And who do you say I am? (Lk 9, 20) Given the risk of censorship spreads!
CHRISTMAS LETTER 2010
Abstract
The desire to continue, deepen and broaden the talks, relations and dialogue prompts us, this year, at Christmas, to communicate publicly some of our thoughts, as we are involved in the stories of many people. A dialogue, this time in this particularly complex and difficult, with you on determining the presence of Jesus of Nazareth in our lives of men and priests. We seek to become Christians each day refers to him in an attempt to be coherent in following his person and his teaching. The report encourages us to meet with him in others, the hungry, trimmed, naked, sick, in prison, a stranger. The meeting with people constantly urges us to meet him to receive light, strength and support.
Secularism of Jesus
deeply fascinated Jesus beginning with his birth in a mysterious way of Mary, simple girl belonging to the poor people of Nazareth. What strikes us about his being born in an anonymous place: Mary and Joseph had been accepted!
We impress the secular nature of God, which does not require special places, sacred spaces, temples, religious, and even to be received by people considered important by the cultural, political, military and religious who do not even realize of his birth in contrast to pastors, people on the margins of society (Luke 2.1-21). A credible witness his birth in Bethlehem implies simplicity, freedom from wealth and privilege, of solemnity and religious devices, by links with power.
It involves deep reflection on exile in Egypt to which the young family is forced: immediate is the combination of the millions of refugees worldwide, the faces, names, stories encountered in recent years and which still exist in our communities because of the Herods of our time and their violent and dictatorial military regimes (Mt 2:13-15). Life discrete family of Nazareth calls us to reflect, after returning from a foreign land, on participation in folk traditions not in a formal way, but in a serene and reports significant encounters.
We challenge the reality and the mystery of Jesus many years living in the family home in simplicity, sobriety and work, with sensitivity, deep faith, helpfulness, friendship and relationships significantly (Lk 2, 22-52). The immersion in daily life leads us to observe with the eyes of the heart, love, friendship, the willingness of many women and many men, many young people in our time form the backbone of the community 's society as a whole.
Jesus among the people
surprises and fascinates us the appearance of Jesus in the public arena, on the bank of the Jordan in the crowd awaiting the baptism of John the prophet - then martyr - without immunities and privileges, without any distinguishing marks (Mt 3, 13-27). With this choice programmatic He tells us where God is revealed and is: in the middle, involved, participating, not far, not above, not the side, not indifferent. And so we called to stand in the middle, involved, participate, sided with the poor and suffering, who are struggling, even us without any distinctive sign, especially dress, honorary title, but the only sign of our human resources.
Jesus meets
This Jesus challenges us constantly through the meetings that he lives with all the people, by offering preferential attention to those who have little or no consideration, or sick, discriminated against, marginalized, abandoned.
friendly attention of neglected children (Matthew 19: 13 - 15) has now become our commitment to safeguard their right to life, affection, education, games, serenity, freeing them from slavery to work, from the sexual, from the weapons while we are required to support and encourage dreams, qualities and potential.
attention and tenderness of Jesus towards women are extraordinary and revolutionary in that the social, cultural and religious. Talk to them, as with the near-sick mother-in-law of Peter, and let your feet touch and caress a woman, the prostitute, than with his words and simple gestures discrimination and subjugation, taboos, the impurities related to the blood (Lk 8, 43-48). It helps in particular, some of them, like Mary Magdalene, to free from difficulties and troubles communicating confidence, hope and encouragement. They will the first proclamation of the Risen Christ, living beyond death.
These encounters of Jesus of Nazareth cause the company to a more human view of women, freed from instrumentality, vulgarity and violence continued and impressive beginning with the types of family, from slavery and sexual exploitation. For the Church, these meetings should stimulate a genuine appreciation of gender difference and encourage the participation of women, their character, their decisions, the ability to perform various ministries, as happens in the Evangelical Churches. We are moved when we to relate to Jesus' encounters with the sick in body, mind, soul, and our daily encounters with the same people: lame, deaf, dumb, blind, mental suffering, now also suffering from cancer, AIDS ; people anguish and despair.
