"We Wish to See Jesus"

Holy Trinity College Nabbingo Youth Encounter the Saviour.

This weekend Holy Cross Family Ministries' team retreated with the students of Holy Trinity College Nabbingo. This is a girl's school with a population of 1,200. Our theme: I Am alive with Christ. This focused on encouraging this young and vibrant group to encounter the Saviour and trust in his providence and support. The team also encouraged the youth to pray through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, who is our prayer partner that constantly intercedes for all her children. We made extensive reference to the excerpts from the message of John Paul II to the Youth of the World on Palm Sunday on the occasion of the World Youth Day 2004 to be celebrated at diocesan level

My dear young people!
1. … We wish to see Jesus (John 12:21).  This is a request made to the Apostles one day by some "Greeks." They wanted to know who Jesus was. They had come not simply to see what kind of impression the man Jesus would make. Moved by great curiosity and a presentiment that they had found the answer to their deepest questions, they wanted to know who he really was and whence he came.
2. My dear young people, I want you too to imitate those "Greeks" who spoke to Philip, moved by a desire to see Jesus. May your search be motivated not simply by intellectual curiosity, though that too is something positive, but be stimulated above all by an inner urge to find the answer to the question about the meaning of your life. Like the rich young man in the Gospel, you too should go in search of Jesus to ask him: What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17).
The desire to see Jesus dwells deep in the heart of each man and each woman. My dear young people, allow Jesus to gaze into your eyes so that the desire to see the Light, and to experience the splendour of the Truth, may grow within you…
3. …Try by every means to make this encounter possible, and look towards Jesus who is passionately seeking you. Seek him with the eyes of the flesh through the events of life and in the faces of others; but seek him too with the eyes of the soul through prayer and meditation on the Word of God, because The contemplation of Christ's face cannot fail to be inspired by all that we are told about him in Sacred Scripture (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 17).
4. …Those "Greeks" in search of the truth would not have been able to approach Christ if their desire, animated by a free and voluntary act, had not been expressed through a clear decision: We wish to see Jesus. To be truly free means having the strength to choose the One for whom we were created and accepting his lordship over our lives. Only an encounter with Jesus can give full meaning to your lives: …Do not let yourselves be distracted from this search. Persevere in it because it is your fulfilment and your joy that is at stake.
5. Dear friends, if you learn to discover Jesus in the Eucharist, you will also know how to discover him in your brothers and sisters, particularly in the very poor.... Jesus speaks to us in the wonderful language of the gift of self and of love so great as to give our own life for it. Is that an easy thing? You know very well that it is not! It is not easy to forget our self, but if we do, it draws us away from possessive and narcissistic love and opens us up to the joy of a love that is self-giving.
…Do not forget to seek Christ and to recognise his presence in the Church...It is in the Church and through her that Jesus continues to make himself visible today and to allow humanity to come to him. In your parishes, movements and communities, be welcoming to one another in order to build communion among yourselves. This is the visible sign of the presence of Christ in the Church, in spite of being so often blurred by human sin.
6. Do not be surprised, then, when you meet the Cross-on your way. Did not Jesus say to his disciples that the grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die in order to bear much fruit (cf. John 12:23-26)? He was indicating in this way that his life given unto death would bear fruit…
7. Your contemporaries expect you to be witnesses of the One whom you have met and who gives you life… Philip and Andrew brought those "Greeks" to Jesus: ... Feel responsible for the evangelisation of your friends and all your contemporaries.
…The Virgin of Nazareth, the compassionate and patient Mother, will mould within you a contemplative heart, and teach you to fix your gaze on Jesus so that, in this world that passes away, you shall be prophets of a world that does not die.

Holy Cross Family Ministries is committed to forming the youth and nurturing them in faith. We do this through retreats, seminars, 'Try Prayer Contest', youth conferences, radio, TV and social media: Internet, Facebook, and Twitter. Please visit our website: http://www.hcfmeafrica.or.ug and Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Holy Cross Family Ministries-East-Africa page and interact with us. Make prayer request and help us serve you better.

Mission of Holy Cross Family Ministries in East Africa:

In the spirit of our founder, servant of god father Patrick Peyton, CSC, and under the sponsorship of the congregation of holy, holy cross ministries east Africa serves Jesus Christ and his church throughout East Africa by promoting the spiritual well being of the family. Faithful to Mary, the mother of god, we encourage family prayer, especially the rosary. We direct our efforts to the evangelization of culture using mass media to entertain, inspire and educate families