LETTERS

LETTERS

A DIFFERENT VACATION
IN THE ROCKIES
Last July, a friend, Fr. Alfredo, invited me to a CL Summer Vacation to be held in Hinton, Alberta, Canada. My immediate thought was, "Not another Catholic retreat to confess my guilt!" Then a change of heart came over me. The time of year and the venue (in the Rocky Mountains) sounded good. And what would I have to lose? I agreed to go on the condition that Fr. Alfredo would tell me nothing about the Movement or what would take place. We departed on our adventure, carrying only open hearts and minds. On arrival and within minutes of walking from the parking lot to the retreat entrance, an amazing feeling come over me: I felt I was at a family reunion! But, I knew no one... As the days unfolded, it soon became apparent how open and honest those people were and the great care they displayed for each other in their willingness to engage, to talk, to listen, to care for, and to work with and for each other. Very rare commodities in today's society. What also surprised me was their lack of intrusive questioning one normally encounters when meeting people for the first time. For instance, they usually ask: "What is your work? How much do you earn? Where are you located? What is the size of your house and car? What's your opinion on this and that?" Instead, they asked, "Have you a family and have you traveled far from home to attend?" The reverence and love that went into every Mass, song, and prayer gathering had to be seen to be believed. It did not take long to feel and see that this was going to be a very different journey. It was not only the words spoken during reflections, which were at times very heart felt, but the conviction from the heart of the readers. These thoughts were only matched by the witnesses to each reflection that gave me the hunger to search deeper into myself to find the "I" and look for the face of Christ in the now. It was my first experience within a group that never displayed any negativity, expectations of others, back biting, or formation of exclusive cliques. Today, only three days after my exposure to the Vacation, I have begun to realize the changes that took place within me while there. This realization hit me when my lack of tolerance returned, along with pre-judgment and pride. These failings, along with many others that have returned since being home, are a glaring reminder of the continuing battle and the work I have to do to win and develop an awareness of my own humanity. The amazing thing is that I spent the time during the vacation seeking and trying to identify the changes that had happened to me, but I had to return home to find the answers. Christ most certainly works in mysterious ways.
Bernie, Crofton, B.C. (Canada)

TRULY LOVED ON
THE MOUNTAINTOP
Going into the GS vacation, I did not really know what to expect. I didn't know anyone except the kids from my school, and at first I was kind of shy. I had never felt Christ and I was so curious to. When we went on the long hike, I didn't want to be there, but when when we got to the top, I had the most amazing feeling. Not only did I feel accomplished, but I felt something so much more: I finally felt Christ. When we were singing "Shenandoah," my heart was especially touched. Then, the next day when we were playing the games, I finally started to be myself, making everyone laugh, and they liked me for who I am. The month of July is hard for me, because the birthday of my older sister who passed away is the 13th. I talked about it with Monica, Doni, Ilenia, and Chris, and they helped me so much. I never expected these people in my life–they are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. Because of this vacation and GS, for the first time in so long, I felt happy and truly loved. It would never have happened if something hadn't led me to meeting Chris and GS, and I could not be more grateful for that.
Fallon, Staten Island, NY (USA)

LEARNING TO CARE FOR
MY LIFE AND FOR OTHERS
Dear Julián: Usually, everyday life's problems irritate me a lot, but everything stops there. This summer, though, I found myself filled with questions about every single issue, as well as about myself. To give you an example, I have always been bothered by a certain lack of familiarity, which this past summer has reached its peak, in the relationship–or lack thereof–with my husband's colleagues and their families in Sweden. So I started asking myself why I was experiencing such discomfort and, most of all, what I wanted. I realized that I was expecting openness from others, while remaining very diffident toward them. Why were they part of my life? No amount of reflection made me come up with an answer to that question. Because of my lingering uneasiness, I started working on the text for School of Community. Many things happened next. We were in Sweden right when the general population, including CL people, goes on vacation. Because of that, our School of Community meetings were sometimes not so well attended; other times, we had a larger number of people show up, and once we even had a meeting with all the Scandinavian communities via Skype. To my surprise, something in my relationship with reality was becoming "un-stuck." I started noticing an increase in freedom in front of the outcome of my research work with Antonella, as well as gratitude for the fatherly presence of our visitor Dominic, who made me become aware of the nature of my infinite thirst. With Max and Ilaria, we discovered a renewed trust in the signs that the Mystery was putting on our path. To make a long story short, I realized that I truly needed a personal relationship with Christ–not because the world was evil, but because He was the only one who was able to awaken my "I." As a result, I started to really care about my husband's colleagues and their families.
Pia, Stockholm (Sweden)

