DMA Magazine – TRUST AND TENDERNESS (January - February 2014)

Special Events During 2014

We are at the beginning of a particularly significant year, a year that will arrive at the celebration of the 23rd General Chapter, starting next September. Among the events that the chapter participants will live, is important meeting with Mother Angela Vallese, the pioneer of the missions of America, of whom this year marks the centenary of her death. The stop in Lu Monferrato (Alessandria), her native land, at the conclusion of the Spiritual Exercises in Mornese, signifies a tribute to her memory and to the rootedness of the Salesian charism in America.

Mother Vallese will accompany us in a new article, for an interesting missionary journey.

During the early months of the year, also the Salesian confreres will live the Chapter event, which sees them from time engaged in deepening the theme "Witnesses of the Gospel Radicalism". For the FMA, the Chapter will commit itself the election of the Guide and her General Council, who will be called to animate and govern the Congregation for the next six years.

2014 also introduces the culminating period of preparation for the Bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco. The gift of the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva, is set in the context of this event, and will sustain the commitment of the Salesian Family in deepening the spiritual experience of Don Bosco, the source of Salesian holiness.

The Church opens the new year with the first World Day for Peace celebrated by Pope Francis, with the theme: "Fraternity, the foundation and path to peace." In the following months, other World Days will accompany the faithful in living events leading to the fundamental values of life according to the Gospel.

On a global level the United Nations foresees various initiatives to highlight the theme of the International Year of Family Farming.

In their 2013 meeting at Cesuna, the DMA editorial group kept in mind the world, Church and Salesian proposals for 2014, paying specific attention to the basic themes that place us on the horizon of GC 23.

We can summarize them in view of building relationships for evangelization, with particular reference to the words and gestures of Pope Francis. It was decided to proceed in the writing of each Dossier with the method of Seeing, the analysis of a situation with its lights and shadows; Judging, beginning from the question: “What does God say about this?” and Acting, to answer the question: “What is God asking us to do to collaborate in the building of His Kingdom?”

As the DMA editorial group, we wish our readers a Happy New Year, accompanied by the shared ideas and sentiments the Magazine intends to arouse. gteruggi@cgfma.org

Words and Gestures of Trust and Tenderness Giuseppina Teruggi The recent Encyclical Fidei Donum, the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization, are events that reinforce in the Church the commitment to remain "like Jesus at the well of Sychar", and to sit "next to the men and women of these times to make the Lord present in their lives, so they can meet him. "

with our faults that we are trying to correct, with our limitations that the Lord knows, but also with our generosity in letting him act in us "(cf. Meeting with seminarians, and novices - Rome, 07.06.2013).

As FMA, we allow ourselves to be illumined by the journey of the Church in order to renew our being, and our being in relationship as a way of Evangelization, aware that the priority lies in our coherence of life. The New Evangelization, in fact, takes place only when synchronized in words and gestures, as shown by Pope Francis. We begin the reflections of the dossier on this theme that will accompany us throughout the whole year.

It is in his style, his gestures, even before the words that Pope Francis speaks urbi et orbi. "Our life is a journey, and when we stop, something is wrong," he said in his homily on the day following his election. Starting from the word of God, he focused on the concept of motion: "Walk, build, confess.

Walk always in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, trying to live with the blamelessness that God asked of Abraham in his promise." And again: "I hope that all of us, after these days of grace, will have the courage, their own courage, to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the cross of the Lord, to build the Church on the Blood of Christ shed on the cross, and to confess the 'only glory, Christ crucified, and in this way the Church will go on. "

“Proclaim the Gospel, even with words” Many signs and events convince us that we are experiencing a singular season in the history of the Church, guided by the Spirit through the mediation of the extraordinary figures of the Popes.

In particular Pope Francis is a pleasant surprise for men and women all over the world today. From the beginning of his pontificate, he addressed a pressing invitation to the Church to proclaim the Gospel by consistency of life. "I always say what St. Francis of Assisi said: Christ sent us to proclaim the Gospel even with words. The phrase is like this: "Proclaim the Gospel always. If necessary, use words ". What does this mean? To proclaim the Gospel with the authenticity of life, with the coherence of life. But in this world where the riches do so much evil, it is necessary that we as priests, Sisters, all of us, must be consistent in our poverty!

But when you find that the first interest of an educational institution or parish is money, this is not good. It is inconsistent! We must be consistent and authentic. This way, we do what St. Francis said, we preach the gospel by example, then with words!

But first of all it is in our lives that others must be able to read the Gospel! Here, too, without fear,

Words and gestures of the new evangelization

From the very beginning, Pope Francis has sought to have the Church walk on the way of the Gospel, not assumed and lived as a “path of roses”, but capable of imbuing it with life and transforming it.

We were fascinated by his homily at the beginning of his pontificate on March 19th in St. Peter's Square when he gave an immediate perception of a warm humanity. "We must not be afraid of goodness, indeed, even of tenderness! And I add here, then, a further remark: the caring, looking after requires goodness, and living with tenderness.

In the Gospels, St. Joseph looks like a strong man, brave, hardworking, but in his soul there emerges a great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak; on the contrary, it denotes fortitude of soul and the ability for attention, compassion, of true openness to the other person, and love. We should not be afraid of kindness, of tenderness. "

Trust and Tenderness: What? How? We live in a time of strong human and technological opportunities, but also marked by limits that sometimes prevent one from experiencing the beauty of the relationship between people, the pleasure of being together, the sweetness of deep, fresh feelings. Today all tends to favor speed, hurry in everything, and moves toward accentuating a "rationalism" that purports to find in everything an immediate explanation, and this passes for "wisdom." Often relationships are set on the basis of profit, self-interest, and the fear that creates distances.

In a book published a few years ago entitled "Theology of tenderness, a 'gospel' to be rediscovered “ (Ed. Dehoniane, Bologna, 2000), the theologian Carlo Rocchetta clarifies the meaning of the word tenderness, which is associated with the attitude of trust. There could be, in fact, a misunderstanding of the term, confused with a tendency to sentimentality, with a kind of cheap romanticism. It also runs the risk of expressing tenderness as weakness, and speaking of it as a sign of immaturity.

Tenderness is "strength, a sign of maturity and inner vigor, blossoming only in a heart that is free, capable of giving and receiving love." It is the same meaning given by Pope Francis in his first public homily. We can therefore say that tenderness is a most humble force, and at the same time, it is the most

powerful way for the seeds of newness to enter the world.

It happens that some people attribute to it a prevalently feminine connotation, a less than virile one. But, notes the theologian, "This is a groundless prejudice, which must be energetically unmasked. It would be like saying that the sensitivity and the ability to express affection, attention to life, the gentleness of the love of God or the exquisiteness of evangelical charity, are attitudes missing from the masculine psyche. The feeling of tenderness is actually complete and total and indelible both in the man and the woman, in their humanity and their vocation to love and to communion. " It is precisely the harmonious integration of the masculine and feminine that emphasizes this sentiment. For believers, also, God is the inexhaustible source and summit of all tenderness, which is built on reciprocal trust and encourages the blossoming of deep sentiments that are profound, free, and delicate. This warm, human attitude can be a positive force for the life of faith, because it supports the formation of a personality rich in humanity, configures to the humanity of the Lord Jesus. Christianity, without tenderness, is likely to appear in a reductive key, almost "only ritualistic or moralistic in tone. "

Gestures of beauty of the Church The way of tenderness can be an important dimension for the future of the Church, an aspect that can fascinate even non-believers, a way out of the dryness that many ecclesial communities are living today, It allows for the rediscovery of the extraordinary sense of being Christians in the dimension of a life fulfilled in beauty, love, solidarity, in sensitive attention, especially to the poor, the little ones, and the helpless.

