Encounter Christ Within

OPENING REFLECTION:

Think of a time when you encountered Christ through service. Did the person or community you intended to serve end up serving you? How did you meet Christ in that person or community? How did you share Christ?

 

REFLECTIONS FROM POPE FRANCIS:

“Jesus’ whole life, his way of dealing with the poor, his actions, his integrity, his simple daily acts of generosity, and finally his complete self-giving, is precious and reveals the mystery of his divine life. Whenever we encounter this anew, we become convinced that it is exactly what others need, even though they may not recognize it: “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23). Sometimes we lose our enthusiasm for mission because we forget that the Gospel responds to our deepest needs, since we were created for what the Gospel offers us: friendship with Jesus and love of our brothers and sisters. If we succeed in expressing adequately and with beauty the essential content of the Gospel, surely this message will speak to the deepest yearnings of people’s hearts…” (The Joy of the Gospel, 265)

 

FOR PRAYERFUL CONSIDERATION:

How do you cultivate your personal prayer life? How does your prayer lead you closer to Jesus? How might your relationship with Jesus inspire you to share God’s love with your neighbors? How can your interior life of prayer be a stepping stone towards encountering others through discipleship?

 

PROCESS: Personal Journal

Spend some time journaling—now, and throughout Lent. Where is God at work in your life today? What are those special places in your life in which you encounter Christ? How will this Lenten journey be one in which you encounter yourself, your neighbors and your God anew?

 

CLOSING PRAYER: God of all people, open our eyes that we may see you at work in our lives.

 

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