WIDE-EYED CHILDREN AND
THE GIFT OF MOTHER TERESA
When I was a teenager, I became fascinated with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. When I graduated from college, I went to meet her sisters in the Bronx, and ended up an Aspirant in her order. I remember she used to say, "A Missionary of Charity is a carrier of God's love." After a year and a half of training, I could no longer live the life of a Missionary of Charity. It was too difficult, but having to leave was a tremendous shock. My heart was broken and I felt like a failure, but my desire to love was not defeated. Twenty-five years later, I find myself married with two children and committed to following Communion and Liberation. I was asked by the leader of the East Coast Summer Family Vacation, which took place in the mountain region of New York, to lead the children every morning in prayer and song. I said, "Yes." I was happy that I was asked. The first day of the vacation, I found myself in a room full of children, wide-eyed with excitement and expectation. Some friends came to assist me. I looked at those children and those who had come to help, and loved them. I recognized myself as a carrier of God's love, a Missionary of Charity. When I said "yes" to a personal invitation from Jesus, the Word became flesh in me, and I could love those entrusted to me with the heart of Christ. It is possible to love like Mother Teresa. She didn't conjure up her love for the poorest of the poor; it was a Gift that she carried and offered, a Gift she continually acknowledged, a Gift that enflamed her heart.
Rita Simmonds, New York (USA)

CLEANING TABLES AT
THE RIMINI MEETING
Dear friends: I'm on the train, going back home from Rimini, from the Meeting. I worked the entire week cleaning tables, sweeping, and all that dirty stuff, with 20 other GS kids from Lazio, the region Rome is in. It was a hard week; the volunteers' hotel was a pigsty and we worked over 8 hours daily. And a miracle happened; it was one of those amazing daily miracles–not the meteor kind of one, but the one that grabs you and moves you to tears. Cleaning a table and then watching it get dirty again minutes later was for me a way to remember the unity I found in my life. I've never felt so loved and searched for in all my life, and this happened not as I was prancing around meeting people but as I was sweating in a yellow shirt, holding a broom. Everything seemed to whisper, "I love the nothingness you are," and so I became friends with Rose and Vicky's friends and they were always looking for me and wanting to stay with me even though they had people kneeling at their feet. What had I done to be loved like that? Why does a woman I don't know help me wash rags and show me the best techniques and why do my friends from Rome spend their time wanting me to meet kids from Turin? I didn't do anything, because I can't manage to hold or have anything, because without Him I can't even hold the Coke bottle I'm getting from the dirty table. I look at the guy I'm in love with and it's evident each day more and more that he is not mine, he is nothing I can make or change. Jesus was there in these days, strong as ever in the love I have for the Movement and for this life that makes you simple and able to offer the pain of kneeling down to pick up the garbage, but I need to look at everyone the way He looks at me. I'm bringing home this certainty that is only confirmed and growing in me because of my happiness for Christ, my thirst for His embrace of me.
Marta, Turin (Italy)

"IS CL ON THE MENU AGAIN?"
Dear Father Carrón: I was on vacation in Canazei, Italy, with more than 200 people. On the first day, I challenged them to try to get to the end of the vacation happier, but, most of all, more certain. We tried to take everything seriously, using our freedom and in a constant comparison with what you are proposing. It was a spectacle to behold: a companionship of free men. One night, our kids that are 16 and17 years old (among which is my own son) asked: "Are we going to have bread and CL again for dinner?" Their provocation forced me to ask myself how certain I was in that very moment, in front of them. I challenged them like never before–especially my son–telling them that they were not children any more, and that they could decide for themselves; I told them I was ready to pay for a dinner in the best restaurant of Canazei, as long as that was their choice, and not something done out of obligation. They accepted my challenge and went out for dinner, but something happened, and after that evening my relationship with my son and his friends has changed.
Daniele, Cenate Sopra (Italy)

"YOU HAVE A GOOD HEART BECAUSE YOU HAVE JESUS"
About six months ago, we met 10 Chinese students that are attending our university in Italy thanks to an agreement between our countries. We organized two dinners, during which we spoke about Italy and China, our traditional cuisines, the university, and how to go about choosing what to major in. We realized we all shared the need to discover the meaning of life. Because of this, we invited them to our vacation, and they enthusiastically accepted our invitation. It was the beginning of an adventure. These are two letters that they wrote to us. Matteo, Pavia (Italy)
Before this vacation, I thought that Italians didn't want anything to do with Chinese people. There, I saw that, whenever one of us was in need, our Italian friends were ready to lend a hand. For example, during our second hike, on our way down the mountain the terrain was very slippery, and the path was sometimes very narrow. Davide went ahead to help us pass through the treacherous spots. I was fascinated by the games, because in China I never had so much fun playing. I used to play computer games, but I realized that playing with real people is more beautiful.
Wei Yiming

