Mary Greenan – “Accompanying the young: the souls our hearts seek” in “Journal of Salesian Studies”

The story is told of a young novice in the desert who went to the elder, the holy man of God, and said, “Father, according as I am able, I keep my little Rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and, according as I am able, I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts. Now, what more should I do?” The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: “Why not be totally changed into fire?”” What, I wonder, would it mean to be “totally changed into fire?” What would it mean for those to whom I am called? What would it mean to serve the young with a blazing, all-consuming desire for their good? What follows is an attempt to respond to these questions and to respond to them within the context of what is at the heart of the Salesian educational relationship: the fiery desire to walk with the young as they journey to that fullness of life promised them by Jesus.

Si racconta la storia di un giovane novizio nel deserto che andò dall’anziano, il santo uomo di Dio, e disse: “Padre, secondo quanto posso, osservo la mia piccola Regola, e il mio piccolo digiuno, la mia preghiera, meditazione e contemplazione silenzio; e, per quanto posso, mi sforzo di purificare il mio cuore dai pensieri. Ora, cos’altro dovrei fare?” L’anziano si alzò, rispose e tese le sue mani al cielo, e le sue dita divennero come dieci lampade di fuoco. Disse: “Perché non essere totalmente trasformato in fuoco?” “Cosa, mi chiedo, significherebbe essere “totalmente trasformato in fuoco?” Cosa significherebbe per quelli chi mi chiamano? Cosa significherebbe servire i giovani con un desiderio ardente e divorante per il loro bene?  Quello che segue è un cercare di rispondere a queste domande e di rispondere ad esse nel contesto di ciò che sta al cuore del salesiano relazione educativa: il desiderio ardente di camminare con i giovani mentre camminano verso quella pienezza di vita promessa loro da Gesù.

Contents:

• A passion for souls
• New wine in some old skins?
• Starting point for accompaniment
• Love as the indispensable condition for accompaniment
• Knowing the end of all our accompanying
• The key questions then are what is the basic goal of spiritual accompaniment and what needs to be accompanied?
• The journey of accompaniment: signposts along the way
• The sign: maturity this way
• The sign: accepting and loving oneself
• The sign: seeing life as it really is
• The sign: freely giving myself to others
• The sign: experiencing God
• Passionately tending the fire

Reference time period: 2005 – 2006

Reference institution:
Institute of Salesian Studies