Some speak of tenderness as "God's dream for humanity." CG 21 ° (2002) proposed to all FMA the commitment of living "God's dream for humanity in communion." I think that there may be complementarities and integration between tenderness and communion, because they are actually interchangeable realities. One does not exist without the other. Because of this, we can also hope for a "Church of tenderness that lives the new commandment of love as its 'norma normans’, and has a face of tenderness as its soul and hallmark. It will be a Church which, like the carpenter of Nazareth, makes itself poor, overcoming the temptation to be a Church that dominates and condemns. It will be a Church of friendship, anti-authoritarian and anti-centralizing, where the logic of 'dominium mundi' takes over the logic of 'servitium mundi', the logic of tenderness. "

It is the road to be taken to build a new humanity where profit, selfishness, violence, and mistrust cannot dominate. Trust in God, a trust that is constantly rebuilt in a brother or sister, tenderness, love are forces that give hope to humanity. And they are ways of evangelization.

Rooted on a firm foundation Jesus’ speech and actions are imbued with gestures of tenderness and mercy. The Gospel abounds with testimonies of His “going among the people doing good to all.” The Master did not deny his trust to anyone, unless he found himself faced with hearts hardened by prejudice, or by the rejection of his person and word. Truly, “his compassion spreads to every creature” (Psalm 144).

"God cannot but love," said Fr. Roger, Prior of Taizé, noting that for today’s believer there is an insistent call to open ways of trust, even in humanity’s dark nights. "There are people”, he said, “that, through the gift of themselves, show that the human being is not doomed to desperation. Their hope allows them to look to the future with great confidence. Through them, do we not see signs of this undeniable hope arise even among the most troubled situations?” These people know that "neither misfortune nor injustice come from God," because God is Love. He looks at every creature with infinite tenderness and deep compassion. Our trust in God is recognizable when it is expressed with the simple gift of ourselves to others. Faith becomes credible and is communicated primarily when it is lived. Three centuries after Christ St. Augustine wrote: "Love and say it with your life".

At the root of the Salesian charism is a boundless confidence, especially for young men and women.

Don Bosco said they had literally "stolen his heart"!

"The Lord has sent me to young people," he argued, "so I need to save myself from other outside things, and keep my health for them." "My life is devoted to the welfare of poor youngsters, and nothing will ever make me deviate from the path that the Lord has traced out for me."

To the girls of Mornese, and to those of the whole world, Mother Mazzarello dedicated her life, facing all difficulties in order to be able to do good for them. The style of "being with young people" chosen by our Founders is that of a loving, harmonious synthesis of trust and tenderness, educational love expressed and perceived. It is essential, in fact, "that young people are not only loved, but they know that they are loved." Each young person, in Valdocco and Mornese, actually thought that they were the most loved! In a Salesian house, education / evangelization "is a matter of the heart"!

As the guardians of an educational charism characterized by loving kindness, we feel we are strongly in tune with the style that Pope Francis is indicating to the Church. It is to be a Church closer to the people, "Because the Church is mother, and we do not know a mother by way of correspondence. A mother pampers us, touches

us, kisses us, and loves us. When the Church, committed to a thousand things, neglects this closeness, communicating only through documents, she is like a mother communicating with her child only through letters "(cf. Interview on Brazilian TV 'O Globo', July 28, 2013) .

The Holy Father wants the Church to be more a "facilitator of the faith than the controller of faith".

Sometimes, there are ‘distant ministries’, disciplinary ministries that favor principles, behavior, organizational processes, without closeness, tenderness, or caresses. It ignores the 'revolution of tenderness' which caused the incarnation of the Word. There are ministries established with such a great distance that they are unable to reach the encounter, the encounter with Jesus Christ, the encounter with brothers and sisters. “How are our homilies?” asks the Pope. “Do we follow the example of our Lord, who 'spoke as one having authority', or are they merely distant, abstract precepts?"(Cf. Address to the Coordination Committee of Celam, July 28, 2013).

In the practicality of life situations Tenderness is a mature attitude that makes us attentive to the richness that is in others and allows us to participate, with the warmth of our feelings in his/her emotions, and sentiments. It is expressed through the style of cordiality, hospitality, attention to small gestures of affection that speak of the confidence, joy, and appreciation of the other

person. It means knowing how to greet and answer with a smile, not raising your voice in difficult times, knowing how to listen, and giving an unexpected embrace. It is continual attention to making each other happy through the myriad gestures dictated by the fantasy of love. This is in both the ordinary and extraordinary circumstances of life.

Some time ago the news reported at length about Eleanor, who was killed while rescuing a man who had been seriously injured in a street fight with some of his countrymen. Eleanor was driving by and did not hesitate to stop her car when she realized that there was a person to be rescued.

While she was bent over the man, her attacker aimed his own car. driving at full speed toward both of them ... "I was told”, said Mariella, Eleanor’s mother, that the victim had four children and I could not help but think about them, of what they were going through. So I thought: ‘If Eleanor died in helping their father, she who loved children so much, surely she would want something to be done to help out the children, even economically.’ ” She and her husband decided that the donations collected at the funeral of her daughter be destined for the orphans. "They ask me if I feel hatred”, she confided, “but I do not feel anything. I do not know why, I do not know if it is for Eleanor, who loved al, especially the least among us. But I do not feel anger. I do not even want to speak about forgiveness. What does it mean to forgive? It is up to the Eternal Father to forgive. The only thing I want to do is to help the four orphans. I do not care if I never meet them or know who they are, how big they are, where they live, or what they do. " Eleanor, a 44 year old gynecologist, is described by

all as a person who was “gentle, expansive, generous, who wanted the good of others, and was always ready to help. She was a brave, altruistic woman, who was excessively so! Her enormous sensitivity impelled her naturally toward the most humble people. She lived charity intensely. In her career she brought to birth hundreds of children, and assisted many mothers, making herself gratuitously available to those who were in trouble or without means. " The world in which we live makes us used to haste, to having no time for gestures and words of tenderness and consolation. Perhaps the most important thing we need to do is just to fill our time with these gestures, choosing the challenge of solidarity, free and discreet giving. Like that of Meghan, a young American athlete involved in the 3200 meters. In the midst of a competition she noticed her opponent in trouble because of a cramping attack. She decided to give up the victory and to accompany the girl to the finish line. They ended up respectively last and next to last, but their defeat was greeted with a standing ovation from the audience that reserved for Meghan the treatment of a winner! There are innumerable gestures and words of concern for others, often unknown, but no less valuable. These are words of confidence and tenderness that spread the good perfume of life.

Pope Francis’ First Day How much the Holy Father emphasized and proposed to young people in formation, is a reflection of his lifestyle, never contradicted, and that would constitute the thread of his entire existence. We saw this when he was just elected Successor of Peter, on the evening of March 13, 2013. It is interesting to note the chronicle of his first day as pope. The first Mass of Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio elected Pontiff, almost his debut as Pope, pointed toward a pontificate with a clear style. In the Sistine Chapel, the newly- elected pontiff, did not ascend to the throne. At the time of the oath of the Cardinals’ obedience to the Pope, he went to Cardinal Ivan Dias, who had difficulty in moving because of infirmity. From the gallery overlooking St. Peter's without skullcap and with his simple bishop’s cross, next to the master of ceremonies, who looked slightly perplexed.

He addressed the faithful in the square after the white smoke starting with "Good evening ...", and then

asked for their prayers. He took the van back to the hotel with the other cardinals even after the election. When they toasted him, he joked with his electors saying: “May God forgive you for what you have done.” He left the usual car with the license plate SCV1-Vatican City State 1- even when early in the morning as the first public event of his pontificate he went to pray to the Virgin Mary in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

To the Dominican Confessors who give their service in the Basilica, he recommended mercy.

Upon leaving, he waved back to students from the nearby high school who greeted him from their windows. Returning to the Vatican, he had the driver turn toward the international House of the clergy where he had spent the night before the Conclave. He got out of the car and went inside to pick up his luggage and to thank the staff. To everyone’s surprise, he paid his bill for the time of his stay. In the evening, again in the Sistine Chapel for Mass with the cardinals, he gave the homily, with a calm Italian, tinged with an Hispanic accent.

He renounced living permanently in the Papal apartment. After all, in Buenos Aires he lived in an apartment, taking the subway, and, while in Rome he walked to the general meetings of the Cardinals.

