To all appearances, the day seemed
much like any other: A calendar full of events, conferences and
other engagements, not forgetting the customary call at the pub.
But one thing that was different that day was the evening engagement,
planned at the famous Irish university, Trinity College Dublin,
historically one of the most important centers of cultural creativity
in the Protestant world.
Trinity seemed an unusual choice, yet our Irish friends were very
happy with it, and kept telling me there was no better place in
Dublin for organizing the presentation of Fr Giussani’s
book Why the Church?.
There was no intention of provocation behind the decision, but
rather the desire to use that prestigious place so as to give
the meeting greater emphasis, and to give greater amplification
to the question contained in the invitations: “After 2,000
years, how is it possible to reach certainty about the person
of Christ?” Yes, because this was the point for discussion
during the conference. Three speakers were invited: Alberto Savorana,
Traces Editor; followed by a Protestant minister and Professor
of Theology; and the new Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.
The method of the Mystery
The first address was given by Alberto, with the task of synthesizing
Fr Giussani’s text. All at once, as I looked at those sitting
beside me, I realized that many could give examples from their
own experience of what he was describing, since the Christian
message had aroused an interest in them, which had matured with
time so as to become, almost unexpectedly, part of them, identical
with their lives. His were familiar words, referring to experiences
near and far.
I was still reflecting on these themes when another voice, with
a strong American accent, took over and developed those thoughts.
With different lines of argument, the main thread of the talk
converged on one thesis: in order to get to know the Mystery,
man must start off from the method that the Mystery itself established
for making Himself known and left behind as a heritage. The Protestant
minister thus brought into focus a contradiction in contemporary
thought. If, on one hand, it comes to respect Jesus’ religious
sense or His humanity, as happened to those who watched Mel Gibson’s
film, The Passion, on the other hand, it doesn’t accept
that the Church is “not a road, but the road” for
getting to know of Jesus.
A long-distance dialogue
The third speech happened to be the first public appearance of
the new Archbishop of Dublin. After a brief introduction, it was
clear that the speech was going to be a long-distance dialogue
between the Archbishop and the book’s author. The Archbishop’s
concern was to clarify the terms of the question, so as to bring
them alongside the life of the Church in Ireland, as if to announce
the guidelines for his pastoral action.
Three things impressed me in that announcement. The first was
inherent to the method of cognition. If, in order to express a
judgment on an object, we need to know it, the same criterion
has to be used for knowing the Church. In order to know the Church,
one has to form a relationship with it; otherwise, without realizing
it, you absorb the judgment from the prevailing mentality. Understanding
what the Church is is crucial for a mature awareness.
The second point concerned the sphere of freedom belonging to
every Christian, whereas the third point indicated that there
can be no evangelization if we don’t begin from personal
conversion.
Step by step, then, the Archbishop came to answer the central
question of Fr Giussani’s book. To the question “Why
the Church?” we have to reply, “We need the Church;
we need that encounter with Jesus who reveals ourselves to ourselves.”
On leaving the university, perhaps the thought struck someone
that a new sun had risen in the skies of Ireland.
Ireland
