34 Confreres of 17 nationalities working in various provinces throughout the Salesian world were the privileged beneficiaries of this program and together with the entire team of animators they made history, becoming the first group to participate in this program offered by the SDB Formation Department.
The program was designed with great tact, care and attention, so as to offer participants a complete exposure to the life, geography and times of Jesus. It was a combination of an archaeological, historical, theological and scriptural synthesis.
In the morning there were visits to the holy places with the reading of scriptural texts related to those places and to the Holy Eucharist; in the afternoon, the study of the biblical texts took place, while there were moments of prayer of the Lectio Divina in the evening.
The first week was spent in Nazareth, in Galilee, during which the mystery of the Incarnation was deepened via the Annunciation, as well as the role of the Holy Family in the care of the Child Jesus, His missionary manifesto, His call to His disciples, His miracles and His public ministry, His teaching of the beatitudes, transfiguration, baptism. The second part, that took place in Judea, deepened the contemplation of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and the Easter mystery of His passion, death and resurrection in Jerusalem.
The journey started with the question: "What or who are you looking for?" And it ended with the question: "Do you love me?" This, with the words of Mary, "Do what she tells you", and of the Heavenly Father, "Listen", echoing in our hearts.
Sincere congratulations to the SDB Formation Department for this project, to our guides for its creation and execution, and to our guests and to the Ratisbonne support staff for taking care of us unfailingly and without compromise. Thanks to God Almighty, to our respective provincials and their councils who conceded us this opportunity and to our benefactors without whom we would not have been able to overcome this experience.
(Fr. Isaac Arackaparambil, SDB – Fr Yuriy Smakous, SDB)
