Evangelization

by Fr. Jess Ty  |  05/18/2025  |  Weekly Reflection

Dear Family of God,

Why and how do we evangelize? Why is evangelization so important?

Jesus loved us to the end, to the point of great suffering and dying on the cross. This is our model on how to love others. Jesus commanded us: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. AS I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34).

He also said, “There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends, you are my friend if you do what I command you.” And when we imitate the way Jesus loves us, then we can truly evangelized others. “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:35). The saints did this, in imitation of how Jesus loves us. The martyrs valued more the salvation of their neighbors by evangelizing them, sacrificing their own lives in the process.

Saint Paul exhorts us to persevere in faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Meaning, it is normal for us who love God and our neighbor to suffer for Christ and for our brothers and sisters in Christ. This self-sacrificing love is what the world needs in order for them to believe in Jesus. This is the only kind of love that can be fruitful in the new evangelization. As His disciples we are called do the same as the apostles did, loving our neighbors as Jesus loves them.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary. Queen of Martyrs, help us all to practice this kind of love, self-sacrificing love that Jesus showed and commanded us to do.

Yours in Christ.