Even here in Albania we have lived the Week of Mercy, united with the Jesuit schools in Italy.
In order to live it fully, we have started with a catechesis (24-26 march) where God’s mercy was illustrated through an explanation of the Parable of the Loving Father (Lk 15,11-32) and of the Logo of the Jubilee of Mercy.
After this introduction we went (8-11 March) to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Patroness of Albania. We made the pilgrimage with our teachers, and while walking we meditated on a short text about the meaning of walking, of being pilgrims: what does it mean? … Life is a pilgrimage.
In the Shrine, Father Joaquin spoke about the meaning of the Holy Door. The Door is Jesus (Jn 10,9) but also our hearts, where Jesus knocks and waits for us to open so that He can come in and dwell in us (Revelation 3, 20).
After crossing the Door, we read the Parable of the Loving father once again and contemplated the image of the Prodigal Son; we also read Pope Francis’ message for the Jubilee Mercy to the youth.
The Pope refers to those who cannot go to Rome like this: “I invite you all to live this moment of joy in your local churches. Do not just prepare your bags and your banners – prepare your hearts and your minds above all.
These moments planted a “seed” in us to cultivate in this Year of Grace and in our whole life.
