As I observed, our commercialized society, as of now, is
tending towards individualism where human achievements are idolized and freedom
becomes the mantra of our present day youth generation.
Despite of this strong a current of ‘individualism’ that seemingly
drives our contemporaries away from one another in order for them to fulfill
their individual dreams as they tread on their individual paths so as to find
their place under the sun with their ambition of rising above the corporate
ladder of this material world-- a radical gentle stream of opposing current called
‘religious life’ finds its way to flow freely with the Spirit of God towards unity
in diversity. Unity with the Catholic Church in glorifying God through Consecrated
Religious Life; and diversity in responding to God’s call as a religious Priest
or as a religious Brother. In this
religious community is where each member, after leaving everything behind and
surrendering his life to the will of God, becomes a brother to one another. Each
one of us is committed to love God through one another in the exercise of our
vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience—a freedom that all of us embraced to
share to others. Perhaps, this dwelling place for many among us, being its
members, ‘is a heaven placed here on earth.’
Community life is inspired by the loving act of God. God,
who is the Holy Trinity, is the perfect model community of lovers and
beloved—God, the Father loves the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; and the beloved
Son, loves the Father in return; and the God, the Holy Spirit communicates this
wonderful eternal dance of love between God, the Father and God, the Son. Through
Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit continuously inspires our community to remain
faithful and to ceaselessly love like God. The Holy Spirit made present the
living presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in our midst through the Eucharist… the
Holy Body and Holy Blood our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the beloved Son given to
us by the God, the Father out of His generous love for all of us.
Our SSS-religious communities are composed of religious priests and brothers
who responded to the call of God. Each of one of us responded to God’s vocation
of religious brotherhood where the love for the Eucharist becomes the source,
the center and the summit of our life. All of us, who are acting as one body, have
dedicated ourselves as servants of God.
Particularly, in the SSS-Scholasticate in Eymard Formation
Center (EFC) our religious-seminary where I am, as of now, still in our
formation years as a Scholastic, just like perhaps in other religious communities,
realities of life happen. Religious-seminarians with their own pasts, presents and potentials are fused together creating a sub-social fiber in lieu with the
Eucharistic footprints of Fr. Eymard which is the charism of our congregation. As
I experienced, within the long process of my formation, this fusion of various
religious-seminarians has sometimes caused us painful disruptions but has lead us,
finally, to discover the joys of being with one another. Admittedly, we, religious-seminarians
are like children sometimes who usually get involved into rubbing of elbows but
this misunderstandings have deepen our knowledge of loving one another
culminating in us the virtue of prudence… a sensitivity that gives deeper meaning
to the essence of our brotherhood. These individual differences have moved us to
laugh and, sometimes, to cry, and have made us to realize the many forms of
genuine love that are expressed by each one of us to one another. These experiences enabled us to transcend our
personal shortcomings so as to respond maturely to what we are called for—to be
a community of SSS-Brothers and Fathers serving God… to be a community of
Eucharist to others.
Prayer life binds our Sacramentino communities. Together, we
adore our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. In our prayers we lift to
God not only our personal intentions but also the intentions of the many people
whom we promised to pray for. Our prayer transforms each one of us to become
like Jesus. We become witnesses to the goodness of God through the presence and
generosity of one another. Each one of us becomes a gift to one another.
To define intricately what community life is all about depends
on the personal witnessing of each one of us. For me, it is being with God
together and serving Him together through the inspiration of one another. We,
as brothers to one another, are called to suffer with, to die with and to be
resurrected with one another. Together, we share the joys and the pain. Like
the Eucharist, together, we are taken and broken… together, we are given and shared.
Every time we celebrate the Mass as a community… we become
faithful witnesses to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the form of the
Eucharist. Within the womb of the present day busy society, our religious
community remains a prayerful haven where inner silence of peace that springs
from Jesus Christ Himself has become the music that sings with us together with
the great harmony of all creations of the entire universe.
Join us in our mission. Pray with us for more vocations!
Br. Dennis DC. Marquez, SSS
