Article – Loving Jesus and Making Him Loved

September 20, 2024 by Pierre-Alain Giffard News, Recommended Texts

Evangelization, at its core, is more than simply proclaiming doctrines or sharing beliefs; it is about a profound and personal encounter with Jesus Christ and the desire to make Him known and loved by others. This mission is grounded in the greatest commandment given by Christ: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). To evangelize is to embody this twofold love—loving Jesus intimately and, in turn, spreading that love to others.

Love as the Foundation of Evangelization

The essential foundation of evangelization is the love of Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict XVI expressed this clearly in Deus Caritas Est, where he said, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus Caritas Est, 1). This encounter with Jesus is transformative and leads to an outpouring of love that seeks to reach others. Saint Paul echoed this experience in his letter to the Galatians, saying, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The love of Christ compels us to go beyond ourselves, to share the joy of this encounter with those who have not yet experienced it.

The saints, as prime examples of evangelizers, often highlight this intimate connection between loving Jesus and sharing His love with others. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church, expressed it beautifully when she said, “My vocation is love!” Her entire mission in life was to love Jesus fervently and to help others experience that same love. She understood that evangelization starts in the heart and that the most effective way to lead others to Christ is through genuine love, prayer, and sacrifice.

Evangelization Rooted in Witness

Evangelization, therefore, begins with personal witness. The Gospel of John tells us the story of the woman at the well who, after encountering Jesus, ran to tell the townspeople, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did” (John 4:29). Her personal encounter with Jesus transformed her, and she naturally wanted to share this encounter with others. This model of evangelization is essential: it is not just about imparting theological knowledge, but about sharing the love and joy that comes from knowing Christ personally.

The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem) emphasizes that laypeople, through their daily lives, are called to evangelize by being witnesses to Christ in their families, workplaces, and communities. The document states the laity seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God. They live in the midst of the world, and they are called by God to contribute to the sanctification of the world from within, like leaven (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 2). This means that evangelization is not confined to formal preaching or missions; rather, it permeates every aspect of daily life when we live out our love for Jesus authentically.

The Role of the Magisterium

The Church, through its Magisterium, has continuously emphasized that evangelization is central to her mission. In Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope St. Paul VI taught that evangelization is the “grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14). The Church exists to evangelize, to make Christ known to the ends of the earth. The Magisterium teaches that the methods of evangelization may change over time, but the content—the love of Jesus Christ—remains constant.

Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), echoes this, calling for a “missionary conversion” in the Church, where every baptized person is called to be an evangelizer: “All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization” (Evangelii Gaudium, 120). He calls Christians to approach this mission with joy, saying that “an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral” (Evangelii Gaudium, 10). The joy of loving Jesus is contagious, and it should be the hallmark of evangelization.

Love, the Heart of the Mission

The heart of evangelization is love, both for Jesus and for others. St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) embodied this beautifully. She often spoke of how her work was not simply about providing for the material needs of the poor, but about showing them the love of Christ. “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love,” she famously said. This love, expressed in concrete acts of kindness and mercy, becomes a powerful form of evangelization.

Jesus’ words to His disciples remain the guiding light for evangelization today: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). True evangelization flows from a heart deeply in love with Christ and translates into actions that reveal His love to the world.

Conclusion

In sum, evangelization is the natural response of a heart that loves Jesus Christ. It is not merely about speaking words or teaching doctrines but about living in such a way that others see Christ’s love in and through us. As we grow in our love for Jesus, our desire to make Him known and loved by others deepens. This is the essence of the Christian mission, to love Jesus and, in turn, to make Him loved. Evangelization, therefore, is not just a task but a way of life that draws others to encounter the living Christ.

Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work

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