“Do you want to get well?”

Here are all the videos from the seminar

In the days between June 18 and 19, at the Fellini Hall of the Acqua Santa Park in Chianciano Terme (SI), about sixty discipleship animators from Italian Fraternities experienced a time of formation, proposed by the General Ministry of Discipleship.

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In the Community there is a growing need to exchange the experiences lived in the ministries that the Fraternities scattered in various nations do for the benefit of the brothers and sisters that the Lord sends us so that we may help them to know him and to base their lives on him.
In the Discipleship Journey – not infrequently – it happens that people enter who, although they have lived the Seminary of New Life, have not fully experienced the effects of the Baptism in the Spirit. Our experience over these years of service has taught us that when this occurs, one can look for the cause in some obstacle that has prevented the person from “receiving the outpouring.” There are essentially three areas that can be investigated: a failure to make an unconditional decision to place oneself under the lordship of Jesus, a liberation issue that has not yet come to the surface, and forgiveness that has not been given.
Therefore, it is necessary for disciple-makers who are in one of these conditions to have the sensitivity and tools to help them open themselves unhindered to receive the fullness of the Pentecostal experience.
In the Fraternities of Romania, a structured way of acting, so to speak, on this need has long been developed, offering liberation and healing courses to all disciples during the first period aimed at a new time of outpouring prayer, called the Philip Course.
Seeing the fruits that these activities have produced, other Fraternities have also begun to “experiment.” In particular, something similar was done in the Fraternity of Magione-Agello and, based on that experience, an experiential formation was proposed to the discipleship animators in Italy.
Last September a liberation seminar was done and this last weekend the healing one. Next September, the Philip Course will be proposed.
This is not a “scholastic” training, where “how to do” is taught, but an experience to be lived in first person for oneself, to understand it having lived it, so that we can then propose it again as witnesses.

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Therefore, the two recent days of the seminar had the pattern of a retreat.
Saturday morning began with Holy Mass celebrated by Fr. Livio Tacchini, members of the General Ministry of Discipleship, who then led the introductory catechesis based on the theme of “healing the heart.”
Seven “heart” diseases and seven “heart transplants,” according to the Word of Ezekiel: “I will give you a new heart” (36:26).
Moving from the heart of stone to the heart of flesh. From the heart hard, impure, distant, tardy, doubtful, sad, pagan, unrighteous, to the heart pure, safe, good, ardent, cheerful, pierced, resolute.
At the end of the catechesis Fr. Livio pointed out the model of the new heart: that of Mary, always open – h 24/7 – to the Lord.
On Saturday afternoon two catecheses, given by Andrea Orsini and Giuseppe Piegai respectively, gave the general outlines of inner healing through two Gospel passages: that of the paralytic at the pool of Bethsaida (cf. John 5:1-14) whom Jesus asks, “Do you want to be healed?” and that of the blind man at Bethsaida (cf. Mark 8:22-26) in which Jesus progressively heals and interjects, saying, “Do you see anything?”
The afternoon’s journey led to reflection on the fact that we are not always aware that we need to heal from something and we do not even know why we need to do so. Opening ourselves up to the Lord by presenting our spiritual illnesses, allowing him to touch us, to put his saliva on our eyes is necessary to come to a greater freedom to love by knowing ourselves and knowing him, knowing the truth about ourselves and allowing the Truth to set us free (cf. John 8:32).
After dinner, it was Eucharistic adoration that concluded the day, giving way to have more time, before the Lord to present in simplicity one’s condition to the Father’s merciful love.
Sunday morning was spent celebrating the Eucharist in the parish of Chianciano and then moving back to the Fellini Hall where Andrea gave the last profound and passionate catechesis reminding everyone how it is a necessity to offer ourselves to the healing that the Lord offers, but how it is also necessary to be open to the idea that some of our inner wounds have the precious character of allowing us to be more sensitive before the sufferings of our brothers and sisters and that-as St. Paul taught us through his lived experience-not all thorns in the flesh are removed, so that in our weakness the power of God may be fully manifested.

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The retreat concluded with a sharing from which various testimonies of healing and joy emerged from experiencing, in the suffering of discovering oneself “sick” how one is loved by the Father, who is rich in mercy.