I Community Day Tuscany area

On May 17, 2015, thefirst fraternity day of the Tuscany Zone of the Magnificat Community was held in Vogognano (Arezzo). Members from the fraternities of Bibbiena, Cortona, Magione-Agello and Marti were present, but there was no shortage of brothers from other places such as Pistoia and Elba Island…

Right from the start we sensed in our hearts, in addition to the joy of seeing so many brothers and sisters again, more than expected, as is not often the case, also the feeling that the Lord had called us from a thousand different paths, in a thousand different ways to let us experience what it means to form one body.

In simplicity, this day took off with a time of prayer where the Lord, as always, spoke plainly: He wanted us together, in that same place, at that very moment, just us, not because we were good or deserving, but because He is merciful and we experienced His wonders in our lives. Once again He urged us to cast our weaknesses in His infinite mercy and to JOY together not only for what He has done for us, but also for what He plans to do.

The catechesis was given by Moderator General Daniele Mezzetti who, meditating in particular on the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, made us understandthe difference between “set of individuals,” “people,” and “body,” showing us how there are three kinds of enemies we must fight against if we are to form one body: the world, idolatry, and our own selfishness.

To come out of ourselves, to move from “I” to “we” and to project ourselves toward the needs of the other is fundamental, it is to put into practice the promise of building love,” while being aware thatwe are called to form an imperfect body because it is made up of imperfect members.

For the body to remain united it must be cemented by the love that leads to welcoming our brothers and sisters with faults attached. Lunch was a time of fraternal agape where right from the start we were able to put into practice the catechesis of the morning thanks to the sharing of the food that everyone had brought, the small-large services that everyone performed and the opportunity to share life with the neighbor in the pew, all seasoned by a splendid sunshine, an unexpected gift of divine providence.

In the afternoon, Fr. Alessandro, pastor of Subbiano, presided over the Eucharistic celebration, who began by saying, “For me it is the first Mass with Renewal in the Spirit and I am excited, but it seems to me that Pope Francis is right, you seem to have a great desire to dance to God !, and that is very beautiful!” Indeed this was what the Eucharistic celebration was: a hymn of praise raised to God with heart, lips and body. During the homily, although Fr. Alexander was not present at Daniel’s catechesis, he broadened its horizons by making us understand that Christianity is not mere compliance, but allowing the Holy Spirit to act in our lives so as to love those around us by transmitting the joy that only an encounter with Christ can give.

This was followed by Eucharistic adoration in which the Lord made us experience how our togetherness is made possible not by a common ideal, nor even by the fact that we desire it, but by His living presence … He is the Love, the glue that holds us together and continues to work wonders in our hearts, and this all the more as we remain anchored in Him.

Already during adoration, two people known to many arrived who joyfully responded to our invitation to tell us about their lives and conversion: Beatrice Bocci and Alessandro Greco.

Theyshared with us their story, of how, even coming from Christian families, at some point the Lord made a strong encounter and allowed them, although starting from a situation of pain and difficulty, not only to concretize their love through a Christian marriage, but also to begin, in a spontaneous way, to bear witness especially through a prayer group they formed together with their friends.

To sum up: being a Christian is not easy, but it is beautiful, especially because you experience the Love of God and your brothers and sisters!!! After this testimony, we could not help but pray for them that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in their lives and that they would always be fervent witnesses of Christ. One might think that the day ended here …. mistake!!!

Already as soon as we arrived home and also in the following days our cell phones were full of messages where everyone thanked God and the brothers for what they experienced …. because we really experienced how beautiful and sweet it is for the brothers to be together and that right there the Lord sends every blessing! Amen! (Amber)

Below are all the audio and video contributions of the day, which can also always be found on the Community WebTV.

Audio – Catechesis Daniele Mezzetti scarica

Audio – Homily Fr. Alessandro Conti scarica

Audio – Testimony of Alessandro Greco and Beatrice Bocci scarica