An Encounter That Surpasses All Expectations
Simone Riva - True knowledge always stems from an encounter. Yet no encounter, not even one with Christ, can override our freedom.
“The best things in life cannot be taught or learned; they are encountered.”
This aphorism by Oscar Wilde—quoted recently by Roberto Benigni in his monologue on the Apostle Peter—has struck a chord with many. In numerous dialogues and messages since, this phrase has resurfaced as one of the truest sentiments uttered by the Florentine actor. I found myself wondering: Why did it resonate so deeply, especially considering it might be deemed pedagogically controversial?
With all the emphasis placed on the first two verbs—teaching and learning—it would be prudent to at least acknowledge that the best and truest things in life choose the path of an encounter. Heaven forbid anyone interpret this as a call to stop teaching or to refuse learning while waiting for an encounter that may never happen. But what constitutes this type of encounter? And what does it stir in those who experience it?
Last week, as I entered the classroom, a student who typically opts out of religion class approached me. Before leaving, he said he wanted to discuss some questions he had regarding Christianity—things he couldn't grasp and that made no sense to him. We set an appointment and met.
We spent an intensely unique hour discussing the Trinity, the Bible, the origin of the world, and the Incarnation. At one point, the boy even asked if he could take notes. At the end, before saying goodbye, I told him, “Look, before we go any further, you need to understand what drove you to come to me in the first place.”
This, I believe, is the dynamic of an encounter: it opens the doors to teaching and learning, yet it cannot be replaced by them. We see this in the life of Peter himself and, before him, in the history of the people of Israel—a people God wished to keep in a perpetual state of expectation, from the first encounter with Abraham onward.
Is anyone still willing to put stock in the power of an encounter? Without an expectation with which to face life, even the most decisive encounters are destined to be missed. Don Giussani describes the heart of this matter in one of his most effective passages:
"Christ is walking with the Apostles and passes a rock overlooking the road.
'Who do people say that I am?' 'And who do you say that I am?' 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
Peter uttered these words without understanding their true and profound meaning.
'Blessed are you, for it was not your spirit, but God who revealed this to you. You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.'
Even today, Christianity is built on a response of this kind. 'People—who do they say I am? Books, professors, filmmakers, publicists, party leaders, your father, your mother, your friends—who do they say I am?'
'The first socialist, the first communist, the first liberal, the greatest religious genius, a visionary, a sorcerer, an unknown with a lucky name...'
'And who do you say that I am?' 'And you, who do you say that I am?'"
Giussani continues:
"Our adult, personal faith begins as a personal response to this question. As long as the world exists, a man's voice will confront the consciences of other men to echo the question, which is a proposal: 'And you, who do you say that I am?' And the answer, 'You are God,' will arise in every age from the same attitude and the same reasons as Peter's.
It is crucial to note that this fundamental dialogue, this decisive choice, has a twofold component. First, the fact of an encounter—the encounter with the reality of Christ—an inevitable occasion, an unavoidable event in the life of the person to whom it happens. And second, the attention paid to that fact, the 'being there' within that encounter, the commitment to it. This is not inevitable; it is free." (Luigi Giussani, Il cammino al vero è un'esperienza, Rizzoli, 2006, pp. 101-102)
The encounter that can change our lives—that presents itself as the truest thing in life—possesses everything necessary to be recognized and followed. However, it cannot supersede our freedom. To realize that even the Mystery of God, upon entering history, decided to follow this path and submit Himself to the movement of human freedom, cannot fail to move us. It forces us to ask: “What if you are the One I have been waiting for?”
