Lent has officially begun and for many ECYD and Regnum Christi members, the Lenten Season equals Mission Season. These weeks of Lent are stages of a journey to renew and deepen our relationship with God and others. It is a personal invitation from Jesus to go on a getaway with Him. Any time we grow in our relationship with God, whenever God starts acting in our life, He sends us out to witness that to others. Think of the Samaritan Woman or the leper in the Gospels, they encountered Jesus and then had to go and tell everyone. Our personal encounter and experience of Jesus is the foundation of any mission. These weeks of prayer and fasting are the perfect preparation for being sent out on mission during Holy Week.
Sometimes we can think of missions as a complicated endeavor that requires lots of planning and forms. At the heart of every mission is the very simple reality of sharing your experience of Jesus and listening to another person’s story with sincere interest and attention. The National Support Team did a mission morning on Tuesday, February 16th together and definitely experienced that. They parked the truck on the street and unloaded two bins of donated clothing.
The homeless that were gathered on the street watched to see what was in the bins and slowly approached as the team offered various articles of clothing. It was moving to see several homeless women comment, “oh, I like this color” or “this looks warm” as they looked through the bin. Giving them the opportunity to pick out something they might like helps them to feel human again.
As the team walked down several blocks to greet more people, they noticed homeless people walking quickly in the opposite direction. One woman, Ivette, was walking with her boyfriend but stopped to look at clothes in the bin. After a few minutes of talking with the team and picking out a few items, she explained that she was so glad that she stopped to spend time talking with the missionaries because she had encountered people that made her feel happy. The team was only on their mission morning for about three hours, but that was enough time to encounter about thirty people: to greet them, offer them water or clothing, listen to their stories, and offer to pray with them.
How can you join in this Lenten mission season? Be not afraid to step out of your comfort zone and normal routine to be a part of this mission!
- Connect with a Holy Week Mission Site
- Join in Holy Week 2.0
- Follow us on social media for missionary resources
- Check out the Holy Week 2021 Theme Song
- Stock up on your Missionary gear!
The Mission Youth National Support Team is also here to help you. From February 15-18, they gathered in Philadelphia for some days of mission and planning together. In their hearts and plans was the focus on helping to make Mission Youth a service and a tool to enable every ECYD and Regnum Christi member to be a missionary.
Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months! Contact us and let us know how we can help you on your missionary journey!
Listen in to Fr. Michael Moriarty’s thoughts about the Kensington mission in this short video:
