MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES

Any encounter with God gives a particular color to life. Nothing will ever be quite the same again. The Bible gives many examples of men and women whose lives took a different direction after such an encounter. Here, in a few words, are some of the great moments in our "History of Salvation". moments that are found from cover to cover in the Bible.

A PROMISE

Let's start with Moses, a shepherd who encountered God and then was filled with desire to free his people from slavery. The source of his strength was a Promise, a special Word heard deep in his heart: I am with you always, a phrase that symbolizes personal relationship. This experience of he Divine Presence, intimate but indescribable, allowed him to take a chance on freedom. The same thing happened to King David, through his deeply human experiences of life, as he discovered the many aspects of God's love. Then there were the Prophets, who gave hope to the Jewish people by reminding them over and over again of this Promise made to Moses: a promise that transcends time.

A HUMAN FACE

The Jewish people often lost hope. During the time of exile, far from their homeland and their temple, they felt powerless. They asked themselves hard questions: Has God abandoned us? Will we ever return to Israel? What are we doing here on earth? God spoke to them through the voices of teachers and the prophets, who reminded them of the Promise once made to Moses.

During the Roman occupation, the people began to dream of a kingdom of justice and peace. Could they dare to hope? Then, one night, the Word became flesh and began to show the people a new way to love one another. Jesus was born to obscurity. His mother, Mary was an ordinary women; his father, Joseph, a simple carpenter. God had kept his promise: to come, to be with all people, to live with us today.

THE WORD

Jesus began his ministry by choosing his disciples. Together, on the roads of Galilee, they set about listening to Jesus, watching him, questioning him, astonished to see him breaking taboo and upsetting some of the conventions of his time. Among those who met Jesus, many experienced his all-powerful love, recognized him as the long-awaited Messiah. Others did not. But the disciples, little by little, through their personal experiences of him, learned how to make God's grace come alive in their daily lives.

For the authorities of the time, however, Jesus was an important someone who turned the established rules upside down, brining their whole social structure into danger. But Jesus was not a fraud. He saw clearly - and listened to his critics. He continued with his mission, and promised his disciples that he would never leave them alone. Right up to the end, he continued, convinced of the truth of his mission, even when it took him into the Garden of Gethsemane. There, overcome with sadness, he prayed to his Father, asking to be spared this final test. On the cross, again he cried out his Father's name, and gave himself back to God as a gift of love. And then, as the women discovered on Easter morning, Jesus rose from the dead.

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

• Have you ever had an experience of meeting God?

• Have you ever had an experience that made you question the very existence of God?

• What were they?

• On what do you base your faith in God?

A BREATH

It's easy to imagine the disciples' confusion after Jesus died. They gathered together to cheer each other up; to share their memories of him; to talk about the One who turned their lives upside down. No doubt they were also afraid. Afraid of being arrested and put to death just as their Teacher and Friend had been. Huddled together they prayed, listened to the words of scripture and celebrated the memory of Jesus. Still, something was missing: the spark of inspiration to get them back on track, preaching the Kingdom. Until that day when holy Fire empowered them, filling them with its own Breath and Spirit, the day of Pentecost. And then their tongues were loosened beyond all understanding, and they were now ready to live as disciples of Jesus. They were no longer alone: Jesus had kept his promises to be with them forever, to the end of time.

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

• In our society, what are the fears that keep our hands tied and our mouths closed?

• What Breath of the Spirit are you hoping to find through your participation in WYD?

TODAY'S DISCIPLES

Jesus has now been continuing his earthly journey for 2000 years. During that time, many people have strived to live as disciples. Some of the more famous ones include Jean Vanier, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Oscar Romero. Many others remain unknown. What do his disciples do today?

. Some volunteer at work with people with AIDS;

. Teenagers regularly visit senior citizens;

. A homebound person write letters to prisoners;

. Neighbors form groups to read and study scripture;

. Parents do their best to raise their children;

. Citizens undertake urban renewal projects for their neighborhoods;

. Those who have enough to spare give time and money to help the homeless;

. Peace activists lobby against violence;

. Some retired people drive other to medical appointments or deliver Meals on Wheels;

. Women organize to gain recognition of their dignity.

With the Spirit alive within them, these modernday disciples go everywhere, transforming and humanizing the world little by little. What do all these disciples have in common? The belief that Jesus died and rose again.

THEY OPENED THEIR EYES.

These disciples find that they can't run away from the truth, look at life through rose-colored glasses or make light of our problems. Newspapers, television, radio, meetings with others or walks through town keep their eyes open. They see people in need, like those Jesus met on the roads of Galilee. These glimpses of those around them help them to see their own vulnerability; to recognize their many gifts; and to renew their faith, the faith Jesus showed his whole life.

FOR PERSONAL REFELCTION

. Who are the individual or groups in your area who are calling out for help?

. Where are they?

. What are their living conditions like?

. What volunteer organization could you join in order to help these people?

THEY WATCHED.

The disciples of Jesus didn't judge, condemn, or act superior. Rather, because they were filled with the love of God, they looked at the world around them with gentle compassion. They wrote letters to those in prison: not to preach at them, but to simply strengthen their courage, to keep them from falling into despair. With this same compassion, Jesus had invited his disciples to love one another, to accept their own limitations. That is not easy to do.

. How do you look at the less fortunate around you that you identified earlier?

. How do you look at yourself?

THEY ACTED.

They didn't make speeches; they didn't sit and argue; they didn't issue warnings. Instead the disciples got right down to business. Each in his or her own way gave a helping hand to someone else and worked to find solutions to problems. Some began by preaching in public about the evils around them. Others worked to improve individual lives and hearts. They all worked according to their own talents. The important thing was simply to get started. Jesus invited his disciples to live in the truth and to fight against any hypocrisy in their own lives as he had once done with the Pharisees.

FOR PERSONAL REFELCTION

. What sort of action is best suited to your talents and personal preferences?

. In your immediate circle, what kinds of hypocrisy exist?

THEY CONTINUED TO FIGHT.

The Disciples kept going in spite of fatigue and set backs; in spite of the feeling that they weren't making any progress; in spite of doubts about their own abilities. "Keeping the faith" is hard work, but the Word of God gave them a way to begin and a way to keep going.

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

. What tools (habits, attitudes) do you have that can keep you on the right course?

THEY FOUND NOURISHMENT IN THE PROMISE.

"I will be with you always." These words, originally spoken to Moses, and repeated by Jesus, nourished the lives of the disciples. The Presence of God gives meaning, brings happiness and inspires action.

People here and in other parts of the world witness to Jesus. Some nave been officially declared "saints". But when John Paul II spoke to the young people gathered in Rome for WYD 2000, he dared to say, "Young people of every continent do not be afraid to be the saints of the new millennium!"

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

. What does this mean to you?

. In your won words, how would you explain what it means to be a saint?

. In what ways can we be disciples of Jesus today?

from Joyce Hansen, Detroit USA
youthmin@passionist.org