Community experience with Marist youth
The Marist community of Granada hosted a group of young people for a week. Here is an account of the end of the experience prepared by Br Samuel Gómez Ñiguez, co-ordinator of vocations animation for the Marists of Méditerranée and a member of the Granada community.
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Sixth day : end of our community experience with Marist youth. And as could not be otherwise, it was love of Mary that motivated our prayer. One could feel a sense of ambivalence since all the days of hearty sharing of life had come to their unavoidable end. The meal was very animated, while our guests, full of spontaneity, analysed the days passed and joked about what they had imagined the community life to be before beginning this experience. It is a pity that Marist youth do not know how the Brothers live. It is also a pity that religious communities do not know about the life and concerns of our young catechists. It is sad and not very evangelical : we do not make ourselves sufficiently known. Where is our confidence, our presence among children and young people, and our desire to accompany them in their growth?
One conclusion simple and at the same time important : the experience enriched all, youth and Brothers, and helped us to live this time of Advent intensely; it opened our eyes to one way of being Brother and to another way of feeling ourselves MARIST FAMILY. This is what we celebrated at the end of the day with the whole Marist Family of Granada in a Eucharist full of joy and thanksgiving. We are sending you some photos of the youth thanking us for the sharing of these days. Their words were moving. They go away enriched, and we become, in our turn, more enriched.
Thank you, Mary, for such a precious gift : the blind see, the lame walk, and the Good news is announced to all (Mt 11 : 5).