25 Quarter 1 Newsletter by SabraLily

TO KNOW AND LOVE CHRIST IN THE POOR

2024 Rewind

encounter.christ.info@gmail.com.

the Presentation RECOGNIZING

CHRISTAMONGUS

On February 2nd we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of baby Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem where the prophets Simeon and Anna recognized Him as the Messiah.

Consider yourself in Simeon’s place. Simeon has waited his whole life for this moment. Year after year, he prayed. Day after day, he watched. God had informed him that we would see the Christ before he died, and now, at last, here He was - the Messiah, the fulfillment of every prophecy, the light of the nations. Now, his arms stretched forward to receive this child from the arms of Mary.

We are invited to ponder this: The same Jesus, shivering in a manger, can be found shivering on the corners of your streets. The same Jesus who played with His friends and did chores for His Mother, sits at the desks of your town’s schools. Are these not the least of Our brethren?

In a very real and special way, the same Jesus placed in Simeon's arms is placed in your very hands (or tongue) at every Mass. Our Lord comes to us, just as He came to Simeon—small, simple, vulnerable, and broken. The King of Glory comes to us in quiet humility, crying out for us, thirsting for us. Mysteriously, he comes to us disguised as bread and wine. And like Simeon, all your anticipation is for Christ, who arrives and gives himself entirely to you. My question is: Do you recognize Him? When you see him on your front steps, or running on a soccer field, or on the altar of The Mass, do you realize you are holding the same Christ that Simeon held? How will you encounter Him? How will you receive Him?

~ MATEO P.

Questions to ponder:

In what ways have I seen Christ lately in the unlikeliest of places?

How can I be better prepared to encounter Him there and love Jesus in the poor?

In my daily life, how can I bring the culture of encounter to everyone I meet?

to be seen and listened to...

"One blessing of consistently walking the same ministry routes is that we often see the same people week after week. Over time, some of these repeated encounters naturally grow into genuine friendships and we become a real part of each other’s lives. Though I love when this happens, we have just as many encounters with people whom we never see again. A recent interaction reminded me that these kinds of encounters are still beautiful and fruitful, even if they don’t grow into long-term friendships.

On a recent winter night, Mark and I met a man named Sean outside a train station. Sean had sprained his ankle the day before and was in a lot of pain. He was out in the bitter cold trying to make some money before the end of the night. We chatted about the weather for a few minutes and then Sean quickly opened up and began to share stories about his life; the work he used to do, the things he enjoyed, and the difficulties that led him to living on the streets. As we talked and shared our own stories with him too, several of Sean’s acquaintances stopped by to try to talk with him, but each time Sean gently turned them away, saying, “I’m talking with Mark and Kelsey now, I’ll catch up with you later.” He was fully present to us and it was clear that he appreciated the conversation as much as we did. At the end of our conversation, after we had said our goodbyes and were about to leave, Sean stopped us and said, “Thanks for talking to me. It feels nice to be looked at and paid attention to.” I could have cried when he said that. The simple human experience of being seen and listened to was clearly rare for Sean. We haven’t seen Sean since, and perhaps we never will again. But that encounter reminded me that God's grace can flow through every interaction we have, no matter how small."

Boston, MA

Mission Tripping!Mission Tripping!

Thanks to the generosity of donors, Encounter helped several young people to make a mission trip to Christ in the City, Philly for a week of formation, prayer, community and service. See below some messages from the volunteers who attended!

Thank you so much for helping me fund my trip to Christ in the City Philadelphia. This trip was unforgettable and would not have been able to go on it without your generosity. When encountering the people on the streets in Philadelphia and in the nursing home we visited I felt God's presence there. Being able to connect with the homeless about what it is like to live in Philadelphia and the struggles that the city faces brought me back to the days when I used to live in Center City. I also believe this helped me show leadership with other people on the trip who were just visiting the city for the first time.

Being with the Missionaries and living with them for a week challenged me to think outside of myself. Having to wake up at 6am to make morning prayer and go to bed earlier than usual was an adjustment that I had to make. Now after the trip, I have tried to make time for morning prayer and night prayer as, in the book that I read on the Trip by St. Francis de Sales, every day should begin and end in prayer. Overall, thank you for supporting my trip that has led me to have a deeper faith life.

~Matt Armstrong