By: Juan Alejandro Alejos Zamarripa, seminarian (Philosophy 2nd year)

We are about to start Holy Week and, with it, missionary work, where we, the seminarians participate with our apostleship in the various parishes and communities with liturgical offices, acts of pity, topics or talks, so that, together with the community, we get ready to live in a new and conscious way the mystery and center of our faith, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord.

Mission time starts on Palm Sunday, during the celebration of the triumphal entry of our Lord to Jerusalem, and concludes on Easter Sunday; it is not about meeting a formative requisite, because it is a very much longed week for a seminarian, a week of encounter, reflection, intense prayer and ever new learning, where what matters the most is not to remember with sadness Christ’s suffering, but understanding why he died and resurrected.  It is about celebrating and living again his acceptance of death out of love for us and the power of his Resurrection, which is the forerunner of ours.

It is always with great joy that we share the experience of the Resurrected with the People of God; this renews our faith, urges us to charity and fills us with hope.  In missions, we walk as brothers, not just to convey knowledge but, must importantly, to live as a Church the experience of Jesus, from which we all learn – the community, the groups, the seminarians and the priests.

We have prepared ourselves previously in our lent journey with everything the Church prescribes; now it’s time to reflect on the mystery of God’s love for us – his Church; this is also an encounter with our neighbors, and an opportunity to share with the saddest ones, with the ones who are farthest apart from the joy of Gospel, the news of living Christ, who had the greatest love one can have (Cfr. John 15:13).  This time is, for every Christian, the supreme moment in our faith, because it is when God’s great love for use becomes evident as he gave his one and only Son to save man (Cfr. John 3:16), but it is also a privileged moment to love our fellowmen where Christ becomes present (Cfr. John 25:45), this is why it is vitally important for seminarians to experience Holy Week with the People of God, for a greater lesson is learned there than in a classroom because Christ is not a concept but a person, an ever surprising model.  Even in the seemingly most ordinary and simple events, God talks to its people, teaches them and accompanies them.

Let’s come together in prayer for each other, asking our Lord to allow us to have an encounter with Him and live this week intensely, accompanying him and allowing ourselves to be led by Him to participate in the richness of this time celebrations.

Pray for us, you will be in our prayers.
May our Lord bless you.