"Like little bread... in your hands everything makes sense".
Encarna Corral, adc
This is what we heard in the song of Ain Karen at the beginning of this meeting that brought together 112 Handmaids from all the countries where the Congregation is present.
On the 26th, in the opening prayer, the Gospel of the day invited us to welcome, trust, and the newness of the Kingdom, which must be welcomed as a child. And we ended by asking the Lord that we may again become little, which is capable of surprises and of looking to the future with fantasy.
The initial question, on both days, put us in the spirit of the meeting, sharing how were we and what expectations we brought with us.
Sr. Rosario Fernandez invited us to become aware of how we are living this congregational moment and underlined the "ALL IN CHAPTER" that has been marking this pre-chapter time. She pointed out that the first day would be centered fundamentally on the Map of Presence and the second day, on the Model of Government.
Next, we had a Panel of Experiences, in which eight sisters told us what this six-year period of great changes has meant for them - the process of diminishment, the experience of moving from one work to another and from one country to another, etc. - It was a sharing from the heart and in a simple way, of their personal experience. It was a profound moment that touched us all, making us experience the reality of the decrease from the conviction that, with Him, "in His hands, everything makes sense".
After this intense and rich moment, we were invited to personalize and share the question: "How am I living this six-year period?” expressing it spontaneously in the chat.
After the break, Sr. Mercedes Esquirol presented, in synthesis, the Map of Presence that has been elaborated with the contributions made in each country, detecting where the concerns of each one go, grouping them by themes. Then, echoes and resonances of what was heard were expressed and we ended by expressing in one word what we had experienced during the morning. In the atmosphere resounded the deep sense of gratitude for the experience of all for being able to live this stage with meaning, knowing that the Charism kindles in us and we want to take it where the Church and the world need us most.
On the 27th, the opening prayer invited us to thank the Lord for his call to share the life of Jesus, his self-giving up to the end, and the desire to be instruments of his peace, making present the situation that surrounds us with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the resonance that we are perceiving worldwide.
Sr. Cinta Bayo presented a synthesis of the contributions of the countries to the theme THE MODEL OF GOVERNMENT, from the present levels -General and Local Government-, the ORGANIZATION of the Congregation at the geographical level and the persons responsible for animating and accompanying the different countries. The contributions gathered in the synthesis presented refer to the disadvantages and advantages in both topics. We were also able to learn about the specific topics of each country which were discussed in the meeting with the respective Delegate.
After the break, it was time to share with "Companions on the Journey", starting with a phrase previously chosen by each one from the questionnaire that appeared in the Notebook "In the first person". This was given to us in the community since the start of the pre-chapter period.
They were 40 minutes that allowed us to share with a group of sisters, in a spontaneous way, from the heart and with the desire to support each other on the road we are traveling towards the Chapter.
Finally, when asked the question "How do I leave and what do I take with me", the answers were spontaneous and the space gave the opportunity to express, on the part of some sisters, suggestions that had the celebration of the Chapter as the horizon.
There remained in the atmosphere the deep gratitude to the General Government and the joy that gives us to find meaning in the moment of decrease which we live, but that, from the ardor of the Charism, "like the small bread, in the hands of the Lord it takes meaning".
The song "Women on the Way" by Ain Karen, captured well the general feeling that impels us to walk together where the Spirit is moving our Congregation:
We are united by so many lives
from the past and the present,
sustained by the lifeblood
of the Spirit of God.
Women who intertwine
experiences and paths,
are wise, courageous,
faithful, constant,
rooted in your Love.