People always seem to find help when they work in pairs or larger groups, though some prefer to work alone. Part of our Marist legacy is the attempt to blend the best aspects of both into an effective and life-giving community. Forming community demands work, self-sacrifice, prayer and a relationship with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Community's energies overflow into mission, as the Spirit moves the group beyond itself to the community at large. Renovations being made right now at the house in LaValla where the first Marist Community came to be, remind us that these young men did not come there simply to learn, but to grow spiritually so that they could bring the vision and mission of Fr. Champagnat to the children who would be entrusted to their care. Jean Vanier, founder of the l'Arche communities who care for the handicapped and challenged, says this: We are not in a community just to protect ourselves. We are not even there to protect our own little spiritual lives. We're there to give, and we have a message to receive. We have a mission, and if we are not a people of mission, then the community is in danger of closing up, and of dying." (Quoted in Magnificat, March 2013, p. 68). What community do I belong to? What mission am I being called to live out today? Who and what are helping me to grow beyond myself?
Bro. Rene
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