More than 20 years ago, a group of young catechists from a parish came to me. One of them began: "I am Francisco, first communion catechist", he added, "and I have no faith". I thought I didn't understand him and let it go, but the next one said the same thing: "and I don't have faith either"...
My friend! That was no longer my misunderstanding..., they had said it! I asked them how they could give catechesis without having faith...., "very easy", I was told, "we explain what the book says".
My friend... It is not like that! To give catechesis, to be a missionary, to be an apostle of Jesus is not a mere transmission of knowledge, it is not a mere explanation of knowledge... It is to be able to spread the faith! Missionaries, like catechists, like each one of the baptized who take seriously our vocation as apostles of the Lord, each one of the priests who preach the Word of God..., are not mere transmitters or teachers: they are witnesses of a God and of a love that surpasses all love.
One cannot be a witness, one cannot be an apostle if one has not had a personal encounter with Christ, if there is not a relationship of friendship and love with the Lord.
Moreover, it is this relationship, this infatuation, that makes the Christian become an apostle, a catechist, a preacher, an evangelizer... a missionary!
It is therefore not surprising that the motto of the DOMUND '23 is: "Hearts on fire, feet on the way".. It is a precious description of what the missionary vocation is, the vocation that about 10,000 Spaniards are living today all over the world. This annual day reminds us that Christ does not want to be alone in the history and catechetical books... He wants people in love! He wants men and women with a burning heart, like the disciples of Emmaus! Do you join us in this exciting task?
