us: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor 3:6). No amount of rhetoric or clever reasoning can bring someone to faith unless the Holy Spirit first opens the heart. Evangelization is thus deeply spiritual, rooted in humility and prayer.

A frequent obstacle is what might be called a “rationalistic spirit”—the tendency to reduce divine mysteries to human categories. St. Paul addressed this when he wrote, “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them” (1 Cor 2:14). Evangelization requires us to trust in God’s action rather than our own persuasion. Our role is to witness faithfully; it is God who brings about conversion.

This demands that we guard against envy or comparison in spiritual matters. Pope Francis has often warned against “spiritual worldliness,” where the Church becomes more concerned with success and influence than with holiness (Evangelii Gaudium, 93). True evangelization begins when we surrender our agendas and open ourselves to the Spirit’s guidance.

The Foundation: Charity and Love

If evangelization is to be effective, its foundation must be charity. St. Paul teaches that without love, even the most eloquent preaching is empty: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong” (1 Cor 13:1). Charity is not mere sentiment, but the very life of God within us. It is a self-giving love that seeks the good of the other without expectation of return.

The Church’s magisterium affirms this. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God” (CCC 1822). This virtue is the rudder of evangelization: without it, our witness drifts aimlessly. With it, every action, no matter how small, becomes a channel of grace.

Love is also practical and visible. Jesus declared, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Acts of kindness, mercy, and patience speak louder than arguments. Evangelization, then, is not primarily a project of persuasion, but of love made concrete.

A Life of Witness

The credibility of the evangelist depends less on words and more on the witness of a transformed life. As Pope Francis teaches, “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Evangelii Gaudium, 120). Evangelization is first personal conversion, then outward mission.

This transformation involves a continual surrender to God’s will, echoing John the Baptist’s words: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). Only when the self is purified of selfish ambition and pride can the Spirit shine through. To evangelize effectively is to live an “untarnished life,” free from corruption and malice, as St. Peter exhorts: “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that… they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Pet 2:12).

Thus, evangelization is not about show or numbers but about credibility. When Christians live in integrity, justice, and compassion, they proclaim Christ more powerfully than any sermon. St. Francis of Assisi’s famous exhortation captures this: “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”

Evangelization as Invitation

At its core, evangelization is an invitation into friendship with Christ. Jesus himself modeled this, not through coercion but through encounter. He invited Zacchaeus down from the tree (Lk 19:1–10), called the Samaritan woman to living water (Jn 4:1–26), and said simply, “Follow me” to the apostles (Mt 4:19).

The Church continues this mission. The Second Vatican Council in Ad Gentes teaches: “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature” (AG 2). This mission is not about imposing but proposing, not about conquest but communion. Evangelization respects human freedom while offering the fullness of life in Christ.

Practical Ways to Evangelize

Prayer and Sacraments: Evangelization begins on our knees. Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s and draws down grace for those we hope to reach. Participation in the Eucharist and confession nourishes and purifies us as witnesses.
Personal Testimony: Sharing how God has worked in our own lives can touch hearts more deeply than abstract arguments. The early apostles often proclaimed simply, “We are witnesses” (Acts 5:32).
Works of Mercy: Feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, welcoming the stranger—these actions incarnate the Gospel. As James wrote, “Faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:17).
Accompaniment: Evangelization is patient walking with others. Pope Francis describes it as an “art of accompaniment” (Evangelii Gaudium, 169), where we listen deeply, respect journeys, and gently point toward Christ.
Joyful Living: Joy is contagious. A Christian who radiates joy in the midst of trials testifies to the hope of the Gospel. Paul exhorts: “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4).

Conclusion

Evangelization, then, is not about argument, numbers, or power. It is about embodying divine love in such a way that others glimpse the face of Christ through us. It is a spiritual endeavor rooted in prayer, guided by charity, and manifested in witness. The world does not need more eloquent debaters; it needs saints whose lives are radiant with love. As Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The Church does not engage in proselytism. Instead, she grows by “attraction”: just as Christ “draws all to himself” by the power of his love, culminating in the sacrifice of the Cross, so the Church fulfils her mission to the extent that, in union with Christ, she accomplishes every one of her works in spiritual and practical imitation of the love of her Lord.” (Homily at Aparecida, 2007).

When our lives become living testimonies of God’s love, we carry out the mission entrusted by Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19).

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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