 |
| A beautiful embrace |
As Catholics we believe in faith that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. That is something, as they say, that you can take to the bank. Christ is also present in other, more subjective and personal ways, but truly present nonetheless Last year when I visited here you may remember that I was touched, as were other missionaries, by a young woman with cerebral palsy who could not talk, but when I asked her if she knew Jesus, she pointed to the Crucifix on the wall.
One year later,yesterday afternoon to be exact, I visited her again. Her family was happy because the mission had just procured a wheelchair for her. I was deeply moved when she looked up at me and smiled and then proceeded to pull me towards her and give me a big hug. All I can say is that with this hug I felt Christ pulling me toward him. It is an experience I will never forget. When I said goodbye to her and her parents I looked at her smiling face and saw the face of Christ.
I have been blessed a few times, not many, in my life by such experiences. Pope Francis has said that we must go out to the "outskirts" and meet Christ as well as to bring Christ. Well, in Los Leones, Honduras I met Him and hope that I helped to bring Him alive here as well
 |
| A Joyful smile |
The other pictures here show a young boy who followed us as we made visits to the sick in Los Leones as well as a young man that we prayed with and annointed
 |
| A young follower |
 |
| The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick |
I may have told you this before, but Beth went on the first CTK mission to Honduras in 1997. The theme that year, on t-shirts and hats, was "Being the face of Christ." By the time the missionaries returned, they had renamed it "Seeing the face of Christ." Great post, John. It is moments like that that will linger as great memories of the mission.
ReplyDelete