He was one of the few without a red skullcap, dodging without being noticed little groups of journalists hunting for eligible candidates.

• Practically, what are tenderness and trust for me?

• What and with how much effort, am I ready go out of myself, to offer to those who live nearby the perfume of tenderness, to continually re-weave the trust?

• Am I convinced that a style imbued with trust and tenderness is a way of evangelization? How do I express it?

Missionary Spirituality “ Here I Am Lord, Send Me !�

Maike Loes

The FMA called to the missionary vocation ad gentes, is committed to answering yes to life and with the generosity of the "I’ll go" (C 32), is committed to renewing the charismatic identity, to live the Word radically, to revive the 'missionary zeal so that the "far away" young people from all over the world may have life.

Every missionary vocation comes from the Missio Dei. "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3: 16). For this reason, every missionary vocation has its roots and its foundation in Jesus, the Word of the Father. With the desire to gather together all the scattered children of God (cf.

John 11:52), Jesus entrusted to his disciples the missionary mandate, demonstrating in word and deed that God is love: "Go out to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mk 16, 15).

The duty of spreading the faith belongs to every disciple of Christ. The missionary vocation is a special one. God thoroughly prepares the heart of the missionary so that he/she will be in the world as the visible expression of His love. They are men and women of charity, proclaiming more by life than words, that every person is loved by God, and that we have been created by Love and for love. They have been given a universal heart that succeeds in overcoming frontiers and divisions of nationality, culture, ideologies, and religion. It has space for everyone; it does not exclude, catalog, or divide, but rather embraces, welcomes, and becomes one with and for others. It belongs to the "church of the apron," as Fr. Tonino Bello called it, living the dimensions of service at anytime, anywhere, therefore, for all!

A missionary is continually learning, doing so to learn humbly to fit into the socio-cultural and religious world of those to whom they are sent, taking on their language, knowing the significant expressions of the local culture, discovering the values present in the reality (cf. RM 53).

The missionary vocation even before being action means witnessing and requires a specific

spirituality and intimate communion with Christ.

The missionary knows that inner strength comes from the Spirit; He is the source from which they are to draw their continual energy to carry out the Will of the Father always and everywhere.

The first article of our Constitutions reveals how our Institute is missionary: "Don Bosco founded our Institute [...] and gave it a strong missionary impetus " Thus, "the missionary dimension - an essential element of the Institute and expression of its universality - has been present in our history from the very beginning." Striving to keep alive the missionary enthusiasm of the first hour, the FMA are called to work for the Kingdom of God everywhere, in Christian countries and in those not yet evangelized or that that have been deChristianized (C 6), "among the peoples who have not yet received the proclamation of the Word, so that they may find in Christ the deeper meaning of their aspirations and their cultural values "(C 75).

Angela Vallese: a missionary vocation from childhood Angela Vallese was born on January 8, 1854 in Lu Monferrato, a small area but one that was prolific in giving so many vocations to the Church. Angela would carry in her heart the memory of a special grace throughout her whole life: that of being born during the year of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

The family was materially poor; however they did not lack Christian values and great affection.

At six years of age she went to school, but after four years she had leave because the family needed her financial help, so it was that Angela learned the trade of a seamstress and challenged

poverty by offering the gift of her work to her dear ones.

Angela attended the church of her village, along with her parents, as did many other children. She was about seven when two missionaries come from far away to talk to the people about the Work of the Propagation of the Faith and the Holy Childhood.

Angela listened to everything very carefully, and was impressed by the fact that there were people who did not yet know Jesus, and that there were children in need of help. She is the first to volunteer to help in taking up the collection, imagining how that money would be used to bring Jesus to the poor, to children, who were neglected and left to die without the possibility of getting to know Him and without being baptized.

Perhaps because of her diminutive, angelic aspect, people gave her more offerings than to her companions. In her heart, there was one spontaneous prayer: "Lord, allow me to save many souls, as many as the number of coins that I have collected!"

At that moment Angela understood clearly what she wanted to do when she grew up; in her there was growing the intimate desire to make Jesus known, and to lead many people to Him! Despite being only a child, she was not afraid of sacrifice, giving herself to the heavier work, she also became a catechist. The priest, seeing the good material she was made of, entrusted to her the teaching of catechism to her peers and some others who were even older than she.

At the age of fifteen she started attending the group of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate. She knew how to combine everyday life with the commitment to virtue, and devotion, to the prayer and meditation that she recommended with great affection even to her younger sisters for whom she was caring.

Then the day came when she got to know Don Bosco! When she was twenty years of age he opened a house for Sisters in Mornese. Angela did not hesitate: "That's where the Lord wants me; I feel it."

On 15 November 1875 she reached Mornese and got to know the Institute FMA that had been started just three years earlier. Mother Mazzarello welcomed this young woman with her usual humble, maternal simplicity, who reflected innocence of the heart in her eyes, and saw in her a treasure of virtue and wisdom. The steps were quick: May 24th 1876, marked her entrance into the novitiate, and on August 29th of the same year, she made her first profession. A year later, on November 14th 1877, at the age of 23, she left for America, as the guide of the first FMA missionary expedition, full of missionary enthusiasm, and infected by the air that she had breathed in Mornese. This is where "the Lord granted her the grace of saving as many souls as the coins had collected� as a child.

In her 36 years of missionary life, Angela was able to translate the Gospel into life. “The one who is in charge is she who serves� was her motto. She was a tireless woman, capable of dealing with travel, displacement, distance, loneliness, detachment, poverty, and difficulties of all kinds.

maike@cgfma.org

Rights and Law A Child at Any Price!

Rosaria Elefante Life in our hands. Can you put a price on your own child? The answer today is not obvious.

The process of “normalization” has long since accustomed us to words that seem to come from a science fiction novel, but actually crystallize into a surreal reality that has already happened in too many countries for years.

Uterus for rent, surrogate motherhood, surrogate, contract for a temporary , are paraphrases that include cases in which a woman, "rents" her womb for nine months as a natural incubator for the unnatural operation of “growing” a child ordered by others, intended for them by contract.

Yes, in addition to the sale of gametes (eggs and / or sperm) to infertile or homosexual couples, it is all the rage today "to rent" a woman for the gestational period, using her body like a "machine", to obtain a "thing": the child who, naturally, would never have arrived in any other way. When the birth occurs, the purchasing couple collects the goods (the child) paying between 8,000 to 60,000 dollars (or more) depending on the power of the “blackmail” exercised by the surrogate mother.

The United States, Great Britain, India, Ukraine and Guatemala, are all countries where this trade is flourishing. What is the difference? Just a matter of price. It is the balance of power - economic, geographic, social - between the intended parents (if they can be so defined) and the actual gestator woman who dictates the conditions and shifts the choice of the temporary mother on the world map.

This is called the commercialization of human life, not only and above all for the child, but also for the exploitation of women, for the humiliation of their bodies, for the authentic disfigurement of the feminine person, to the point of striking her in the magnificent, immaculate essence of procreation :

the maternal instinct, the bond of blood and the psychological bond, with a creature that germinates, grows, moves, and lives inside a mother ..

Let us reflect for a moment. A couple pays money to a woman who collects it for a human life that is "commissioned", "produced", and even "sold", maybe even on the basis of certain selected criteria. The shop of “cows ready for calving” is open. Under the veil of "noble intentions" the overt “right” is "forbidden to forbid." Yes, because now all of this, in all its phases, is a right: to the child, maternity, paternity, offspring. Rights and freedoms. It is nothing more than normal contractual practice. With less than 7,000 dollars the life of a young Indian woman "hired" from a hovel, changes radically. It is important that she be healthy, and in the case of malformation of the "goods" she does not cause problems and quickly aborts the fetus without a murmur. Needless to say; the child to be “delivered” must be healthy.

The deafening silence that hangs over this odious practice is unbearable!

It seems as though in substance we are accepting everything. Certainly, it is better not to speak, It seems almost it would be inopportune to do so.

