We exist to bring every person into intimacy with Christ (part 2)

by Fr. Chad King  |  01/18/2026  |  Gospel Meditation

Last week, the first of this article series on our parish vision/mission statement: We exist to bring every person into intimacy with Christ, I wrote about how the first words of our vision/mission statement causes us to think about why we, and every person, exist. Which is to know and love God, who created us, in an intimate relationship. That truth echos our recent pope's call for the Church to return to our deepest identity -- as Pope Pius VI says, "The Church exists to evangelize".

That word, 'evangelize' might stir up different meanings or connotations in your mind, and for some is a scary word that turns them off. But it need not be. Some people hear the word 'evangelization' and instantly think of the "televangelists" on TV, which usually give off an uncomfortable vibe. Like many shows on TV, you wonder how authentic they really are. For others, 'evangelize' means people on the street corner with a blow-horn calling people to repentance or damning them to hell, stirring up equally uneasy feelings. When the Superbowl was here in Phoenix, we had Catholic priests, including myself, who were on the corner of Washington and 5th St (near St. Mary Basilica). We were available for confession and conversations, handing out rosaries. Right across the street was a Protestant group yelling out of a blow-horn. Many times I thought about how they were so wrong in what they were saying (anti-Catholic teaching) but mostly I wondered what other people thought. Personally, I thought they were rather irritating and probably ineffective. I thought about how the meaning and purpose of our two groups, on opposing street corners, might be the same, but how the approach is completely opposite. As Catholics, we were there but were not "in their face". We were being available, striking up conversations, and being a witness. Yes, some might have just thrown the prayer card or rosary away at the nearest garbage can. Many didn't pay attention to what was being yelled at them as they passed the other group. However, I can say that the conversations we had compared to the lack of conversations on the other side of the street were vastly contrasting. I don't know how many people heard or even thought about what was being yelled at them. I do know that our Catholic approach was fairly effective. There were many conversations, some confessions, and everyone knew why we were there and that made many think about God.

My point is that there can be different perceptions of "evangelization". The meaning of the word simply means to share or proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. I suppose it can mean to proclaim it from a street corner with a blow-horn -- but that is not what the Catholic Church has in mind when it calls every Catholic to evangelize.

TO BRING means two people side by side who have some level of trust, willingly going in the same direction. Conversely, I think of parents pulling their kids to a place they don't want to go, the kids resisting. And I think of people trying to push or manipulate others into something they don't want. "To bring“, does not mean to pull or push against one's desire. "To bring" means we start at friendship, we start at establishing a relationship built upon trust in which the other might eventually be open and have a desire to be led to something desired. Ultimately, what is written on our hearts is the desire to be in a loving and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ -- the only healer and Savior.