Pope Francis: Evangelization is the Mission of the Church
“An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the first step in the initiative, he has loved us first.”
A friend asked me about the recent headlines claiming that Pope Francis has been telling Christians not to try to covert non-believers to Christianity.
Sensational headlines like these spread like wildfire but they aren’t true. As Winston Churchill once said, a lie gets half way around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. Pope Francis’ remarks were making a distinction evangelization and proselytizing.
He likens proselytizing to advertising or trying to persuade people to join a football team. He warned about not repeating the mistakes in history when people attempt to force conversions. He was exhorting believers to honor the dignity of people who believe differently than we do when sharing the gospel and to focus first on letting the light of Christ be evident in our lives.
He explained what evangelization isn’t: and what it is:
"To try to convince people that Jesus is God without the guidance of the Holy Spirit “is not evangelization,” he said on October 2. “If there is no Holy Spirit there is no evangelization.This can be proselytism, publicity," Pope Francis said.
"But evangelization means letting the Holy Spirit guide you, that he is the one that pushes you to announce, to proclaim with your witness, with martyrdom as well as with the word."
He said that Evangelizing (as opposed to proselytizing) bears fruit and rejoices. Pope Francis wrote in "Evangelli Gaudium", which means 'The Joy of the Gospel':
The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19)
He encourages us to be involved non-believers, not just to be persuaders. ““Let us take the first step and to become involved. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. The Lord gets involved and he invokes his own as he kneels to wash their feet. He tells his disciples, “You will be blessed if you do this” (John 13:17”. Evangelizers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are more willing to hear their voice.
All good advice to heed as we fulfill the mission to go into all the world and share the gospel!