Jesus after having called His apostles and disciples, invited them in order that they may become… What will be the results? To be: Intimates of Christ, friends of Him; life immersed in the life of the Lord-it is giving birth to intimacy. Doing what? How much of this should we not preoccupy ourselves, for the Lord will tell us and will orient us how much to do and how to do it.

If nothing else, the Lord will show us what to do in the work in the work of evangelization, He gives us and presents us all methods for the mission, methods that are gifts, ministries, talents, charisms, fruits of His Holy Spirit. Our happiness will consist in being channels of healing, deliverance, and realization in the life of the persons. Therefore, we should be intimate friends of God and as a consequence of this, do His will.

For this mission so sublime for the disciples and missionaries of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for that which we are called, the Lord makes us two fundamental requests neither is less important.

1st Evangelical Poverty: we cannot before the mission that is trusted to us, worry ourselves and lose the attention, the focus of that which God wants to do through us in the life of the persons in the evangelical action. The missionary needs to have the mission as his only baggage as the only value, as the only riches, the will of God almighty, His word and the availability to serve. We cannot attach ourselves to anyone or anything, for all will be given to us, having in sight tha tthe missionary is worthy of his sustenance, of his salary, as the Sacred Scriptures teach us. The only riches needed to be are the Lord. I repeat that which I always affirm: Whoever needs a lot outside is because they possess little of God inside; then the heart needs to seek outside that which it cannot encounter inside. Inside of us, in the most central is God.

2nd Give of the grace that you received of Grace: in life, all is grace, inclusive of difficulties, that do not come from God but He permits them. He permits that we may grow and mature. Growth and maturity: these are the major grace in the life of a person. All the gifts, talents, virtues, the proper vocation, all this God gives to us, not because He needs to do it, but through pure grace and kindness. The Lord gave them, in order that through after this vocation we could be happy. Putting all this to service of others, this is certainty of happiness and holiness. As it is good when we choose to serve, with gratitude, those that the Lord trusts to us. This is to evangelize through excellency.

Therefore, it is necessary that we strengthen the road: being (intimate friends of God and of His word, living in Divine providence) and serving (in a thankfulness and joy, for the grace that we receive should lead us to be channels of that grace in the life of our brothers and sisters).

Father Pacheco
Canção Nova (New Song) Community

Translated from Portuguese