Postulants, San Damiano Community
When it comes to the word “Community”, what pops up in your mind first?
FAMILY. Family is the first community, the cradle where we belong, live, care, open, and love; where our hearts can feel and experience true joy and happiness, eternal peace, and forgiveness. Our heart still desires and longs for it. God is gracious and merciful that He grants each one of us a beautiful family but He has called us to search, experience, and build up a greater family. It is in San Damiano community where we belong right now. We are truly happy and glad to be here.
We are called to be one by Jesus Himself who is truly our motivation, our inspiration, who constantly calls and invites us to establish the true Pentecost community which speaks of love, strives to understand, and shares with one another. The first impression in our hearts is when we experienced the warm welcome of the community when we just arrived. We received tender care from the community and the care when we were in quarantine. It has shown us the true meaning of fraternity. We have been experiencing the support, teachings, and understanding of the sisters. We have received the accompaniment not only from our formator but also from all the sisters in the community. They truly care what we need or in the way they teach us by giving fraternal correction which helps us to grow more in many aspects of life.
Not only that, we truly feel joy, happiness, and closeness when we are together in meal time-sharing when we participate in recreation or in any activity that we do together. Moreover, among ourselves, we are free and willing to give a hand, offer support, and stand with one another, or even simply give a word of encouragement. In the same way, we learned how to open up ourselves, be more courageous to ask for having a dialogue where we can express ourselves, and listen more to each other in patience and understanding.
With all of these experiences, we come to realize that community life gives us inner joy and peace. But it is so challenging because each one of us is a note in a music piece: different backgrounds, personalities, and cultures. That is why there are moments of conflict and misunderstandings. We fail to listen and understand others but from that, the invitation to each of us is to grow more in mutual understanding, listening skills, and especially patience. Though it is challenging, it speaks accurately the uniqueness of each one, it also shows the amazing beauty of community life which is in God. In faith sharing, we all have the deepest desire to follow Him more closely and do His will in our lives which is to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. He has called and placed us together and that is the first motivation and supportive wheels for our journey.
Therefore, we are all invited to treasure the gift of community life by appreciating and acknowledging the presence of each member. Together, we will strive to exert our effort in building up a fruitful and beautiful community.
“We are not connected by blood but connected by heart in Christ Jesus”.
