What attracted me to Miles Jesu in the beginning was the wonderful spirit of joy i saw in the members and the deep spirituality – a great respect for the Eucharist and love for Mary.
Over the years, i've also come to see how special it is that as an institute of consecrated life for the laity we mingle with people of all walks of life to bring the Gospel to all. We have members in high places in society, and also Miles Jesu has from the beginning reached out with compassion not the poor in any part of the world where we are. This can be seen by the many enduring projects we have for the poor all over the world. This is something i love about Miles Jesu.
–Theresa, United States
How can i thank God enough for my vocation to Miles Jesu? I am so grateful because, despite my own weaknesses, He has put me on this courageous and safe path to holiness in a faith family full of joy, true charity and steadfast loyalty to the Holy Father and the Church.
St. Augustine said that Magdalen at Jesus' feet chose the better part but not the best, for the best is to unite both parts, the active and contemplative life. This is what we have in Miles Jesu and, united with all my brothers and sisters in our faith family, i am enabled to become an ever more effective instrument for my own eternal salvation and that of the whole world as a true spouse of Christ and spiritual mother. I can't thank God enough.
–Maire, Italy
The vocation to the consecrated life is a gift from God, and i am so grateful that i accepted to vocation He has called me to in Miles Jesu. It brings with it many, many blessings for others and for me, but the most important blessing is the secure knowledge i have of doing God's Will.
–Irene, United States
Because of God's choosing me to this vocation, i have experienced His great love for me and also for others. I can't imagine what my life would be like if i had not responded to God's call. It would have been boring, aimless and empty.
Since joining Miles Jesu my life has turned out to be pretty exciting. God sanctifies me through daily Mass and meditation, my assigned work and apostolates. All i can say is my vocation in Miles Jesu saved my life. I can't describe how grateful i am for God's calling and the courage He gave me to follow His call without hesitation.
–Fran, United States
I give thanks to God and to His Holy Mother for Their Love and Mercy for having chosen me, for having guided and enlightened me; and for having given me the grace to respond to Their call.
Some time ago a person told me that many young people today ruin the plan of God for their lives because they allow themselves to be carried by their own likes and dislikes and their own opinions on things, without taking into account what God has in mind for them. This comment struck me deeply and made me reflect because i was doing the same thing, letting myself be driven by my own likes and understanding of things.
Even though i was involved in Church activities – i was in a prayer group, in the parish choir and doing the readings during Mass – i thought that i would get married one day and form a family. And i assumed this was the Will of God. And not that forming a family is something bad; on the contrary. But what is bad is not seeking and doing God's Will in all this.
From that moment onward i began to reflect and ask God for His light and guidance to do His Will. At the time i had a boyfriend and i continued going out with him for some time, but i also started to visit Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and i continued to ask Him to guide me according to His Will.
The idea of consecrated life began to come frequently to my mind. After awhile i broke up with my boyfriend without telling him about these ideas that were passing through my mind. After some time i spoke with my parish priest. He told me to pray to God and he also put me in contact with a religious sister who is a vocational directress. She helped me with information and visited me.
My family didn't like the idea of me seeking information on a vocation to the consecrated life, and they told me that i was doing this because i was disillusioned and bitter with life. But i kept in communication with he religious sister anyway.
I tried to get advice from other people, but they only discouraged and confused me. Many times i felt hopeless thinking that God was not listening to me. But, to be more realistic, i was afraid of His answer. The following words of Our Lord, however, helped me to continue my search: "He who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and he who knocks, has the door opened unto him." (Mt. 7:7)
It was in April 2005 that i met some members of Miles Jesu at a Charismatic Conference in Chicago. I spoke with one of them and told her about my concerns. She invited me to a vocation discernment retreat. I was very interested in that. A month later i came to the Miles Jesu house in Chicago to make the retreat. In that retreat the Lord gave me the answer that for so long i was searching for. He clarified my doubts and calmed my fears, and above all, He gave me His grace to respond to His call. Since that time, i am here in Miles Jesu and i thank God for having brought me to this family of faith. And i ask Him each day for the gift of perseverance because i know that this is just the beginning of my vocation journey and i know i can count on Jesus and His Holy Mother along with my faith family Miles Jesu.
–Silvia, United States
When it comes down to it, we’re not in this world to make money, to be famous, or even materially successful. We’re here to be saints. How God wants people to accomplish that goal is different for everyone, according to His plan for their lives. The type of plan that He has selected for a portion of people is Miles Jesu. And it’s a beautiful plan.
When i was young, my idol, like a lot of kids’, was Michael Jordan. I used to hunger after information about him in books or in magazines; i used to get excited about the mention of his name in conversation; i used to enjoy being associated with him; but most importantly, i wanted to be like him, to be as good as he was. While trying to be like Michael Jordan is where it’s at if one wants to be a basketball superstar, playing basketball won’t get you to Heaven.
