The Church is Missionary By Nature

We are all called to be evangelists. The Church (us) exists to bring others to Christ.

“Just as the whole economy of salvation has its center in Christ, so too all missionary activity is directed to the proclamation of his mystery.” (Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, 44)

In its simplest form evangelization is sharing your faith with another person either explicitly or implicitly. A simple definition of evangelization comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It says evangelization is, “The proclamation of Christ and his Gospel by word and the testimony of life, in fulfillment of Christ’s command.” (CCC, 905)

The gospel is first and foremost the message of God becoming man and he lived, died and rose from the dead in order to draw us to his Father. As St. Paul tells Timothy,

“This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Tim 1:15)

We must not fail to keep this simple message of faith at the front of our minds. The great commission is a call to all of us to heed the call to evangelize:

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20)

The Pope reminds us of this call to evangelize.

How can you spread the Good News today?