EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 199

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same thing to walk with him as to walk blindly,
not the same thing to hear his word as not to
know it, and not the same thing to contemplate
him, to worship him, to find our peace in him,
as not to. It is not the same thing to try to build
the world with his Gospel as to try to do so by
our own lights.
We know well that with Jesus
life becomes richer and that with him it is easier
to find meaning in everything. This is why we
evangelize. A true missionary, who never ceases
to be a disciple, knows that Jesus walks with him,
speaks to him, breathes with him, works with
him. He senses Jesus alive with him in the midst
of the missionary enterprise. Unless we see him
present at the heart of our missionary commit-
ment, our enthusiasm soon wanes and we are no
longer sure of what it is that we are handing on;
we lack vigour and passion. A person who is not
convinced, enthusiastic, certain and in love, will
convince nobody.
267. In union with Jesus, we seek what he seeks
and we love what he loves. In the end, what we
are seeking is the glory of the Father; we live and
act “for the praise of his glorious grace” (
Eph
1:6). If we wish to commit ourselves fully and
perseveringly, we need to leave behind every
other motivation. This is our definitive, deep-
est and greatest motivation, the ultimate reason
and meaning behind all we do: the glory of the
Father which Jesus sought at every moment of
his life. As the Son, he rejoices eternally to be
“close to the Father’s heart”
(
Jn
1:18). If we are
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