What helps someone recognize a calling in the life God has entrusted to them? The September 14 issue of Sharing, published by the Marist Brothers’ Secretariat of Laity, invites Marists to consider how our communities can make room for that question.
In the issue’s lead reflection, Ana Isabel Saborío Jenkins, assistant director of the Secretariat of Laity, writes about building a culture of vocations. Such a culture begins with the way we see and accompany others. A young person needs more than encouragement to choose a path; they need people who recognize their possibilities and give them the freedom to listen, discern and grow.
Saborío Jenkins also reflects on spirituality in everyday life. For lay Marists, the experience of God is not confined to scheduled prayer or religious activities. It can shape the way we approach our families, our work and the young people entrusted to our care. The reflection asks us to consider whether the life of our communities helps others discover that kind of attentive, lived faith.
That responsibility belongs to Brothers and lay Marists together. Each brings a distinct experience of the charism, and each has a part in carrying it forward. The issue includes personal testimonies from Jerry Gómez in Guatemala and Hantaniaina Ramanantenasoa in Madagascar, offering glimpses of how lay Marists are responding to that call in their own communities.
The reflection closes with questions worth bringing into our conversations: Are we creating spaces where people can discern their vocation? How does our spirituality take root in daily life? And what would it mean to share responsibility for the future of the Marist charism?
