22 Apr become bread which feeds many/argentine
“To become bread which feeds many, His bread and our bread which, when given, multiplies.” GC XX Decree 1
In this time of pandemic, days of quarantine, days of staying at home, of many experiences and sentiments, it is also time of listening, of recognizing and concretizing desires for God, one’s own and those of the many who search, hoping for an encounter with Jesus and fraternal sharing.
In the Province of Argentina-Uruguay we are connecting through networks for adorations, celebrations, spiritual exercises and more. We are experiencing this situation as a grace that shows us once again the newness of Jesus and the possibility that He may come to the many who await Him, even though the churches are closed.
From our communities of Montevideo, Uruguay, and Centro, Buenos Aires, adoration is live-streamed. In Holy Week the Spiritual Exercises were offered with the collaboration of several Handmaids and some laypersons for accompaniment… all by means of the internet, video calls, etc. There were virtual meetings for the points, the examen of the day, and moments of daily adoration. This experience was providential as it allowed us to successfully draw upon and assess what technology offers us as real channels of prayer, encounter and participation.
Holy Thursday, from the community of Belgrano, there were moments of adoration especially dedicated to families, teachers and youth… prepared in conjunction with catechists and group coordinators. Those who participated from their homes showed their gratitude, some expressing the desire to continue sharing similar moments. Responses from youth were especially numerous.
The good thing about all of this is that there have also been moments of receiving transmissions of different celebrations from parishes and/or communities. We remember with great affection the Eucharist that united us for the Day of the Handmaid, the meeting with the Sisters of Chile; in that opportunity all the communities could see one another at the same time. The different Vigils to which we connected on Holy Saturday and even the virtual Province meeting to which we invited Mariola Lopez Villnueva rscj and her meditation on the text of the Lake of Tiberias.
All that we shared “virtually” brought us together as Sisters. We felt strengthened in faith and hope… recognizing one another and deepening our love of Jesus and our brothers and sisters, experiencing with Raphaela that “the Eucharist is the life of the Institute as the root is that of the tree” even more so in the mystery of this current circumstance that we look upon as an opportunity.
Inés Greslebin, aci
