A New Family for Kimberly

A New Family

By Taiya Kimmel

In 2015, during the Year of Mercy, Kimberly went on a 23-mile-long pilgrimage with her best friend, in Mount City, KS. It was a very difficult journey for her, as she was not mentally or physically prepared at all. All around her on the diverse pilgrimage were people of various faiths, including a specific group of individuals that caught her eye. They were the little brothers and sisters from the Little Community of the Lamb, a group of Roman Catholics based on a religious community from France. The little sisters and little brothers live in a small community in Kansas City, KS, called the “Lumen Christi” Monastery. They believe in sharing the gospel in small ways and often focus on giving back to the less fortunate within their community. Whether it be begging door-to-door for food for the poor, or spending time together, they are always putting others before themselves.

Living in poverty is a way of life, and a choice for the little community. While Kimberly does not live in economic poverty herself, she tries to live in poverty in different ways. She chooses to “live in poverty, in spirit,” a bible verse, in order to help herself stay humble. Kimberly is a Young Adult of the Lamb, not a little sister or little brother. Young Adults are those who are close to the community, but do not live within the monastery. The little sisters and little brothers have “become an extended family, because [she] doesn’t have immediate family here.” She used to live in Milan, MO, and when she moved here in 2013, she did not have any family living here. That’s when she began to explore different communities she could become involved in. She first met the little sisters in 2015, on the 23-mile-long pilgrimage. Kimberly became steadily involved earlier in 2018, after she staying with them for three days during the Holy Week, the week just before Easter. Now that school is in full swing, she spends about 2 days a week with them and generally, she attends their mass and dinner service. Other times, she could be involved with anything from attending their feasts, serving the poor, or just praying. Kimberly mostly just enjoys spending time in the little community and having a good time with the little sisters and little brothers.

When she first became involved, she had her doubts. Kimberly became worried about overcommitting. She spiritually discerned with them to see if they were a good fit for her way of life. The little community prays a lot, and Kimberly began to doubt their method of prayer, manuduction, which is the repetitive prayer where one guides the words of God into their hearts. Since she has become more involved, she has grown to enjoy this style of prayer. The charisma of the Little Community of the Lamb is proved by their motto: “Wounded, I will never cease to love.” They believe in “[living] out the mystery of the Lamb in accordance to the state of [their] lives and wherever [they] find themselves.” The bible verse, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” shows that the Lamb of Jesus is “begging for their love.” She enjoys the small, repetitive gospels that the sisters provide. Manuduction has helped Kimberly put her doubts aside and guide God and the Little Community of the Lamb into her life.

During her time spent with the little community, she has discovered a lot about life. She has since learnt how to become a more humble and vulnerable person with the help of the little sisters and little brothers. When talking about this, Kimberly said, “to feel vulnerable with other people is difficult because that vulnerability seems like a weakness within yourself. Being vulnerable is not a weakness, but a strength.” The little sisters and little brothers focus on giving back to the “unwanted” within their community. Whether that be the poor, the homeless, or the incarcerated, the little community is always finding ways to help them out. Kimberly often attends prison ministries, and helps them go beg door-to-door for food to give to the homeless. Most importantly, Kimberly believes that “their love and care is genuine. They go out and interact with those who others consider untouchable.” The little sisters were able to help show Kimberly the importance of putting others first and to not forget about those who society has deemed “unwanted”.

With help from the Little Sisters, Kimberly was able to integrate herself into a welcoming community. The little brothers and little sisters helped Kimberly become feel more humble due to their willingness to live in a state of poverty. Questioning the little community’s ways of prayer was a way for Kimberly to truly understand the simple charisma within this little community. Seeing the little brothers and little sisters willingness to help out those who are considered “unwanted” helped show Kimberly the true importance of putting others before herself. Her love for God and others has made Kimberly happy to be a part of the Little Community of the Lamb.