“Do not be afraid! Open, or rather throw wide open, the doors to Christ.” The voice of John Paul II resounded in Piazza Stradivari, from the stage of Happening 2024. And precisely the invitation launched in 1978 by the Holy Father – “do not be afraid” – gives the title to the edition of the event which will liven up the center of Cremona until the evening of Tuesday 18 June.
On Sunday evening the bishop met to discuss the topic Antonio Napolioni And Tommaso Agasisti, professor at the University of Milan and member of the “La Mongolfiera” Association founded in Bologna by some families with disabled children. The journalist moderates Cristiano Guarneri. On stage, to introduce the evening, some young people who sang “The truth” by Brunori Sas. A significant song whose lyrics read: “But have you understood that there is no point in appearing intelligent in the eyes of people/because dying also serves to be reborn/The truth is that the idea of disappearing scares you, the idea that everything you cling to sooner or later it will have to end.”
And it was they, the kids, who thought up the questions asked of the guests. «We have all experienced the fear of disappointing, the fear of making mistakes, but the point is that there is no human condition or age that can protect us from fear. Yet in 1978 John Paul II’s invitation not to be afraid resonated”, said Guarneri, also recalling the recent statements of the singer Ultimo, who described a generation scared and uninterested in the Church or politics. Hence the questions: is Ultimo right when he says that reality makes no sense? And if he’s not right, what makes us say that life is worth living? Who or what do you hope for?
The first to attempt an answer was Agasisti. «As a boy I was worried that the question I had of being happy would always be disappointed by reality. I was scared because it seemed to me that everything I was holding on to would sooner or later end. Then I met a Christian company of friends where I discovered that there was a beautiful path: I wanted to live like them, study with intensity like them, party like they did”. That group of young people was led by a doctor, Enzo Piccinini (surgeon of Communion and Liberation for whom the cause of beatification is underway) who told the young people only one thing: «The answer to all our questions is there, he is a man and you can meet him, his name is Jesus».
In 1998 Piccinini died in a tragic car accident. «At that moment I was afraid, afraid that it would all end – Agasisti recalled –. But what I had encountered, that friendship, surpassed death, and I wanted to go after this promise. By virtue of that promise you can experience everything». After university Tommaso gets married, his children arrive, the work becomes intense and the first big decisions have to be made. «We have always tried to live marriage in the light of Christianity», he explains. One of his most difficult choices was to leave Bologna to go to Milan. In Emilia Romagna they have many friends, and among these a group of families with disabled children who founded an association, “La Mongolfiera”, to walk together. «They were happy, they didn’t experience that place as a crutch while sometimes it was easy for us to mistake a comfortable life for happiness». From there – despite the distance – relationships were born that still support the life of Agasisti and his family today. So much so that when at a certain point «I lost my bearings a bit by focusing everything on my career, with an enormous freedom for which I am still grateful today, friends came to our house to tell me again that my life could not consist of that». And so the journey resumed.
Monsignor Napolioni also told a lot about himself, his personal story, in responding to the young people. «CWho among us doesn’t deal with fear and hope? Fear is a lifesaver: you cannot live without fears, without scruples. But when it’s too much it paralyzes us. However, it is not a question of finding points of balance, but of relating fear to a complementary energy: joy, hope, attraction to life. In the Bible – remember – the expression “do not be afraid” appears 365 times. (…) And if I think of Ultimo, well, I hope that he and all his peers go in search of this tremendous and fascinating reality! Life is our treasure, our grace, our mission».
Like a flash he retraced his adolescence in the Marche spent in the scouts, when at 16 he held a camp with fourteen younger boys and a young priest «That experience changed our lives, because we were together to live and hope, but the driving force has always been research. After all, the word “scout” means to research, contemplate, be amazed by reality. For me, that search led to faces with people who testified to me a passion for justice, an intensity of prayer, a love for family and education… who provoked me». He remembers a special joy about them, which was born from their Christian faith. Hence the unusual decision, for him who came from a wealthy and anticlerical family, to enter the Seminary.
It was the Seventies, or rather 1978, the year in which the Pope shouted to the world not to be afraid. «I still remember a meeting with the Taizè community, where we were invited to be seekers of God. And it is the value of research that has always accompanied me, even when I arrived in Cremona as bishop». It is no coincidence – he explained – that the episcopal motto was chosen “Serve the Lord with joy”, that is, in continuous research. «Because life is a gift to be continually sought, but even hardship and the cross can be friends if you live with Him who gives meaning to everything»
Finally, from the bishop, an invitation addressed to all those present in the square. «Pope Francis today repeats, and expands, the cry of John Paul II, when he tells us that we must not be afraid to let Christ in, but not even to let him go out. The fear of terrible reality must not close us. That’s why I’m happy to be here tonight! Because the measure of Christ is our humanity. We must not be afraid of the crisis because the crisis forces us to choose sides, to rediscover ourselves. Whoever has the most life must share it with others», he concluded by inviting everyone not to keep their gifts and talents to themselves. (www.diocesidicremona.it)
