Loving Father, today as yesterday, Jesus continues to cross our paths and spread your goodness. Do not let Him pass close to me today without noticing His presence. May I be amazed by the goodness that comes from you, as the sunlight that warms me. I offer you my day, and all that will happen, for the Pope’s intention this month.
That our brothers and sisters who have strayed from the faith, through our prayer and witness to the Gospel, may rediscover the merciful closeness of the Lord and the beauty of the Christian life.
Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ writes “goodness always tends to spread...as it expands, goodness takes root and develops”. Evangelisation, put simply, is sharing ‘Good News’. It is about bringing the Gospel of joy to those we encounter, whether they be our neighbours or complete strangers. It is a task for the whole Church to evangelise by inviting people into a personal encounter with Jesus, to be in friendship with him. Evangelisation is first and foremost about reaching out with love, mercy and compassion. It is not about proclaiming faith but rather inviting people to find Jesus through our gentle words, good deeds, and kind actions; and it can happen in any place, in any situation.
- Patrick Muldoon, extracted from Living Prayer