God and the Church are still very necessary for the youth of today, say the organisers of the Jesuit youth summer event MAGIS in Lithuania. The MAGIS experiments took place from 2 to 9 July, bringing together over 60 young people for a week of experiencing God. Each day invited them to open their hearts to God, freedom, creation, discipleship, neighbourhood, and generosity.

There were five experiments available, responding to the needs of today's young people. In the social experiment, participants and coordinators went to Kaunas youth detention centre for the activities for young people detained there. In the art experiment, participants stayed in a picturesque village and, with the help of the experts of dance/movement therapy and theology of body, sought a closer relationship with God, themselves, and others. The Bibliodrama was an opportunity to touch the Scripture in a new way – with the senses, imagination, and the mind. The nature experiment – through herbalism, birdwatching, and the study of integral ecology – made everyone feel part of a protecting and nurturing creation. And the pilgrims, choosing to cycle 200 km, visited some of the most beautiful places in Lithuania and overcame many challenges along the way. Each group was accompanied by a Jesuit as spiritual director who helped them in the face of the challenges. 

MAGIS participants shared their experiences

"I took part in an experiment in which my team and I visited inmates in a youth detention centre. I met people who asked similar questions, were angry about similar things and expressed in a similar way their joy about what we had experienced together, and the young men we visited were burning with openness to the programme and inspired me to be simple and not pretend to be something I am not." (Gabriel)

"MAGIS is a reminder to me that it is not good to be alone. It is a place for being, for discovering oneself and others. For learning to love, to serve, to receive love from God and from those around us." (Tomas)

At the end of the experiments, everyone returned to celebrate the experience, share the fruits, and give thanks to God for everything at the final Mass. Participants, organisers and guests returned to their daily lives with a renewed desire to seek more and find Jesus Christ in their lives.

Lukas Ambraziejus, MAGIS coordinator in Lithuania