Noelia Gomez, a history student in the Complutense University in Madrid and a member of the Home of the Mother of the Youth in Spain, tells us about her experience this year in the three girls’ Summer Encounters in the United States. She has also been able to visit Ave Maria University in Florida, where the Servant Brothers and Sisters of the Home of the Mother have communities.

This summer I have spent six weeks in the United States with the community of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother in Naples, Florida.

The reason for my trip was to get to know this country and go to the summer encounters. The three encounters took place in different locations on the eastern coast of the US: in Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. During this time I was able to see that young people listen more than it seems. They are receptive, ask questions, and want to know more about God. Many of them had never seen, for example, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and they didn’t even know what it was. In the encounters, we speak about different subjects of formation, such as relationships with boys, the dignity of women, prayer, and curiously many of the girls had never heard about these subjects before.

It surprised them to see that there are other ways of seeing things, different from what you have in your head or what you’re told. For example, the idea that they had of Spain, and even of Europe, was that the customs were completely different in many aspects, the food, the timetable, etc. But the most amazing thing for me was that, both there as here, the human being always aspires towards the same thing, that is, to have things in order to have an easier life and thus be happy.

Reflecting on this, I wanted to comment that in some of the camps we had lots of things, we slept in beds, in a room for the entire group, we could choose the food we wanted, we had a lake a few steps away, canoes to row in, kayaks, and all types of other fun things. Nevertheless, in other camps for different reasons we had fewer commodities, for example there were not many showers for all of us, we had to sleep on the floor, or walk a long time to go swimming. I observed that in the simple and poor things, the girls gave of themselves more and made sacrifices because they would discover the needs of others. They had learned that you can live without a ton of things and that what is difficult can be offered up to God.

I was often greatly surprised because I am used to the encounters in Spain and other activities where the girls think that they know everything about God and they think they are really good because they obey the Commandments. In America, even though they know things, the girls want to learn more to form themselves and form others.

In addition to the summer encounters, I was able to visit Ave Maria University. Everyone received and welcomed me wonderfully. The people knew me as the girl who went with the sisters. Some, in spite of not knowing Spanish, tried to speak with me and learn things about my country, my university, the members of the Home of the Mother, etc.

During my stay in the University, it helped me to see how many young people went up to receive Communion and how the chapel was full every day. I was filled with joy upon seeing that there are still people who experience the need to go to Mass and to be close to the Church. I was reflecting on the lack of faith that many young people have in Europe and in the whole world in general. They put themselves in the center and they do not want to know about anything else because they think that it is going to complicate their life. They know that the knowledge of the truth is going to lead them to change and they thus prefer to lead their own life which is much easier and pleasurable. It is much simpler to let yourself be led by what you like. When I spoke with some young people that I met, they thought like I did. Even though it is much easier to have a comfortable life, the life of effort and self-dominion helps them to be happier and to know God who is always with us.

Now I have returned to the university in Spain and I have entered the chapel. I hardly saw two or three people, and sometimes none. My visit to the States has helped me to know that there are still people who listen and to see that it is worth trying to speak to those around me daily. Seeing how I live and my clarity of ideas should make them question themselves, even though they say that they do not have anything to learn.

My life must make those other young people, who are just like me, ask themselves many things and as the Spanish saying says, “An image is worth more than a thousand words.” An image, the image of all of us who try to lead a coherent life should say much more than many words. I have realized that we are not alone and that there are many people with us who live like us.

©HM Magazine No.133 - November/December 2006