“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction,” wrote Pope Benedict XVI in his 2005 encyclical Deus caritas est (God is love).

In love with Christ

The paths of evangelisation may vary – a friend, a book, or a podcast – but the turning point is almost always the same: a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

Even those of us already in the fold need to continually encounter the Lord, because encounter is not a one-off milestone, and evangelisation carries weight only when evangelisers remain captivated by Christ.

As Pope Francis said in his 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium (The joy of the Gospel): “… every other member of the Church ought to grow in awareness that he himself is continually in need of being evangelised.” (EG, 164)

Such ongoing encounters help our faith grow and allow Christ to form us throughout life.

“The paths of evangelisation may vary, but the turning point is almost always the same: a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.”

Keeping the zeal

Zeal without roots burns out quickly.

To sustain our witness amid busy lives, the initial spark of encounter must mature through ongoing formation.

In his 1845 Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Saint John Henry Newman wrote: “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.”

Pope Benedict XVI himself noted that Newman’s life was defined by continuous conversion and interior transformation (Message to Newman Symposium, Nov 18, 2010).

However, growing in faith does not simply mean acquiring more information.

In the Archdiocesan Pastoral Plan, formation is intended to guide the baptised “to a higher level of human and Christian maturity” across four integrated dimensions: spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral (see Catholic News, Sept 27, 2026, p.16).

Through formation, we discover Christ and his Bride, the Church. Doctrine becomes real in our prayer, our practice of social justice, and our witness in daily life.

We risk losing our apostolic zeal if abstract ideas fail to affect our lives.

Transformative power

True formation is transformative.

It allows the life of Christ to enter our hearts through grace, so that we share more and more in the sentiments of His Heart and are able to love as He loves.

Pope Francis in his 2018 apostolic exhortation Gaudete et exsultate (Rejoice and be glad): On the call to holiness in today’s world encouragingly calls the ordinary Christian to be the “saint next door” – one who, in the midst of daily life, raises their children with immense love, works hard to support their families, and never loses their smile (GE, 6).

In his sermon Personal Influence, the Means of Propagating the Truth, St John Henry Newman reflected on the power of a single holy person to transform the world and convert souls.

“The Truth has been upheld in the world not as a system, not by books, not by argument, nor by temporal power, but by the personal influence of such men as ... are at once the teachers and the patterns of it” (Sermon 5, n.27).

Likewise, St Josemaría wrote: “A secret, an open secret: these world crises are crises of saints” (The Way, 301).

“Evangelisation carries weight only when evangelisers remain captivated by Christ.”

Becoming everyday saints

Perhaps not all of us will become canonised saints, but as Christians, we can become ordinary “saints next door”, carrying out quiet yet effective evangelisation among our family and friends.

There are many ways to deepen our faith.

Courses, talks, and seminars on topics such as Scripture, the Catechism, bioethics, social justice, sexuality, family, and marriage are among the many offerings of parishes and lay Catholic groups.

These are complemented by reliable doctrinal and spiritual readings available on online resources faithful to the Church’s Magisterium.

We should choose what is best suited to our circumstances, while seeking guidance from a well-formed Catholic or a priest.

The Church changes the world one saint at a time, but this can happen only when we nurture our own formation while allowing Christ to do the rest. □

The Sermon on the Mount, a 19th-century painting by Danish artist Carl Bloch. Image: Wikimedia Commons

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Every Christian needs a continual, personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
• Evangelising zeal is sustained through lifelong formation and ongoing conversion.
• True formation goes beyond acquiring knowledge; it transforms us to think, live, and love as Christ does.
• With the advice of a well-formed Catholic, look for formation activities and resources that will enrich your faith – eg. classes, seminars, readings, or podcasts.