“In these two days I learned more than in 5 years of college … everything was so intense … I realized that love is not only an emotion but rather an authentic relationship towards the others that are far away from me.”
From April 28thto May 1st, we came together in St. Benno for the 2ndYouth Festival with participants from different parts of Germany and other countries (Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Mexico, Vietnam and Nigeria). We were more than 30 people, young participants and students that came to help us.
The topic throughout the festival was “Love is…”. We started the day praying together the ‘Our Father’ in a room called ‘the circle’ meeting point for the participants. After the breakfast the program continued with music, theater, dance and poetry workshops in which the acts for the final festival were prepared. In the music group were also special instruments like the harp and the cajon. The dancing group besides presenting typical dances, invited everyone to do the waltz. The theater act was about court scene in which the Love was the accused.
The responsable of the Youth pastoral in Berlin, Uli Kotzur, came on Sunday only to celebrate the Mass and pass the day with us which impressed the young people. Also the parish priest of Bad Lauterberg P. Paul Chodor came spontaneously to St. Benno and was very interested in our activity.
The final impressions expressed in the charismatic touch were the best answer to the topic of the Youth Festival:
“For me it was like days of harmony … here in St. Benno with our group I feel at home, I feel like I have arrived at what I was looking for. All the moments we had together, I will keep them in my heard.”
“I’ve participated for the second time and I must say that everything was at least as beautiful as last year. Before, in the table we were talking about a nice dream: for the next festival we will fill all the rooms in St. Benno with young people.”
“I will miss washing dishes with you… I’ve seen what it means to help and listen to each other in every moment, and how this is love.”
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- Paseando por el bosque
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- Jóvenes del Youth Festival
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- Talleres
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- Momentos de reflexión
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- Youth Festival II
!["El mundo puede cambiar desde el corazón"
(Papa Francisco, Encíclica Dilexit Nos)
"El Corazón de Cristo es éxtasis, es salida, es donación, es encuentro. En él nos volvemos capaces de relacionarnos de un modo sano y feliz, y de construir en este mundo el Reino de amor y de justicia. Nuestro corazón unido al de Cristo es capaz de este milagro social.
Tomar en serio el corazón tiene consecuencias sociales. Como enseña el Concilio Vaticano II, «tenemos todos que cambiar nuestros corazones, con los ojos puestos en el orbe entero y en aquellos trabajos que todos juntos podemos llevar a cabo para que nuestra generación mejore». Porque «los desequilibrios que fatigan al mundo moderno están conectados con ese otro desequilibrio fundamental que hunde sus raíces en el corazón humano». [21] Ante los dramas del mundo, el Concilio invita a volver al corazón, explicando que el ser humano «por su interioridad es, en efecto, superior al universo entero; a esta profunda interioridad retorna cuando entra dentro de su corazón, donde Dios le aguarda, escrutador de los corazones (cf. 1 S 16,7; Jr 17,10), y donde él personalmente, bajo la mirada de Dios, decide su propio destino».
Esto no significa confiar excesivamente en nosotros mismos. Tengamos cuidado: advirtamos que nuestro corazón no es autosuficiente; es frágil y está herido. Tiene una dignidad ontológica, pero al mismo tiempo debe buscar una vida más digna. Dice también el Concilio Vaticano II que «el fermento evangélico ha despertado y despierta en el corazón del hombre esta irrefrenable exigencia de la dignidad», aunque para vivir conforme a esa dignidad no nos basta conocer el Evangelio ni cumplir mecánicamente lo que nos manda. Necesitamos el auxilio del amor divino. Acudamos al Corazón de Cristo, ese centro de su ser, que es un horno ardiente de amor divino y humano y es la mayor plenitud que puede alcanzar lo humano. Allí, en ese Corazón es donde nos reconocemos finalmente a nosotros mismos y aprendemos a amar."](https://www.idente.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
