From ‘Individual’ to ‘Person’: The Call of Fratelli Tutti

 

The difference between the terms ‘Individual’ and ‘Person’ is the characteristics of relationship. An individual is a distinct being; an individual human being is one who separates him/herself from other people and possessing their own needs or goals, rights and responsibilities. On the other hand, a person is one who is always referred with his/her social relationship with others such as kinship, clan, culture and nation. Even in legal terms the word person denotes a group or organization. The newly written encyclical of the Holy Father, Fratelli Tutti (all brothers) is call to move on from being individual to being person to the whole universe without any borders and limits.

It is the third encyclical of Pope Francis followed by Lumen Fidei and Laudato si. The title and the place in which it is officially signed by the pope are significant. The title, Fratelli Tutti is taken from the book Admonitions of St. Francis of Assisi and the place chosen for the publication is the tomb of St. Francis at the Basilica of Assisi on 3 October, the eve of the feast of the saint of Assisi. In fact, the opening of the document lauds the essence of the fraternal love of St. Francis, who would call the sun, my brother, and the moon, my sister!

The document is composed of eight chapters. The first chapter presents the current situation of the world which lacks universal vision of fraternity. The second chapter taking the parable of the good Samaritan narrates the present scenario mentioned in the first chapter. The third chapter is a call to come out of one’s closed comfort zone to an open world. The fourth chapter shows the qualities of a heart that is open to the whole world beyond one’s own limits. The fifth chapter gives the action-plan for the ideas mentioned in the previous chapters especially entering into the political scenario which the Pope calls ‘a better kind of politics’, a politics of love. The sixth chapter is a vision for a new society of dialogue and friendship. The seventh chapter deals with some concrete issues in the society like wars, death penalty, social injustice and social forgiveness. The last chapter throws some light on the Christian identity amidst the different religions with their ups and downs for universal brotherhood and friendship just like the Pope signed a document on ‘Human Fraternity for world peace and living together’ with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi on 4 February 2019. Another example that this encyclical shows in this regard is the father of our nation India, Mahatma Gandhi.

            The beauty of this encyclical is its practical proposals in the concrete situations like giving human dignity in the pandemic situation, the idea of the family of nations in the international politics, dialogue and friendship in society and, the unrestricted and public mission of the Church in the world.

In short, Pope Francis calls every Christian to move from individualistic attitude to an unlimited heart that can embrace the whole world just like Jesus.  He says, “Radical individualism is a virus that is extremely difficult to eliminate, for it is clever” (Paragraph 105). In friendship and brotherhood there is no way for individualism. The best part of our baptism is that we are entering from our individuality into a great personhood of fellowship. Fratelli Tutti invites this personhood to be shared to the whole world irrespective of the differences through social friendship. Let us join the Pope in praying the last words of the encyclical: “May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unit, common projects and shared dreams”. Amen

A Blessed in Blue Jeans: the newly beatified Carlo Acutis

     Two decades ago, a book named ‘Jesus in Blue Jeans’ was  famous for its practical guidance to the spiritualty of day-to-day living. Jesus is portrayed as the model for daily life. However, it would be more effective in seeing in the concrete lives of the persons than remaining in the level of ideas in books. In other words, people want to see the same Jesus in the persons in Blue Jeans. One such fine example of our era is the newly beatified Carlo Acutis. His life has been a real inspiration for so many young people especially in Italy.

            Carlo Acutis, the first son of an Italian parents who were living in England, was born in London on 3 May 1991. Later the family moved to Milan in Italy. He had a special love for Jesus in the eucharist right from his childhood. In fact, he received his first holy communion at the age of seven. Just like St. Dominic Savio he also created a friendship with Jesus and Blessed Mother Mary immediately after receiving Jesus in his heart for the first time. This was an important event in his saintly life.

            He was an ordinary boy with the youthful characters. He had passion for information technology, sports and so on. He had lot of friends and at the same time he gave first place to God. His spirituality was not very theoretical. It was very simple but profound. For example, in spite of his expertise and passion for technology he did no lock himself up in it. On the contrary, he used it for productive purpose and for the greater glory of God. He had visited the different places where the Eucharistic miracles had taken place and made a virtual museum of these miracles by making a website www.miracolieucaristici.org which continues to help so many people even today.

            Sanctity was his ultimate goal of life. His goal made him stand in a different way wherever he was like at school, in a restaurant with friends or in the football field. He had a kit to become saint which consists of: a great desire for holiness, Mass, Communion, daily Rosary, weekly confession, Bible reading and the willingness to give up anything for the good of the other. His life of testimony attracted not only his catholic friends but also Rajesh, a Hindu from India, who was working at the house of Carlo. Rajesh declared that the life of Carlo has transformed him to be Christian.

            Unfortunately, in October 2006, Carlo was diagnosed with type M3 fulminant leukaemia. Even at the moment of suffering he was ready to endure his pain for the Pope and the Church. On 12 October 2006, at the age of fifteen the beautiful soul departed. Two days before his death he asked to receive the anointing of the Sick and the Holy Eucharist. He knew few months back that this sickness would take him off the world which he declared with the emotional words, “I am destined to die.” Many people participated at his funeral mass especially the homeless who were helped by him.

            His favourite place on earth was Assisi, the beautiful village of St. Francis and so he desired to be buried there with his favourite Jeans and Sneakers. His holiness was realised soon and on 12 October 2012, the cause for his beatification and canonization was opened. Pope Francis declared him venerable, a stage before beatification, on 5 July 2018. Moreover, in his Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit, the Pope declared him to be an example for the youth across the world. On 6 April 2019 his mortal remains were moved to the ‘Sanctuary of the Renunciation’ in Assisi where many people pay homage to him. On 21 February Pope Francis approved a miraculous healing of a Brazilian boy who suffered from a congenital anomaly attributed to the intercession of Carlo. The holy boy was beatified on 10 October 2020. During his beatification the cardinal said that his life was luminous just like the bread of the Holy Eucharist. His life is the model way of living that Jesus gives in the gospel.

            “To always be close to Jesus: that’s my life plan” – these words of Carlo Acutis can be seen in his personal website www.carloacutis.com. Now in the person of Carlo Acutis ‘A Blessed in Blue Jeans’. Let us continue to pray that he may soon become ‘A Saint in Sneakers’ and let us take his example in being productive and progressive for the greater glory of God and His Church.