Int’l Preacher on Practical Tips to Share Jesus (Part 1 of 3)

“Your speech tells people who you are, and so your personality reveals who Jesus is. Bless everyone with Thank you and God bless you. They should go together,” says Fr. Gino Henriquez, C. Ss.R., international preacher and founder of school of evangelization here.

Evangelization 2033 Philippines marks its silver jubilee this year through a Mindanao-wide gathering at the Regional Major Seminary (REMASE) on April 17-20. This will be attended by selected trainers and graduates from all over Mindanao.

Earlier, the national meeting was held to prepare for the said event at Lispher Inn. With Fr. Gino were Most. Rev. Guillermo Afable, DD, Rev. Msgr. Fred Kriekenbeek, VG, Rev. Fr. Jerome Antogop, Sr. Ma. Antonia Villacrusis, LGC, Sr. Rona Alaza, AR, Sis, Ma. Elena Peñero, and trainers of Evangelization 2033 Mindanao.

Here is DC Herald’s one-on-one interview with the founder. Discover why he started the mission in Davao City, and what current struggles evangelizers face.

ON EVANGELIZATION 2033

Fr. Gino: Evangelization by itself means sharing Jesus to others, so that they could come to know Him and to love Him, they could come to know who He is—the greatest.

So that’s what we mean by evangelization. No one is greater than Jesus as I just told you, okay? Now, this Jesus is not dead—He is alive. Your greatest grandmother for her birthday, you can have your celebration but she’s dead—she’s not around. But Jesus is around! And the greatest jubilee He will celebrate for us on earth is on 2033—two thousand jubilee. Is anyone who celebrated 2000 jubilee that you know?

Now, to celebrate Jesus, we must give Him what He wants. What does He want, He wants the world to know Him, love Him. That’s why He came, died for us. So that’s the best gift we can give Him.

ON THE FOUNDATION OF SCHOOL OF EVANGELIZATION

Fr. Gino: I came here last eight to nine years ago. But I came here more than 25 years ago. I began the first international school of evangelization in Davao and here in the Philippines. Msgr. Mabutas, the archbishop invited me to come. I had a team. I brought trainers from outside the country for the first school. We have 30 or more students, priests and lay. Some have died, some are still alive.

ON THE STRUGGLE EVANGELIZERS FACE

Fr. Gino: Well, if you haven’t known Jesus and you haven’t experience yet, you can’t share Jesus. Jesus can only be given if you have him in your heart. The greatest hindrance is when you don’t have him in your heart and you’re talking about him.

ON THE DIFFERENCE OF BEING A CHRISTIAN AND A DISCIPLE

Fr. Gino: Once we are baptized, we become Christians. But that does not mean that you are automatically will follow Jesus. That’s the whole purpose of catechetics. It is to learn more and more and more about Jesus, that when you’re in the particular age, you ask and crave for the experience of Jesus. And then you say, “I will become a disciple.” You make it a decision for Jesus. That is the disciple.