Final Vows Programme Week 8

List News

13/10/2018 -

Walking with Mary to the world "Laudato Si" "All things are interconnected"

Elisa writes:

On this Sunday, October 7, we went to the Marist Fathers general house to celebrate and accompany Kenneth who made his final commitment. It was a moment of joy, of conviviality between brothers and sisters.

Regarding our journey, we are at our eighth week. Our first day started with a prayer that invited us to look deeply into our universe, because everything is connected. This allowed us to have a profound understanding of human rights. But in all, we are called to an effective responsibility for a better and just world. On our second day, we experienced the presence of God who leads us into trust. Here we are in the garden, blindfolded, and being led by another person. This experience allowed us to be in touch with everything around us but also to be in touch our own vulnerability; sign of our abandonment before God. It prepared us for an encounter with a great Saint, Francis of Assisi.

Our third day was an opportunity for us to live a special moment on the very land where Saint Francis lived and where he opened the eyes of the world to the beautiful nature. The peaceful silence helped us discover the beauty of Assisi, the simple and prayerful spirit of this great Saint.

So all this is to say that justice and peace require a personal commitment. Like Francis, we are invited to respect the very small creatures, the beginning of our peace.

These past two days have plunged us into the life of Mary our mother. We tried to answer the following question: who is Mary for us?

For us, she is a mother who listens patiently, who has put her trust in God. Mary is the woman of the GREAT YES; a YES that pushes us to risk, to assume our responsibilities, to surrender ourselves to the plan of God. Of course, she is a woman of strong faith. She is a reliable model to imitate.

We ended our days with two meaningful activities: the cleaning of the Via Aurelia Street in collaboration with the Oblate Fathers and the White Fathers who are our neighbours. We finished with afternoon tea in our house. In the evening we went for our Friday outreach with the homeless and the poor. It was a moment of listening, sharing and communion in answer to the call: the protection of our mother earth.