The New York Encounter for me was a moment of great certainty and hope. I wasn’t able to attend every presentation, but from Fr. Carrón, Vittadini, and Fr. Medina’s words on Friday and Saturday, to the meetings with Archbishop Pierre on Pope Francis and on the Education of the Heart (and others in between), to the Encounter’s conclusion with the exceptional witness on Chiara Corbella by her husband, the message I heard was simple and radical. The Lord was saying: You are My beloved daughter and I beg you to see how many signs I give you, how I surround and accompany you through so many people to help you see who you are; Nothing is against you, but rather, it is a possibility to be with Me, to be true and free.

The meetings with Fr. Carrón, Vittadini, and Fr. Medina on education, the Fraternity, and the Diaconia reminded me of the passage in the Gospel of John when Jesus tells Peter, “Follow me!” and Peter turns around and, seeing John, asks Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answers: Don’t worry about him, follow me! Every contribution people gave at these meetings was answered with the same essential simplicity: Only if I understand who I am and my true desire to follow the Lord and be with Him—helped to this awareness by living in a companionship through which He is present—can I overcome anxiety and fear in front of reality and begin to truly live with fullness and be of help to anyone else by being a witness, living in the One who attracted me. No difficulty is an obstacle to discovering my true desire and the Lord’s presence if I start from what is present and not from what is missing! We were asked to continue to verify this so that it can become our own certainty. As I was listening, I realized how what attracted me years ago as a beautiful promise now has become true, because it is true that in spite of distance and obstacles, I have always been educated by the Fraternity, I do receive all the gifts necessary to live like this. Little by little, I am seeing the fruits of living with a greater awareness that has won over the sense of nothingness because it shows me that the Lord is present. This occurs even in the simplest ways, like through the presentation on Pope Francis when Archbishop Pierre took the place of Cardinal O’Malley in the panel. This greater awareness of my need to see the Lord’s presence and deeds helped me wonder what He wanted to tell me through Archbishop Pierre rather than focus on the disappointment of not being able to hear Cardinal O’Malley, and I was amazed by how the Nuncio helped me see with striking simplicity the work of the Holy Spirit in reality today through the people God chooses and who say “yes” to Him.

Every presentation and exhibit was a direct sign of the Lord’s presence either in the beauty offered and in the amazing lives of the witnesses, or in the desire of a person who was searching for the Infinite, touched by it, a bit changed by Him, and still searching.

And the people I met! Many who I don’t have the pleasure of seeing often, and many new friends who have granted me the opportunity to be able to put a face on a name I have known only via email. All these are people I am very grateful for, who are signs of how the Lord is accompanying me in our companionship; signs, certainty, and therefore hope!

Elisabetta, Pennsylvania, USA