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to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I
ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him
or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”…The Lord does not disappoint those
who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, wait-
ing for us with open arms.”
Through God’s grace and love, he has placed the fruits of the spirit within us that are worthy of sharing.
How they will bear fruit and manifest will depend on us. May Pope Francis’ words of discipleship move us
to encounter others with love and mission:
Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus:
we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries”, but rather that we are always “missionary disci-
ples”. If we are not convinced, let us look at those first disciples, who, immediately after encountering the
gaze of Jesus, went forth to proclaim him joyfully: “We have found the Messiah!” (Jn 1:41). The Samari-
tan woman became a missionary immediately after speaking with Jesus and many Samaritans come to be-
lieve in him “because of the woman’s testimony” (Jn 4:39). So too, Saint Paul, after his encounter with
Jesus Christ, “immediately proclaimed Jesus” (Acts 9:20)… So what are we waiting for?
Prayer
Mary, Virgin and Mother, you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,
welcomed the word of life in the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One, help us to say our own “yes”
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever, to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
Filled with Christ’s presence, you brought joy to John the Baptist,
making him exult in the womb of his mother.
Mother of the living Gospel, pray for us.
Amen
Ramón B.
Barreras
Holy Family
School Par-
ent