Throughout 2023, Pope Francis focused his catechesis on the passion for evangelization. Over the course of thirty talks, he explored the nature of apostolic zeal, the holy men and women who bore witness to that zeal in their own lives, and what true proclamation of the Gospel looks like today.
“Without apostolic zeal, faith withers. Mission, on the other hand, is the oxygen of Christian life: it invigorates and purifies it.” – January 11, 2023
The Church grows through attraction and witness
“The proclamation is born from the encounter with the Lord; every Christian activity, especially the mission, begins from there.” – February 15, 2023
The Holy Father asked us to rediscover the evangelizing passion by starting with the Scriptures. He recalled Matthew 9:9 as a model of evangelization.
“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me’. And he got up and followed him.”
There are several steps to the call of Matthew. Jesus “saw” Matthew. He invited Matthew. Matthew rose, and then followed. The gaze of Jesus, the way he “saw” Matthew, inspired an attraction. So when Jesus gave Matthew the invitation, Matthew was spurred to movement. The Holy Father explained that this story demonstrates how evangelization begins — when we see our fellow man with the eyes of Christ, we bear witness to God’s love.
The Holy Spirit allows us to carry out the apostolic mission of the Church
“So, what does it mean to be apostles? It means being sent for a mission.” – March 15, 2023
Pope Francis reminded us that an apostle is one who is sent. And while ordained priests have particular charisms in the Body of Christ, each of us shares in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet, and king. We must be open to the Holy Spirit — pray to the Holy Spirit — so that our hearts will be moved and we may receive the desire to evangelize.
Look to the saints for exemplary witnesses to true passion for the Gospel
For example, on Venerable Matteo Ricci: “He is great, yes, because he is a great scientist, he is great because he is courageous, he is great because he wrote many books — but above all, he is great because he was consistent in his vocation, consistent in his desire to follow Jesus Christ.” – May 31, 2023
Through the example of St. Kateri Tekakwitha: “Kateri’s life is further proof that apostolic zeal implies both union with Jesus, nourished by prayer and the sacraments, and the desire to spread the beauty of the Christian message through fidelity to one’s particular vocation.” – August 30, 2023
On St. Charles de Foucauld: “Brother Charles thus reminds us that the first step in evangelizing is to have Jesus inside one’s heart; it is to ‘fall head over heels’ for him.” – October 18, 2023
Proclamation is joyful, it is for everyone, it is for today, and it is of the Holy Spirit
“The Spirit is the protagonist; he always precedes the missionaries and makes the fruit grow.” – December 6, 2023
In his words on proclaiming the Gospel in our world, the Holy Father reminded us of the characteristics of true evangelization. Making note of the 10th anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, the Holy Father said we all must bring the joy of the Gospel to the streets. True proclamation requires us to leave behind our selfishness, overcome boundaries, and go out to encounter others in the “crossroads where human beings share what has meaning in their lives.”
Pope Francis described the Holy Spirit is the “engine of evangelization,” removing the fear that trapped the Apostles in the Upper Room and moving them to go out to change the world. He challenged us to pray to the Father, the Son, AND the Holy Spirit, asking, “Don’t you pray to the Holy Spirit, who is the one who moves your heart, who carries you forth, who brings you consolation, who brings you the desire to evangelize, undertake mission?”
At the conclusion of his catechesis, the Holy Father asked us to consider the following:
“Brothers, sisters, let us all feel called, as baptized people, to witness and proclaim Jesus. And let us ask for the grace, as Church, to bring about a pastoral and missionary conversion. On the banks of the Sea of Galilee, the Lord asked Peter if he loved him and then asked him to tend his sheep (cf. vv. 15-17). Let us too ask ourselves. Let each one of us ask ourselves this question, let us ask ourselves: Do I truly love the Lord to the point of wanting to proclaim him? Do I want to become his witness or am I content to be his disciple? Do I take to heart the people I meet, bringing them to Jesus in prayer? Do I want to do something so that the joy of the Gospel, which has transformed my life, may make their lives more beautiful? Let us think about this, let us think about these questions and go forward with our witness.”
Pope Francis, December 13, 2023
Through the missionary movement that you support with your prayers and financial contributions, thousands of missionaries are working across the globe, responding to Christ’s call to proclaim the Gospel. This work is only possible because of the many more missionaries at home, praying and supporting them. Thank you for being such an important part of our mission family.
In this spirit of mission, we invite you to support our work.
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