Into the Eucharistic congress
In anticipation of the international eucharistic congress (IEC) in
Cebu , a contribution to familiarizing and deepening
That “something more” that everyone desires, that vague but urgent “something more,” that “something more,” unknown, of which man is often or normally unaware, whose meaning he never manages to grasp, that “essential thing,” of which Yevtushenko speaks, and could not put a name to (“After every lesson,” quoted in L. Giussani, The Religious Sense, McGill-Queens, Montreal, 1997, p. 71), that vague “something more,” in such a situation, becomes a reality just as measurable, physically perceptible, physically detectable, feasible, familiar, clear, like a person with whom you are talking at table, with whom you live under the same roof, you eat, you discuss. (L. Giussani)
Notes
from a meditation given by Luigi Giussani at the Spiritual Exercises for GS of Switzerland
Fribourg,
November 1967
1. The Mystery has become familiar
“The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus. Simon Peter
signed to him and said, ‘Ask who it is He means,’ so, leaning back on Jesus’
breast, he said, ‘Who is it Lord?’ ‘It is the one,’ replied Jesus, ‘to whom I
give the piece of bread that I shall dip in the dish.’ He dipped the piece of
bread and gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. At that instant, after Judas
had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, ‘What you are going to
do, do quickly.’ None of the others at table understood the reason He said
this. Since Judas was in charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus
was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival,’ or telling him to give
something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went
out. Night had fallen” (Gv 13:23-30).
This short picture contains the whole Christian drama since two
thousand years ago, which is not a social drama (if not by reflection). It is
the Christian drama since two thousand years ago, the drama that happens in the
relationship of the single person, God’s relationship with you, because the
Christian drama happens at the level of the individual, at the level of the
person, and the rest derives from it.
I would like us to fix our attention on that picture, on that
instant, on that moment, in which one of the Twelve, who was close to Jesus,
leaned on His breast to ask Him, “Who is it?”
Let’s
leave aside for a moment the truth of Christianity…. [full text]
