The family, the heart of evangelization, has been called the Domestic Church (“Lumen Gentium,” 11), the first place where we encounter God. It is within the family that we begin to learn who God is and how to prayerfully seek His will for our lives. It is the primary and perhaps singular place for many of us to evangelize and spread the message of God’s love.
To love and be loved
Practicing charity — loving God and loving those around us — is the most powerful way we can evangelize. It’s in the way we love one another, the way we live our faith as love in action, that we testify to His love. Our faith is not just about our words or “good deeds,” but about a genuine, self-giving love that flows from God’s love. This is something that often gets overlooked in the busy rhythm of family life, but it is essential. A child must grow up knowing, deeply, that they are loved because each one of us was created to love and to be loved.
Loving deeply isn’t something we do just occasionally, it is an always thing. We won’t always be at our best — flaws and mistakes are part of our human experience — but if we strive to imitate Christ, we love through it all.
Created for relationship
We were created by God, intentionally and purposefully, for the relationship we have with Him. God, the Creator of the universe, made us to know Him, love Him and serve Him. This is the core of the message we need to communicate, not just to our children but to everyone around us. We are worthwhile. We are lovable. We are good. We are important. And our lives find their meaning in this relationship with God.
The truth of our creation for relationship with God reaffirms everything we long to believe: that we are cherished by our Creator and that our lives have purpose. It is in this truth that we find the motivation to live in a way that brings glory to God.
When my children were young, I would tell them, “Bring God glory through your actions.” If we are created for a relationship with God, then everything we do reflects that relationship. The way we live, the choices we make, the love we show — all of it reflects our love for Him.
Faith as love in action
Living our faith as love in action means more than simply going through the motions or performing outward expressions of piety. It means living in such a way that God’s love flows through all of our actions.
If we are actively practicing our faith, it becomes easier to share it with those around us, especially our children. When we ourselves pray, it becomes more natural to guide our children in developing their own prayer lives. But when we don’t actively live out our faith, trying to introduce Jesus into conversations can feel forced or awkward. Our children can sense that. But when our faith is woven into the fabric of our daily lives, conversations about Jesus become natural, authentic and aligned with the culture we’re building in our homes.
For example, it can feel uncomfortable to pray in public, especially before a meal at a restaurant. But if we consistently pray before meals at home, then not praying in a public setting would feel out of place. Prayer, in this case, becomes an expression of our ongoing relationship with God.
When we live our faith authentically — not as a compartmentalized part of our week, but as the center of our lives — it becomes easier to talk about our faith with our children and others. Our actions speak louder than words, and they carry the message of God’s love.
Living faith even in suffering
We also live our faith as love in action when we face hardship, when we suffer well out of love for God. I’ve often told my kids, “You have to do it anyway, you might as well do it with a good attitude.” And, more often than I like to admit, I’ve had to remind myself of that very same message! Our attitudes matter greatly. It’s easy to be kind and cheerful when things go our way. But our true character is revealed when we struggle — physically, emotionally or spiritually. Can we still be charitable when things aren’t going as we planned? Can we still reflect God’s love when life feels hard?
Bishop Dolan said in his recent pastoral plan, “Christ is the Light, and we who testify to the Light acknowledge that in Him we find the fullness of God revealed. God is Love, and we who abide in Love, abide in God.”
God is Love. And we testify to His love by how we love one another. So love those around you today. Live that love through your actions, your words and even your struggles. Living your life as love in action evangelizes silently to all you know, as you abide in God and abide in love.
