To a new land

To a new land, a time for living, living together: This is the theme we chose for the weekend of Marist renewal at Val-de-Paix at Rawdon from 18 to 20 February.

1. The objectives of the meeting: The Animation Team fixed as objectives:

• To take time for oneself while living an experience of brotherhood
• To identify the most significant relationships in our life
• To see better how these relationships can become a source of inspiration for building the new land of which our last General Chapter spoke.

2. The participants: Nearly thirty persons, ranging in age from 4 months to 87 years,  lay people, brothers, families, youth, children, came together to live this experience of Marist family life.

3. The experience: It is never easy to describe in words the experience of such a meeting. As is often said, you need to live it to understand. It seems to me, all the same, possible to say what it really was: A time for living, living together, a time for experiencing that we are truly a family, the Marist family, and that beyond the ages and different generations, a real communion is possible. It is super when the wisdom of the aged can be expressed and when it encounters the dynamism of the younger.

A time for relaxing in beautiful surroundings, for relaxing and staying still. A time for listening: it is an art in itself and the basis of all real communication. A time for reviewing our history, the history of our relationships to discover there the golden thread of the immense love of God who is always close to us, accompanies, sustains us, sometimes without our knowing. Like Jacob, we can say: « He was there and we did not know it ».

A time for recalling the experience of Emmaus and for making it present again by the quality of our reciprocal love. This was also the theme of our Saturday evening Eucharist, presided over by Alain Faubert. A time, finally, for dreaming about the future of our Marist life, on the personal level as well as the group level.

4. What did we discover during this weekend? (responses of participants):

• The great openness of the brothers to life, the beauty of the young a source of hope.
• The richness of the old, a true sharing, the beauty of a brother aged 87 years.
• A great unity and family spirit. It did good to say it and be attentive to each
• The fraternity among all the participants.
• The weekend assuaged the tensions which dwell in me.
• That the Spirit is always present among us and always breathing. That the joint contribution of laity and brothers is an important condition for the Marist present and future.
• The richness of the Marist world of all generations.
• Full of love, friendship, listening and faith.

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Br. Réal Sauvageau (for the Animation Team)