- No one had earned a place at that Supper. All had been invited. Or better said: all had been drawn there by the burning desire that Jesus had to eat that Passover with them. He knows that he is the Lamb of that Passover meal; he knows that he is the Passover. This is the absolute newness, the absolute originality, of that Supper, the only truly new thing in history, which renders that Supper unique and for this reason “the Last Supper”, unrepeatable.
- We must not allow ourselves even a moment of rest, knowing that still not everyone has received an invitation to this Supper or knowing that others have forgotten it or have got lost along the way in the twists and turns of human living…
- Before our response to his invitation — well before! — there is his desire for us. We may not even be aware of it, but every time we go to Mass, the first reason is that we are drawn there by his desire for us. For our part, the possible response — which is also the most demanding asceticism — is, as always, that surrender to this love, that letting ourselves be drawn by him. Indeed, every reception of communion of the Body and Blood of Christ was already desired by him in the Last Supper.
Hopefully this long introductory quotation will convey the rationale behind this year’s Eurocamp and allow us to share the vision. Pope Francis has placed in our hands an Apostolic Letter “Desiderio Desideravi”, which, from its very incipit, is a great gift to the Church as a whole and, therefore for us, the Eymardian Family. The word “desire” stems from the latin “desidera” – from the stars. The stars are not just cosmic bodies: they symbolize “nature’s framework ” within which we can express our dreams and “desires”. It is for this very reason that we say “Look at the stars and make a wish”.
Hence the image chosen for the poster and leaflet of the next Eurocamp: two people gazing upwards at a starry sky in order to express a wish. How beautiful it is to think that Jesus, on the very evening of the Last Supper, wanted the ‘stars’ as the backdrop – symbol of His coming from on high, as a gift of the Father, and symbol of what was burning in his heart: “to give life”. The Eucharist as Jesus’s (and, therefore, the Father’s) desire to come into communion with us, to have us and hold us in His heart yesterday…today… always.
Last year we dreamed with Pope Francis of a universal brotherhood and we heard ourselves being invited to make our presence felt in the troubled story of today’s world as people who, in His name, and with the power of the Gospel, can and want to become “weavers and craftsmen of peace”. The dream continues this year, embellished by the “desire” to respond by “surrendering ourselves to His Love”. No more arms, no more defences, no more resistance… surrendering to His love is to embody our faith and religion in response to His desire – a magnificent and decisive act of love. No more pastoral incentives and enticements, no more tactics and devices to attract, primarily, the young… only a desire that leads us to surrender to the captivating force of His Love, whenever he desires it.
The path that we wish to propose is summed up in the titles of the various days of the Eurocamp week: a simple itinerary based on the Word of the Gospel and Sacred Scriptures, enriched by a shared daily life within Lecceto Hermitage’s setting of nature and spirituality.
This experience can be considered as a “vocational itinerary”, because every vocation in Jesus’s name is, after all, a “loving surrender” which opens up to an ulterior desire – allowing oneself to become involved in a mission that leads everyone to participate in Jesus’s dream.
We should like to ask the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament, all over the world, to act as promoters of this experience of Eucharistic life to the young. We should also like to ask those lay people, who have faith in the Eucharist and a passion for the education of young people, to recommend this summer experience, involving the rediscovery of the Eucharist, to their parishes and dioceses.
The posters which are being sent out to you will indicate the names of the people you should contact for registration, or for further clarifications or explanations. Thank you to all and to all those who wish to continue to dream with us and who do so by helping us to spread the word of Eurocamp by talking to and inviting youngsters to participate.
Father Maurizio Zorzi, sss
on behalf of the Eurocamp team
