On Saturday, December 13th, the Claretian Lay People in Discernment group invited us to an Advent retreat. It was held at the Clotet Center, a school for the deaf, in Mexico City. The meeting time was 11:00 a.m.
I arrived a little late and there were about 20 people, some I knew, others I didn’t. It was nice to see that people from other parishes, not nearby, were coming; they said it was great to have access to these retreats and that they appreciated the invitation.
The theme of the retreat was “Advent, a time of waiting and preparation.” We studied Psalm 42 and worked on the phrases: “Longing for God” and “Thirsting for God, the Living God.” We saw how, by kindling Hope, we quench our Thirst. We explored how to prepare for Christmas and for the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time. We worked through the virtues we most need to cultivate during this time of waiting. We learned how to find the spiritual peace we need in our hearts and bring it into our daily lives, to our families, communities, and our country, so in need of peace—the peace that we can only find through Jesus.
We remain, that although we must also contemplate the second coming of Christ, we do not know the day or the hour, but yes, we must prepare for our final encounter with Him, that personal encounter to which we are all called.
We left very happy, because we found peace and confidence in the Holy Family, we discerned that knowledge enlightens us, that we need to have more faith, and that LOVE can do everything.
Finally, on January 10th, we were invited to their Admission as Claretian Laypeople. The name of their community will be “La Colmena-Shemá” (The Beehive-Shema). The Mass will be celebrated at the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our parish, at 12:00 noon by Father René Pérez, CMF. The members of the group are: Luis Gerardo Granados, María del Carmen Moctezuma, María de Lourdes Almaguer, María Eugenia Mejía, and Katia Gómez. Their lay claretian companion is Begoña Ferráez.
María del Rosario Bravo, lc
Mexico Zone