Perhaps with too much evidence there would be a resulting absolute nihilism. How does one justify the distortion between the dignity of women so often purported, and the depressing condition in which thousands of women around the world live to satisfy the desire for a child by anyone with money, who feel justified both legally and culturally, to do so?

A child is priceless. rosaria.elefante@virgilio.it

The human and Christian dignity of procreation, in fact, does not consist in a" product ", but in its connection with the conjugal act, an expression of the love of the spouses, their union, not only biological but also spiritual. The Instruction Donum Vitae reminds us, in this regard, that "because of its intimate structure, the conjugal act, while most closely uniting husband and wife, making them suitable for the generation of new lives, according to laws inscribed in the very being of 'man and woman " (n. 126). (‌) The Church pays much attention to the suffering of infertile couples, cares for them, and because of this, encourages medical research. Science, however, is not always able to respond to the desire of many couples. Therefore, I would like to remind married couple living the condition of infertility, that this does not mean that their vocation to marriage is frustrated. Spouses, by their very baptismal and marriage vocation, are always called to collaborate with God in the creation of a new humanity. The vocation to love, in fact, is a vocation to the gift of self and this is a possibility that no organic condition can prevent. Where, then, science has not yet found an answer, the answer that gives light comes from Christ. "(Address of Benedict XVI to the participants of the Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life, February 2012).

The Culture of Ecology Earth, Our Shared Home Julia Arciniegas, Martha Seide Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. The earth, our shared home, is alive with a unique community of life. The protection of the vitality, diversity, and beauty of the planet is a sacred duty (cf. Earth Charter).

The cry of the earth It is an indisputable fact that the environmental crisis has now taken on a global dimension.

Pollution in its various forms, climate change, the crisis of water resources, the irreversible reduction of biodiversity, depletion of many alimentary, oil, geological resources, and progressively reduce the quality of life. In the face of this progressive deterioration of the environment is also the growing awareness and the need to build an ecological culture that strengthens the alliance between the human being and the environment. For this reason, it is urgent to regain the ability to recognize in creation a gift to appreciate and respect. “And God saw that it was good

his relationship with God "(Haffner, Towards a Theology of the Environment, 123).

The New Testament presents the Risen Lord as the mediator of all creation: for by Him all things were created, through him all finds meaning and fullness (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1, 3).

The Word that was made flesh in Jesus Christ, in fact, worked from the beginning, as the creative Wisdom of the Father. The same Passover of the Lord, then, reveals a cosmic dimension: it is the earth itself that is involved in the resurrection, so as to be oriented toward the fullness of life.

In the book of Genesis we find the formula: "And God saw ... that it was good�, seven times and this is said about the light, the earth, the stars of the sky, the animals, and finally human beings , man and woman (cf. Chapter 1).

Creation is the first great gift of God, the first radical expression of his powerful love: an ordered and precious cosmos, capable of sustaining the mysterious, fragile reality that is life (cf. CEI Day for the integrity of creation 2006).

Created work is good because the Creator produced it out of love, for a good purpose.

True good is that which flows from a free act of love. Therefore, this goodness is not only about the moral dimension, but includes the ability of creatures to reflect the glory and perfection of God. In this sense the value of creation is a value in itself, in reference to the Creator. "The subhuman world reaches its full meaning from its reference to man. At the same time, man reaches his full meaning with

A legacy to be guarded One of the challenges of the twenty-first century is that of building an ecological culture centered on the relationship between man and his habitat, between human ecology and environmental ecology. "Today there is a strong demand to convert ourselves from consumers-exploiters to custodians of creation.

This must start from the inside of the person who makes the U-turn with a great sense of

responsibility"

(Cir.

934,

p.10).

To cherish means to take care, to take responsibility for the world in which we live, to promote a more balanced relationship between man and nature. This means not only strengthening the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats, but also reviewing indepth the ways in which our societies generate well-being and economic and social development.

Today there are already many actions that can be undertaken to put into act practical behavior aimed at reducing the consumption of nature, the destruction of natural resources, and the waste of primary environmental goods such as water, land, air, biodiversity, and energy. At the same time, there are many initiatives to be promoted to enable developmental paths capable of giving the dignity and well-being to much of humanity that is excluded today.

Furthermore, guarding creation in the economic, political, and social environment also means guiding it with the appropriate regulatory means, with adequate resources, and supporting with adequate means all measures that help to lighten the ecological footprint, i.e. the weight of a community on the natural environment, and to improve the condition and quality of life of human beings(cf.

IEC, 8th World Day for the Protection of Creation 2013).

Finally, in order to preserve creation, it is necessary to educate and be educated in an ecological culture for a more sustainable lifestyle.

What can we do?

Daily life presents us with opportunities to translate into concrete attitudes the conviction that the earth is a sacred gift to be administered for the good of humanity. The Office of OFM JPIC offers us interesting operational tips. To achieve this process, for example at the level of waste management, the three environmental Rs are still valid: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.



Reduce: the use of disposable products: plastic, “trays made of polystyrene, excessive packaging, materials that pollute, etc.;



Re-use: bags, boxes, envelopes, paper and plastic and other containers, choose products with eco-labels, choose products made with recycled materials and products with reusable containers;



Recycle: cardboard, paper, newspaper, plastic, bottles, containers, glass and aluminum household waste.

Finally, it is essential to put into practice the sorting of trash Educating ourselves and others Which disposable products do we use most often? Which can we substitute or avoid?

Which products could we recycle and/or re-use?

Do we carry out regular sorting of trash?

Let us take actual decisions in this regard.

Arianna’s Line In/Gratitude Generally, when faced with situations of suffering, feelings of compassion and the desire to help, to assist, to relieve obstacles, emerge. Sometimes it is possible to intervene only by an intercessory prayer. At other times, having the means and if circumstances allow, compassion becomes gestures of welcome, defense, support, tenderness.

These are concrete actions that come from a deep sense of humanity and compassion towards those who often suffer unjustly. They are marked by a desire to give relief, the possibility for peaceful growth, and the enthusiasm to contribute to an important cause. While born in gratuitousness, one cannot ignore the fact that "the desire to do good unconsciously contains a request to receive at least recognition" (PARSI Maria Rita, Ungrateful.

Syndrome Rancuorosa del Beneficato, Mondadori, Milan 2012).

A person who gives help, acceptance, love and tenderness, is exposed, becomes vulnerable and can get into significant trouble. They can be blocked and succumb under the weight of the different aspects of ingratitude, especially if they start out with the enthusiasm and ingenuity of a neophyte, with little awareness of the inter-psychic dynamics and the scant knowledge of the possible responses of those who are benefited.

An unbearable burden The experience of ingratitude is experienced early in life. It is not uncommon to hear children, especially teenagers, who confide their first experiences with the pain of betrayal: "Last year she was my friend, and I even brought her snacks.

This year she became friendly with someone else and told her all my secrets." Even when we were children she came to my house, we played and did homework together. Now she no longer comes and speaks badly of me and my family." These experiences often have a negative impact on school performance and interpersonal

relationships, but they can opportunities for personal growth.

also

become

For adults and older people even more than for adolescents and young adults ingratitude can be an unbearable burden. The people to whom you open your heart and with whom you shared your life ( your partner , a friend , or daughter , a loved one, an institution to which they belong ) and for which one has an emotional attachment, when they meet with the misrepresentation of reality, with treachery , slander , humiliation , rejection and abandonment ( real or so perceived ) , can inflict damage comparable to that caused by a tsunami .

They can become confused , cause one to question his/her own identity, to close in on themselves, to lose the meaning of life and of the gift. It is reflected in phrases like : "It's very sad, I really did not expect this”, “You cannot believe or help anyone”, “This is what you get : after years of sacrifice , you are left in the lurch . It is better to think for yourself and let fix themselves ." And even worse things.

Those benefitted and benefactors Ingratitude is defined as "behavior that disregards or denies the human and moral substance of the benefit received" ( Devoto -Oli ). It is a widespread attitude which, according to the occasions and stages of life, can emerge not only in one who receives the benefit , but also in the benefactor.

