In Kenya, for Chiara’s day, we were upholding the theme of Families and we got to have experiences from married couples on how they have tried to live the ideal in their marriages, as well as having beautiful animations from the children and young people of the movement. We gathered two experiences from some of the gen and this is what they had to say:

1.

I got very deep insights from the couple’s sharing. First, relating the demonstration by Fr. Arteh on how “noise” from different “groups”, communities, religions or entities with various commonalities, doesn’t allow for understanding and agreement. Without a common ground for communication, it is near impossible to arrive at a consensus.

Piecing this together with what the couples were sharing – when on bad terms – everyone wanted to be heard or rather each one wanted to scream out their sufferings and be heard. Often times this was a big mistake and lead to further disagreements, misunderstandings and close to no communication.

Secondly, the experience served to emphasise the reality of life: there are going to be good and bad times in every situation, including marriage. As Christians, we need to understand the balance of life, appreciate the good and embrace the bad as in Jesus forsaken. I got to understand that this not only serves to aid our growth as Christians but also as mankind in general.

Chiara’s day was a special celebration and I am grateful for what the day had to offer: lessons, interactions, good vibes and an even better time with family.

2.

Spiritually, I have met and interacted with some significant members of the movement and there is always this spark of life they have that has not shadowed for more than 60 years in Africa.

  • Their love for Eucharist
  • Love for neighbour
  • A personal relationship with God

The sharing on family life by the couples especially the struggles and thorns of relationships really touched me.

It’s always a beautiful moment when we get to spend time together at Mariapolis, Nairobi. On Chiara’s day, it was extra love, connection, and a feeling of home in general. I loved the experience of getting to experience all age groups’ acts of love from children reminding us of the cube of love to couples giving us a chance to look into their lives. The couple’s experience of being vulnerable and giving us a picture of how marriage has its good times as well as its challenging moments was really insightful. What stuck with me from the two sharing is that they both had to work out their issues together as a unit and quiet the noises around. Advice is good from your loved ones and those around you but it is necessary and it does take grace to come together to solve the problem and do what is right by you and God.