Chapter 4: Signs of Holiness in Today’s World

Look at Jesus. His deep compassion reached out to others. It did not make him hesitant, timid, or self-conscious as often happens with us. Quite the opposite. His compassion made him go out actively to
preach and to send others on a mission of healing and liberation. Let us acknowledge our weakness but allow Jesus to lay hold of it and send us too on mission. We are weak, yet we hold a treasure that can enlarge us and make those who receive it better and happier. Boldness and apostolic courage are an essential part of mission.

God is eternal newness. He impels us constantly to set out anew, to pass beyond what is familiar, to the fringes and beyond. He takes us to where humanity is wounded, where men and women… continue to seek an answer to the question of life’s meaning. God is not afraid. He is fearless. He is always greater than our plans and schemes.

So if we dare go to the fringes, we will find him there; indeed, he is already there. Jesus is already there in the hearts of our brothers and sisters, in their wounded flesh, in their troubles and in their profound desolation. He is already there.