Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Haiti Earthquake - A Judgment from Communion and Liberation

The Lay Catholic Movement Communion and Liberation wrote a judgment on the terrible earthquake that struck Haiti (the following is my translation from the Italian):

Our Life Belongs to Another
"Our life belongs to Another. Inevitability is in a way the most clarifying synonym of this fact that the thing does not belong to us and, above all, that from which all things derive does not belong to us: our life belongs to Another.

In this sense you understand why man's life is dramatic: if it did not belong to Another it would be tragic. Tragedy is when a building falls and all the stones and the pieces of marble and pieces of wall crumble.All of life becomes nothing, is destined to become nothing, because of what we lived in the past, of what we lived up until an hour ago, up until five minutes ago; nothing is formed, nothing is constructed any longer. And this is tragic. Tragedy is the nothing of the finish line, the nothing, the nothing of what is.

While if everything belongs to Another, to something of Another, man's life is dramatic, not tragic. I recognize that I belong to you, recognize that time was not mine, didn't belong to me, just as up to today time does not belong to me, it isn't mine. Take my life, I accept that it doesn't belong to me, I recognize that it doesn't belong to me, I accept that it doesn't belong to me.

What possesses our time died for us, presents itself to our eyes and to our heart as the place where our destiny is loved, where our happiness is loved, so much that He who possesses time dies for our time. The Lord, He to whom life belongs, is good."
(Luigi Giussani, Is It Possible To Live This Way? Vol. 2: Hope)

"In these days, our thoughts go to the dear population of Haiti as we heartily pray for them. I follow and encourage the effort of the numerous charitable organizations that are taking charge of the great necessities of the country. I pray for the wounded, the homeless, and for all those who lost their lives."
(Benedict XVI, Angelus, January 17 2010)

It is the certainty of this belonging that sustains our hope and makes us feel as ours the drama of our Haitian brothers.

For this reason, we respond to the Pope's appeal and sustain the collection of funds organized by AVSI to intervene in favor of the population and face the grave sanitary emergency in the island. AVSI (The Association of Voluteers in International Service)has been present in Haiti since 1999 with some projects to sustain the local reality.

Communion and Liberation
January 20, 2010


To make a donation to AVSI-USA on-line or by check, please go to http://www.avsi-usa.org/

3 comments:

Timothy Herrmann said...

When was this translated? I can't
find it on the national website...is this your own?

Mari said...

The English text from Giussani is from the book (Vol.2 Hope) while I translated from the Italian flyer the Pope's message and the last paragraph. It is not the official English translation that will appear later on the CL international website.

Timothy Herrmann said...

Well thanks for doing it. I know Italian but it was nice to be able to send the link to friends. Make sure to post the actual translation when it comes out too.