Dec31 Written by:host
Monday, 31 December 2007
Mission is the fruit of our encounter with Jesus in the Mass. We go from this experience to share what we have celebrated.
We need to realise, however, that the mission of Jesus in the Church can only be carried out when each disciple is living in intimate relationship with Him.
Jesus is the Master Missionary. He seeks to touch us first, so that we might reach others.
The divine mission is our irrepressible response to the visit of Jesus to our own hearts. Before we can share what we have received, we need to know that in every moment, in every word and encounter Jesus is reaching out to us.
The starting-point for the Church’s missionary activity is the encounter between Jesus and the individual human heart.
In this space where human frailty and need meet divine love, we know love. We are visited by the love which forgives sin. We know the touch of the love that heals hearts and transforms all life. In this encounter, the Spirit of Jesus, the missionary, has flooded our human need with God’s love.
It is from the personal experience of God’s love that each Christian receives the taste of divine life which is our motivation for mission (Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 849-850). It is the ‘love of Christ that urges us on’ (2 Corinthians 5: 14).
Which phrase in this reflection most gives you hope?
Tags: 2 comments so far...
Re: Day 8
"The starting-point for the Church’s missionary activity is the encounter between Jesus and the individual human heart."
By Anon on
Thursday, 17 January 2008
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Re: Day 8
Day 8's post said the encounter between Jesus and the individual human heart is a space where human frailty and need meet divine love. A space where we know love. Where we are visited by the love which forgives sin. Where we know the touch of the love that heals hearts and transforms all life. That in this encounter the Spirit of Jesus has flooded our human need with God's love.
Then it goes on to say that it is from the personal experience of God's love that each Christian receives the taste of divine life which is our motivation for mission (from the Catechism). It is the love of Christ that urges us on (from scripture).
Yes! Oh yes. This gave me such hope. If the Church knows this and teaches this then I can reasonably expect bishops and priests to know it and teach it. I can assume that they know that an encounter with Jesus at the heart or emotional level is vital for their people and for themselves.
So I can hope that suggestions that aim to encourage an emotional encounter will be accepted. That opportunities for an emotional encounter will be provided, encouraged and even embraced.
By Hazel Wyatt on
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
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