For a spirituality incarnate

Fr. Livio Tonello, director

Those who think that spirituality has nothing to do with social problems risk living separately from history. Politics, economics, the administration of the common good, security... are issues that concern the life of every believer and are inherent in what we call the “spiritual dimension”. The famous Swiss theologian Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) said that spirituality «is that basic practical or existential attitude of man which is the consequence and expression of the way in which he understands his religious – or more generally, his ethically committed – existence». We are continually swamped with debates, with the disputes among the various political parties, with announcements and slogans that promise future benefits. Whether we like it or not, all this is part of the democratic life of a people. And it cannot remain absent from the interest of a Christian. A shining example is precisely Saint Anthony, who on several occasions became involved in the social issues of his fellow citizens. For example, when his fervent preaching against usury led to the passing of a law that saved insolvent debtors from prison. Or when he went to the fierce tyrant Ezzelino to ask for the liberation of some Guelph knights. Indignation,…