Focolare Movement

Giordani: Fragments of daily life

Aug 9, 2015

Pensieri per la vita quotidiana, estratti dalla rivista Fides, mensile della Pontificia opera per la preservazione della fede della quale Igino Giordani sarà direttore per tanti anni.

Foco 3«Working in the fields, and taking care of the life of the plants, in an immense silence marked by the solar and lunar cycles, and sharing the work of creation of natural life, are also like priestly tasks, and call for concentration and sacrifice: the courage to tune in with one’s own soul, and be one with the expectation of the universe, in contact with nature which is a miraculous nursery, feeling oneself, without fainting, in the presence of God.» (FIDES, July 1938) « Man needs beauty and purity that surpasses human ideals in order to rise up to the contemplation of Mary. She was the one who lifted him up: in contemplating this, the most beautiful aspirations of the soul blossomed, and tried to capture through expressions of art, the highest ever achieved. Maternity is womanly tenderness, the most beautiful passion, the moment wherein one is able to lift oneself beyond brutality, through a surge of divinization.» (FIDES, March 1938) «The Christian revolution came about without conspiracy and did not overturn institutions, nor did it kill tyrants, but penetrated into the obsolete organisations of the old world, into the worn family, in the decrepit juridical institutes, and into social relationships intoxicated by lust. It was love that was stirring up again, to regenerate all and by which suddenly, slaves were able to transform themselves before their masters, and woman assumed a new value in the eyes of man, and heathens and labourers bridged the immense gap between them and the Greeks and Romans. ». (FIDES, February 1943 «The aware Christian – the saint – is one who uses his time carefully and is able to achieve a lot in a short time, to honour the Head of the house, for the common good and wellbeing of his brethren. This activity and ability, in the current language is called apostolate. A Christian that does not act in the manner and time assigned, is a Christian who ignores his role in the Church: he is unaware of the Church that lives because it acts and produces action. We say it produces Catholic action. In a thousand ways, all are involved. A poet can do it and likewise a half wit, a hermit and a monk, the head of a family and a department head, the city wayfarer and the cobbler in his workshop. ». (FIDES, October 1938) Source: Igino Giordani Centre

___

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

Brotherhood

Brotherhood

Brotherhood, being children of the same Father, can be the root of every kind of pacifism. In this excerpt from the “Catholic Revolt”, Igino Giordani wrote almost an invocation, a poetic appeal that compels us to look up and opens our eyes to who our brother is, that brother who may be labelled as an enemy, as a foreigner, as a migrant, but is always a brother. It is an appeal written back in 1925, that still touches our deepest chords and challenges us to be builders of peace.

Christians protagonists of dialogue

Christians protagonists of dialogue

29th June is the feast of Saints Peter and Paul and is a significant day in the ecumenical sphere. On this date we publish some interviews with Christians from various Churches