the meeting

Aug 27, 2018

I have spent the past few days at the annual Rimini meeting for friendship among peoples. Each year the meeting attracts people of all faiths from around the world, united by a knowledge that there is more to life than what the world offers.

Last year 800.000 people attended the event and the crowds this year indicate that the gathering continues to propose an adequate response to life’s questions.

Each day thousands gather to hear people reflect on their own encounter with the mystery of God. The days are filled with exhibitions, lectures, food and drink, woven together with inspiring conversations with friends and strangers who quickly become friends.

This year highlights for me included exhibitions on Pope Francis focussing on the events and experiences of his life, Romano Guardini , and a very popular exhibition on the Old Testament book of Job examining the meaning of suffering in human existence.  A lecture introducing this Job exhibition is available at this link.

Another inspiration was a lecture given by Cardinal Scola, – on Youtube at this link.

But the greatest inspiration of the Rimini Meeting is not the lectures and exhibitions but the conversations with others over food and drink. It is evident that this friendship, the fruit of a common hunger for abundant life, is the most transforming factor in history.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

moving waters

moving waters

Bible questions still pop up regularly in quiz shows and they often cost otherwise sharp players much needed points.
I’m ready for a question asking for the two names for the last book of the Bible. The book often known as Apocalypse is perhaps more often referred to as the Book of Revelation.
It’s common (thanks to movies) to think of an apocalypse as a devastating and unwelcome time of destruction.

to dream

to dream

The pics I use on these daily posts are sometimes snapped by me, and often borrowed from free-use websites. I thought it might be interesting to move towards using only my own snaps, and then only those taken in the past 24 hours. We’ll see how I go.
I took the pic above yesterday morning on an early walk.

to really see

to really see

Perhaps we find the miracles of Jesus too difficult to understand. How can we cope with what we may not have seen with our own eyes?
Many people cope with the miraculous by reducing it to what they can understand. They say Jesus just increased the blind man’s psychological vision, or opened his eyes of faith rather than actually giving him physical sight.

the rich earth

the rich earth

Over the years I have celebrated hundreds of funerals, many well prepared with family and friends gathering to celebrate the life of the one they love. There are efficient funeral directors, beautiful flowers, glossy brochures, photographs and video presentations, eulogies and even artificial grass and sterilised sand at the graveside.

Patrick’s day

Patrick’s day

Most people who celebrate on St. Patrick’s day today think of wearing green and enjoying good Irish music, Guinness and perhaps dancing at an Irish pub. But it’s easy to forget that Patrick was a robust disciple of Jesus Christ who brought the Good News of the ultimate and eternal liberation through Jesus Christ to the people of Ireland.