Religiously Loving…
By Fr Ramon Borja, SDB
A few insights inspired by the experience of the Malaysia Religious Assembly held in MAJODI Centre, Johor, Malaysia, from 8 to 11 June 2023.
That Saturday night, after two days of being with around two hundred men and women consecrated as religious, all listening to talks and sessions, engaging in sharing and conversations, praying morning, noon and evening together, and literally singing and dancing that final evening for hours, instead of feeling dead tired, I was lying on my bed feeling so alive and inspired. So glad and grateful for the whole Malaysian Religious Assembly experience.
I was smiling deep in my heart that night while I was lying on my bed thanking God for the precious gift of His call, and thanking my co-religious sisters and brothers from various congregations for re-igniting my love for my vocation. I see them as so alive and so in love, passionate for God and compassionate for God’s people. I’ve felt their joy and their zeal, their honesty, humility and hope, all amidst their own imperfections and life’s complications. Their faith and love, simply contagious.
Special mention goes to the elderly, those white-haired or less-haired sisters, brothers, priests. Some of them cannot even walk easily anymore, yet there they were… some even dancing and singing and doing so so well. Obviously they are aging and aching yet there they were smiling, sharing, serving… and they have been doing so for yeeeears. How can that not be so amazing? They say ‘age doesn’t matter’. Not with this one. In religious life, age matters. It makes one’s offering and witnessing far more inspiring.
That Sunday after, I left with a spark in my heart ardently praying that it will burn into flame… making me MORE… more rooted in God, more bonded with my co-religious, and more dedicated for God’s Church, His people especially the needy.
My Saturday night of smiling turned into a Sunday afternoon of singing… “Come change our love from a spark to a flame!” May this lead to a lifetime of religiously loving and loving and loving.
