Each person has a way to be called by God. Some He called while fishing, others while walking on the streets or even playing. Nowadays He also calls those who are online: be it playing, watching or learning… He calls you! For the Lord can reach you wherever you are and this is not a virus or a commercial, it has always been like that, where people are, Jesus is present, longing to meet each one with all His love.
Some time ago the Holy Spirit had inspired us to start an online community of prayer, meeting, and sharing. Even not knowing how to start it properly, we simply tried to bring our prayer group, those that we have in our Shalom Community’s centers, into the digital world, via hangouts.
The online prayer group is an international community to which all are invited and welcome. It is amazing to be together, to sing God’s praise with all our soul, to hear His voice, to listen to the testimony of our brothers and sisters, to put our intentions to the community, opening our hearts to God and to each other. In that way, we keep growing in trust and in care in our relationship with the Lord and toward every person who walks with us, these are some of the gifts that we have received as an online community.
The online group usually takes place on sundays, it is held in English, and, on the whatsapp chat group, we try to choose the hour that fits better to all, as there are participants from different continents, so if necessary we can change the hour in order that most of the people can participate well.
Every participant who wants can also have a mentor, it means someone who is not a spiritual director, but a missionary of the Community who accompanies each person once a month. It is a confidential moment of blessing that each one can openly share about his/her life, receive prayer and advice. Not just people who are willing to join Shalom Community as a missionary are invited, all who want to experience or deepen their relationship with God are more than welcome.
During the online group we also have moments of human and spiritual formation, this can be about different themes and the main aim of these formations is to approach us to the infinite love of God, at the end of each formation those who want can ask or share freely. The group does not finish in itself, it continues in our daily lives, every day we are called to pray, to read the Gospel by the method of Lectio Divina and to give testimony, it means, share the love of God with those we meet.
We are a family, we gather like a family, in simplicity and fraternally, as a community that is not perfect, but that is certainly guided by the Holy Spirit who has already done great things within us. If you want to know more and join the online prayer group you can get in contact with one of us by the email: vocations@comshalom.org . God bless you, we hope to see you soon!
Barbara Freitas