JPIC Meeting: Day 7

The seventh day in Tagaytay was a very intensive and rich time for me. As usual I went to holy mass in the chapel in the morning and the priest who celebrated the Eucharist in English, sang a blessing to us in the Filipino language. It was a beautiful moment and it touched my heart. After breakfast we had our common prayer where we threw yarnball in different colors to each other as an expression of our belonging together. While we were weaving a colourful net, we prayed for each other and for our ministries.

In the conference room we continued the process which we started earlier. We worked out some emerging themes and settled on six. The moment came when each person was asked to choose and take a stand on one theme which inspired her the most. It was possible to change so finally I joined the group where the theme was about the systemic change of society and the Church. My desire is to be more aware about unjust systems and to help young people in their search for a just and peaceful world.

 
In the evening, Kazuko Hasegawa rscj and others talked about the project in Fukushima after the nuclear disaster in 2011. Even after seven years, the impact of the disaster is still ongoing, for example, decontamination is never complete; disaster-related deaths are still increasing. I could hear the desperate cry of people and of our mother Earth. My deepest hope is that we will all be able to hear that yearning and we want to answer as one Body.
 
Hajnalka Szulyovszky rscj
Province of Central Europe - Hungary