Jesus is risen! And he entrusted to us to be witnesses of his living presence among us that would transform society. It’s an invitation to be bearers of the proclamation of the Good News in the environments where we live. Jesus told us that he would be present where two or more are united in his name?[1] Allowing the risen Lord to live in us and in our midst therefore is the secret, the most concrete way to bring about the kingdom of God. It is the kingdom of God in action. … These words are a mandate that Jesus left, not only for his apostles, but for the whole Church and for each one of us. The task of the Church is to witness to the risen Lord, not only by proclaiming him – as his ministers are called to do – but also and above all through the life of each of us who are its members. Witnessing to the Risen Lord means showing the world that Jesus is the living God, and this will be possible if the world sees that Jesus is alive in us. If we live his Word and reject the inclinations of our ‘old self’[2], and if, above all, we keep love for our neighbor alive in our hearts, then the risen Lord will live in us. If we make a special effort to maintain mutual love among us, the risen Lord will live in us and in our midst, and will radiate his light and grace around us, transforming our surroundings and producing incalculable fruits. It will be the risen Lord, through his Spirit, who will guide our steps and our activities. He will be the one who will arrange circumstances and provide us with opportunities to bring his life to those who need him. … We must not underestimate the projects for which we still have to plan, and the technological advances that are offering us new ways to proclaim the Gospel, but there is one thing above all that we must do: we must be his witnesses by allowing the Risen Lord to live in us.

Chiara Lubich

(Chiara Lubich, in [Words of Life], Città Nuova,2017, pages 315/8 [1]     See Mt 18:20. [2]     See Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10.