From our warm and tender “Casa de Nazaret”, we want to share with you the experience of the Juniorate America 2021, accompanied by Sisters Edith Sosa, Martha Rodríguez, Luz Stella Perdigón, Carmen Minero and Cristina Mora.
With great joy we discovered that it is the Lord who, in spite of the circumstances in which we live, creates communion in us, because in spite of the distance we have experienced how Jesus opens our eyes to faith and our hearts burn again like the disciples.
We began on July 1st with our opening Eucharistic celebration for this time of formation. It was transmitted from the community of Guadalajara, Otranto, Mexico. All the provinces have participated in a dynamic and creative way, each one from their own communities.
That same day we met in the afternoon to have a festive welcome meeting, it was a very nice moment where we shared laughter, games, dances and videos.
On the 2nd we met to share the resonances of the prayer that was proposed to us to enter this time of formation, most of us identified with Zacchaeus “Come down quickly because today I have to stay in your house” (Lk 19:5) we kept this Word as a slogan. In a second stage, we carried out our project. We also chose as a biblical place “the house of Nazareth”, the place where Jesus learned and where we can learn from Him to have a compassionate look with our sisters.
At the end of the project, we were invited to find a space where we could creatively set up our “Nazareth” corner. That evening, our sisters from the Provinces of Brazil, Cuba, Hispano-South America and Andean initiated the E.E.’s.
We continued our formation on July 12, the virtual did not prevent our formators from taking us to a profound challenge, to look at our roots intertwined with the roots of Jesus. Contemplating this process, savoring the divine sap, the grace of God active and dynamic in us, was the proposed path. Without this divine sap, how will the roots be nourished and strengthened? Our task is to allow ourselves to be flooded by this sap and to realize that we are gift, task and Mystery. This was one of the fruits of this time of reflection.
We give thanks for God’s presence among us. We feel called to be a living memory of Jesus and for this to happen in our daily lives it is necessary to learn to accept our own identity, with its multiple dimensions, our fragility, in a permanent process of interaction with so many presences that accompany us. Aware that the one who is at the forefront is God himself, this Mystery is always new and astonishing. He is the one who drives us, gives us strength to be more disciples of Jesus. Disciples who listen, discern and welcome in community the calls that cry out today.
We have also “Rekindled the Charism”, strengthening our Congregational belonging. By delving into our being RMI, we were able to “touch” our different apostolic realities, look at the needs of the times and look for ways to live the charism in a creative way in our daily lives, committing ourselves to assume the proposals that arise from the search for prevention, salvation and sanctification of our young women.
We concluded this rich experience on July 27 with the Eucharist of thanksgiving and a festive recreation, celebrating our sisterhood.
We thank the Congregation, our provinces and sisters who accompanied us, for this great opportunity to continue growing in fraternity and intimacy with God through these spaces of encounter and formation. These are opportunities that strengthen our congregational belonging and generate communion in us. We are grateful for the prayers and encouragement we received.
Let us make redemption, because Christ is alive and “connected” to each Religious of Mary Immaculate.
We ask all of you to continue to accompany us with your prayers, we send you a big hug with much affection:
The Junior Women of America