According to the author cited above, it is part of our being in the world, and is born with the gift of life : the great gift of love , that was not asked for and that results in expulsion from the womb that had previously been kept in a state of perfect wellbeing, in unconditional protection . " We are born in

a visceral act of betrayal , greater according to the greater love that preceded it . By being born we are transiting towards an independent life for which we did not ask. " The imprinting of love contains that of ambivalence and the resentment of the one benefitted is " in our umbilical cord; we must also learn to recognize it even in ourselves in order to control it and to prevent that it turns into pathological dimensions .

The unconditional acceptance and maternal care following birth help to heal the initial injury. Parental love becomes "the emotional training ground that helps children to be good receivers, i.e., people who are able to ask calmly for what they need, and say ‘thank you’ to those who give to them, who are able to recognize the gift received because love will make it possible. The discomfort of ambivalence turns into resentment when one cannot transform it into gratitude, if one lacks the model and the nourishment.”

Those who, either because of lack of care and love, or lack of self-awareness and reflection, have not overcome the ambivalence of love, could either be unable to recognize the benefits received, because they are understood as compensation for what has been taken from them, or become benefactors to the bitter end to show others how to become benefactors.

Those who see the gift as compensation for what has been taken from them, with their pretentions and misrepresentation of reality, can become a nightmare and even a danger. In order not to be overwhelmed, not to allow feelings of hatred and revenge to become entrenched in the spirit and not to close in upon themselves and stop, one needs to emotionally distance self, even physically, if possible, and rely on Him who recognizes the gift of even a glass of water. Maria Rita Parsi writes: "The fate of the ungrateful, which they deserve, is oblivion."

We all are included in the benefited and benefactors, givers and receivers. And if it is not easy to be a good receiver, it is harder still to be a good benefactor. Some donors (we can count ourselves among them) tend to feel too much the

heavy burden of helping or giving to become the accommodating person or otherwise to ingratiate self, to gain favor. The interest, especially if it is subtle, causes, in those who receive it, humiliation, discomfort, embarrassment, and even rejection of the benefit. Some donors may feel envious and feel impoverished by the professional success or the prestige achieved by the person being benefited; still others may close themselves up in a sad resentment, and become unable to find serenity and delight in giving.

A gift is still a burden that not everyone can bear peacefully, and much less to be grateful. Cacciaguida, in the seventeenth canto of Paradise in the Divine Comedy, referring to the reception that he experience in exile, says to Dante: "Thou shalt experience how the bread of others tastes of salt /, and how hard the road / to descend and climb the stairs of another...”

Learning from the ungrateful The experience of ingratitude can lead to irreparable damage, but it can also become an important opportunity for growth. The cited author writes: "I must thank the many, perhaps too many ungrateful people. Some of them were really so in a truly incomprehensible way, others in a decidedly unworthy way. I have met them and continue to meet them in my life. They have been and are my true teachers. From them I learned, and I learn every day, everything that I know now about my limitations, emptiness, miseries, unworthiness, incompetence, inefficiency. " Ingratitude can help one to learn more about personal humanity and also that of others .

Profound knowledge of self allows one to be stay open, available, disinterested, and, at the same time, to come to terms with the dark side of self; it allows for the realization that the desire to do good unconsciously contains the request to receive recognition and this can be felt by the other person as an excessive burden. At times, constrained by necessity, one may show gratitude, but if the person feels the burden of the benefit that he/she considers to be compensation for deprivation,

Margherita, he decided to continue to welcome others, but with more caution.

they can either ignore or turn against their benefactor and inflict pain and suffering.

From the indignation, grief , and disorientation that causes the lack of gratitude, one can learn to be prudent, realistic, and humble, not making efforts to do good with unconscious complacency, but to responsibly prepare for any eventuality. Bunuel says: "Do not do good if you're not ready to bear the evil that you will receive in return." Even Don Bosco learned from the ungrateful. After the boys were given shelter, they made off with blankets , sheets and even straw, but on the advice of Mamma

The experience of ingratitude brings with it the temptation to withdraw and to give up. But the awareness of one’s own humanity and that of others, enlightened by faith, helps to continue with humility to believe that the good done has great value, regardless of recognition.

"The ungrateful, writes the author cited above, are, for me, like mud without soul or light. They are, darkness that I must illumine, and, thanks to them, I can turn into gold. The authentic human being is one who looks to the stars. Even in the mud from from which they come.� A good benefactor is a person who is truly human "who aspires to do good because they are aware of Beauty. It vibrates whenever the good is done, feeling an inner realization that, like a structuring energy, connects his/her mind, body, and imagination.

Gratitude has a great educational value. Don Bosco wanted it to be highlighted even with a celebration.

Whoever serenely recognizes the benefit received, recognizes self and his/her condition. This confers identity and freedom, and the ability to be a good benefactor, a generous person who not only gives, but also agrees to receive and show gratitude rossi_maria@libero.it

that takes place.

SYS Culture Mara Borsi Living with Passion Salesian Spirituality encourages young people to meet the challenges and demands of everyday life with joy and sacrifice. It is a spirituality that meets them at their level and knows how to identify the movement of the Spirit in their hearts.

Today we are experiencing a season that seems to be distinguished by the intoxicating myth of efficiency and quality: if you're at peak performance you count; if you're not, you do not.

Life must be pretty, perfect, rich, intelligent, successful; life counts if it appears.

A consequence of this view of existence is the reproduction of masks. Everything is done so one does not appear to be fragile, weak, or limited. Salesian spirituality educates to love life in its entirety, with its lights and shadows, as well as with its slowness: If you deny this, the color and flavor of life is lost, the real one of course.

Through their sons and daughters and all those who share the same spirituality, John Bosco and Maria Mazzarello even today teach countless girls and boys to live with passion, to read the page of the life they are living, the face of those whom they meet, the sentiments that they are touching, in a word, to be present to what they do, present in the fragment of life

At the School of the Incarnation of a God who inhabited the fragment, has lived our poverty and weakness, those who live Salesian spirituality believe in God's presence that constantly surrounds His children with love and protection, recognizing that there is no need to break away from ordinary life to seek his face.

In fact that is where we find it.

Assuming coherently the ordinary aspect of existence; accepting its challenges; questions; tensions of growth; seeking the putting together of the fragments in the unity realized by the Spirit in Baptism; working for the overcoming of the ambiguities present in daily experience; fermenting every choice with love; this is the obligatory passage for discovering and loving daily life as a new reality in which God works His mercy and greatness.

The challenges and demands of daily life During the 9 AM religion class with the fifth graders of an elementary school the teacher saw a raised hand and called upon the young student who asked the question “How do you save a soul?�

The teacher felt a shiver run down her spine.

The question arrived unexpectedly and upset her planned lesson. Silence fell, and the eyes of the students flit from the face of their companion to that of the teacher. Astonished, they awaited her response.

Many questions ran through the teacher’s mind and a prayer to the Holy Spirit burst from her heart. Should she brush off the question with a

quick reply and go on to her planned lesson or should she follow the path of the unexpected?

She began to tell the story of Laura Vicuña, a young girl who offered her sufferings and even her life so that her mother wouldbe converted to what the Gospel was asking of her.

At a certain point, the teacher asked her students to close their eyes and to think of someone whom they knew who might make a poor choice in life. The teacher then asked: “How did you feel…why?”

She began a sharing session that led students to express concern for family, friends, and acquaintances. A lively dialogue followed and became deeper when, little by little, she led them to understand that their concern was rooted in love.

The teacher helped them to understand that this was the same love that Laura Vicuña had for her mother.

To save a soul, then, you can be as generous as she was, and through this generosity, you can put a special intention for the conversion of those whom we love. Another, different hand was raised; the student to solemnize what she was going to say stood up: "Does this mean that we have to give our life to save a soul?”

The teacher explained that not all are called to give our life as did Jesus, Laura and many other witnesses of the Gospel did, but one can be generous in many other ways, and she began with a list of examples from practical situations in daily life, speaking of availability, sacrifice, and concern for others: helping younger brothers and sisters with their homework assignment, being ready to do little household chores for grandparents...

