What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands … we proclaim what we have seen and heard. St. John begins his first epistle reminding his readers (us!) that the faith was produced by his experience, his encounter with a real person. The fact that the faith is diminishing in our current culture suggests that we are no longer providing people with the possibility of an encounter with Jesus. While we might not be able to hear, see and touch the Jesus of Nazareth who walked the dusty roads of Galilee, we can invite people to meet the Jesus we have come to know — Jesus who is truly present when we care for the poor.
