Dear Friends,

This week we reflect on the missionary dynamism and attraction of the early Church in Jerusalem. It all depended on the fearless proclamation of the apostles, the heroic courage of the martyrs, intense life of prayer and solidarity among the early Christians. (Cf 2/4-7)

In the history of the Christian mission, it was the testimony of the life of the individual Christians and the community of believers whose lives drew people to Jesus and his message . it was especially the willingness of martyrs to suffer and die for their faith that convinced the people of the power and truth of the message of Jesus Christ. Today, more than ever, there is a need to make the message of Jesus credible again. Only an authentic witness of radically living the message of the Gospel in our personal lives and in our Christian communities will make this happen. As we are in the Extraordinary month of the Missions, we are called upon to look back into our lives to see if are like the early Christians. And to introspect and see how we can truly be effective and credible witnesses of Jesus Christ.

We don’t have to travel long distances to find people who have lived credible lives as witnesses of Jesus. Our own country has many such witnesses, some very well celebrated, some very obscure. We are very much familiar with St. Alphonse, St. Theresa of Calcutta, St. John the Britto, St. Gonsalo Garcia, St. Kuriakose Chavara, St. Euphrasia, St. Joseph Vaz, Bl. Mariam Thresia, Bl. Devasahayam Pillai, Bl. Augustine Thevaraparampil and Bl. Rani Maria. As the Vatican document states, “Holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” May the above mentioned holy people inspire and attract more and more people to Jesus Christ.