It has been almost a year since I arrived in Malaga and I have not stopped discovering the wealth of faith and self-giving that many Christians here have.
It suffices to approach the parishes, to meet the people in, after and during the liturgical celebrations, in order to feel in a number of them, the strong Christian roots which inhabit them. Yes, these people still have a thirst for God that only needs to be quenched.
Wanting to integrate and create relationships, I chose to be part of the groups that already exist and that have their own facilitator. These are: life-sharing groups, Bible formation groups, gospel sharing groups, couples groups, Caritas groups, social pastoral groups, marriage preparation groups, etc. These groups meet faithfully every week.
I admire their sense of belonging to the parish. The fraternal relationships between the members show that they have known each other for a long time.
I learn a lot from the people, I enjoy being part of their experiences and being able to share my own with them. I can say that I have been welcomed with open arms, having a missionary sister in the group is appreciated and I benefit from their trust.
One day, while listening to them, one of my companions expressed simply that she did not know how to share her faith with others, how did I do so? The question she dared to ask was: What do you do? The question that she dared to express aloud was in line with the reality of many others. From there we were able to take up the theme of the First Announcement as a group.
This was only the beginning, because by ways that only the Spirit knows, the parish priest called four people from the parish, including myself, to launch a First Announcement missionary group.
It is a very rich experience. The parish has a lot of life. The groups are numerous and embrace all stages of life, from children to the elderly and those who remain in their homes and cannot move about.
It is a question of rekindling the community dimension and the fire to announce Christ within the parish, between the groups, and outside. Ways are already being proposed to become a missionary parish of First Announcement or as Pope Francis likes to say: A parish on the move. For the moment, this is our task.
In the last few days, in the catechesis that the Pope gives on Wednesdays, he spoke about apostolic zeal starting from Saint Paul. He said that zeal is found in the shoes, in the ability to go out, to move around… Very interesting. I laughed and couldn’t help thinking of us, the Cardinal, of so many sisters who have worn sandals, going out to visit people to bring them a little consolation, to comfort them and to be enriched by the encounter.
Yes, our home countries are called to take missionary life seriously, both within themselves and far away. There is no more time to lose. There is too much ignorance, too much suffering, too many lives lost… The Risen Christ gives us all an appointment in Galilee; let us not fail to go there.
Sr Finita Martinez Cànovas, Malaga, Spain
