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EUCHARISTIC LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE
When I think of the Mystery of the Eucharist, the refrain of the song immediately pops into my mind: “You are the Lord, God of life, you are the feast, you are the dance at the banquet of your house, we are peoples of the covenant”. In fact, the Eucharist envelops the entire life of the person who believe that Jesus gave himself for humanity and wanted to be consumed by everyone. "Take and eat this is my Body, take and drink this is my Blood." These words are heard every time we participate in the Holy Mass. What do these words mean? It means that everyone who comes to celebrate the Eucharist must have thanks giving heart which has great hope, and strong faith.
The Eucharist is the source of life and God's love which brings redemption and welcomes families and humanity whole heartedly. It urges the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph to experience the great love that springs from the heart of God. It impels us to be life giving women who brings Communion and lives a life of reconciliation in her daily life.
LIFE IN ABUNDANCE FOR ALL - SHARED BREAD
Christians are called to follow the attitude of Jesus by listening and supporting people, participating in social actions that defend life and value social justice for the welfare of all. We, as Sisters of St. Joseph and the associates, are called to live against the culture of disposal, intolerance and lack of love.
The Eucharist does not leave us inert to the world of inequality. It motivates us to go beyond our egoism and reveals to us the life of abundance for everyone. It encourages us to share bread, food, clothing, school, health, housing etc. These are the goods of the Common House and thus a joy for everyone.
I fondly remember the Congregational Chapter which I attended. It challenged us to live: With hope and attend to the urgent needs of the planet. “Everything is interconnected, in this Common Home”.
"WHAT CAN I DO TO ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING OF PEOPLE'S A LITTLE?"
With eyes, ears and hearts attentive to the voice of Jesus and the action of the Holy Spirit, we, the Sisters of St. Joseph who live in Marituba, Pará, were deeply touched by the distresse of the people who suffer due to drought and lack of water. We asked ourselves: “What can we do to ease the suffering of the people a little? The one who is ready and open to listen to God’s voice, receives the answer and the light to walk on the right path. We dug a well in our backyard and got pure mineral water by the grace of God. We share three times a week with families this precious, pure, healthy water. We feel that it is a great treasure that we have found and we cannot keep it only for ourselves.
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We can see the spirit of solidarity and commitment in all who fight for economic and social justice. Drinking water is a social right of all. The Earth Charter reinforces this right: Respect and care for the community of life.
Seeing the families fetch water from our well reminded us of Jesus’ encounter with Samaritan woman at the well to whom Jesus asked the woman: “give me a drink” (John 4:7).
A PRESENCE OF COMMUNION
I would like to share a personal and community experience. During the Pandemic, the Churches had to follow the protocols of health care and therefore, there was restriction for masses. The elderly was directly affected by this. We felt great pain for not being able to give communion (the Body of Christ). But impelled by the requests and a call from God we took the Holy communion to the people who were crying out it. We had a beautiful experience of taking the communion to the people. We saw joy, gratitude, smile, expression of faith, lighting up on the face of each person who received the Holy Communion.
Due to this experience, we started to schedule some visits. We followed all the protocols of health care and visited the families and shared the ‘Word of God’, to be a presence of Communion with the elderly. In addition to this we had live streaming of motivating messages, prayers, liturgy with friends, families and diverse groups, whenever it was possible.
"ALL IN JESUS AND IN GOD HIS FATHER"
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In addition to these sharings, we participated in the Caritas team of the Diocese and helped in the distribution of donations, celebrations, reflection on the Word of God, prayers and hymns. In all these experiences, we felt that we are like a bread which is being shared to give life to brothers and sisters who are in need. We serve with joy, love, dedication.
We Sisters and the Associates live the mystery of life hidden in the Eucharist, which calls us to renew the Charism of Communion and “realize the total union of ourselves and the people with God, the union of people with each other and with us; but all in Jesus and in God His Father” (cf. Jn 17 Eucharistic letter).
Sr. Ana Amélia de Oliveira Miranda – JPIC/Brazil
