Benito SPOLETINO
The Christmas offer the opportunity to turn things to an imperative in our lively founder, and now more urgent than ever: the effort to help the world recover a "supplement of soul".
KNOW scenarios where Alberione moved: the emergence of anarchism, the bloody repression first movements of workers, World War I (1915-1918), the rise of fascism, communism and later National Socialism, World War II (1939-1945), with all the horrors that we know. As you can see, the world ever.
motto "Glory to God and peace to men," chosen by Alberione and repeated endlessly, he was not a simple expression, but it was long thought out summary of his mission, and can not be explained without a historical context that makes of this century one of the most violent in history. Writing and cooperators in 1954, noted: "Together they form a union of people who seek help and to promote" the glory of God and the peace of mankind, "according to 's example of St. Paul "(AD 344)
" christify "to humanize the world
remember his lectures on the treatise" De Incarnate Word. "He was excited, repeatedly pounded his knuckles on the chair and with his thin voice, but vibrant, she repeated: "Christus verus homo," "homo verus," Christ, true man, true man. Years later, the Chilean theologian Segundo Galilea, we pointed out that all the major reforms of Church have made the banner of Christ's humanity, and he quoted Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, Vincenzo de 'Paoli and many others. Jesus, in fact, became man, true man, to redeem humanity from within. Alberione stood in this line, very Pauline. In the 30s christify uses the verb to indicate this mission are the same years in which Teilhard de Chardin, the issue was of "human phenomenon" that Christ receives the evolutionary thrust to the fullness of God Both started from St. Paul.
But in his "holy night" of charisma (1900-1901), the need to humanize the 'man in this Alberione. In his memories of that night of prayer and grace, he refers to "come unto me all ..." the Gospel of Matthew, a text that reveals the merciful love of Jesus for the "sheep without a shepherd", tired, bum, hungry. And at the end of his reflection notes, "remains at the bottom thinking that is necessary to develop the whole human personality for his salvation and a deeper apostolate" (AD 22).
The crib is always reminding us a picture of history that the birth of Jesus in the "cave of Bethlehem.
humanizing role of Mary and the woman
In this vision is a better understanding of the strong presence of women in the Pauline Family. Of the ten branches that make up the five institutions are women and two - the Co-operative Associations Holy Family Institute - has a strong female presence. Alberione, since the beginning of his priesthood, understood well the role of women in the salvific plan of God and his special urgency in today's world, as it reveals one of his earliest books, "The woman associated with priestly zeal" (1912) . He was aware that its institutions are called to use modern means and techniques, complicated and cold, the presence of women was essential to give a human face Pauline activities and humanizing.
An important test of this text offers the Prayers-contemplative "Way of humanities." There Mary, the woman for excellence, is seen as the "Mother of humanity" as the way of humanizing the man and created in God's plan of salvation In this light we can understand better why Alberione has emphasized both the role of women in the family and the world: here comes the man, it educates which it leaves for his mission in the world. There, in the family, beautifully intertwine the glory of God is man fully alive, and peace, an indispensable condition of the harmony that makes possible the human community. Significant
I think what he writes to members of the first secular institutes Pauline in 1958. It urges them to have access to positions of importance to make a better service to people and have a greater Christian influence in society. And with anticipation prophetic, calling them to "be Samaritans" of contemporary man (cf. CISP, 1306 and 1309). Paul VI, the closing of Vatican II, will use the same image: the Church is present Samaritan man ...
Many men and women of our time have heard this same concern, and as true prophets, have shaken the conscience of many people with their message of proclamation and denunciation. Alberione also did so, but in the spirit of Bethlehem and Nazareth, that is discreet, silent, deep, inspired by St. Paul to which the prophet is "He who exhorts, edifies and consolation" (1 Cor 14, 3).
In 1942, during the war, Alberione, publishes the article "The Truce of God" on Sunday Illustrated magazine, in which he requested that, in the various war fronts, to cease weapons in order to enable the soldiers to be able to celebrate a peaceful Christmas. He concluded: "He (Jesus) is peace, and he is the truce of God, today we speak only of peace, and love, now truce of hearts." Not only was unheard, but the civil authorities threatened the suspension of newspapers and the imprisonment of the author. Other than humanizing the world! But he continued to believe it.
Witness and creator of humanity, the Holy
Alberione did not like the things that remained at the project level, the dreams and utopias for him made sense only if you Translating into facts. His vision of the integral, which aspired to form of Paul, the man saw fully realized "holy." In a famous writer, converted to Christ, asked why, among the many churches urging him, had finally entered the Catholic Church. The answer was that the Catholic Church had found what he estimated to be the most perfect model of man, the Holy One. Alberione we would be recognized in full. For him "the saint is not a man worn out, half a conscience, who can not assume its responsibilities in life ... To St. Paul's holiness is the full maturity of man, the perfect man ... and this will be, in proportion to the spirit of faith and good will: the Lord is with us, we are coworkers with God "(Thoughts, p. 50, 4th ed., CISP, 1135).
The Christmas party Alberione saw this in mind humanizing. For him the "chair of the crib" is the privileged place where the "Master", coming into the world, gives men his very first lesson: God became man so that man becomes God the world is to humanize the man to help find the authentic values \u200b\u200bof his existence - and certainly the man has them, if God in Jesus has made true man! -: Silence, poverty, friendliness, generosity, simplicity, humility, respect, solidarity and above all the love that makes it similar to God What if love drove him to become a us? And what if the path of love, men closer together, and can riumanizzarli can finally break the magic circle of violence and war? I think
Alberione expect from us that commitment, which is now an urgent imperative not to ignore. "Glory to God in the heavens and peace to those whom God loves." The angels sang in Bethlehem, now we must resound with all the means at our disposal for the world to regain his humanity and still be viable.
Benito Spoletini