| RMG – Salesian Family Days: Let us bring the Gospel to the young |
| RMG –Salesian Family Days: Educating to desire |
Morning prayer inspired by the Gospel passage of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, opened the second of the Salesian Family Spirituality Days and outlined reflection for the rest of the day.
Fr Bartolomé presented and reflected on the passage from St Luke’s Gospel. “Created to facilitate an encounter with Jesus Christ, the Emmaus story indicates, in narrative form, the goal which the Christian is to arrive at, and offers a precise method for getting there.” He explained that this episode which chronicles a past event is a paradigm in particular of a successful faith journey, one which describes its steps and content The talk given in the form of a real “lectio divina”, was followed by a series of responses from the audience.
The second part of the morning was given over to the presentation of three experiences of evangelisation in different groups of the Salesian Family.
Pina and Armando Bellocchi, Salesians-Cooperators from Sicily, spoke about their own family experience which based on the Salesian charism, bears the gospel of Jesus Christ. The couple have undertaken a journey, begun 34 years ago with the “CGS Life” Group ,which is still going today and attracting and forming many young people.
Sr Paola Pignatelli a Salesian Sister spoke about the missionary presence initiative at the heart of multi-ethnic Turin, a project inspired by the command of Jesus which is its criterion: Go out into the streets. By establishing warm friendly relationships with the women and their families from various countries and faiths, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians give witness to the power and the vitality of the Gospel as it is lived out in the daily round. “It is presence which speaks, authenticity of life, and we hope we are succeeding in saying this through this exchange, this acceptance, this listening approach,” Sr. Pignatelli said.
The third experience was that of Fr Anderson Marçal who described the mission of the Cançao Nova, an international movement of lay people engaged in evangelisation, especially through communications media. “We are first of all called to be men and women of God. In everything we do we bear the imprint of who we are. Present in the daily circumstances of consecrated life, the New Song charism is a response to the spiritual needs of today and underpins the entire evangelising activity of the community which is sanctified work.”
These experience were introduced by short videos, which will be shortly available on a multimedia DVD which will be produced at the end of the Days.
In the afternoon, the participants, divided into language groups took part in what they call a meeting space, where on the basis of ideas from the talks they reflect, discuss and share their thoughts together.
The Mass at which Fr Pascual Chávez presided was a memorial of Blessed Laura Vicuňa, a young girl from Argentina, a pupil of the Salesian Sisters. It was a happy coincidence which recalled how great the results of Don Bosco’s charism can be.
Sr Eulalia Marin, Mother General of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary gave the Good Night.
This was followed by an entertaining concert given by the “St. John Singers Gospel Choir”.
It is possible to follow the Days of Spirituality as they unfold on the sdb.org site which once again this year has a section devoted to them with the programme, the texts, photographs and short video news items.
Published 23/01/2010
