By Reason of Our Baptism, We Are All Missionary Disciples, Called Upon to Spread ‘The Word’ ~ Pope Francis

►As lay promoters of the Cause of Canonization of Blessed Justus Ukon Takayama (1552 Osaka-1615 Manila; beatified 2017), our movement has been blessed by Pope Francis, who has imparted his Apostolic Blessing “to you and all the Prayer Warriors of Blessed Takayama as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord.” We must remain ardent Missionary Disciples for the New Evangelization — committed to “put Jesus at the heart” of all efforts in New Evangelization. “From both Scripture and Tradition, we can see that the path of the new evangelization has been marked out: we are called to renew the proclamation of Jesus Christ, by virtue of our baptism.”

►Pope Francis expounds:

“By virtue of Baptism we become ‘missionary disciples,’ called to bring the Gospel to the world (cf. Apostolic Exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium,’ n. 120). ‘All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization…. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement’ (ibid.) from everyone, the whole of the People of God, a new kind of personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. The People of God is ‘a disciple People’ — because it receives the faith — and ‘a missionary People’ — because it transmits the faith. And this is what Baptism works in us: it gives us Grace and hands on the faith to us. All of us in the Church are disciples, and this we are forever, our whole lifelong; and we are all missionaries, each in the place the Lord has assigned to him or her. Everyone: the littlest one is also a missionary; and the one who seems to be the greatest is a disciple.

“But one of you might say: ‘Bishops are not disciples, Bishops know everything; the Pope knows everything, he is not a disciple.’

“No, the Bishops and the Pope must also be disciples, because if they are not disciples, they do no good. They cannot be missionaries, they cannot transmit the faith.

“We must all be disciples and missionaries.”

►As the Manila-based Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon Canonization Movement reaching out to the peripheries through Social Media, the Prayer Warriors of Blessed Takayama must not EVER forget that Our Lord Jesus Christ – not any of his saints, martyrs, champions or samurai who are His Witnesses — is “the heart” of all efforts in New Evangelization.#

By Aida M. de Pedro
Auxiliary, Missionary Disciples for the New Evangelization

Prayer for Blessed Takayama’s Intercession

The final condition for Ukon Takayama’s canonization is that miracles be obtained through his intercession.

Let us therefore address ourselves to our saintly brother and ask Divine Providence to grant us through his intercessions what is impossible to man, be it a miraculous cure or something else which God Almighty alone is able to do. Let us have great confidence in the powerful intercession of this distinguished Servant of God, who will not fail to reward the heroic deeds in His Service by granting us our request, even if it would call for a great miracle. Favors obtained through Blessed Ukon Takayama’s intercession should be reported to the Bishop of your diocese so as to be presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The following prayer may properly serve the purpose and ought to be addressed to the Lord by as many as possible, whenever human means fail to help us in our needs.

PRAYER

God, in Your Wonderful Providence, You have chosen Justus Ukon Takayama to be a singular promoter of Your Kingdom, and an undaunted witness to the Catholic Faith -- Reward, we beseech you, his zeal for Your Glory, and graciously grant us what we humbly ask through his intervention.

Grant us also that following his example, we may bravely bear all trials for the sake of our holy Catholic Faith. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

►Pope Francis expounds:

Share this:

Like this:

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply