HOW SAYING YES LED TO A LIFE TRANSFORMED BY THE EUCHARIST
When my foot hit Honduran soil, my heart was pounding and my mind was filled with questions about what the next year of my life would hold. As months passed, I quickly felt at home walking the streets of our neighborhood or gathering in the living room sharing stories with strangers I soon called friends.
At 5 p.m. each day at the Missioners of Christ in Honduras, missionaries attend an hour of Eucharistic adoration, a rhythm that quickly transformed my life of service. After a day of ministry, it
became a habit to rest at the feet of Jesus in Eucharistic adoration. These hours of prayer and silence gave me the courage to shift my mindset from “I am here to teach and serve” to “I want to learn from you and walk by your side.”
The community house is home to single missionaries from Honduras and the States, and it was the ultimate school of love and growth. I felt like a child learning how to walk and speak again, guided
by the call to discipleship. Ministries such as local home visits opened my eyes to the divine providence of Jesus and the importance of accompaniment. I was taught by grandmothers and young children how to cry, laugh, and be human. What I once saw as an “act of charity” became a lifeline, reminding me who I was and who I was created to be.
A fire stirred in my heart to love like these hidden saints I encountered. Face to face with humanity and Jesus, I found meaning. Communion. This compelled me to live communion with others and
with Jesus. Moments like holding a hand in the final breaths of life revealed heaven on earth with striking clarity.
These local home visits transformed the way I viewed my vocation. Not only did I feel called to commit my life to a man one day, but I also desired to commit each day to the mission of accompanying the Church in evangelization. Now, as a mission-driven family, we recognize that opportunities to evangelize are right next door. Each day is mission, and the extraordinary happens in the ordinary.
What began as a one-year break has become a lifelong journey of being transformed by different cultures, people, and, most importantly, Jesus. Young adults can begin by connecting with their local parish or organizations like Catholic Volunteer Network to discover opportunities for service in their community. Sometimes it starts simply with a cup of coffee or a conversation on the front porch, where intergenerational relationships are formed. For parish leaders, this is an invitation to walk alongside young adults in their formation, accompanying them as they discern and step
into lives of service.
Your life is mission.
MORGAN AYRES LAGOS
lives out her mission-driven
vocation through her work
with the Missioners of Christ in
Honduras and as an Executive
Projects Specialist with the
Catholic Volunteer Network.