Verbum Dei Missionary Family Symposium
18th-28th July 2009
The VDMFa Symposium was held in Siete Aguas (Valencia, Spain). The aim of the Symposium, which was an initiative from the Verbum Dei Congress in 2007, is to reflect on the Verbum Dei Missionary Family and to aid in the understanding and growth of this reality in the different continents. 72 members of the Verbum Dei Family have participated in this Symposium.
Day 6 - 23rd July
The days are “flying by”. In the measure that time passes we find ourselves much more on the same wavelength.
It’s fantastic! The patience we have to listen to one another in a “fraternal and open” manner has done miracles. Since it is the Spirit which gives us “the same heart and the same faith” diversity is transformed into richness and possibility. This experience gives us the certainty that the total diversity is unity. To live this reality, will change our mentality and potentiate our communities.
How has our day been? The Eucharist has been our first communitarian encounter. Colombia has led us through the liturgical celebration in a joyful and profound way. Sandra, a member of the VDMFa in Pereira has encouraged us to live our mission in a committed way. The challenge is to dare to transform the structures of society, parting from our charism.
After our time for prayer and breakfast, Nuria (from the community of Lisbon) has given the introduction to the topic we should discuss in groups: “fraternal love”. She has asked us, not to study the topic, but that we might be challenged by Jesus in a direct manner: “Do you want to love as I love?”
We have not had a plenary session in order to present the work done in the groups, but instead our President with great effort and delicacy has presented some possible schemes in which little by little our identity is configured that we are VDMFa and all the richness that we already live. Our President has done this with great effort and delicacy in order to leave no intuition out, so that the Spirit may speak with freedom and spontineity.
The afternoon was free. We have worked hard, therefore we were grateful for the possibility to enjoy the free time in different ways. Some went to the beach, others went to see Valencia, others to the pool, others to share, others to pray… All in “Family” with freedom, each one discovering his/her own place.
It is true that there are moments and places in which one can experience the presence of the Spirit in a living way. In these moments, Siete Aguas and the Symposium is one of them.