Elena Arce arrived from Concepción, Paraguay, with many intentions to share. Among them, one that has accompanied her after so many years devoted to education: the future of her students. She is a teacher, now she runs a secondary school and is nearing retirement. When she explains why she wanted to travel to see the Pope, those young people she shares her days with immediately come to mind.
“I also bring that intention so that our young people become better and better”, she says.
She joined a group that had been preparing the trip for about two or three months. Her wish was to experience the encounter up close and to receive the blessing of the Holy Father. “We are from Paraguay and we still want to see him, we still want to receive his blessing. We bring many intentions,” she says.
A family that accompanies her from afar
In Paraguay remained her daughter, who is studying, and her husband, who couldn’t travel due to work. Also her parents, aged 80 and 81, whom she imagines watching the broadcasts.
When she speaks of them, Elena finds a way to explain how she feels accompanied, even far from home. “We are all united in prayer, in love and in faith, because that is what we come for”, she says.
For this teacher, the trip is also an opportunity to give thanks and to pray for those she cares about. She wishes a long life for the Pope and hopes that his closeness will help renew the hope of those facing difficulties.
The effort of traveling and the desire to reach Luján
Elena shares the experience with a diverse group, which also includes older people. Schedule changes required them to adapt during preparation, but the eagerness to participate remained.
“We are all full of strength,” she says. Among her plans is to continue onward to Luján, another gathering she hopes to experience with her travel companions.
As she watches the people approaching, she reflects on the effort each one has made to be there. She feels joy recognizing in so many strangers the same desire to share faith. “God is immense, God is great, God is love, and that is felt in groups like these,” she says.
Her request for Paraguay and for the youth
Elena also carries concerns for her country. Near retirement, she hopes that the difficulties she mentions do not affect that process. But when asked what she would ask for her fellow citizens, she again speaks of others and the need for everyone to look out for one another.
“Not lose faith and that we can truly also live a culture of solidarity”, she answers.
She would like the Pope’s message to encourage people to think more about others. As an educator, she trusts what can arise from that perspective: hopeful youth, supportive communities, and people willing to commit to their brothers and sisters.
“To give us more hope, to ignite our faith, to nudge us a little toward being more supportive of each other, to love one another more,” she says about the purpose of this gathering.
From Concepción to Buenos Aires, Elena carried with her her students and her family in the form of intentions. And, among so many requests, she also left a wish that sums up what she hopes to share when she returns: “Give us that hope for one another”.
