The New Testament is God’s word and a treasury of wisdom and guidance. It teaches us that love is a choice to treat others with kindness, compassion, and respect. Love means we recognize the inherent worth and dignity of all people, regardless of their background or beliefs, and treat them accordingly. By loving others, we demonstrate God’s very existence to them and our commitment to building strong and meaningful relationships.

True love goes as far as to put others before ourselves. It seeks the best for everyone. Love means caring for others and putting compassion into action, whether it’s through volunteering, donating resources, or simply being kind to those around us. Service is the hallmark of true love, and it is a call that goes far beyond our immediate family and community.

Saint Paul teaches that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). When we embody these qualities, we become beacons of light and shining examples of what it means to truly follow Christ.

Here are three ways to put love into action:

1. Put others first: Challenge yourself to put the needs and well-being of others before your own. This can mean volunteering your time, and resources, or simply offering a listening ear to someone in need.
2. Practice patience and kindness: Challenge yourself to embody the qualities of love as described by Saint Paul. This can mean being patient with others, even in difficult situations, and making a conscious effort to be kind and understanding.
3. Serve your community: Challenge yourself to serve others beyond your immediate family and friends. This can mean serving at your church or a local shelter, donating resources to a charity, or simply reaching out to someone in need.

† Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father,

We come to you today grateful for the gift of your Word. We are humbled by the wisdom and guidance it offers us on how to live a life of love and compassion.

Help us to understand the true meaning of love, that it is a choice to treat others with kindness, respect, and dignity, recognizing their inherent worth and treating them accordingly. Let us even put the needs and well-being of others before our own and embody the qualities of love as described by Saint Paul – patience, kindness, humility and compassion.

We pray that we may become beacons of light and shining examples of what it means to truly follow Christ, putting your Word into action by serving others close to us and beyond our immediate family and friends.

Thank you for the blessings you pour into our lives, and for the guidance you provide. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Amen.

Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work

Book on parish revitalization and gowth: 

• 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. 

Articles on evangelization and parish revitalization:

• Evangelization: Sharing the Joy, Peace, and Hope of Christ
• Priestly Leadership in Evangelization
• Café evangelization at the University of Mary Washington
• Evangelization: A Living Testament of God’s Love
• Living in The Joy of The Gospel
• In The Beginning Was the Word: The Primary Role of Scriptures in Evangelization
• One-Phrase Evangelization
• Asking Each Day for the Grace to Help Someone
• The Parish as an Expression of God’s Love for the World
• If no one speaks, no one will know
• Evangelizing Through Healing: Manifesting God’s Loving Presence
• The Parable of the Wise Landowner
• Extraordinary Signs in Extraordinary Times
• The Evangelizing Message of Medjugorje
• The distinction between proselytism and authentic evangelization
• What God Needs from Us Is Love, Reconciliation, and a Spirit of Forgiveness
• Evangelization: A Collaborative Mission of Love
• Prayer and Service that Finds Favor With God
• The Transformative Power of Love
• The Evangelization Power of Prayer and Love for God
• Everyday Evangelization
• Every Act of Love is Evangelization
• Loving Jesus and Making Him Loved
• Embracing a Lifestyle of Worship and Praise
• A Prayer for Divine Healing and Restoration
• Factors That Have Proven to Attract People to Christ
• Evangelization: Finding Life and Giving Life
• The Eucharist: Source And Summit of All Evangelization
• Practical Steps for Reaching the Unchurched
• Bible Sharing Guide for Small Groups: A Synodal Approach
• Bringing People to Christ by Inspiring Love and Praise for God
• Proclaiming God’s Word: A Sacred Call
• From Decline to Renewal: The Transformation of New Life Church–Farmington
• The Church’s Social Doctrine and Evangelization
• Kindness: A Christian Perspective
• How to Bring Someone to Christ
• The Ultimate Purpose of Human Life – Glorifying God
• From Near-Death to New Life: A Rural Church’s Revitalization Journey
• Evangelization simply: “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Psalm 34:8)
• Revitalization of Rural Churches
• Attracting Converts to the Catholic Faith
• Addressing Low Attendance in Churches
• Fostering a Sacred Atmosphere during the Sunday Mass
• Prayer to be baptized in the Holy Spirit
• Jesus is Thirsty for Souls
• Praying And Sharing The Good News With God’s Redemptive Names
• Embracing the Call to Evangelize
• What is Most Pleasing to God? Bringing Souls to Christ
• The Growth of the Church of the Nativity (Fr. Michael White)
• Deliverance Prayer, by Fr. Stephen J. Rossetti (AUDIO – mp3)
• The Growth of Saint Benedict Parish (Fr. James Mallon)
• Five Pillars of the Christian Life
• Encountering Christ: The Path to Transformation
• What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus?
• Unleashing The Evangelization Potential of Your Parish
• The Ultimate Goal of Evangelization
• God’s Longing for Love and our Mission to Make it Known
• A prayer for those whom we wish to encounter Christ
• Memorable Sundays
• Fr. Bedard’s Three-Step Blueprint for Evangelisation
• Guide for The Missionary Transformation of Parishes 
• Divine Encounters: A Practical Guide for Small Evangelization Groups
• The Missionary Transformation of Sant’Eustorgio Parish
• Creating Vibrant Faith Communities: Insights from ‘Excellent Catholic Parishes’
• Sharing The Gospel According to People’s Needs And Receptivity
• A Prayer for Inviting Others to Evangelization Meetings and Services
• Welcoming Church Guests and Visitors: Dos and Don’ts
• Various Dimensions of Evangelization
• The True Measure of Success
• Pope Francis on Evangelization
• Revitalizing the Rural Parish for Mission
• Factors Leading to Christian Conversion
• Evangelizing Through Random Acts of Kindness
• Questions To Start Spiritual Conversations
• Three Feet From Gold
• Spreading the Gospel One Act at a Time
• Gather, Witness and Invite
• Prayer to Receive the Spiritual Gifts of The Holy Spirit
• The Language of Evangelization
• Key Factors for Parish Growth According to Rich Birch
• How to defeat Satan?
• Bringing Love, Hope and Healing Through the Gospel
• Love: Our Fundamental Vocation
  
