25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Sunday 23rd September 2018)
Welcome Little Children – (Mark 9:30-37)
This Sunday’s Gospel reminds us of the mission of Youth 2000. We must be united in our desire to lead other young people to Jesus. It is always a joy for me to attend one of our retreats and, when I ask people how they came to be at the retreat, they say that a friend or a sibling told them about it, and came with them. Recently I was walking down Henry St. in Dublin when this young man came up to me smiling and asked me would I like to meet a friend of his who would bring great joy into my life. When I asked who he was, he told me it was Jesus.
We hear a lot about the New Evangelisation and sometimes it is unclear what exactly it means. For me it is that personal invitation made by a friend of Jesus to another to get to know Jesus. It is at once very simple and very challenging because none of us can hide from the challenge. I have to ask myself what am I doing to bring the “little ones” to Jesus. It is not just the job of the Pope or the bishops or the priests or even those in leadership service in Youth 2000. Jesus is asking me to bring him into the world by my charity and witnessing to the truth, and also to introduce Jesus to those who do not know him as their friend and saviour.
There is no one the world needs more than Jesus. We have this great treasure, so lets share it. It is by sharing our faith that we receive a deeper appreciation of it.
Let us all work together to bring the “little ones” to Jesus.