«Saints are not perfect models, but people "permeated by God." We can compare them to church windows, which let light enter in different shades of colour.»: this is how Pope Francis addressed the crowd gathered under the window of his study, during a Angelus from a few years ago. And it's the image of a stained glass window, which the Seminary community has chosen as inspiration for this pastoral year, accompanied by a verse from St. Paul: «Shine like stars in the world» (Fil 2.15). In this time of ours, too marked by the darkness of disorientation and the obscurity of hatred and violence, in fact, we are called – we ourselves, each for our own part – to offer the world a fragment of light, to shine like the star that stands out in all its brilliance in the aforementioned stained glass window of a our friar and artist, whom we wanted to rediscover on the centenary of his birth, Fr. Costantino Ruggeri.
Only by letting the light shine through can we colour the often grey world around us. And perhaps we can shift our paradigm: it will be more important to give colour than to receive it. This, after all, is the secret of the Gospel. If we first worry about how to be happy and only then, possibly, about what we can do with others, we will fail in both questions. The true, radical question that can guide us in orienting our lives is this: the life of who can I make happy? For what?, or rather, for whom Am I called to live? And only then does the path to discovering oneself truly happy open up, to rediscovering the colour of life and the subjective tone that we can offer to the world. In this regard, in the same Angelus, Pope Francis asserted: «The saints are our brothers and sisters who welcomed God's light into their hearts and transmitted it to the world, each according to their own "hue." But all were transparent, struggling to remove the stains and darkness of sin, so as to let God's gentle light shine through. This is the purpose of life: to let God's light shine through.».
This year, a small community of young people and priests lives in the Pavia Seminary, seeking to address these questions through shared daily life, prayer, and fellowship. In particular, Alessandro, a fifth-year seminarian serving in the city centre; Luca, a young man preparing for the seminary, currently serving at the Youth Centre; and Angelo, Francesco, and Stefano, university students who have felt the desire to use their time for study and formation as an opportunity to explore the meaning of their lives, in the light of faith. Together, we also serve and welcome other young people and university students who are now at home in the seminary, because everyone—not just priests—needs to discover and rediscover that our entire life is a vocation, through the light that comes to us from shared experiences, within welcoming relationships that feel like home and family.
And this is it, today, challenge of education, as Pope Leo recently reminded us: «I wish to repeat to educators and educational institutions: "Shine today like stars in the world," thanks to the authenticity of your commitment to the concerted search for truth, to its coherent and generous sharing, through service to young people, especially the poor. [...] Life shines not because we are rich or beautiful or powerful. It shines when one discovers this truth within oneself: I am called by God, I have a vocation, I have a mission, my life serves something greater than myself! We are called to form people, so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity.»". From here, an educational alliance is needed, made up of concrete links, such as those that the Seminary is weaving this year, for example, with the Architectural Restoration Course of the University of Pavia, which has found a home here, or with the Scientific High School Nicolaus Copernicus thanks to which on the Seminar Day of this Sunday 23 November, or next 13 December together with the FAI, our ancient Monastery of Saint Mary Theodote It will remain open, with many young men and women who, as expert guides, will guide visitors to discover the artistic beauty of our house, as well as the rediscovered Natural History Museum housed within.
We could all feel co-responsible for the Seminary to become more and more house of education, which rethinks and expands its mission, precisely to remain faithful, today, to its specific function. And we can only do this together, with prayer and affection, with financial and planning support, with participation in the Diocesan Day and the Feast of Saint Andrew on Saturday, November 29, making our own the prayer that Pope Leo once again recalled: "«The reference to the darkness that surrounds us brings to mind one of St. John Henry Newman's most famous texts, the hymn "Lead, kindly light." In that beautiful prayer, we realise we're far from home, our feet are wavering, and we can't clearly see the horizon. But none of this stops us, because we've found the Guide: "Lead Thou, O kindly light, through the darkness that surrounds me, be Thou thy guide!" – "Lead, kindly light. The night is dark and I am far from home. Lead me on!”».
