Our Gospel at Mass is taken from St. Matthew (Mt 9: 32-38) and contains these words: "Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."

Over the last few pontificates, the term ecclesial movements has become the term used to refer to the many movements within the Catholic Church which demonstrate that the Spirit of Pentecost is alive and well. Though each movement may have a unique charism and mission, they all invite Christians into a personal relationship, an encounter, with the Lord Jesus Christ. They all proclaim that Jesus Christ is no longer dead but has been raised from the dead and is still alive in our midst in the Church which He founded.

These ecclesial movements are 'evangelical' in the fullest sense of the word. They all call men and women into an encounter with Jesus Christ which awakens the grace of Baptism within them and changes them. They invite the men and women of this age to experience the Pentecost of the Holy Spirit which the Lord promised, right here and now. Then, all who experience such an encounter with the the Risen Christ are invited to find their home in the Heart of His Church. From that base of operation they are enlisted into a mission in the world, to take their place in the ongoing redemptive mission of the Lord.