I love autumn!
I like it because, after the summer, it’s the time to get back to work at full speed. And working with GBU university students is a great job to have!
I like it because finally there isn’t that suffocating heat anymore, but the days are still beautiful, and you can enjoy the pleasant sun (in Sicily at least!).
I like autumn because I like its colours. The green and lush leaves are getting ready to drop, turning yellow, orange, red…
Yellow… Orange… Red…
Thinking about it, this year I like these colours less, much less. In this particular autumn, in fact, it is not only the leaves that have taken on the colours of autumn. [ndt: Italy’s regions have been categorized with these colors depending on the gravity of the spread of covid-19]
But if it is true that for the leaves it is the natural colouring that prepares them to dry up and die on the ground, let’s hope that for the regions of Italy the process will be the reverse, and that they will soon be green and lush again, as we used to see them on maps or on TV weather programmes.
In the meantime, the various GBU groups have resumed their activities throughout Italy.
Students are experiencing similar challenges in all regions, and while it is true that some groups still manage to meet in presence (some groups in the yellow regions), for others the meetings have all moved online (almost all groups in the orange and red regions).
The difficulty to relate with friends and colleagues certainly does not make the work of GBU easier, and certainly affects the mood of the students in a negative way. Many are also slightly worried because at the moment there is a lot of uncertainty about their university career. Some are facing even more serious challenges, such as the risk of not being able to return home to their family, or even worse, having to face the fact that they may have a dear one affected by covid.
This is what autumn is like for GBU students.
It is an autumn where grey seems to prevail, as well as yellow, orange and red…
Yet, you only have to read this news from the various GBU groups to discover that there is much more than just uncertainty and fear in the hearts of these young people. There is creativity, faith, love and passion for the Gospel!
So I ask you to read this news carefully and to support GBU students in prayer.
You will read about students struggling, praying and using their full potential to “Share Jesus from student to student”, confident that the good news of Christ’s birth, death and resurrection is powerful enough to change the lives of their friends and colleagues. Even from a distance. Even while they feel uncertain and lost. Even if they are alone behind the screen of a PC or a smartphone.
All because Jesus is the true light!
I am the light of the world; those who follow me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)
And light, it is said, is the combination of all colours: yellow, orange, red…
Domenico Campo
(GBU Staff worker)
