The most terrible cancers, and difficult to heal are the diseases that prevent us from being witnesses of Christ [1st The sadness]
Ivano Liguori
Of the Order of the Capuchin Friars Minor
Presbyter and Theologian
( Click on the name to read all its articles )
Of the Order of the Capuchin Friars Minor
Presbyter and Theologian
( Click on the name to read all its articles )
Latest posts by Father Ivano (see all)
- The last devotion of Christ: the Sacred Heart is not devotionism but a gateway to the mysteries of God - 29 February 2024
- The Mother of Jesus, the treasure hidden in the Gospels - 5 February 2024
- From the doctrinal disorientation of the Church to the sin of priests and the recycling of lay people. Prospect of an intransigent culture which while condemning sanctifies and condemns by sanctifying - 27 November 2023
Instead I, but I must confess that I did not read the whole article, I can't stand the perennial happiness shown to me by some people who frequent the parish…. it will be envy for their ability to hide worries and problems? The enormous load of suffering that oppresses the entire Creation and which is becoming unsustainable, if you give it any thought, cannot leave anyone indifferent and “glad” , even though the trust in Salvation is firm and certain.
Dearest Ornella, pace a!
With your comment you give me the opportunity to clarify some issues that your response has raised.
For this I thank you.
When you refer to the "perennial joy" on the faces of some parish-goers, you also suggest a poorly concealed sense of forbearance towards the attitude of these Christian brothers.
This certainly creates discomfort for you or perhaps - as you also notice - a sort of envy for the ability to hide problems.
First of all, the joy of these brothers may actually be inauthentic and their smile artificial, useful only as a palliative in the face of life's hardships. But we don't know this, therefore we suspend judgment for the sake of charity.
In psychology a way of smiling called has been classified Pan Am smile, in reference to the flight attendants of the well-known American company no longer in service. These hostess from the Pan American, they practiced to show off a courtesy smile to use with nonchalance in front of the travellers.
In fact - this non-verbal communication - did not convey empathy and interest towards the traveler but only sterile formality.
Having made this premise, I have to agree with you, in some cases this type of smile is used without conveying anything: nor human warmth, nor a serious experience of faith.
The Letter to the Philippians [cf. Fil 4,5] reminds Christians to always be affable, but he is careful to specify that the source of this joy is the closeness of the Lord.
As you can read from my article, Christian joy is first and foremost the certainty of a presence.
The joy of the Christian is not sentimentality or, worse, formalism, it is the fundamental option in choosing Christ daily. Joy comes from a decision for Jesus, it means accepting him in life as Lord and savior.
Saint James in his letter [cf. GC 1,2-3] it tells us how joy is perfect when it experiences moments of verification, especially in times of difficulty. This does not mean that suffering and adversity bring joy. However, when faced with a trial we know that our life is well rooted in Christ, no one can take us out of his hands [cf. RM 8,35-37] and this means putting faith on the line, which also acts through our feelings, keeping us calm.
We see this type of perfect joy in the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in the face of the passion of Jesus - despite suffering - never lost joy, he never complained against God for the unjust fate of his son. We find the same joy in the martyrs, who faced death knowing that they were victorious in the face of evil.
Christian joy is a gift of faith, fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit [cf. Gal 5,22] and its perfection does not depend only on our dispositions but above all on the presence of Christ who lives in us.
Perhaps faced with the difficulty of rejoicing for many men - it is not so much motivation that is lacking - but rather faith, more than enough reason to remain sad.
I bless you.
I add that S. Paul (2 Corinthians, 7, 10) makes the same reasoning regarding the “sadness”, regarding the sphere of sin in the case in question, but which can be extended by analogy to the complex of spiritual life: “So long as, Godly sadness produces repentance that leads to salvation, and which there is never anything to regret; but worldly sadness produces death. ” So in the “sadness according to God” there is always an underlying element of happiness.
Dear Father Ivano,
congratulations for your articles (and for those of fathers Paolo and Gabriele), this happy island is increasingly becoming a solid landing place for Catholic internet users and also for us priests.
From a forty-year-old priest to a forty-year-old priest you are, I trust you that 4 years ago I was hospitalized for 10 days in a certain hospital in Rome, where five young non-Italian priests served (but this is irrelevant), who never once stopped by to say hello, even if he had been informed by the medical staff that there was a hospitalized priest in that ward.
They celebrated Mass in the hospital chapel, they passed a while’ of time at the hospital bar, and then they disappeared.
While in, three or four non-Italian nuns (but this is irrelevant) they went around the departments bringing Holy Communions like advertisers who give you advertising flyers on the street.
I suffered much more from this and because of this than from orthopedic surgeries.
Father Ariel came on Sunday and celebrated Mass in my hospital room, without ever having received a cent in salary from that hospital institution, as they took those non-Italian priests instead (but this is irrelevant, who were not Italian).
Next time I will be admitted to your hospital in Cagliari !
Don Ciro
from the charming Naples, where you laugh in every sense
especially at the ecclesial and ecclesiastical level
Dear Father Ivano, I sincerely thank you for the comprehensive response you gave me. Undoubtedly, Faith and prayer are support and relief in adversity, but I remain of the opinion that always appearing joyful is also a quality of character: There are extroverted people among us, and others more thoughtful. Maybe it's because we are going through a very difficult time, both within the family and “world”, I would dare to say. Whereby, precisely, seeing yourself surrounded by Pan Am smiles, or that appear so, It does not help, but it exacerbates the discomfort.
I keep His blessing in my heart.
Beautiful reflection p Ivano! Thank you ?
[About sadness] I am among the most immune to this passion. And I don't like or respect her, although the world, almost by default, has taken to honoring her with particular favor. They are adorned with wisdom, the virtue, conscience: silly and monstrous ornament. Italians, with a more tailored choice, they have baptized wickedness with his name. Since it is always a harmful quality, always crazy. E, as always vile and low, the Stoics forbid their sages to try it. (Michel de Montaigne, Wise men, Book I, Cap. (II))