Iwas struck by the cleanliness of the mountains: everything–meadows and streams–was always clean. Even after we had lunch, not a single piece of paper was left on the ground, which would never happen in China. I was very impressed by your deep love for Jesus. You had Mass every day; even when we were on the top of the mountain and it started to rain, nobody moved. I think that the origin of all this is the goodness of your hearts. And I think you all have good hearts because Jesus is in them. This vacation was for me a way to come closer to your life as Catholics. I had never spent so much time with my Italian friends, and this vacation allowed me to understand more about you–like about Mass, your cuisine, your songs, and some of your habits (such as spending a lot of time together, being happy, and laughing together). I met all sorts of people, each with his or her own personality; yet, you were all united by something that is in your hearts and that is the same for each of you. I think this something is Jesus Christ. In order to further my understanding of your life, I have decided to start reading the Bible, and to learn more about Italian songs.
Liu Jun

FIRST STEPS INTO BEAUTY I SPENT TWO DAYS AT THE RIMINI MEETING. I WAS EXTREMELY STRUCK BY THE KIDS AND THEIR WAY OF EXPERIENCING THE MEETING. I WAS IN RIMINI WITH A FEW LARGE FAMILIES. I COULD SEE HOW THEIR KIDS–ALL BETWEEN 13 AND 15 YEARS OF AGE–WANTED TO SPEND THE ENTIRE DAY AT THE MEETING ON THEIR OWN. I'M TALKING ABOUT AVERAGE TEENAGERS, WITH ALL THEIR PERSONALITY ISSUES, ROUGH TEMPERAMENTS, AND SHORT FUSES THAT COME WITH THE TERRITORY. YET, ON THE WAY HOME AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY WERE FULL OF ENTHUSIASM. "I MANAGED TO SQUEEZE IN WITH A GROUP FROM BERGAMO, AND I WENT ON A GUIDED TOUR OF THE ANTE GRADUM EXHIBIT." "I WENT TO SEE THE EXHIBIT ON DANTE." "I WENT TO THE EXHIBIT ON THE ATOM." EIGHTH GRADERS! THEY WERE MAKING APPOINTMENTS WITH THEIR FRIENDS TO GO SEE THE EXHIBITS TOGETHER. THINKING ABOUT HOW KIDS THEIR AGE USUALLY SPEND THEIR VACATION TIME, ONE CANNOT BUT RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS ANOTHER WORLD–ONE THAT IS GENERATED BY HIS PRESENCE. HOW RIGHT WAS FATHER GIUSSANI, WHEN HE SAID THAT THE TRUTH THAT IS BORN FROM THE FLESH GENERATES A CULTURE. MAYBE THESE KIDS HAVE NOT REACHED A COMPLETE AWARENESS ABOUT IT, BUT THEY ALREADY LIVE THIS BEAUTY–just like a child, who enjoys life even if he is still not fully aware of it.
Father Gianni, Milan (Italy)

DISCOVERING THE FAMILIARITY OF A PRESENCE
I would like to tell you about something that happened to me that opened up my heart. A few months ago, my husband Andrea brought one of his patients who had cancer into our home. She had been operated on by Andrea in the fall of 2009 and she would come back to the Mayo Clinic for her checkups. The surgery had stopped the disease for a while, but it then resumed its course. During the following weeks she would fly back and forth between her home and Rochester to undergo chemotherapy. The night before she left for her home town, during dinner, she vented, saying, "I never had any vices in my life: I don't drink, I don't smoke, I work out... I have always wanted children and I could not have them. I've always been a good person, a good Christian... it's not fair!" She cried from bitterness; she would now have to go home and look for a hospice to help her to die. We invited her to stay at our house, but she declined. You can imagine how Andrea and I were feeling; we tried to comfort her, pointing out all those times in her life when Christ's love for her had been clear and strong. It is so clear how we are always the ones who decide when Christ is here or not; we always give a measure according to our expectations. But we don't see His presence that is always with us, even in the most normal things. That Friday night, I was struck by how easy it is to get stuck on the "be good" rule. Rules, even good rules, don't save us! It's hard to be faced with death and just fall into the arms of a Stranger. Who wouldn't be afraid? What I need is a familiarity with Christ, as the point of my affection, that every day He may become more and more familiar, not in my logic, but in my affection, so that when my time will come, I will not feel like I am falling into the unknown. This kind of familiarity arises when His traits become recognizable in everyday life. That night, it was clear that our freedom is the key to our fulfillment.
Raffaella, Rochester (USA)