How Do I Learn More About Community?
One of the community children, age 10, works with a mare and her little foal. The children in community study Parelli Natural Horsemanship and love to learn about how a horse learns. From 6 years old and up, they do their part in training the horses. There is no better way to raise children than in an agrarian setting.
How do I Learn More About the Community of Caritas and the “Way of Life?”
Because community life is a specific desire of Our Lady, the fullness of Our Lady’s messages can be understood and lived in community more deeply and fully than can be understood and lived as individuals or families alone without the setting of community life. The power and authority behind a Friend of Medjugorje’s writings and teachings comes from him having lived first what he writes about, many times individually walking with Our Lady, but often also grown in understanding and wisdom regarding the messages through the experiences lived within community.
In 2004, when answering a question presented to him about his writings and materials, part of his answer spoke to this idea of being able to go deeper into the messages because of community. A Friend of Medjugorje stated:
“Our whole life here in community is the message. That’s why people tell us they can’t wait to read what is written every month, because our life is structured around the messages of Our Lady. We’ve responded to Our Lady’s call of three hours of prayer a day, fasting twice a week and changing the direction of our lives. This gives greater insights into the messages. Our whole understanding comes through looking at the messages of Our Lady Queen of Peace every day, and applying them to our lives throughout each day. Having the privilege of living that life, gives you the ability to see things that someone who wakes up in the morning, drives to work, has the radio playing, has the kids going from one place to another, all the business of work, occupying the mind and heart all day long is not able to see on their own... But when they come home, read the 25th message or second of the month message, and they read what is written, in regards to the message, they say, ‘Whoa!’ They didn’t see those things before. How could they? Many have cited this is why they follow so closely what is written. It helps them penetrate the messages...
“We built a life here, transformed by the messages, and absorbed our whole day in our way of life. We’ve patterned our way of life, from our outside work, to our mission work, to the new addition on the Tabernacle, all this is patterned in Our Lady’s way, and we apply the messages of Our Lady over everything we do. So, it’s easy to write about that, because I’ve got something to say, because it is what I live, and I feel the Holy Spirit showing me what to say. So you cannot take one message and write something about it, and interpret that one message, without taking into consideration all the messages of Our Lady. No more than you can take the Scriptures, and interpret one line in and of itself, without taking the whole of Scriptures to understand what that means. And from there, you derive other meanings that were not readily seen or known before what was written that the reader will get for their personal life; things that were not foreseen, nor programmed in the original text, yet, laid into the words by the Holy Spirit, with the touch of Our Lady”.
The works of a Friend of Medjugorje contain what he has lived through in his walk with Our Lady and in community life. His numerous writings in printed form and on Medjugorje.com, and his talks, radio broadcasts, etc., therefore, all contain at least some aspect of cognition gained about community life in general and the Community of Caritas in particular, even if that lesson is not deliberately pointed out as such. On the page previous to this one, the “home page” for the Community of Caritas section, the 12 smaller buttons (prayer, work, family life, etc.) provide more detailed information about specific aspects of the way of life lived in the Community of Caritas. At the end of the article for each of those buttons, we provide links to some of the works of a Friend of Medjugorje to help you further understand each of those aspects of community life.
If, after reading and applying what you read and hear, you still feel a burning desire to be even more closely connected to the Community of Caritas’ way of life, you are not alone…
There are those who desire to go deeper into the Messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje to incorporate them into their own life. How does one begin to make steps towards that? And… how can one gain a deeper cognition of “A Way” as lived out in the Community of Caritas? And… how can one become, at a higher level, an Apostle of Our Lady in leading others to Her Way?
For more information about joining the Community of Caritas Extended Community and sharing its blessings upon you, visit the Caritas Extended Community page.
3 thoughts on “How Do I Learn More About Community?”
City: Bastrop
State: Texas
Country: United States
I would like to learn more about how to live and pray like the community.
Sandra, read through these pages on the site, and then if you have any more questions, feel free to call 205-672-2000. God bless!
City: Sinton
State: TX
Country: United States
I’ve been following Medjugorje since the beginning and Caritas for decades. As our lives get more complicated I feel like withdrawing from the craziness more and more. My family think I am a fanatic but are beginning to see whats happening. We live on a couple acres north of Corpus Christi, Texas. I know God is going to want us to be ready to help our little community. God bless you and your work. Thank you for all you do.