The examples seemed to never end.

And so it happened that on a sunny, autumn day, the fifth grade students of a small Catholic elementary school in the southern part of the United States were challenged to be more generous, to go beyond a simple lesson that became a lived experience.

Jeanette Palasota fma, United States mara@cgfma.org

Pastoral-ly WYD: A Stage of a Long Journey Mara Borsi, Palma Lionetti The key message of World Youth Day in Rio, which was new in form and substance, has become the travel companion of young people, who, like the disciples of Emmaus, appear distrustful of a Church that is perceived to be distant. It is becoming companions of God along the way speaking through the gestures of sharing.

The words and actions of Pope Francis during the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro revealed to the world something of the route to be followed for the future of the Church.

Young people are not a reality unto to themselves, they are an integral part of society, and the Pope showed this by customizing the program of a WYD inherited from others. The stops at a center for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, a visit to one of the more than 1,100 favelas in the city, meeting with eight inmates, six boys and two girls, meant that even the younger generations are not exempt from dealing with pain, limitations, poverty, sin, crime, punishment, personal and social redemption. The Pope himself in drawing up the balance sheet of this great event reminded everyone that the World Youth Days are not "fireworks", or moments of enthusiasm as ends in themselves, but are stages of a long journey.

In youth ministry workers the awareness of the importance of combining pastoral events,( of which World Youth Day is the vertex) with the pastoral care of everyday life, that is, with the proposed educational programs that promote the internalization of faith, has been made increasingly clear in recent years. However, one will still experience a gap between the strong experience of the large convocations, and thinking of the Salesian experience, for example, those of the Salesian Youth Movement now carried out in all contexts, and in everyday life. There is still a certain difficulty in accompanying young people in their university

experience, in the world of work, for the few who manage to find a job, to intercept the reality of youth, especially one that is on the outskirts of major events.

Entering into the night In speaking with the Brazilian bishops about young people, Pope Francis said: "We need a church that is not afraid to going into their night, able to meet them on their way able to take part in their conversation."

We cannot ignore the night of today’s men and women, towards whom the Church is called to set out without fear and prejudice. A mandate to be respected and made concrete by the fact that Francis chose the WYD in Rio de Janeiro to tell all believers in Jesus they are called to be servants of the community and of the culture of the encounter, without being presumptuous, led by the humble and happy certainty of one who has been found, touched and transformed by the truth that is Christ.

This being said, they cannot but proclaim it.

The Pope has offered young people a personal example, an actual indication of how to live as Christians today, with primary emphasis on the suffering, the marginalized, the forgotten, those discarded by society. The message comes through loud and clear.

What remains afterward?

18 year- old Martina said: "I expected as much, but I found even more. Returning home I made a radical charge. As a catechist I wanted to

In daily life To link the great events to everyday life, to plan a sensible youth ministry, it is necessary to insist on the centrality of the figure of Jesus. It is the humanity of Jesus that "teaches how to live", and educates our humanity. Reading the Gospel together with young people, as a community of believers, looking at the humanity that motivated Jesus in his encounters with others, how he spoke, what inner life he revealed…

Witnessing to the faith therefore, and showing it as a way of feeling, capable of giving flavor, direction and meaning to the lives of young people

communicate experienced.

to

my

children

what

I

had "

Maria Elena, a 20- year old, said: "I still have the urge to smile and to communicate love. But above all, I have clear objectives: to never stop seeking in the faith to serve others in everyday life. " Clare, 19 years of age: "I understood that Pope Francis believes in us, in a suffocated generation that has no way or space to express itself. He gave us confidence, without any if, and, or but. Trust is the treasure that remains with me. " Gabriel, 22-year old: "The joy and the knowledge that now it's up to us."

Fausto, 25 year old, "Come down from the balconies”, the Pope told us. This gives me the courage to be active, not a spectator.

Luca, a 28 year-old educator: "Commitment, daily ministry and everyday work. The awareness that what we do is not useless, nothing is too small, but it all works toward making a piece world a little bit better. Sharing life in our homes, in educational settings, in the ordinary moments that sometimes happen, all become exceptional because they shine with simplicity and love. They are oases of meaning in the deserts of platitudes, smiles, hugs, gestures that show the sign of Jesus’ love. "

In the vacant places We will build with new bricks There are hands and machines And clay for new brick And lime for new mortar Where the bricks are fallen We will build with new stone Where the beams are rotten We will build with new timbers Where the word is unspoken We will build with new speech There is work together A Church for all And a job for each Every man to his work.

(T. S. Eliot - Chorus from “The Rock”)

mara@cgfma.org paolapignatelli@hotmail.com

A Look at the Word United For a Better Society Anna Rita Cristaino “I firmly believe that the salvation of India depends on the abnegation and emancipation of its women” (M. Gandhi).

This year, the article "A look at the world," will be a travelogue, with the story of meetings and listening to stories that opens us up to different cultures of the world. The first stop is Bangalore, India.

We visit this city and the States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala with the intention of looking at this part of the world through the eyes of women ... this gives us the opportunity to enter this great nation with a rich perspective of suggestions, and above all it gives us the ability to grasp why their contribution is important for the growth of this country.

Bangalore is the capital of the state of Karnataka in the south-western tip of India. Only 28% of Bangalore lives in the city, and most of its population rely on agricultural enterprises. The economic and cultural difference becomes greater and focusing on technologies at a high level compared to the principles of the agrarian economy has given two faces of the same city. The first is vibrant, innovative, and extremely modern, showing the success of a developing nation. The second shows people living on the outskirts, on the streets, without adequate public services, with enormous differences in income, with little health and opportunities.

Women and children in particular suffer from these situations. For women it means fighting against poverty, but also against the discrimination of those who want to relegate them only to work at home without giving them a voice. Making the women literate, then, is absolutely necessary to give them an awareness of their potential.

Sr. Anna Thekkekandathil, fma working in the INK province tells us: “Seeing the extreme poverty of women, young people, and children in the various states of India, especially in the slums and villages of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, we created an NGO called the Centre for Development

and Empowerment of Women (CDEW), to promote the status of women through various interventions and activities.”

As in all of India the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians here have chosen to alleviate poverty and promote literacy through a campaign in which women acquire basic skills to make their lives more sustainable. For the FMA women are the trump card for leaving poverty behind and improving family living standards in terms of food, health care and the education of children. The Sisters work for the dignity and rights of women through the promotion of self-awareness, social participation, education, cultural, formation, economic autonomy, and health care.

CDEW is the organization for the official Social Action of the FMA in the province. It started in 2003 as a volunteer group and plans its work following 5 strategies of empowerment: in organization, education, self-sufficient economy, personal care, and the ability to take decisions.

On our journey we meet women whose faces are marked by suffering and sorrow, but also the determination to do something that will make their future and that of their children better. They are women whose gaze is intense, who know the preciousness of each moment of life, who have known hard times, but who have been able to rise, finding in themselves the power to improve their conditions.

Among these is Mahalakshmi : "I am from the village of Palipalem in Kottapatnam Mandal . My parents arranged a marriage for me here in Mahendra Nagar, Ongole . My husband had a furnace for the production of bricks. One day, during a quarrel with a neighbor he was stabbed and died. I have four children;three girls and a boy.

My youngest child was 6 months old. When my husband was alive , I hardly ever went

out of the house, not even to go to market . Some of my neighbors advised me to sell the furnacen and to buy some buffalo to earn a living . With children who were so young I had to struggle to support my family. Then,one of the organizers of the Centre for Development of Women, " Auxilium Akhila Vikas ", Mrs. Rani, came to visit my family.

She asked me to join their self-help group to learn how to put some money aside and then get a loan from the group and from the bank. I became a member of the group, gained confidence in myself ,and I started to appreciate the value of hard work .

