Pope Francis says, “Vocations are born in prayer and from prayer. Only in prayer can they persevere and bear fruit.” That’s actually what happened for me: I can say that I am the fruit of a group of prayer!
Looking back, I recall the great grace that the Lord bestowed upon me after I made an intense prayer in Fatima, asking Our Lady with a sincere heart, “Help me. Show me the way forward – the way that God wants me to go – so that I may be truly happy and give my life authentic meaning.” I had everything...and yet nothing, because I felt the lack of peace and lasting joy in my heart. But when we least expect it, the Lord surprises us and comes to meet the desires of our heart, showing us another path to follow! I think he heard my prayer that day, because soon afterwards, I crossed paths with Carlos Piexoto: an Ally of the Little Friars and Nuns of Jesus and Mary who, at that time, was leading an Adp-vv prayer group in Viseu, Portugal (and is now a Full-Time Missionary with this Community).
I didn’t understand it at the moment, but this was undoubtedly a providential encounter that radically changed my path! I taught Religion in school, I was a practicing Catholic close to the Sacraments, I was part of various Catholic movements, and I prayed often; when Carlos spoke to me about the Charism of the community, I was intrigued by the fact that they do not use money, and especially by the by the sung and meditated Rosary that they prayed with families like his.
“Sung and meditated?,” I thought to myself – “Good!” I loved music, so I accepted their invitation to go and pray with them. I was very impressed by how they welcomed me, seeing the friendship and simplicity that flourished among them. I felt like part of the family right from the start, experiencing great peace and joy: exactly what I wanted so dearly! I decided to continue praying with them, and from that moment, everything in my life changed.
This rosary was very different from what I was used to. It was sung – something that fascinated me (and, as St. Augustine reminds us, “Whoever sings, prays twice!”). It was not just a mechanical recitation of Our Fathers and Hail Marys; instead, we prayed by meditating on the mysteries of Jesus’ life based on the Word of God and the Teachings of the Catholic Church. Another element also touched me deeply: the meditations from the founder, simple and concrete yet also profound and luminous, and easily applicable to our own lives. After a year, I became an Ally (an official member of the prayer group), recognizing the many graces received by the whole group, and especially those I had received myself. My encounter with the things I heard and meditated on, as I began to recapitulate everything in Jesus, made me rethink my way of witnessing to the Gospel, removing myself from my certainties, my comfort... In truth, I knew and even talked about the Gospel, but I didn’t live it with total confidence. Too often, I would fall into judgements, prejudices, witnessing with my mouth and words but not so much with my actions – and so I didn’t always receive the fruits I desired.
As it is written, however, “the good tree produces good fruit” (Matt 7:17), and this prayer – “constant and in agreement,” like the prayer of the first Apostles (cf. Acts 1:14), and filled with meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary – was bearing fruit: thanks to all that I was able to experience and learn, especially through the interprative “keys” and teachings of our founder which shone with such “spiritual wisdom and understanding” (cf. Col 1:9), I was being changed in how I related to others and to God. I felt reborn to a new life, maturing inwardly and growing in the desire to know what God really wanted from me. Eventually, the Lord helped me understand that He was calling me to leave everything and follow Him, confirming this call with many signs.
Today I am also part of the Community of the Little Friars and Little Nuns of Jesus and Mary! I can say that this deepest desire to find joy and peace has been fulfilled, giving my life profound meaning.
Sr. BMA