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Encounter with the Suffering Christ
By Steve Steffl – Teacher, St. John the Baptist in New Brighton
(In June, 2006, Steve was 1 of 8 people from the archdiocese who journeyed to Guatemala on an educational immersion trip, visiting
Guatemala City, San Lucas Toliman, Antiqua and surrounding villages. History, culture, interaction with Guatemalan people and many
different models of mission were all part of the experience.
The Center for Mission offers an immersion experience
each year that is available to parish leadership throughout the archdiocese.)
“My trip to Guatemala has renewed my view of the suffering Christ. I saw Christ in the poor and suffering people
of Guatemala. I was moved by the suffering and poverty of the people. This is where Christ is truly present. After
traveling to Guatemala, I saw the importance of Catholic Social Teaching and the Church’s emphasis on helping the
poor. I feel in solidarity with the poor and repressed people all over the world. I have new vision of how we are to
view the world in which we live.
My outlook is not just from a first world perspective, but from the world of the
poor, suffering and repressed. If I am to try to emulate my life on Christ and His teaching, what does this require
me to do? How does this require me to live? How should this knowledge influence what I hold important and value?
These are questions that I now ask myself and challenge myself with after the trip. I plan to share my knowledge with friends, family and in my classroom. I plan to emphasize Catholic Social Teaching and its importance to our faith in my Religion Classes. I hope to continue to use my newly found lens to view the world with Christ as the focus of all I do and who I am.”