After 6 months I got my first loan from the group and bought another buffalo. I sent my children to school, even though the more they advanced in their studies, the more expensive it became.. With the help of another loan from bank I could buy another buffalo. Currently I have three buffaloes from which I earn a regular income for the care of my family. Before, we lived in a hut, but eventually I was able to build a house of bricks. Two of my children are continuing their studies, and two daughters are married. Being part of the group helped me to gain confidence in myself, to grow in dignity and to work without having to depend on others to get ahead in life. At first I was very timid, then becoming aware of my potential, I was able to speak in front of people, to say my thoughts and tell my story. "

Saguna also is a determined woman who had to struggle to gain acceptance and to demonstrate that despite her inability to have children , her life has not been useless. " Now I am a leader in the Laxmi Self-Help Group . I have been married for 25 years. I have not had children, and because of this my neighbors and my mother-in-law looked at me with contempt. My husband worked in a shop as an accountant, and I was a housewife . I felt very depressed and did not get help from anyone . One day , one of the Sisters from the Centre for the Development of Women " Auxilium Akhila Vikas " , along with a community organizer , came to visit my family and I was advised to become part of the Laxmi Self Help-Group . I was gradually able to overcome my suffering and they encouraged me to start a small shop. So I took out a loan and bought rice wholesale to sell retail . After I had repaid the first loan, the group members advised me to take another one , and so I could enlarge my rice store.

Now , by hard work , I became aware of my inner potential and I built a good relationship with my neighbors. I found many clients to whom I sell rice .

Although I am no longer very young, I decided to adopt a little girl, even though my husband and many of my neighbors criticized me for this decision. I answered them by saying that through the daily sales of a few packets of rice I could raise the child.

Little by little, my husband gave in. I called my daughter Sri Harsavardhini. Now my husband is happy to have this daughter and loves her very much. " Sister Padma Latha also works in the development centers and shares her experience with us: "Women have been empowered and gained awareness. They have escaped from their bondage. Now they are independent and are able to think for themselves. They have acquired many skills to improve their lives. They are able to motivate their children to go to school, to realize their capabilities and protect their rights. Through the SHG groups, women have increased at all levels and have gained, security, self-esteem and confidence. They have more knowledge and hope.

Today women are freer, and I can say that the progress made by these women has been their journey to liberation. "

Over the years the CDEW has successfully implemented various projects and programs: the formation and growth of approximately 700 Selfhelp Centers that form a federation, Programs for the generation of income , construction of houses, schools, programs to promote literacy for poor children in three States, reaching approximately 3,000 children, prevention and information programs on HIV / AIDS. There has also been the construction of more than 500 wells, rainwater harvesting, programs for children excluded from school ,and 10 000 persons recovering from alcoholism with of Alcoholics Anonymous groups.

The work of CDEW Bangalore is narrated in the video of Don Bosco Missions "Unite for a better society�.

Walk the Talk Maria Antonia Chinello CONNECTING

In communication, as in the new evangelization, it is crucial to leave open the channel to establish mutual listening, presupposed for dialogue The dictionary of the Italian language in referring to the word "connect" explains that it means "To unite two or more things; to connect ideas, to put them in a logical sequence; to put one thing into relationship with another, relating one thing to another; to reason; to unite one thing to another, to connect to someone.�The definitions proceed from putting in succession or to connect objects, ideas of the union between people.

On the contemporary horizon, private companies, organizations, government agencies always favor a more systemic approach in the study, design, and development of solutions for marketing, management, and training. In an context characterized by uncertainty and complexity, to acquire an overview one needs to join in, and express a dynamic view of the relations, to focus on the interdisciplinary, teamwork, knowledge sharing, in order to overcome the limitations of a sector knowledge, a static, fragmented vision of reality, problems, ideas and discussion.

Connecting says that the communicative action in network time (Internet): wired or wireless links two or more extremes on both the technical level as well as in the ideas of people, their beliefs, emotions and actions. These are the relationships that are at the center of the system and the exchange of content, and they are increasingly linked to those who produce them or report them. It should be understood that concepts like person, author, relationship, coherence, responsibility, friendship, intimacy, neighbor ... evolve with the advent of the Net The connection tells of one’s willingness to get in touch, to keep the channel open, to be present with ringtones, SMS, post and tweet: "one-to-onealways-available", "all-always-accessible."

If the connection does not have a connection to reality, the opposite side of the coin is closure, because: "If the Internet is called to connect, and it actually ends up isolating, it then betrays itself, and its meaning. The heart of the problem is the fact that connection and network sharing do not

identify with “meeting", which is a very challenging level of relationship. " The connection is called to be a space of communion, clearing the way for new encounters, always, however,maintaining the quality of human contact.

Connection: a place of communion The existence of the person is "called" not from isolation and self-sufficiency, but only from the life of a relationship with his Creator, that constitutes his innermost being. God is not solitude, but relationship, because he is "love" (1 John 4:8).

Relationship, love, meaning of life: God called men and women into existence to make them participants in his own life.

The connection expresses the Internet as the context in which faith is called upon to express itself, not by a simple desire to "be there" but for a union of Christianity with the lives of people.

Like Jesus, the Word "has accomplished His mission by descending into all of our darkness, with humility and with a deep love for all people, for all of us sinners. Even the Church, then, cannot follow any other way than that of kenosis to reveal to the world the Servant of the Lord "(Communicating the Gospel in a Changing World, 63).

The Church is a home and school of communion, a hospitable dwelling space, carrying "the burdens of one another", opening itself to dialogue and not closing the contact, because "What we have heard ...we proclaim also to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us ... And we are writing this that our joy [of us and all of you] may be complete "(1 John 1:1-4). It is thanks to listening, experience, and contemplation of the Word, that we and our life will be transformed in order to become able to communicate what we have received.

WhatsApp Messenger This is a Mobile Multi-platform instant messaging application that allows one to exchange messages with contacts without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia.

One can exchange messages, share photos, video, audio recordings, and geographic observations of a location with anyone who has a Smartphone connected to the Internet. Since it serves the same Internet account used for email and web browsing, there are no additional costs to send messages and to stay in touch with friends. The application is updated regularly on the various platforms, improving product offerings and opportunities.

Even this application, which is rampant among the young (and not so young), demands responsibility in the use and production of content. There have also been cases where boys and girls, sometimes unconsciously, spread news, self-portraits, video, messages incriminating themselves and others.

Something you want to be confidential and private, ends instead travelling over the network and will spread rapidly. The consequences are not hard to imagine.

Women in the Context The Reflection of Tenderness in the Economy Bernadette Sangma Listening to the thoughts and alternative proposals of some women in the sector of world economy at a time of severe crisis is a foretaste of the capacity for the redemption of feminine logic. They offer guidelines for an unprecedented passage from an economy organized around individualistic, competitive interests centered on gain, to the economy of care expressed in terms of tenderness and attention made for people, and not the market for profit. It is the economy of Rianne Eisler.

Women’s alternative way Looking at the current world economic and financial crisis, many women scholars and activists have analyzed the situation and agree that at the root of it all there remains an individualistic system centered on fallacious priorities,on oppressive and dysfunctional power. This system has ignored the basic human needs resulting in the marginalization of a large category of people, and generating increased poverty, environmental degradation, violation of human rights and inequality. Other consequences are the escalation of war, terrorism and violent conflicts that we see in every part of the world. We are used to counting victims.

Unfortunately, behind those numbers, there are innocent people with names and surnames whose lives have been irrevocably shattered. I cite two examples.

In Syria, a woman with her small child fled to the border of Lebanon. She was nine months pregnant.

Her husband had been killed by a bullet while returning home. Now the woman is alone with her recently born second child fortunately unharmed because she was assisted in the birth by a humanitarian group.

During the terrorist attack at Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya an engaged couple had gone to buy the last things for their wedding that was to take place in just two weeks. While they are buying the rings, they were surprised by the terrorists. Both were killed. The young man was an only child whom his mother had raised alone.

These are just two episodes of excruciating suffering that came about as a consequence of systems that have forgotten the human aspect to substitute it with hatred, injustice, revenge and violence.