Jesus reveals to us the God who lives compassion, involved welcomes, heals, encourages (Mt 15, 29-1). His words and his actions we are involved in care, the care and treatment of people asking humanity and competence with appropriate economic investment to respond to their dignity, such as converting military spending in the works social justice. We are fascinated and moved by the meetings of the Master with the excommunicated person by law, the temple and the synagogue, sentenced to death as the adulteress brought before him in the yard of the temple (Jn 8: 1-11). He welcomes, listens, forgiving, instilling confidence and hope for the future: radical proposals and with careful, caring and merciful to the weakness of people, their stories, their diversity. An attitude difficult to follow in society and the church where punitive moralism and attitudes often seem to prevail. Jesus is indignant and is expressed in hardness only to those who are presumed innocent (Luke 18 9-14) and live the hypocrisy of ostentation, of religious and political cover for injustice, oppression and corruption "Woe to you" (Mt 23, 13-36).
Jesus teaches
It still fascinates us the attitude of Jesus to the people of the people, despised by the ruling classes. Jesus is a secular, not a priest, not a rabbi to his teaching comes from intimate communion with the Father and the Spirit. She teaches in the middle and not a doctrine but a way of being, feeling and relating. It reveals a God who Father has to turn with simplicity and affection, confidence and trust (Luke 11: 1-13). It teaches that the law is made for man (Mark 2: 21-28), which is to protect the weak, but if only the strongest guarantees is to change, as taught in the school of Don Lorenzo Milani Barbiana.
Jesus the power and money
teaches with her words and her choices that power in society, Church policy and is intended only as a service to people and the common good (Mt 20, 20-28). Think of the world, Italy today and those who use power with arrogance, lawlessness, corruption, violence, racism and declare themselves Christians and claim to promote and defend this identity. We also think the power exercised in the Church when it was decided from above, do not listen, we do not compare, no dialogue, and name of the institution is religious rather than obedience to the Gospel.
Jesus teaches us to free ourselves from the obsession with money and property, because the meaning of life does not depend on them (Luke 13-21). Declares all forms of unjust wealth when it is not sharing, but accumulation of goods stolen from the brothers therefrom, for the present, a radical critique of capitalism and materialism that impoverish and, consequently, a constant demand of justice, equality and sharing (Mt 14, 13-21 ).
His words and his actions teach us clearly and definitively active nonviolence and commitment to peace, freedom from enmity, "Blessed are the non-violent and those who spread peace ' : are sons and daughters of God (Mt 5, 5 .9). The production and marketing of weapons, the justification of wars, military chaplains, religious funeral of state the words of the celebrants are shockingly similar to those of defense ministers, the recent allocation of the Defence Committee of the House and Senate by nearly one billion euro for armaments, nuclear weapons guarded, perhaps even increased in number, in our land, in the USAF base at Aviano, where there appear repeated injuries to the Gospel of peace.
Verification of faith in him is not the doctrinal orthodoxy, but a willingness to meet human suffering, stricken, moaning on the side of the road, a concrete symbol of every person who has difficulty (Mt 25, 31-46). There are several responses to his person, his words and his actions: popular support, cheering crowds and confused and distant, critical of the progressive political and religious authorities, to be considered unbearable for her unconditional love, the call to conversion, the change of heart, mind, relations, institutions, politics, religion.
Jesus causes
Jesus of Nazareth is a political revolutionary?
Not according to the plans and the usual criteria, but in the sense it is deeper and more complete than any other. His criticism of the powerful is abundantly clear is why he continues his defense of the humble person. Follow it means to work the same choices in society and the Church today (Lk 26, 20-26).
E 'a worker for peace and solidarity?
Not according to the plans and common criteria, but in the deepest sense, and it is more complete than any other. Follow it means to work the same choices in society and the Church today (Lk 10, 25-37).
Jesus of Nazareth is religious?
