Here I am Lord

  We made the most of Dario and Alceu´s visit (from the Philippines and Argentina respectively) to propose a Vocational weekend for a group of teenagers called “Here I am, Lord”. It took place in the Formation house of the brothers which we call Galilee. The objective was for them to have the opportunity to learn more about our lifestyle and our charism..   We prepared it with great joy and with the desire to be able to open up our inner experience to them. We wanted them to experience what drives  our missionary vocations: Jesus, the missionary.   The 8 young people, ages 15 to 17, arrived on Friday afternoon and were with us until Sunday afternoon. The proposal was for them to participate in our daily life: starting with the prayer guidelines, continuing with the formation time, sharing the simple jobs of the house: cooking, cleaning; playing sports, sharing the same food, celebrating the Eucharist, etc.   It was important to take the time to pray and ask Jesus: Who are you? What are you calling me to? And why are you calling me?

Vocation

The young people were able to discover, in their relationship with Jesus, that a vocation is given to you by God. God who loves you with great mercy and treats you as a “very beloved son in whom he places all his trust.” The fraternal moments – where different generations lived together, where work was distributed to everyone, and we relaxed together - were very important as many wanted to know "how to live this vocation in fraternity." Another moment which marked them was the testimony about consistence in life with our beliefs. The driving force was to be able to look at Jesus who lowers himself and places himself at the service of his brothers and sisters. From there they could embrace the situations where it was not so easy for them to love.

Call

At the end of the session we asked them: “Who wants to be a Missionary Servant of the Gospel?” And 7 of them stood up and said “Here I am, Lord.”   During the final Mass we were all sent as missionaries to announce what we have seen and heard and experienced. These 7 young people are going to begin a path of vocational discernment. Thank you, Lord, because You continue to call young people to follow You as Missionary Servants of the Gospel. And thank you because you fill us with joy, we are made for this.   Community of Galilee, SEMD, Togo