• Touched by the Master
• A Man, a Dog, and the Ultimate Love
• The essence of evangelization: Loving God and our neighbours
• Loving Our Enemies and Reconciling with Others
• A Powerful Prayer for Healing: You Are The LORD Who Heals Me
• Living a Life of Love: Mother Teresa’s Legacy
• Living a Life of Love: Lessons from the New Testament
• In The Shadows Of Darkness, A Powerful Force Is At Work
• 19 Pastoral Orientations for Parish Renewal and Growth
• The Missionary Renewal of Catechesis
• Characteristics of missionary parishes
• Powerful healing prayer attributed to St. Padre Pio
• We are called to share our faith with others
• Should we seek to grow the Church?
• Find a Need and Fill It – Revealing God’s Heart in the Community
• 15 Habits to Evangelize on a Daily Basis
• The Church’s Mission
• Three Barriers to Building An Invitational Culture In Your Parish
• The Relational Evangelizer
• Doing Church at Home
• The Blind Girl
• A Group of Frogs
• The Elephant Rope
• A Shared Faith is a Growing Faith
• In The Shoes Of The Unchurched
• Parish Evangelizing Cells
• Six Unique Features of Missional Parishes
• Steps Towards Becoming A Missional Parish
• What Is Evangelization, And How Should It Be Carried Out?
• Discussion And Self-Assessment Questions For Parish Evangelization
• A Missional Church Is A Church That Prays
• The Jesus Prayer: A Method To Pray At All Times
• What can help children raised Catholic continue practicing the faith as adults?
• An Example of a Missionary Parish:  Phoenix First Assembly of God 
• Satan’s Tactics
• Learning to Be a Missionary
• When we cry out to God, he answers
• Presence and Proclamation
• Saving those who are lost
• Saint-Nazaire Parish: The story of a missionary transformation 
• Small Groups and Evangelization
• Evangelizing By Inviting People To Receive Jesus As Lord And Saviour
• You Will Receive Power…
• Have You Heard About the Law of Three Hearings and Seven Touches?
• Three Habits of a Fruitful Christian Life

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