Choice or skip

There are those who refuse to be Christian because they think that Christian practice prevents them from realizing themselves. There are various reasons given by the supporters of this thesis.
From an intellectual point of view, being Christian means, for some, giving up the free exercise of reason to accept with closed eyes what is not understood. From the point of view of practical behavior it means imposing inhibitions for the supine adherence to conceptions and customs of previous cultural eras. From a social point of view, being Christian means submitting to a moral precept that ignores and claims to prevent the free play of the laws of politics and economics.
Since the fact exists, we must also question the reasons and seek an answer.
It is best to start with a mea culpa.

In the field of thought, looking at Christ, do we really see the one who is God and at the same time man in the fullness of him? While we believe in the life of the world to come, do we also believe that it is being prepared in this earthly existence?

Looking at the practical aspects, is the commitment to social justice, to the liberation, development and elevation of the poor, the marginalized always as vigilant and decisive as it should be?
But we can't stop at mea culpa.
Being Christian, in deeds and not in words, means making a leap in quality, it means strengthening human activity by drawing on forces that surpass man: on "grace", the gift of God.
In the Acts of the Apostles the first Christians try to realize an ideal of community in which the highest human values emerge. It is too optimistic to think that if this style of life, which has never been lost in the Church, were to relive ever more spontaneously and freshly in multiplied communities of brothers, not a few who now hesitate in the face of what they see as a "choice" would decide to take a “leap”?


Michele Pellegrino
NP June / July 2023
(excerpts from Progetto (now NP) 1978 n. 10)