杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

杏MAP导航 Francis sent a message on Thursday to the roughly 1,300 participants in the 6th American Missionary Congress (CAM6), taking place in the Puerto Rican city of Ponce on November 19-24.

Missionaries from across the American continents gathered to share their work under the theme, 鈥淓vangelizers in the Spirit: To the Ends of the Earth.鈥�

In his message sent to the Papal Legate and Archbishop Emeritus of Caracas, Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, 杏MAP导航 Francis encouraged all missionaries to pray often to the Holy Trinity, so that God may 鈥減our out His love and renew the face of the earth.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 reflected on the foundation of the Church鈥檚 evangelizing mission, saying it rests on our personal, loving encounter with Jesus Christ.

鈥淲e cannot give what we do not possess,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e cannot express what we have not experienced, what our eyes have not seen, or what our hands have not touched.鈥�

Uncontainable Christian joy

Jesus, noted the 杏MAP导航, was Himself a missionary, who spoke from the fullness of His heart after having spent time with His Father in prayer.

The vocation of all baptized Christians, he said, is to 鈥渟ee God, to see Him in the world, in our brothers and sisters, with 鈥楥hristified鈥� eyes that carry a compassionate, welcoming, and merciful gaze.鈥�

He added that Christians are unable to contain our joy after we truly encounter the Risen One.

The Holy Spirit allows us to express that joy in words and witness, he said.

鈥淭hrough His life-giving power,鈥� said 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渨e can transmit the message in every language, not only because the Church speaks them all but, above all, because she always speaks the same language鈥攖he language of love, understandable to all humanity, as it is part of our very essence as made in the image of God.鈥�

Holy Spirit leads us deeper in listening

杏MAP导航 Francis went on to invite missionaries to allow their hearts to expand in synodality and mutual listening, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

鈥淲e must not abandon our prayer, persistently asking the Father to pour out His love and life-giving Spirit to renew the face of this earth, wounded by our injustices and the suffering we have caused,鈥� he said.

In conclusion, the 杏MAP导航 pointed to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of evangelization who offered Christ to all humanity.

鈥淏y imitating her example of self-giving and sustained by her maternal and provident care,鈥� prayed the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渕ay we always be missionary disciples to the ends of the earth.鈥