Formation

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Metaphysically, every being is in a state of potency. It has the capacity to receive perfections, that is, attributes or characteristics or qualities. 

My experience of formation with the missionaries of Africa has proved that you can learn a lot more things during formation in its pillars of spiritual life, pastoral life, community life, human formation and academic life. One has to be open and ready to allow himself to be formed  so as to fit and operate within the systems of the missionaries of Africa. My three years of formation has taught me that I should allow God to mold me and the life of our risen Lord Jesus Christ should be one’s ultimate motivator. One should be motivated by love not by self interest. One’s motivations are important in opening oneself  to grow and develop in the different pillars mentioned above. I have learnt that one takes the highest responsibility in his own formation.

The formators and other students are there to offer guidance and help to direct you develop yourself in the mentioned areas of your life. Sometimes, formators may impose on you what they think would be right and yet you find it not helpful to aid your growth. This is where formation becomes challenging. You may either be forced to conform to what the formator wants or refute it and continue doing what is visibly of help to you. The formator may end up calling you disobedient. Remember, you know what motivates you. The formators have their own motivations and the way they think formation should be. They have different personalities and interest, abilities, talents and knowledge. As a student it is important to understand and know who your formator is so that you  can open up yourself for growth.

Formation entails that you first of all have some knowledge of who you are. This will help you to know your strengths and weakness and then cooperate with your formators on how best to maintain and develop your strengths and how to work on your weakness for your own benefit and the society as a whole. It is true that formation can sometimes be tough and you wonder whether you are in the right place or not. In most cases these moments are short lived.  One takes the highest responsibility in his formation and the formators are only guides in one’s life journey. 

I conclude by summarizing formation with the example of a child whose teeth are starting to grow. The child cries and feels some pain, but after the teeth have grown, the children can eat anything using the teeth as it becomes strong. Formation has sometimes been hard, but mostly interesting and enriching as it adds value to ones life as a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lematian Brian Aliti

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