It creates an open confrontation between him, the man of faith and the priests of religion, including freedom of the Son of God and the managers of the religious authority and its link with the political, economic and military (Mt 26, 57-68). God the Father which is in continuous confidence, certainly does not bless the situation, a world that is not at all organized according to the heart and God's plan is not part of the Kingdom of God The God of Jesus is completely alternative to the god of the temple and the gods of the empire: its only law is the law of love: "Love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 13, 34).
And so today we should, with the decision, free from the temptation of polytheism present in the Church, because it refers to different gods, powers, temples, armies, of racism, the mafia. It is urgent to find a clear and authentic Jesus of the Gospels that clearly reveals the face of God: and very human solidarity. Follow this Jesus means for us to be servants of religion, but men and priests to serve people.
participate with emotion when he talks about his life, when communicating, when shaking hands, caressing when, when you get angry and indignant, when he eats, and sleeps when tired, when benefits of friendship and hospitality, when he cries for the death of his friend and when the tears of sadness fall in front of the city that has understood and rejected the message of peace. It is this extraordinary humanity reveals the face of God even when he is tempted to take the easy road of consensus and the successful when upsets the tables of the moneychangers in the hall of the temple, and when he retires only to pray throughout the night in an intimate dialogue with the Father (Lk 6:12).
We feel as a friend very true, authentically human as anyone else, because he continues to meet all the people in their humanity alone, married, divorced and separated, disabled, immigrants, homosexuals, prisoners, locked up in the centers of identification and deportation of Isonzo Gradisca-as-prostitutes, serene and active people, anxious and despair, all with equal warmth and understanding. He can only come from the Church of reception, open doors, without any prejudice and discrimination (Lk 15: 1-32).
The time of pain
Participated in its desolation in Gethsemane, the agony and the infinite sadness in proving abandonment, emptiness, failure, fear of violence and death, and his reliance on the Father, loyalty and consistency.
The neighbors are in the hour of trial, the condemnation of torture and of scorn, and we see it among the multitude of criminals and the torture of all times, under all the heavens, between victim victims (Mc14, 27-15, 36).
accompany him on the way to the execution capital by sharing in the pain of every life affected injured, abandoned. Let us contemplate with emotion and painful meditation on the cross that we see placed in the midst of innumerable crosses of individuals and peoples crucified (Mk 15, 21 - 41).
How about the pastor D. Bonhoeffer, in Jesus Crucified God reveals himself powerless in the world and because of it, fully and in solidarity with us, because of his unconditional love. The dramatic abandonment that Jesus experiences require the entrustment to God at the very moment of its existence or absence of a question.
A deep emotion in the face of Jesus Crucified and, consequently, sadness and anger, we invest in as it is used instrumentally by a racialized religion to oppose and attack the people of different culture and religion who live with us. He who gave his life for others is commonly used to deny the lives of others.
The hour of hope
Love can not be closed in a tomb. "God has resurrected from the liberating power of death" (Acts 2:24). E 'encounter with him Risen living beyond death tells us that inner strength, courage and hope in time of trouble, of trial, disappointment and confusion, as announced to the women and men of that time (Lk 24, 15-35).
And this in everyday life and history, now as then: in a room, in a cemetery, near the lake, the streets, in jail, in hospitals, schools, factories, the host communities.
As on the road to Emmaus, so today it is essential to his presence, ever to be discovered, always be recognized, word deep that communicates light, inner strength and hope, materialize in fraternal sharing of bread, what is necessary to live with dignity.
refer to Jesus of Nazareth this extraordinary results in a continuous deep involvement in our lives of men and priests.
Conclusion
For us, the Church, to follow Jesus and his Gospel consequences evident in the choices of life, in relationships with people, with the money and property, in the conception and practice of power, laws, culture, democracy, economy, relations with creation. However, he continues to communicate: so many people follow him implicitly and explicitly recognizing it as the Master par excellence and feel close, human, man.
Also we dare to hear of them: provoked and comforted by Jesus, the Son of God
Priests: Pierluigi Di Piazza, Mario Vatta, Antonio Santini, Franco Saccavini, James Tolot, Piergiorgio Rigolo, Alberto De Nadai, Andrea Bellavite, Luigi Fontanot, Albino Bizzotto.
