A Gift of Gratitude
Last July, three delegations representing Faith and Light in Russia, India, and Hong Kong passed through Rome for several days. They were returning from Kraków, where the International Council had held its assembly. During their stay, Rome's Faith and Light friends welcomed them warmly—opening their homes and guiding them through the city's most significant sites. Maria Fatima Raj, mother of a disabled daughter and coordinator of Faith and Light in India, wrote to Mariangela: "Joseph and I are deeply grateful for the wonderful welcome you arranged for us. We met people who gave us genuine time and genuine affection. You made it possible for us to carry so much of Rome home with us. We will always remember this visit and the people who made it possible. Rome is so beautiful, and I'm happy to have been there and to have met you. Please thank your husband Paolo Nardini for meeting us at the airport, and Natalia Livi, Maria Agnese Boitani, Chiara Bertolini, Betta Mochi, and the sisters at the convent.
All of this made me feel part of a great family—the family of Faith and Light. I think that's exactly what Faith and Light is. Sharing affection and friendship is simply wonderful, and it reminds me of agape love. I thank God for people like you and the others in Faith and Light, and especially for Jean Vanier and Marie-Hélène, who started this extraordinary movement. Thank you again for all you've done, and thank Faith and Light in Italy for the gift of our stay."
In the Spirit of Saint Francis's Canticle
Tonino Valentino of the Immaculate Conception Community in Bari shares his spiritual experience at summer camp—a fitting preparation, he believes, for next April's national pilgrimage to Assisi.
This year's camp, like all before it, brought both joy and challenge. It proved once again to be a unique and irreplaceable encounter—a time for meditation and a precious opportunity to grasp and live moments of profound love. That fraternal love which the poor man of Assisi knew so well, and to whom this year's camp was dedicated, echoing his sublime hymn of praise to the Lord for all creatures.
The week unfolded in varied moments—prayer, song, and games filled with the children's joy and enthusiasm, made possible by the help and openness of Father Luigi Frattin, to whom we offer our heartfelt thanks and deep respect.
Our times of reflection centered on meditating the Canticle of the Creatures, seeking to understand day by day the profound message that Saint Francis draws from all creation's simplest yet most precious beings.
We praised Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and the stars as expressions of divine light reflected in the beauty and splendor of the Creator.
The next day brought praise for Brother Fire, symbol of that warmth which burns gently, setting hearts ablaze—the same fire that moved Francis when, before the crucifix at San Damiano, he made himself small and servant-like as Mary did.
Then came praise for our mother earth, for the fertile love she expresses through the goodness of her fruits and the beauty of her flowers. The final day, intense and rich in meaning, was given over to thanksgiving and praise to the Lord for all those who know how to forgive, and to a penitential liturgy in which the children participated with great interest.
It is difficult these days to pass on the message that Saint Francis's example offers us—his deep sense of life as a gift in communion with the universe. We have grown unaccustomed to such feelings, caught as we are in a world that isolates true emotion, no longer perceiving the presence of another except when it brings us profit or comfort.
But the Lord does not yield to the world's selfishness. He has his ways, and he always calls people who listen and follow him—yes, accompanied by the fear that comes with every courageous choice, but overcome by the need to share the love we have been given, which is light for our journey. So at the end of each day comes evening: with the joy and peace of having spent the day in praise and thanksgiving, but above all with the knowledge that we have opened our hearts, our minds, and our actions to the experience of love.
Tonino Valentino - Immaculate Conception Community, Bari