Final Thoughts
As I think about how blessed you and I are to be considering the topic of evangelization and the reality that Jesus says to us, “as the Father sent me, so I send you,” my heart is led by the Spirit to remember Solomon, the son and successor of King David, and the night the Lord visited him in a dream. “God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ‘make a request of me, and I will grant it to you.’” Solomon, in turn, asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead the people.
So what should we ask for? What does it really take to be an effective evangelist? Grace of course, yes — it’s all grace — but what after that? … I would say desire.
If we can share God’s desire for people to know him, we will pursue that desire. To do that, we need discipline. Knowing full well that the life of holiness is joy, to be disciplined about our life of devotion means that we are gazing in the eyes of the divine bridegroom, repeatedly giving our lives in love to the one who continues to give himself to us fully in the Eucharist. Fueled on by this devotion, it is vital to be intent on cultivating a good disposition toward the Holy Spirit, as well as good habits for evangelization. Stay ready and hungry, knowing the most important aspect of every evangelization encounter is Christ-like love.
All of the things I’ve mentioned are graces for which we can pray. But even more, pray for a visitation from the Lord in the night. Pray for a visitation that will impress on our hearts a wisdom and knowledge of how to lead people to Jesus, that will revolutionize our ability to evangelize. It’s God’s work, and we’re his co-laborers; so we’ve got to trust that with His help we’ll develop lots of skill and insight and know-how — and we should keep going, and expect great results. I’m confident our good Father won’t deny us whatever we need to fulfill the mission He is entrusting to us.