Jorge Ruiz Esparza with his wife.

Whenever we invite a person to join us spreading the Good News on an evangelization mission we generally say: "It will be an incredible experience", "It´s the best way to spend your Holy Week" ... Perhaps we have forgotten to mention: "It´s the best way to gain graces for heaven." On March 6th Jorge Ruiz, a Regnum Christi member and active collaborator in evangelization missions, saw his mission on earth come to an end. We would like to share the testimony of his life with you as an example of a person who dedicated his life to serving others generously on many missions. Jorge lived in Mexico City with his wife and three daughters. Ever since he joined Regnum Christi the missions were an ordinary part of his life. He participated in many weekend missions with Familia Misionera, the Missionary Families for the Third Millennium sister organization in Mexico, and the annual Holy Week Megamissions. He was known for his spirit of service, kindness, charity and a constant interest to bring the greatest number of souls closer to Christ possible. On the morning of March 6th he attended a meeting at Oxford Institute in Mexico City to finish off some last minute details for the Megamission, never thinking that this would be his last day of life. After the meeting he drove to Puebla for a business engagement. On the way home he was involved a fatal car accident. His journal had one entry for that day: "Lord, what would you like of me today?" Numerous people attended his funeral Mass at the Oxford Institute: Regnum Christi members, work associates and many people from the different towns that he had gone to for missions with Familia Misionera. They all came together to pray for the eternal rest of Jorge Ruiz. After the funeral, his family went to the crypt to deposit the ashes of his body; next to the urn they placed a missionary cross and three letters from his daughters thanking him for being a wonderful father and a Christian apostle. It saddens us to have lost an apostle of the Church but it brings us great joy to know that he has conquered his final goal. "He accomplished his mission as a Christian and an apostle."

(June 18, 2003)