{"id":306082,"date":"2018-04-19T23:10:39","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T21:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/genfest-2000-a-wave-of-light\/"},"modified":"2024-05-15T20:36:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T18:36:58","slug":"genfest-2000-a-wave-of-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/genfest-2000-a-wave-of-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Genfest 2000: a wave of \u201cLight\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cEighteen years have passed but the effect of that event still moves all of us who were there.<\/strong> I arrived in Rome on December 1999, a few months before. For me it was the start of a new period during which I worked as a graphic technician at the international Gen Centre<\/a>, in preparation for the Genfest. I would never have imagined what surprises were in store for me that year! One day in February while I was strumming on my guitar, I thought of Chiara \u201cLuce\u201d Badano<\/a>, a gen like us, who died 10 years earlier, and in her last moments of life had offered her pain for the success of the Genfest.<\/a> I still can\u2019t explain how I got the inspiration to compose a song dedicated precisely to her: \u201cRun, run, tell me there\u2019s nothing to fear. Run, run, shine, shine since your light is now in me.\u201d I couldn\u2019t but entitle the song: \u201cLuz\u201d<\/a>, light.<\/strong> The next day in Loppiano<\/a>, there was a series of meetings with the group in charge of the music. We had to choose four official songs for the Genfest. A bit nervous, I proposed also that song, and sang it in front of everyone. \u201cLight\u201d was chosen and since then, up to this day, it has been translated into various languages, and has become the symbol of an experience which many young people have made their own, following the example of Chiara Badano, who in 2010 had been proclaimed blessed<\/strong>. After some time her parents, Maria Teresa and Ruggero, upon hugging me said, \u201cYou found the best way to make her known, since one who sings, prays twice!\u201d \"\"<\/a>That Genfest, the first organized entirely by us youth, was a real challenge, an experience of maturity and unity among us.<\/strong> When the time came to choose a logo, I proposed the motion of a wave which would continue through time. And another gift was that also that logo was chosen! All was ready on 17 August. Early that morning we were already onstage for the sound check and the last details. Before the start, 25,000 people were queueing to enter the Stadium<\/strong>. Three, two, one\u2026 with a percussion of various rhythms and a subtle and unceasing sound, like a heartbeat, finally what we had prepared for months began. It was a varied programme to demonstrate to the youth worldwide that unity is possible.<\/strong> At around 6.30 pm it was my turn, with a song I had composed in Costa Rica<\/a> four years earlier (\u201cA smile is enough\u201d<\/a>). \"\"<\/a>The story of Chiara \u201cLuce\u201d Badano was presented as an example of holiness at the mere age of 18<\/strong>, while images of her luminous and smiling face was projected on the big screen, creating an absolute silence in the audience. We seemed to be living a moment of eternity. Immediately after, the first chords of \u201cLuz\u201d resounded. Lastly, the most expected moment was the proposal of Chiara Lubich: \u201cThe idea of a more united world, for which many young people are battling, will not be just a utopia, but will become with time, an immense reality. And the future is above all in your hands.\u201d Then came the launching of \u201cProject Africa.\u201d<\/strong> But it didn\u2019t end there. We still were waiting for the big meeting of the World Youth Day with John Paul II, on 19 and 20 August in the nearby field of Tor Vergata.<\/strong> It was another historical day with two million young people, despite the heat of the day and cold of the night which didn\u2019t wipe out their joy of being together. Also unforgettable was the Pope\u2019s exhortation: \u201cDo not be afraid of being the saints of the Third Millennium.\u201d Before returning to Costa Rica, in December that year I had the chance to greet Chiara Lubich<\/a> in person and give her a memoir of that magical experience lived that year: a tiny booklet. But the gifts didn\u2019t end there for me: after many years I met Tina, an Austrian girl, who like me had participated in that Genfest. She has now become my wife!\u201d. <\/p>\n

Sandro Rojas Badilla<\/p>\n

Listen to:<\/strong> \u201cBasta un sorriso\u201d<\/a> Listen to:<\/strong> \u201cLuz\u201d<\/a> Photo:<\/strong> Sandro Rojas Badilla<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Logo<\/a>Within the framework of the World Youth Day of 2000 held on 17 August at the Flaminio Stadium of Rome, 25,000 young people from all over the world had given rise to the new Genfest. Among them was Sandro Rojas Badilla from Costa Rica, author of the song dedicated to Blessed Chiara Badano: \u201cLight.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[893],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-306082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-focolare-worldwide-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306082\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}