Rome (Italy) On 17 June 2020 more than 500 young Civil Service Volunteers, connected from all over Italy, participated in the online formation encounter organized by Vides Italy. Father Francesco Occhetta, Jesuit, journalist and writer, presented the theme of the meeting: “Leaders to serve. Volunteers in the field ”.
The health crisis due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, resulted in the suspension of all activities for young volunteers inserted in the Vides Italy projects, leading to questions about the future. The meaning of life, how to act for the good and recognize evil, how to give service, are some themes through which Father Francis guided the young people on a journey – from ancient Greece to today – offering ideas for listening to the present times.
An image used to represent service was that of the archer of Aristotle, where the bow is represented by studies and formation, but it is essential to invest in the archer: “The strength of the archer is the ability to govern oneself, the ability to know each other, the ability to go deep within oneself, the ability to leave a mark on others.”
Before leaving room for discussion with the young people and answering their questions, Father Francesco Occhetta indicated a way to face this time: “be generative, give life, be inclined to hope. There are five verbs that identify how to be generative: to desire, to bring to birth, to nourish, to accompany, to let go. If you live these verbs, you are generative.”
