Our little Cincinnati community is small but beautifully diverse: young people, not-so-young, families, single people, toddlers, and teens of all ages. We often find ourselves all together during moments like our now-almost-traditional Christmas holiday in Florida or the CL family vacation in the summer. For me, it’s always a special time of sharing life between us adults, and with the kids. Spending time with our children — many of whom are no longer little ones but are growing up fast — is a joy. Interacting with them becomes more and more engaging, whether we’re battling it out on the beach volleyball court or sitting around a table talking about life.

For a while, I had this desire in my heart: to be with these older kids more often, not just during the holidays. But with no structured proposal for GS (Gioventù Studentesca: the high school student experience of Communion and Liberation) around, I didn’t know quite how to start. So, one evening, I invited a few of them to watch a movie that I love, cook together, and sit down to chat about the film and anything else that came up. It was a beautiful night. The conversation was rich and meaningful (and yes, the homemade pizzas were amazing).

Since then, we’ve kept going. We began with a series of movies about freedom, and so freedom would be the center of our conversation at the dinner table. Every time some of my other adult friends join. My wife, Margherita, needs to take care of the rest of the family, but she keeps eavesdropping on our conversation, and hurries to put the younger ones to bed so that she can join as well. Together we try to respond to all of the questions and provocations. One of those provocations brought us to the next series of movies. One night after watching the film, one of the kids asked: “There are so many things that attract my desire—and not all of them are good. How do I know how to use my freedom well?” Well, looking at my own life, I thought, "how do you know without a friendship?" So now we’re diving into the theme of friendship in the movies we watch together and the discussions we have afterwards.

From the first night we met, it was clear to me that something special had happened—one of those nights where you say: “Something happened tonight, something deeply true.” And now, I always look forward to the next time we gather.

At the New York Encounter, our little group from Cincinnati met with Matteo Severgnini, the GS leader in Italy. Again, something great happened. We had a deep conversation, and everyone around the table was drawn in by the beauty that was present there. We sat there for over an hour and a half without realizing how fast time was flying. In that conversation, Seve said something that really struck me and it helped me to better understand the content of our movie nights. Looking one of the boys in the eyes, he said: “I know what color Jesus' eyes are, what color His hair is—because for me, they’re your eyes and your hair.”

That’s it. That’s why I wait for the next gathering with a full heart. Because in the eyes and faces of these young friends, I see the eyes and the face of the Greatest Friend.

Tommaso, Cincinnati, OH