austraLasia

Seeking the ways of listening and accompaniment

Torino, Italy, 19 January 2018 -- The first full day of the Salesian family Spirituality Days 2018 was really full of many meaningful moments from the early morning to the late evening. During the whole day many inputs, prayers, reflections, experience sharing, group sharing according languages, evening liturgy of reconciliation help the SF Days participants to explore the dynamics of accompaniment.

Most appreciated were the direct sharing of personal experience (Sr. Paula Casali, FMA - Piedmont provincial councilor for formation) or the language group sharing in the evening - first input for the Salesian Mentor Decalogue that will be published on Sunday.

During the day the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians was a venue for the noon Eucharist presided by the Torino Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia and in the evening the day was concluded by the Reconciliation liturgy and confessions of all participants.

However the main issue is always rotating around the challenge already expressed by the Rector Major in his commentary to the Strenna 2018: "They are young people who request our help to continue to grow and mature in their faith. And there are others who do not ask explicitly, but who feel a great need for a personal encounter and for being listened to. There are many who would be willing to take a personal and communal path of discernment and accompaniment.

So I ask myself:

Are we waiting for?
Why do we not decide to be much more available to accompany all our young people in what is most important to their lives?
What is holding us back?
Why "being busy" or "spending time" in other things when this is a real priority for education and evangelization?

We will take many more significant steps, my dear brothers and sisters, on the day when we will truly convince ourselves that, more important than what we do, is what we are and who we are; that more important than the things and activities we offer to teenagers and young people and their families, is our presence, our listening and our openness to dialogue. This is what leaves "traces of life" forever. It leaves them in young people and in their families. All this is at the basis and constitutes the real and profound motivation for this year's choice of the Strenna."

All main contributions - talks of the 2018 SF Spirituality days are already available in English online in BoscoLink

Meanwhile you can follow the Salesian Family Spirituality Days in live streaming on the ANS FB pages