Jesus Christ, Only Hope for The Broken World.

By Matthews Otalike, January 16, 2026

At the Second Vatican Council, the council fathers taught emphatically that “the whole Church is missionary, and the work of evangelization is a basic duty of the People of God” (Ad Gentes 35). 

The Church “exists to evangelize,” Pope Paul VI wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi, “to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass” (14). The mission of the Church in the world is threefold: to evangelize, to sanctify those evangelized, and to renew the temporal order.

In Redemptoris Missio, Pope John Paul II shared his vision for the coming age of the Church. “I see the dawning of a new missionary age,” he wrote, “which will become a radiant day bearing an abundant harvest, if all Christians, and missionaries and young churches in particular, respond with generosity and holiness to the calls and challenges of our time” (92).

In his very first homily as pope, Leo XIV spoke of the difficulty of evangelizing in the modern world, and of the suffering that comes from the absence of faith.

We live in a time of great confusion, and in such times, it is understandable when people seek comfort and safety. But the Church is called to do more than hide away. To be Christian is to be called to love others with the kind of love that shines a light in darkness and brings clarity amidst confusion.

When people are starving for truth, we are called to proclaim boldly the saving truth of Jesus Christ.

When people are starving for love, we are called to share the love of Jesus Christ.

When people are dying for hope, we are called to offer the hope we have received in Jesus Christ.

If we have real love for the people of these lost and confused times, we must get better at speaking about Jesus, at sharing him even when we don’t really feel like it. You already know this. And because you have come to the mature desire to share Jesus, you really can talk about him with anyone.

It’s time for all Catholics to take up the call with love, with courage, and with perseverance.
We aren’t just selling a positive lifestyle or promoting good values. We are proclaiming objective, eternal truth: God exists. He created us for himself. Sin has separated us from him. Hell is real. Heaven is real. Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. Repentance and faith are necessary for salvation.

If we leave out the bad news of sin, judgment, and hell, then the good news—mercy, salvation, eternal life—makes no sense. We must proclaim the full gospel, not a watered-down, feel-good message. And we must do it clearly, lovingly, and without apology.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

If we offer merely love without truth, we commit a betrayal. But we must also constantly remember that truth without love is a hammer. True evangelization is always rooted in love.

Evangelization isn’t about winning arguments or scoring points. It’s about loving souls—loving them enough to tell them the truth, to pray for them, to walk with them. We listen to people’s stories. We meet them where they are. We speak truth into their lives with compassion, not arrogance. We offer them hope, not condemnation.

Love means patience. Love means mercy. Love means refusing to give up on someone even when they reject us. When people know that we truly love them—not as projects, but as children of God—their hearts open.

Evangelization must always flow from love. Because love is what moved Christ to the cross. And love is what will move souls to him.