But Jesus and Mary will—and Miles Jesu is one place where they are found.
Jesus and Mary form the center of our lives in Miles Jesu. This can be seen in our main charisms: devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to Mary, our Blessed Mother, fidelity to the Holy Father, and a spirit of complete availability. The first three were the reasons i became Catholic four years ago; the fourth is the reason i want to consecrate my life to God.
These charisms are not just lofty ideas—in Miles Jesu, one can practically achieve them each day.
In Miles Jesu, life is centered around Mary because every prayer said, every job done out of obedience, even one’s sleep, is given to her to give to Jesus. Mary is also supposed to be in the background of every thought. Life is centered around Jesus, especially as He is present in the Blessed Sacrament, through the morning meditations (which prepare the heart to receive Him), through the Holy Masses and Communions, through Eucharistic Adoration, and in using each moment, from one Holy Mass to the next, in preparing to receive Jesus again. Only through such a great spirituality has Miles Jesu been able to accomplish so much good, and i thank God that i can be a small part of it.
Though she probably has no idea, my college basketball coach is the reason i answered this vocation. About a week into the official season during my senior year, i quit the team in order to make a discernment retreat with Miles Jesu. After telling my coach that i needed to quit, she replied, “You may not understand this now, but you will later; and then you’ll know it was something good.” She was right. And her support gave me the mental courage to trust that God was guiding me.
Being in Miles Jesu, it’s not Mike i want to be like anymore—it’s Jesus and Mary. There’s also a different, much better “MJ” to love, and this new one (Miles Jesu) unlike the old one (Michael Jordan) won’t become washed up.
–Jessica, United States
January 12, 1988, marked the beginning of my new life in Miles Jesu, though at that time i didn’t even know that i had a vocation to MJ. I went to Chicago for a six month program. And three months later, God let me know that He didn’t want only six months of my life, but the rest of it. I took one step in faith; God gave me the grace to join for good.
Since then, God has been taking me to different foundations all around the world. I have lived in eight countries and visited four more. God’s adventures in Miles Jesu are always very touching for me.
Every country i have been in has given me much to learn and i love each one very much. Being in different foundations has made me to understand the universality of the Church and the beauty of every human person. Please pray for us so that we can continue doing God’s will with much joy as it has been until now.
–Carmen, Czech Republic
When i joined Miles Jesu at the age of 22, i didn’t know how little i knew about myself. Then i received through my Faith Family the grace to start discovering the truth. In Miles Jesu every day is a big adventure, and i am getting to know new things. For example; discovering what my talents are, and what things i can improve. Overall i am learning to keep everything in balance. I am learning to be joyful in every situation with the happiness coming from God. The biggest gift that I have received through Miles Jesu is getting to know the beauty of God and my relationship with Him. Also i am discovering the wisdom of the Catholic Church and i am more grateful that i belong to this Church. Every day i thank God for my vocation, this is a great gift, thanks to this i don’t need to live in uncertainty but i realize and understand the sense of my life.
–Marta, Czech Republic
God gave me the best gift i could ever get. He gave me a big family. He gave me Miles Jesu. I love my natural family very much. But Miles Jesu is a special prize i got from God. I was chosen to belong completely to God. And i was chosen to belong to Him in Miles Jesu, in my big family. So many people all around the world are praying for my vocation, so many people are helping me to be closer to God... Such beautiful examples of love, joy and perseverance i can see in my sisters and brothers in Miles Jesu...
If God gives you a family that is leading you to God it is a big blessing. But if He gives it to you suddenly and you haven’t had it before, it is a super extra big blessing... To live in a family whose center is God...
It is so beautiful that here are the people i can share my faith with. It is so beautiful that i am not celebrating Christmas, Easter and all the other feast days alone, but we are sharing our joy together inside and also outside the chapel as real Christians, as a real family. It is so beautiful, that i am not alone on my way, that we can help each other to become saints. It is nice to know that these people are able to tell you the truth about yourself, even the things you can’t see, because they want to help you. So many things i have realized about myself since i have been here. It is not easy to fight with my own faults, temptations...but i know that i can always find support in my sisters. And every custom and rule we have in Miles Jesu is here to help me. Miles Jesu is not helping me only in a spiritual way – how to give myself completely to God, how to love Blessed Mother, the Eucharist and the Church more... In Miles Jesu i am learning for example how to cook better, how to speak in front of people, how to be more joyful in whatever situation.
God decided to give me so many gifts here and it seems like He wants to fulfill many of my dreams, even the smallest and oldest ones... All my gifts and abilities are used for Him in our apostolates. Even my imperfections He is using for the sanctification of my sisters!
And i am sure that thanks to my vocation He will help my natural family, too. I found love and joy in Miles Jesu.
May God grant us the grace to see always all the enormous gifts of our vocation in Miles Jesu, so we can praise Him every moment of our lives more and more.
–Zuzana, Slovakia
