MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE

This month we celebrate the lives of so many great men and women who attained glory, such as Saint Francis of Assisi (the 4th), Saint Teresa of Jesus (the 15th), and others.

The Church recognizes the saints for their testimonies and lives in imitation of Christ. For a true believer is someone who imitates Him, including living the Gospel and not merely calling oneself Catholic. A true Catholic must have experienced a metanoia, a conversion, an encounter with Jesus that transforms lives, where power to see the light and experience life on a higher plane resides. I remember that night during the Holy Mass, when I experienced my metanoia, my conversion. From that day on, I was able to see myself —and my family—differently, with greater courage; I was able to feel compassion for all my fellow Catholics because I saw myself and said: “Now I can feel God’s presence, peace, joy.” Then I valued life more and thought: “It makes me sad that my brothers and sisters fail to understand the true life that is greater than this present one as I was did.” That’s when I decided to share with you – Just as I have been doing up to this date – that true life is found in Christ. That is why the saints we have in the Church are not there merely for us to ask them favors, not to serve only as patrons, but to become examples of living the Word of God. Saints are there not to be worshiped but venerated. And the Church presents them to us as examples based on how they lived their lives, their love for God and for others. Of course, we can ask them to intercede for us, but it’s also important to try and imitate them. Anyone who truly says that a particular saint is their patron must do so because they imitate that saint. Otherwise, they do not truly love that saint; they just feel devotion without authenticity. Saint Francis of Assisi was a young man who underwent a profound metanoia, a conversion that convicted him to turn away from materialism and devote himself to serving the poorest of the poor—not just those who are materially poor, but the poorest of all, those who have not yet come to know Christ.

First and foremost, God willing, we will be holding the CDJ Youth Congress on October 10 and 11. We pray that God will move hearts so that many young adults come to the feet of Christ and just as St. Francis had his encounter, the young attendees may experience the same. We trust in God that this CDJ will be attended by thousands of participants who will experience their own “metanoias.” Today, millions of young people are deeply distracted, and thousands lose their sense of purpose in life. Hence, suicide is one of the leading causes of death among them.

Think about what St. Francis of Assisi invites us to do: live the Gospel. If we believe in it and put it into practice, we will experience the joy found in the Word of God. This explains why Pope Francis chose the name of this great saint for his pontificate – because of the way he lived out the joy of the Gospel.

St. Francis renounced everything to follow Christ. He loved the poor, embraced nature as a gift from God, and always sought to live in fraternity with all. In his prayer, he asked to be an instrument that reflected such life: longing to be an instrument of the Lord – not the protagonist, but a docile tool in His hands. Let us reflect on these words that sprang from his heart and make them our own; with this prayer, we ask Jesus to make us sowers of peace and reconciliation. In a world full of divisions, wounded families, and broken hearts, this prayer is an invitation to let God’s love flow through us.

Jesus to make us sowers of peace and reconciliation. In a world full of divisions, wounded families, and broken hearts, this prayer is an invitation to let God’s love flow through us.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is offense, let me bring forgiveness. Where there is discord, let me bring unity. Where there is doubt, let me bring faith. Where there is error, let me bring truth. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy. Where there is darkness, let me bring light. O Master, may I seek not so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For in giving we receive, in forgiving we are forgiven, and in dying we rise to eternal life. Amen.

May the Lord make us a Church that goes forth, so that we do not remain shut in, failing to go out on mission. This is the legacy Pope Francis has left us. Saint Teresa of Jesus also left us a powerful example of faith, expressed in these words:

Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you,
everything passes,
God does not change,
patience achieves everything,
whoever has God,
lacks nothing,
God alone suffices.

How powerful faith is! She is a woman who ultimately believes in God, without fear.

To conclude, I invite you to say a prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, in the manner of Saint Francis of Assisi, I want to be an instrument of your peace. Teach me to love without measure, to forgive unconditionally, to sow hope in the midst of despair, and to be a light in the midst of darkness. Make my life a song of love, a witness to Your mercy, and a constant dedication to others. May I, following the example of Saint Francis, live with simplicity, joy, and total trust in You. Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace, today and always. Amen.

Starting today, I pray for and give thanks for the generosity of men and women of faith who, at every event we hold, join this mission to continue bringing the Good News to millions of people. So many testimonies of lives transformed by the power of the Word give us certainty about the path we have traveled; and all of this is thanks to your trust and support. I ask God that we may continue to be instruments of peace for this world in such great need. I remind you that I am a volunteer and also a contributor, just like you.

May the Lord multiply your gifts a hundredfold, and I ask that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit bless you and your family, and that Our Lady of Guadalupe may cover you with her mantle of love.