Walking on ?footpaths? of life as Marist Brothers
Here we are for the second time with you, dear Marists, brothers, laity from around the world. We are 15 brothers and two formators enjoying the formation course “Senderos” in El Escorial (Madrid), gathered from our Spanish and Portuguese speaking Marist provinces.
We want to greet you again and express the beauty we are living, listening, feeling, touching and sharing spring and this wonderful land of the centre of Spain.
The lifestyle and the formation topics are happening in a natural and familiar way that does not tire but one is rather grateful for it and desires it even more.
Personal and community time is intertwined with walks around this splendid nature of the Sierra de Madrid, times of formation organized in a very active way, interiority animated by the singing of birds and an exuberant nature, times of entertainment (movies, sports, visits to the wonders of this Castilian land and, during Holy Week, the Easter experiences in different parts of the Spanish and European geography.
From our teachers (male and female), what can we say: A marvel! We started with the creation of our community, experiencing, once again, our life as “sacred history.”
The master hand of our formators, Brothers Ángel Medina and Joarês Pinheiro, was quickly noticed and led us towards paths of interior and exterior opening, almost without realizing it, experiencing once again God’s love in the reading of our lives.
We enter, little by little, in profound dynamics on our communication and our communitary relationships, in which Maite Melendo helped us; to then enter into the encounter with God’s Word in our lives, guided by Br Fernando Arriero and descending on a journey into the interior, through Enneagrama, with Br Lluís Serra. The model of help in the school of listening, animated by Br Joarês, also gave us a lot of wisdom in being able to listen to ourselves and listen to others, especially our privileged addressees: children and youth, their families and also our brothers and laity, wonderful fellow travelers. At the end of April, Br Fernando was with us again to help us with a fantastic week of Spirituality and Transcendence.
During this last week, we had the joy of being able to meet again with our dear Br Seán Sammon who encouraged us to love, from an “undivided heart”, our human sexuality and our chastity in celibacy. There were so many questions and answers that the week seemed very short, leaving us marvelled as always, marvelled by the simplicity, depth and fraternal sense of Br Seán.
Time has flown for us and we have already covered two thirds of our “Senderos” course. We want to continue making you participants of the profound joy that we have in BEING BROTHERS, growing in the openness to the grace of so many gifts received. Pray with and for us that we can be messengers of this Good News wherever obedience continues to send us.