As soon as we heard that there will be a Gen Congress in Tanzania, we, the youth of the Focolare in Madagascar, had the idea to organise our first national congress too.
From the 7th to the 11th of April 2023, during the Easter holidays, about 80 young people from the 4 regions of Madagascar (Ambatondrazaka and Ambatosoratra, Antananarivo, Antsirabe and Toliara) met at the Mariapoli Centre in Ambatondrazaka. This city is very important for the Malagasy people because of the great production of rice (the main food of Madagascar) for the nation, but also because it was in this city that the seed of the Focolare Movement was planted on Malagasy soil.
The theme of the congress was the same as that of the Zonal Congress BEHIND THE MASK. The idea of keeping the same theme was motivated by the fact that even here in Madagascar young people wear many masks in order to hide the face that is torn by life and by the different influences of the world. Indeed, we focused the congress on the solution to overcome life challenges.
In fact, the Congress focused on spiritual formation with themes on union with God, Jesus Forsaken and the vocation to follow Jesus. During the Congress, we also deepened our understanding of the second generation of the Focolare Movement, and we also had moments of dialogue and human formation on self-esteem and affective life. We also made an excursion together to a leisure centre out of the city where we were able to do the Behind the Mask workshop, making masks on the faces of some young people. The aim of this workshop was to live and experience what it is behind a mask, and the next day some young people told us how they suffered behind the mask and how they didn’t know what to do and had to let others lead and guide them. But the most important thing was to trust the person next to you to help.
We can say that this congress has brought beautiful things into the life of young people in Madagascar, not only on the spiritual level but also on the human level and especially on life. The young people of Madagascar are ready to build a united world locally but also worldwide.
Some Impressions
For me, this congress has given me a lot of things and a lot of joy in my life. Like the teaching of Stephane about Jesus forsaken. After this teaching, I can still bear my problems, and my pains, because Jesus also suffered a lot, even though He was the Son of the Almighty. Apart from that, I know that nobody can live without suffering, because it is a stage of life. In my personal goal on the teaching of the Focolare, I want to be close to people, to know the world, and to be united with the world as Chiara says, if we are all united, nothing is wrong in life.
Judicaël Antsirabe
From the beginning of the congress, I could see that many young people coming from different cities became familiar with this love of God, as Chiara LUBICH says: “If we follow God, we will never be lost”. However, in life there are doubts, and obstacles that prevent a person from moving forward in their life; and sometimes among us, we say that it is God who creates these problems, but there faces of Jesus forsaken. But from all the sharing, we have been able to love Jesus forsaken while “putting all sufferings into God’s hands, and at the same time knowing how to carry his cross every day and with joy” (John 14, 6). The vocation to follow Jesus needs courage and sacrifice in the things that concern us, but also, we must trust Him, the Saviour of the world.
Manuela Antananarivo
Like any event, the Congress is also coming to an end. As I write this impression, my first thought is to say thank you. I want to thank God, all the organisers and all the Gen. It is a rebirth that I experience at the congress. I was really far from God before I came here. I was wearing a mask of joy, but I still have so much pain inside. Thanks to the congress, I will accept to carry my cross. I will accept to love Jesus forsaken and move towards Him. I will make efforts to forgive the person who hurt me and be able to move on. The second point I would like to share is that for us, young people, putting God in the first place is primordial because if He is the centre of our life, all the pains and trials will be easy to love and accept. The fact that I share the pain with other Gen has helped me a lot because I see and understand that many young people live moments of pain, harder than mine, and they can move forward, love fully and live with joy. Finally, knowing yourself was important for me too because I was lost in all the events of my life. Everything was a mess. Now, little by little, I would find myself, I would know my vocation, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and I would fall in love with Jesus, who is my only good.
Anna Antananarivo
