If I speak about how I met the Home, I must first speak of how Sister Estela, my sister, first met the Home.

She had gone to some spiritual exercises led by Fr. Felix ( a Servant Priest of the Home of the Mother) at the end of 1995. Some of the Servant Sisters where there, working in the kitchen, and youngsters from the Home where there also, doing the exercises. She fell in love with its spirituallity, and came home really excited about it.

She belonged to the Charismatic Renewal, so I was quite used to hearing her speak about God. But I was much colder spiritually. I had left the sacraments for quite a while ago and the Lord had become Someone who, if He really existed, was too far away to be able to say anything about my life.

But this time, I still can’t understand why, and I find it one of the greatest graces in my life. Everything she said went straight to my heart and my mind, with the certainty that this was the truth. Things I didn’t believe in any more, or even worse, believed in as I wanted, now became truths I couldn’t doubt. The existence of a personal God who loves me, heaven, hell, the Virgin, the Eucharist, the Church...

When I look back on it I find it incredible. I changed in a day from not going to the sacraments, to attending daily mass. I still cannot understand why, and it wasn’t a sentimental question. I clearly saw that this was what I had to do, and I did it.

I remember that Sister Estela worked in the mornings cleaning a bar. So, at six o'clock in the morning, she woke me up to go with her to the bar, and on the way there we would speak about God and Our Mother... Neither one of us two formed part of the group, as we hadn’t done any of the commitments, but even then, the Home had become a really important part of our lives, because the Lord, through it, was changing us.

Sister Estela went frequently to Cuenca during the term to visit the girls and the sisters. She had already told us at home that she wanted to be a Servant of the Home, that is why our mother decided to go and meet the sisters that Holy Week. We arrived for the Crism Mass at Cuenca’s Cathedral. When we saw lots of sisters, youngsters, and families, all on their knees, we didn’t have a doubt that this was God’s work. In Salamanca, it was very difficult to find anyone kneeling down during the consecration. When the mass finished, we went to the place where the Holy Week encounter was taking place and we ate with everyone. When we finished we went back to Salamanca. It was quite a long trip, but I returned home happy and my mother was serene and accepted it totally.

The next activity I went to was a pilgrimage. This time I spent a few days. Everything impressed me: the joy, the serviciality, the poverty, the authenticity... I saw that they tought what they lived. One of the things which struck me most was the way boys and girls treated each other. I was able to see a clean friendship, something I had not seen for a very long time. I was really impressed at meeting youngsters who were in grace and searched for sanctity. I made the commitment and entered the Home.

From that moment on, a great fight started in life. The fight to return to grace and stay there, and the fight for finding out what was God’s project for me, accepting it and responding to it. The battle went on for five years and in the end He won, thank God! Now I’m a Servant Sister of the Home of the Mother.

I can’t do anything else than giving thanks to God for the Home. It was the instrument He used to get me out of the dirt and place me on the safe path. In the Home I’ve learned to love God, our Mother, mankind and the Church.
The Home is the gift that the Lord wants to make to His Mother, but for me there is not doubt that the Home is also a great gift for all men.

©HM Magazine No.132 - September/October 2006