The Only Embrace That Saves Everything
Simone Riva - All our efforts, in the face of time, yield. The only embrace capable of containing every dimension of human existence is that of the risen Christ.
The Pope said it without mincing words when addressing a delegation of French political figures on August 28: "The Christian leader is better prepared to face the challenges of today's world, especially to the extent that he lives out his faith. This means bearing witness to his personal relationship with Christ, who enlightens him and gives him strength. Jesus affirms this emphatically: ‘Without me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5). It is therefore not surprising that the promotion of ‘values’—however evangelical they may be—is incapable of changing the world when ‘emptied’ of Christ, who is their author."
The debate on the challenges of our time, or any time for that matter, always seems to stall at the same point: what we consider decisive does not pass; it does not win.
There is always something stronger than what we believe to be true, and we see it spreading with greater persuasiveness. It spreads and insinuates itself, captivates minds, determines customs, inspires laws, moves politics, deceives the simple, discourages the determined, opposes friends, and thwarts the best attempts.
So, what then? Is it better to beat a retreat and admit defeat? Or should we adapt to the winner's way of doing things? The answer, again, comes from the Pope: "The salvation that Jesus obtained through His death and resurrection encompasses all dimensions of human life, such as culture, economics, work, family, marriage, respect for human dignity and life, health, communication, education, and politics. Christianity cannot be reduced to simple private devotion, because it implies a way of living in society marked by love of God and neighbor, who, in Christ, is no longer an enemy but a brother."
The more difficult the times and the harder the trials, the more we are forced to verify what can withstand them, even if everything else should capitulate. The only condition is this: we must not change God's method. Christ's salvation is the only embrace capable of containing all the dimensions of human existence—the very ones we so often fight and argue about.
But the salvation obtained by Christ followed a precise path: that of death and resurrection. God decided to return as the protagonist of history by allowing Himself to be pushed into a corner. For this reason, the first and truest "value" to be defended is the place His presence occupies in our lives.
Benedict XVI recalled this when addressing the Pontifical Council for the Laity on November 25, 2011: “At times, efforts have been made to ensure that the presence of Christians in society, politics, or the economy is more incisive, and perhaps we have not been equally concerned about the solidity of their faith, as if it were a given once and for all.”
Everything, when emptied of Christ, loses its content. Everyone can verify this in the consequences that soon become apparent. It is as if a thin cloud were falling over everyday life, sclerotizing the most beautiful things, anesthetizing the truest desires, and arresting the most burning questions.
Don Giussani explained it this way: "The flattening of desire gives rise to the bewilderment of young people and the cynicism of adults; and in the general asthenia, what is the alternative? A voluntarism without breath and without horizon, without genius and without space, and a moralism that supports the state as the ultimate source of consistency for the human flow" (Luigi Giussani, L’io, il potere, le opere, Marietti, 2000, p. 168).
What freedom it takes to expect salvation for all of humanity—and therefore, first and foremost, for oneself—from Christ alone. This perspective allows for an intelligent undertaking and an adequate contribution to the challenges of the present, preventing us from becoming the "useful idiots" of the current winner by replicating patterns, repeating words, and reiterating concepts that, thank God, no longer move anyone.
Notes and translations unrevised by the author.
