A friend of the poor in the glory of the saints (5)
by Giosy Cento
The two passages to Fraciscio in my youth as a priest are always alive in my mind and heart. The winding roads, the beauty and song of the mountains, the smallness of the village and its hymn to simplicity, toil, to poverty, to attention for each person because there is only to share and then share what you are and what little you have. There, in front of the large hearth, where the external cold is transformed into the warmth of a family united by clean love and prayer. Here are the sources of Don Luigi Guanella, a young friend of the poor in every sense and father of the young people who generously want to follow him. From Fraciscio to St. Peter's Square, by God, the step is not impossible.
by Gabriele Cantaluppi
Without wanting to neglect the aspects of the mystery of the Church inherited from Tradition, the Second Vatican Council privileged that of the "people of God", in continuity with the best biblical view: "The universal Church presents itself as 'a people gathered in the unity of Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Perhaps the influence of the collapse of the dictatorial hegemonies of the first half of the twentieth century is not unrelated to this turning point, which changed cultural sensitivity, also favoring the public role and popular strength. And it has become increasingly visible that the people of God find their full fulfillment around the Eucharist, the sacrament which, from Baptism and through Confirmation, completes the identity of the Christian.
Strong moments of this understanding of identity were the celebrations of the Eucharistic Congresses, both international and national: forty-eight of the former and, in Italy, twenty-five of the latter; the next one from 3 to 11 September in Ancona will be the twenty-sixth. The series opened with the one celebrated in Lille in France in 1881, while it was Naples' turn in 1891 to host the first of the Italian ones; it should be noted that during the period of Don Guanella's life there were 25 international ones and 5 national ones.
by Angelo Sceppacerca
Sometimes saints pass by us and we don't notice. Yet the joy of being loved by God cannot be hidden. It is the discovery of the golden thread that binds all the facts of existence, it is the piece that completes the mosaic of humanity in which every man is inserted. It is true joy. It can be read on the face, in the eyes, in the gestures. It takes root in the depths of the human being and releases buried energies that can no longer help but act. Joy that infects and frees and helps to understand the facts of life. It is the story and the experience of many when they have a strong, life-changing encounter. It can be an encounter with a witness, but also with a fact of life, an illness, the death of a loved one, an engaging and profound spiritual experience.
The testimony of one's life is a real contagion, it also applies to non-Christians. Gandhi said of himself: I am an incorrigible optimist.
by Mario Carrera
«When you return from a trip there is always something to talk about». Well, the road to reaching the goal of canonization is a mine of interesting stories. A wonderful adventure. I walked along paths with the bloody footprints of a young man who emerged in a singular way from a dramatic accident. Paths full of darkness for human reason, however, a darkness vibrant with mystery. This human story, shrouded in pain and the fear of dramatic outcomes, was pervaded by an energy coming from an "elsewhere" which supported a drama crossed by a solid hope strengthened by the prayer of intercession to Don Guanella.
Talking about the weeks in hospital of the young William Glisson, his reappearance at the bright window of life, his return to family affection, the blossoming of a love that will lead him to marriage, was like traveling through a galaxy of sparkling stars that is ending like a fireworks celebration.
In the "Giornale dell'anima" Blessed John XXIII recalls the day of his ordination with these words. «I visited the churches I was most fond of, the altars of the saints most familiar to me, the images of the Virgin Mary. They were very short visits, but it seemed to me that evening that I had something to say to each of them and that they had something to say to me, and, in fact, it was so."
All those who will be present in Rome or will watch through television or ideally participate in the glorification of Don Guanella in St. Peter's Square on 23 October 2011, will certainly have had the experience of having been on their knees in front of an image of Don Guanella, of to have asked for something and to have felt something good being born in their soul.
The event of the canonization will be a privileged circumstance of the Spirit to echo positive feelings and operational intentions and thus continue in our history the experience of charity which constitutes the luminous halo for Don Guanella.
On the day of canonization, Don Guanella will ideally be entrusted with the title of "Itinerant Master of Love of Neighbor". His teaching will begin immediately. He will do it through the magnetic waves of the means of social communication, his message of brotherhood will flow like regenerating water into the souls of many people and the most sensitive souls will hear a bewitching song of nostalgia and a desire for good resound.
The example of his life, in imitation of Christ, still for us today becomes "broken bread" for the life of the poor: poor in bread, hope, affection, health, intelligence, roles in social life .