Those who call the street "Home"

As a board member of Emmaus Ministries which has as its mission outreach to men caught up in prostitution I often find myself struggling as I try to explain that ministry to friends and associates. How refreshing, and surprising, to see that an Archbishop in the Vatican offered a reflection that clearly addresses what Emmaus is about. The reflection states in part:

"Jesus meets people on the way, on the side of the road, in crowds and when he is alone," he said. "[...] The road is thus the place of encounter and transformation. It is the place of proclamation and evangelization, of healing and witness. In many ways it could be said that the road, the street, was both his home and pulpit."

This special significance continues today, the prelate observed, for those "who work in the service of the Gospel." The road, he suggested, "continues to be a place of both proclamation and witness and transformation and healing."

"It is the place where Christ may still be encountered," the archbishop affirmed, "where his words and life may given, through gestures and actions, where the Church may through its various apostolates channel the grace of God."

It is nice to see that somebody actually gets it.