Something that strikes me about the first Christian communities and that I reflect on a lot is their great virtue of welcoming and accompanying those who wanted to be part of the church. They visited prisoners and kept them in touch with what was happening outside by bringing them news of their brothers and sisters in the faith. This constantly reminds me of the urgent need we have as a church to “go out” to the “peripheries of the faith.” We are called to go out and meet people who, for different reasons, haven’t dared to approach the church and build bridges capable of creating communion.
Now, given the current circumstances of our society and the church, how can we do this? What is the church like that we dream of and that we want to tell people about? What role do young people have in this evangelizing mission and what can we offer from where we are? What barriers or complications do we find when approaching other young people to make God known?
These and other questions are the basis for “Jusem, youth in mission“, a space aimed at those young people who identify with the charism of the community and who are part of the “Young Servants on a Mission” (JUSEM) in Europe. In it we present different issues related to the renewal of the church. It also provides us with training and tools so we can be active agents and promote this renewal in our environments. We are able to get together as well and sharing our own experiences!
On Saturday, April 17th, young people from Italy, Germany, Israel and Spain had their first meeting. My name is Patricia and I am from Madrid. I am twenty-five years old and have been with the community since I was twenty… How time flies! It almost seems like yesterday when I met the infinite and priceless gift that the Church of Jesus had for me thanks to our small community… Nothing more and nothing less than the experience of the living and risen God in my life! How can we not want to communicate and transmit this precious gift? And what a responsibility!
Don’t you sometimes feel very small, like an ant on an ocean liner trying to communicate to its passengers that God loves them and has a mission for them? But hey! Careful! They might step on you little ant! … I have felt like this sometimes. It was as if I was unable to tell people in a cordial, authentic and attractive way all the good that God has done for me and gives me every day. That`s why this space is another gift from the community. It`s the opportunity to continue growing in confidence in myself so I can transmit the Gospel and visualize new ways of transmitting the good news, learning more and more from my brothers and sisters throughout the world.
Take heart! I am firmly convinced (like Saint Paul) that “he who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus!”, and that good work, of course, includes in our church.
Patricia Garcia.
Leave a Reply