ADMA PRIMARY – SPIRITUAL EXERCISES 2023: “IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF THE WORLD

A great gift of Mary Help of Christians. This was the summer spiritual exercises for families that reached out to about 500 people, divided into 5 shifts, accompanied by Fr. Alejandro Guevara Rodriguez, Fr. Roberto Carelli, Fr. Enrico Stasi, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, Sr. Lucrecia Uribe and Sr. Marilena Balcet. It was a valuable opportunity that brought together children, youth and adults, in the complementarity of vocations, to grow in friendship, devoting much time to intimacy with God and "puting their lives in order," rediscovering the beauty of the bond between spouses, allowing themselves to be "warmed" by the love of Jesus in Eucharistic adoration, renewing their entrustment to Mary in the Rosary.

The theme of the days, "In the world but not of the world," was inspired by the Rector Major's Strenna on the lay dimension of Don Bosco's Family, and made special reference to the "Letter to Diognetus," a pearl of Christian antiquity, recommended in the Strenna itself. We had the opportunity to deepen and relaunch the role of the Christian as ‘salt of the earth’, ‘light of the world’ and ‘leaven in the dough,’ following Don Bosco's desire to grow as good Christians and honest citizens, inhabitants of the world and citizens of heaven, learning from him to fix our gaze on invisible things.

At the end of the Retreat, full of gratitude for this opportunity to ‘recharge’ ourselves in body and spirit, we set out again for a new year of walking together!

Here are some resonances at the end of the Retreat:

Pracharbon is the place of graces. The grace of hearing God's word and the thousands of hidden graces that one receives unexpectedly and unknowingly. It is the place of misericordia, the door through which God passes. Abide in me and I in you for without me you can do nothing. Lord, increase our faith.

Returning to Pracharbon, this time after a few years was already a grace and a great gift in itself. Pracharbon is a privileged time to revive oneself, the couple, the family and to entrust everything back into the hands of Jesus and Mary. It is an oasis in which to quench our thirst and find that new water that only God can give, to remind us always that we are His and not of the world.

Here I am, Jesus, before you, eager more than yesterday to be as you want me, humble more than yesterday in knowing that we are vessels of clay in which you have hidden a treasure, free more than yesterday from visible things to focus my gaze on invisible ones.

It is good to be with Jesus, to be illuminated by his powerful light as happened to Peter on the day of transfiguration. Being together, conversing, praying and reflecting just like the three apostles before Jesus on the day of His transfiguration, fills the heart with joy and gives serenity.

We will try to bring into the valley of daily life these three actions: "shine, listen and do not fear" - the words of Pope Francis.

Every branch that bears fruit is pruned, that it may bear more fruit...abide in me and I in you. This experience made us see the need to refocus our lives by beginning to pray together again and to put the couple back at the center. The Lord made us realize that before showing us the plan He has for us, we need to get our relationship right. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who have been close to us.