EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 208

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is here, it returns, it struggles to flourish anew.
Christ’s resurrection everywhere calls forth seeds
of that new world; even if they are cut back, they
grow again, for the resurrection is already secret-
ly woven into the fabric of this history, for Jesus
did not rise in vain. May we never remain on the
sidelines of this march of living hope!
279. Because we do not always see these seeds
growing, we need an interior certainty, a convic-
tion that God is able to act in every situation,
even amid apparent setbacks: “We have this treas-
ure in earthen vessels” (
2 Cor
4:7). This certainty
is often called “a sense of mystery”. It involves
knowing with certitude that all those who entrust
themselves to God in love will bear good fruit (cf.
Jn
15:5). This fruitfulness is often invisible, elu-
sive and unquantifiable. We can know quite well
that our lives will be fruitful, without claiming to
know how, or where, or when. We may be sure
that none of our acts of love will be lost, nor any
of our acts of sincere concern for others. No
single act of love for God will be lost, no gener-
ous effort is meaningless, no painful endurance is
wasted. All of these encircle our world like a vital
force. Sometimes it seems that our work is fruit-
less, but mission is not like a business transaction
or investment, or even a humanitarian activity. It
is not a show where we count how many people
come as a result of our publicity; it is something
much deeper, which escapes all measurement. It
may be that the Lord uses our sacrifices to show-
er blessings in another part of the world which
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