Entrance into Sunday

Every week NDS communities get together to celebrate the entrance into Sunday. Each community takes turn to prepare the prayer and dinner. This moment is a way not only to pray or make a reflection on the scripture but also it is a time to get to know each other in a better way since we are from different countries and communities. It is the Spirit of Sion that reunites us in one place. As Father Theodore said: „How do we recognize the family spirit in a member of any family? Above all love of the family and all those that compose it.” (Theodore Ratisbonne, Religious Life at Sion, p.128)

Last Saturday was the turn of the Novitiate Community to prepare the entrance into Sunday. This was a specially opportunity to celebrate our weekly sharing because we also celebrated Juliana’s birthday that is going to be on June 16th. So the preparations started some days before, buying the food for the BBQ and preparing meat, snacks, dessert and small details for it. We appreciate so much the help that we received from our brothers and associates in everything we needed.

Finally, on Saturday May 28th in the evening at 6:30 the sisters, brothers, friends and the Associates were in our house. We began with a beautiful pray based on the text of Gn 12, 1-9, that is about the experience of Abraham, the “lech-lecha“ of his life. Lech-Lecha means “go” or “leave”! We chose this text because it is about Abraham´s call and his journey. So it reminded us of the covenant told by God to Abraham and it inspired us to think how God has been walking with us in our own “Lech-Lecha”.

We ended the prayer blessing the Lord for Juliana’s life and singing a song called “Shower of Blessing”; besides, with this song we asked for God’s blessing for the journey of some of our sisters and brothers who are going to their next General Chapter in Brazil.

After the prayer we enjoyed a delicious BBQ and we had an excellent time talking, singing and dancing together. We thanked the Lord for Juliana’s life and for her journey in Sion and we also thanked for the wonder of living and enjoying the happiness of being part of a NDS community here in Ein Karem.