Encounters with the Risen Christ

Human beings are social beings. Even those who willingly choose isolation still experience, at some point, fleeting encounters with others. In the Gospels, especially in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, the criteria for belonging to the Kingdom of God are expressed through relational verbs: to feed, to give drink, to welcome, to clothe, and to visit. The text suggests that every authentic encounter with another person becomes, in some way, an encounter with God.

In this light, the Great Commission in the Gospel of Matthew (28:18–20) opens an even deeper perspective: to make disciples of all nations is to immerse all peoples in the dynamic love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The mission, therefore, is not simply about transmitting ideas, but about creating spaces where communion, listening, and mutual transformation become possible.

The Central America local group of the SME, inspired by this vision, organized Holy Week missions during the Paschal season of 2026. More than thirty missionaries were sent to different parishes in Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala to visit elders, organize meetings with youth and children, and share daily life with local communities, as well as celebrate with them the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord. They exchanged stories about traditions, celebrations, struggles, and hopes, at the same time discovering that mission is as much about receiving as it is about giving.

For Victoria Zéron, this missionary experience allowed her to encounter people from other regions of Honduras and discover realities different from her own. Through these encounters, she not only learned about the communities hosting her, but also discovered new dimensions of herself and her faith.

Aura Myrea Péres Lemus joined the mission with curiosity, having never before experienced missionary work, even within her own parish. Meeting communities with different social realities deeply marked her experience. She recalls especially the visit to Don Alonzo, who has lived alone for ten years, and the joy of children who, despite lacking many opportunities, welcomed the missionaries with openness and affection. She describes the mission as a profoundly fulfilling experience.

Others highlighted the importance of raising ecological awareness and learning from the initiatives already present in local communities. Yet perhaps the strongest testimony emerged in the simple joy shared with children, especially those living with disabilities, whose happiness revealed that human dignity and the capacity to love are never limited by circumstance.

From the Resurrection to Pentecost, the Paschal season reveals that the encounter with the Risen Christ is never lived alone. The women at the empty tomb were the first witnesses of hope, and their courage opened the path for a community gathered in faith, diversity, and charity. In the same way, these missionary experiences remind us that Christ continues to reveal Himself in every encounter: in the elderly who share their loneliness, in the children whose joy overcomes every limitation, in the different cultures and realities that invite mutual listening and learning. Mission therefore becomes more than an activity; it becomes a living encounter with the Risen Christ, who calls the Church to go beyond borders, to build communion, and to make visible the transforming love of God in the world.