SPAIN, Laura Tovar •
It was Jesus himself who told his disciples not to worry about what they were going to say or how they were going to say it when they were asked about the announcement of the Kingdom. He would send them the Holy Spirit who would inspire them with the right words. —
Today, we also implore the Holy Spirit to inspire us with the right way and the right words to announce the Kingdom in the present times. But, honoring the “nothing without You, nothing without us”, we must see to it that the seed falls on fertile soil: we must first be fertile soil ourselves. This means being trained and prepared for the mission.
To train ourselves and improve our communication skills
Two couples from the Family Federation of Spain belonging to the Spanish team of the Family Academy dreamed of setting up a communication course based on Father Kentenich’s rhetoric, developed by Father Tilmann Beller. The objective was to train couples of the Family Federation who wanted to learn an effective and proven style of giving talks, just as Father Kentenich did in his conferences.
And here Luis Enrique and I embarked, without asking too many questions about the content and about what we were going to learn. We were motivated by our interest in training and improving our communication technique for the Marriage Strengthening project, to which we are fully committed, as well as for whatever the Holy Spirit may have in store for us in the future.
The course lasted seven days (seven Saturdays), during which we learned a new technique for giving talks based on life, based on processes of successful life, together with our teachers. In addition, we received master lectures with honored guests who offered us all their knowledge, dedication, and affection. We also had the special good fortune to share the course with other students: two couples with whom we have been great friends for years.
Laura and Luis Enrique, talk
An experience of selfless work
But the important thing is not what we have learned (don’t worry teachers, it has been a tremendously profitable course), but what we have taken with us in our hearts: an experience of selfless work of our Federation brothers, of their generous dedication to the task for love of the Blessed Mother and the mission. Thank you for the free affection with which you have given us!
The formation of apostles is not the orderly and professional transmission of knowledge and tools, but to be an example of life and dedication. Showing love for what you do, attention to detail and dedication of your time.
We receive valuable knowledge, but above all we receive love. For us they have been transparent of God the Father who takes care of us and forms us for our mission.
Diploma
Also published in https://federacionfamilias.schoenstatt.es – in Spanish
Original: Spanish. Translation: Maria Fischer @schoenstatt.org
