By Sr Shirley Tomalá, Province Link Communicator, Province of Ecuador.
The initial three-day formation sessions held in Ecuador in October, 2024, for sisters and partners-in-mission were very rewarding and offered opportunities for new learning, and for creating interpersonal relationships.
Following these days had the valuable opportunity to share about our formation as contemplative sisters with sisters from the Provinces of Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador.
The simplicity, understanding, and wisdom of our contemplative sisters in the Congregational Leadership Team accompanied our session; the sharing of their heartfelt experiences was deeply enriching.
We shared about the contemplative dimension in our lives, that we are all born to be contemplative. We are also aware that the contemplative dimension in our Congregation is not only a fundamental reality in the life of each person, but that God has given this unique gift to a group of us by calling us to live the contemplative vocation, inviting us to be conscious of this particular call, for which we give ourselves “the freedom to explore the best way to express and give meaning to our particular call”. This freedom allows us to be transparent, through transformational relationships which bear witness to the authenticity of our contemplative nature that – through love – impels us to serve and support the other.
Essential values such as silence, prayer, solitude and study – as pillars of our contemplative life – signify the source of healing in ourselves and the world. God is the source of all being, who encourages us to live the mercy, compassion, forgiveness, patience and trust that only God has, we love in the ordinary, and in doing so put into practice the universal culture of justice.
We speak of the spiritual leadership which is lived and transmitted from within our being. This spiritual leadership is experienced in our attentive listening, our fraternal serve, taking the time to take care of each other, considering that vulnerability is not weakness but rather a source of strength – we all share from the same table of mission partnership in a constantly evolving relationship.
Mary Magdalene, a contemplative, mystical and prophetic woman, continues to inspire our life of following in the footsteps of Jesus. In a particular way she encourages me to be courageous and to embrace my own vulnerabilities and from there co-create with my community paths towards the fullness of a life reconciled with all of Creation.
This invites me and in turn challenges me to open my mind and heart every day not only to see and understand, but to live and love, I interpret this as accepting the burdens of life, who is free of them? It is only the love of the Good Shepherd who can renew us!
The pleasure and deep joy of sharing our cultures and our very lives has enriched every aspect of our fraternity, remaining with us as we sisters and friends continue on this journey together.