Rita Elia Ontiveros Castillo, Missionary Permanent in Mexico, invites us to look at daily life from the perspective of mission: the encounter with communities, the challenges of service, the hope born of faith and the questions that help us discern paths of justice and reconciliation. Rita, in the framework of the Jubilee of the Educational World, shares experiences and lessons learned that seek to inspire those who wish to live their Christian commitment with greater depth and coherence.
These days, when the world seems to be moving so fast, stopping to think about what really matters is almost an act of rebellion... or perhaps, of hope. I choose to stop. My name is Rita Elia Ontiveros de Gracia, I am a wife, mother of five children, and for the past 18 years I have had the joy of - and responsibility - to coordinate the formation and pastoral of the Irish Institute Mexico. And I say «this website .» because it is not just a job: it is a vocation that has transformed my life. Educating has not only been an occupation; it has been my way of loving and serving.
A Jubilee that challenges the educator's heart
Eope Francis called foró the Jubilee of Hope, and within this framework, the Jubilee of the Educational World will be celebrated in Rome. from October 30 to November 2, now presided over by Pope Leo XIV. This event nor I feel it as something distant. For me, it is a direct, personal invitation. It is a call to all of us who believe that education has the power to renew the world, to heal deep wounds, to build bridges where others only see abysses.
From our school, which is part of the Web of Regnum Christi Schools, We are living it as an opportunity to renew the soul of our educational mission and to strengthen our educational mission. commitment to the integral formation of each student.
Three languages that transform us
The Church proposes three languages that can guide our educational work: that of the mind, which opens us to critical thinking and dialogue; that of the hands, which drives us to build with creativity; and that of the heart, which leads us to a true encounter with others.
Inspired by these languages, we will live as a school community a special time of reflection, going through the Holy Door together at the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies on the days of the Jubilee of Education. It is a concrete way of uniting ourselves spiritually to the universal Church.
Like Misionera Permanent of the Regnum Christi, educating is not something that stays in the classroom: it is accompanying with tenderness and firmness, helping each student to discover that he or she is deeply loved, that his or her life has meaning and that he or she can make a difference in the world. No matter their age or their future vocation, what is essential is that they know they are valuable.
To educate is to sow with hope
To educate, for me, is to sow without immediately seeing the fruits. It is to trust in the midst of uncertainty. It is to open paths in difficult terrain. And in a world that often seems to have lost its way, being an educator is a concrete way of offering light and direction.
This Jubilee of the Educational World invites me to look inward, to remember my beginnings, to renew the passion with which I started this journey. And if you also educate, I invite you to do the same. It is up to us. Because the future happens - yes, come in - by our hands... and, above all, by our hearts.