Today there is the certainty that the system modeled on the economic person has failed. . The economic crisis we are experiencing is an appropriate time to consider alternative routes.

Riane Eisler says: "It is clearer than ever before that something is deeply wrong in today’s dominant economic system, something is wrong in its DNA. There needs to be a radical transformation. "

Children: the starting point of the economy The economy of caring of Riane Eisler is as original as it is human, touching and reaching out toward the future. The author proposes thinking of a new economy, focusing not on the stock exchange, stocks and bonds, derivatives or other financial instruments, but on children. Policies and economic practices must have as their starting point the wellbeing of children, and their validity should be evaluated by the following indicators: children's health, their access to education, their quality of life. Continuing the discourse Riane argues that we must ask ourselves what kind of economic system helps or hinders children in the realization of their great potential in awareness, empathy, care, and creativity, i.e. the ability to make them fully human.

Toward an economy of caring Riane Eisler traces out some steps needed to move toward a sustainable economy in harmony with nature. The model that she proposes is based on the principle of partnership, pointing out that it is directed towards building relationships of mutual respect and accountability.

The first step that she suggests is that of taking advantage of the moment of loss and regression as an opportunity to reformulate the economy. Riane suggests thinking beyond social and economic categories such as capitalism, socialism, and other 'isms'. She says, quoting Einstein that we cannot solve problems with the same logic of the system that created them.

This important step would be to lay the foundations for an economy of caring. This rests on the belief that the real wealth of nations is not based on finance. The real wealth of nations, instead, is made up of the people and by nature!

She then goes on to suggest what might be called the heart of the model that she proposes i.e.,that the development of new economic measures that give real visibility and value to the work of caring for people and nature. Citing the United States, Riane says a plumber receives between 50 to 100 dollars an hour, while babysitters are paid on the average $ 10 an hour. Riane says emphatically that this difference is not logical but pathological because when basic human needs are neglected, desperation grows and there is resulting ecological destruction with social tensions and conflicts.

One of the important steps in this economy of caring is the empowerment of women. Citing research entitled "Women, men and the overall quality of life," in which the statistical data of 89 nations that detect the status of women in relation to the index of quality of life was considered, Riane said the study showed that the status of women is the best indicator of quality of life.

Riane Eisler is a woman of great relevance.

Reading her publications is like breathing the freshness of a different way of thinking. Her books: "Children of Tomorrow. The Plan for a Partnership in Education in the Twenty-First Century" and “The Real Wealth of Nations "could offer many ideas for the educating communities in the implementation an education and of an economy of radical transformation.�

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hen theatrical is art converted into Music and Theater

Theater Games in Artistic Formation Sara Cecilia Sierra Wolf Rüdiger Wilms With the articles of this section dedicated to the theater, this year we want to encourage looking at the vast field of theater games and accepting them with their pedagogical and artistic significance.

Let’s play theater ?

If we think of the person as an evolving being characterized by culture, then the following definition is valid: Culture is defined as how the person plays, learns and works, so much so as to consider these three forms of growth as core activities. In modern society, these forms of activity were conceived as systematically consecutive stages of life. In post-modern society we can speak, in most cases, of the dominant activities accompanying the biography of a person in its various stages. For this reason we believe the intersections of these activities to be conceivable at every stage of life. In Don Bosco’s tradition, theater is concerned primarily as a game: we play at theater (like playing football or chess). Those who have played at theater or directed it a few times, probably have had the experience of how the creation of a of good quality theatrical product is tied to intensive labor, by which even the actresses, actors and directors in general learn much. So, playing theater belongs to those forms of activity in which, play, study and work, form a unity with the untouchable predominance dominance of the game.

The most human of all arts There is, however, another fundamental problem to be solved : When is the theatrical production of an educational content converted into art ?

In this case, the following provision applies : a human activity requires the quality of an artistic work when we exercise it in an aesthetic way . It is as though we are saying : we are building or shaping something g scenic. The legitimacy of theatrical education is based on the value of formation, and this, in turn, is related to the aesthetic quality of performance . This gives the person who plays an agreement with self by means of art . In this sense, "playing at theater" is a form of self-formation.

In the today’s postmodern society we have a tendency toward a total esthetic reality. Included in this, thinking and the educational action succumb to pressure. Educators present their instructional strategies for aesthetics, putting them on stage or presenting them in a performative way. Others transform the class into study workshops, and through them create a scenario. Since the theater at least according to Bertold Brecht - is the most human of all arts, it is not strange that it is contemplated as a universal remedy which must give new life to the school along with other forms of teaching, academically high-sounding but frequently far from reality The magic of the esthetical moment Another basic problem is that of clarifying the question of the relationship between educational

theater and professional theater . At the beginning of the expansion of the theater created by amateurs, amateur theater and theater education, the comparison between amateurs and professionals provoked judgments on the inferiority of those who were not professionals in the eyes of the spectators In the past -and even today-there have been directors of educational theater who endeavor , through rehearsals and hard work , to lessen the difference of quality in amateur groups , who succeed well in exceptional cases. On the other hand, professionals look upon amateur theater and theater education as a threat to their monopoly of artistic pretension . However, theater education is largely detached from a simple imitation of professional theater, and at least in part, has developed its own aesthetic, qualitatively distinguishable from it and has formed its own public that feels equally attracted it.

Before a professional actor goes on stage in the exercise of his profession, he/she acquires a great power in the art. Theatrical education taught to children and young people necessarily deals with fundamental theatrical attitudes . A particular esthetic of the theatrical game in working with young people starts during the age of preadolescence, and includes the possibility of a partial loss of the awareness of reality. We know this phenomenon as the "flow" effect in which young actors can create the magic of the aesthetic moment . They lose themselves in this situation, and are " totally, completely themselves", allowing for the creation of a deep, all-encompassing sensitivity, in which they feel linked to the whole world, and to the cosmos. Expert theater directors know how to create these effects in the wake of a high culture of presentations, however, young people are generally very open to these moments , which can be reactivated completely through public presentations . Being open to and showing their vulnerability and emotional fragility , contributes essentially to the creation of a common space between actors and spectators , marked by an intensive emotion . This test of credibility in it’s implementation it is another thing in which comparison with the pros is not to be feared, although , of course, this does not free one of the obligation to follow a careful theatrical model .

Camilla PRAYING SOULS

Dear Friends, Once again, - helped by the good God - we were able to set foot in the new year, which brings with it, as always, the desire for renewal. Yes, even in advanced in years such as my own, the passion for something new urges the heart and trembling legs on to new heights! The reflection that I want to propose to you comes from the idea that every goal towards which we tend presupposes a starting point that cannot but be at the heart of all our momentum, namely prayer. During these days of celebration I have been dedicated to the careful observation of prayer in my community, and I need to entrust to you, who understand me, some considerations.

Allow me to offer a word for the early morning appointment that now seems to be the gathering place only for four or five earlybirds of the community. We know that in the evening some are committed to a ministry that is becoming ever more nocturnal and virtual, but so many of my generation used to stay up late to mend, study, plan and get ready for the next day, I would find before Jesus early as though nothing had happened! I do not judge; probably today others know how to be better organized, or to calmly meditate, in cutting out in the scraps of time needed at the end of frenetic days of work!

The second word I would like to offer is for the way in which we occupy our space during prayer. Now I fully understand that many of our chapels are too large for the small number of people they must hold, but before the Crucifix we succeed in situating ourselves so far away from each other to raise in the viewer a legitimate question as to the authenticity of that declaration of the Lord '"I will draw all men to myself".

The last word is for the voice that we raise to God when we pray together; it should be in unison, but there often stands out that of a zealous Sister who thinks that God is, perhaps, a bit 'hard of hearing’. All should be in agreement, but often there is a heart (and therefore also voice) that manages to always start half a second before the others in order - I believe - to show God (when not the Sisters) that she is present.

Well, maybe the newness of life begins with a prayer that is accurate in every detail, so the Almighty will not feel bad when we find it hard to open our lips before Him,and then, then leaving the chapel, wesuddenly find all of our loquacity !