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Faith Life Sharing for ‘Homes of Light’

Written by David Lumba, Grade 8

Listening to stories and personal experiences of generating new life during the Advent prayer and reflection, helped me realize how Marists can become beacons of hope and joy as we prepare for Christmas.

I heard Bro. Lindley, FMS that he shares a home with his fellow Brothers in Rome. They are 50 in the community, and he helps them in any way he could. They treat each other with respect. They love each other equally. They live like a family, exactly what St. Marcellin asked the brothers to do. They have a strong sense of Family Spirit, where they recognize the presence of God in the hearts of each member. In their own ways, they become bearers of the light of joy, a feeling that is very important as Christmas is just around the corner.

I listened to Ma’am Ronnah’s experience as well. She is a Marist Lay who worked in Marist for quite a long time. She now resides in Qatar, and serves in the church as a catechist. She teaches people regardless of age, race, or religion believing that the word of God is not only for Catholics but for all who come to accept Him. She does it with love and compassion. She lives out our patron saint’s educational philosophy: “To educate children, you must first love them.”

I also shared my own experiences of being in Catholic youth organizations, managing Facebook Pages, and creating my own page, which I use as venue for sharing reflections. We are now in a world where almost everyone is already on the web. We can be creative in using different platforms to make Jesus known and loved.

The faith life sharing experience made me realize that we cannot celebrate Christmas just like before. Big parties with relatives is no longer possible. Let us just fill the air with love, especially the love of family. After all, Jesus is the reason for the season, and Jesus is Love.

Let us remind ourselves to be light-bearers and light-givers in our family and community. In the Season of Advent, we prepare not only through the lighting of candles, sharing of food, and the welcoming of guests. We can be a light to others where we can spread love. Place, time, age and race do not matter. We prepare our hearts by helping particularly the least favored especially during this time of pandemic. In generating new life, we share the joy. We create and generate hope and love in our own creative way to welcome Jesus.