ChristLife celebrates our 20th Anniversary this year. You're invited to join ChristLife as we celebrate on November 21, 2015! We hope you enjoy these memories and reflections from ChristLife staff as we approach our 20th Anniversary Celebration.

Today Pete Ascosi shares a lesson he's learned at ChristLife.

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary I'm reminded of several encounters over the last decade that have deeply formed me in the missionary mentality that lies at the heart of the apostolate of ChristLife.

Eight years ago I traveled to Slovakia on a mission trip with ChristLife. During the trip I had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with hundreds of people in a number of different contexts. I also met some amazing lay missionaries and Redemptorists.

One young woman who made an impression upon me was Hana. She was a missionary to Turkmenistan. She would soon be heading back to this largely Muslim country in central Asia for another mission trip. Impressed by the dedication of this single laywoman I asked her "What keeps you going back to the missions?"

She responded simply, "On mission is where I feel closest to Jesus."

Her remark touched a chord deep within me. It reminded me of the first time I ministered to a homeless man in Baltimore city. As we gave him food, changed his socks, and even sung hymns with a man who once sung in his church choir, I realized that here – even with the smell of urine and foul clothes – on this dirty street corner I was close to Jesus.

The lesson for me was unmistakable. Mission is not only a place where we share Jesus with others, but where we have the privilege of meeting Jesus as well. 

My friend Joe attends a parish in the inner city of Baltimore that ChristLife has worked with over the years. After Mass the parish offered donuts and fellowship for parishioners. One Sunday he felt a conviction that the Church isn't supposed to just feed itself, but to feed the world.

So he grabbed the extra donuts and headed out on the streets of Baltimore. He began going door to door sharing the tasty treats with neighbors and asking them if they had any prayer requests. His newfound mission not only fed his neighbors physically but spiritually. He also found that he wasn't just feeding others, but he was being fed himself.

After sharing this new initiative with me he left me with these words that I haven't forgotten, "Be fed on mission."

My encounter with Hana, the homeless man, Joe, and the many people I've met through ChristLife have taught me that to be "on mission" is both a way to share Christ but also to encounter him anew.  Mission gives us the opportunity to feed others, but we are also fed, for as the Gospel tells us, "Give and it will be given you" (Luke 6:38).

As ChristLife celebrates its 20th Anniversary I give thanks to God for how I've been blessed so much as I've placed by gifts and talents at the service of the Church's essential mission of evangelization.

 Pete Ascosi joined ChristLife in June 2005. Pete speaks at national and regional conferences encouraging people to invite others into a personal relationship with Jesus. He also leads ChristLife Young Adults, an outreach to young adults in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.