Ingredients of Sa-Fa vocation animation 21

 How to apply the richness of our charism

to vocational animation?

 

Our charism stands out for many qualities that make it very rich while remaining simple and humble. Nazarene spirituality is characterized above all by the family spirit, the Nazarene virtues and the missionary spirit that our founder Brother Gabriel Taborin left us.

The family spirit is what most summons and attracts many people, that is: to feel integrated, to feel included, to be part of the same spirit of love. It is a very practical charism, very easy to understand and most people have experienced this feeling in their own families. If we can extrapolate this family feeling to a broader level and see the other person as a true brother, the charism illuminates, expands and is taken to other areas.

Taking the Holy Family and the motto “in love, work and charity, peace” as examples, the candidate can discover in a natural and simple way that the Brother vocation is not rare, and on the other hand, he is called to an extended family, at the service of others.

 HOW TO APPLY THE RICHNESS OF THE CHARISM?

The first step is to deepen personally and as a community in the legacy of the Founder, to be ever more faithful to his teachings and to live the Nazarene virtues in the communities when educating and evangelizing. The missionary spirit must always remain firm and available to the call of the Church, announcing the Gospel with joy.

Among the riches of our charism, the dedication to human formation, the christian education and prayer in an atmosphere of freedom and evangelical charity, are the aspects that attract and encourage to be lived in daily life and should be applied always and everywhere, being attentive to the signs of the times and updating knowledge. It is necessary to transmit it in the present, understanding the local needs and the present moment, teaching it in a way that captivates so that those who are called can look at themselves, their life stories, the present and the future.

Moreover, no one can encourage another person if he does not have strong and sufficient reasons that motivate and sustain his own vocation. The charism of each one must be lived as a grace of God to make his own life and that of others more fruitful. If the agents of proclamation are credible, the whole charism has more strength to attract new candidates to the consecrated religious life or lay people committed to the charism. That is why it is fundamental the testimony of each one, the coherence of life, the joy of living the Gospel, since it encourages spirituality with one's own experience.

In vocational animation we should apply the richness of the charism, welcoming others as they are, accompanying them in the processes they need, teaching them the Nazarene virtues that characterize them: humility, simplicity, union, obedience, surrender. Having open positions, building good relationships, maintaining active communication and a close accompaniment helps young people to listen and accept the proposals in their social groups and then they can consider a different lifestyle. The family spirit is manifested and lived with people in need, giving help, listening, encouraging according to each place, each activity and each person.

Living under the roof of Nazareth, where human and christian virtues help to discover new horizons and have a force of attraction that make us think and rethink different ways of life, open the doors for the candidates to consider the possibility of belonging to the Sa-Fa Family or to assume the vocation of Brother.

WHERE TO TRANSMIT IT?

The virtues of the charism should be known in daily life, at work, in the families, encouraging participation in the different proposals that arise from the different teams, making the invitation to be part of the Sa-Fa Family to everyone. Our way of life should be a living testimony of the love of Nazareth, both in the performance of our functions and as vocational animator, by working and reflecting the fraternal spirit in all the instances of participation that our works and communities have. 

Lay people think that the Sa-Fa charism and the Nazarene spirituality is so rich and attractive that it will not die, even without the presence of the Brothers. The laity, imbued with this charism, is also called to sustain it, reinvent it, spread it and work for its growth, especially because the Nazarene charism lives through the breath of the Spirit and it is the work of God and a gift for the Church.

Undoubtedly, the richness of the charism in vocational animation allows it to remain alive and attractive when it is shown. Besides it has to be remembered that each charism should be at the service of other charisms since we are part of the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church. We must be aware that it is a challenge to achieve a harmonious coexistence among all of them when we have to work cooperatively or as a team.

We experience the same thing among the laity and consecrated people when we have to work in a synodal way, by sharing the charism with other lay people, being a living memory of the Founder and contributing to the edification of the Church, attending to the good of mankind and facing the needs of the world.

Considering the Founder and Jesus, Mary and Joseph as our icons, our motto as a proposal of life, the family spirit as a way of life, and the fraternity and Nazarene spirituality as distinctive and novel ideals to be achieved; the Nazarene Taborinian charism can always be applied: it is a way of living the Gospel within the whole Church.