Introduction from Martin

Dear Brothers and sisters of the Emmanuel Community of the USA,

The head of the community in NY (who’s also one of our four team members of the Emmanuel School of Mission) asked me to write a few words about what I live in the ESM as a community member.

Actually, I’m a baby community member. I did my first step about two years ago in Banneux (in Belgium, my beloved country), place where our lady appeared to Mariette Beco in 1993 and asked us to pray a lot.

I take this opportunity first to thank you for your great welcome during our first community day in Larchmont! What a joy to see that the call to live on the graces of the community is a universal call not only reserved for a few crazy Europeans! For me, you are a wonderful testimony of the anchoring of the community in the Lord, thanks!

So, about ESM, I decided quite easily to spend this year of a “break with the Lord” (I’m just graduated as primary teacher) in an Emmanuel School, of course. This year is particularly the occasion for me to discern my call in the community.

What a joy to wake up in the morning with a praise with brothers and sisters, and then adoration and mass. Even if it’s not always easy to spend these two hours of prayer every day (my gosh, I still don’t understand the people who can stay more than an hour in front of the blessed sacrament – bless them o Lord!), I take it as a huge grace of the Lord: He makes us Saints!

About the fraternal life, we’re living, to us six students, a really particular experience. The question I’m asking myself the most is: “How did Jesus love others without limit?”. I ask the Lord day after day to teach me how he did and how to look at others with a real look of love. It’s a good School for me who like doing things on my own, working alone. It draws me from my comfort. It’s hard but it’s good because I’m convinced that it’s the Will of God for me. He is really with me in each moment of my day.

I would like to share with you so many things but to be sure that you’ll read my message until the end, I’ll stop here and hope that I’ll have the opportunities to meet you (again) to share some more!

Be blessed!

Martin (ESM-NY)