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Regenerations/6 – It makes our "forever-s" valid. And manages to give itself as a reward by Luigino Bruni published in Avvenire on 06/09/2015 “I see and I find my own light in the other, the true Reality of myself, the real me in the other (perhaps buried or secretly disguised for shame), and once I have found myself, I am reunited by resurrecting myself." Chiara Lubich, The Resurrection of Rome. Mercy was the cement with which we kneaded our civilization in past centuries. Without knowing and loving mercy we do not understand the Bible, the Covenant, the book of Exodus, Isaiah, the Gospel of Luke, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, Frances Cabrini, Don Bosco, Christian social works, the Italian Constitution, the European dream, and life together and love affairs after the concentration camps, families living and staying together until the very end. It is mercy that matures and keeps up our relationships through time, it turns falling in love into love, sympathy and emotional accordance into big and strong projects, it makes our "forever-s" pronounced in youth become a reality, it prevents maturity and old age from becoming just a nostalgic story of broken dreams. Mercy lives of three simultaneous movements: the eyes, the bowel (rachàm in the Bible) and that of the hands, the mind and the legs. Those who are merciful are first and foremost people that are able to see deeper. The first instant of mercy is a look that reconstructs the moral and spiritual figure of the one that arouses mercy in us. Before acting to "take care of him," the merciful one looks at him and sees him in a different way. The "not yet" is glimpsed beyond the "already" and the "has already been" appears to all involved. Prior to being an ethical action, mercy is a movement of the soul, with which I can see the other in their original design, before the error and the fall, and I love them in order to recreate their truer nature. Mercy can reconstruct the broken image in the soul, it can reconstruct the interrupted storyline. It can see that there is an inter-human solidarity that is deeper and truer than any crime, it believes that fraternity is not cancelled by any fratricide. It sees Adam again, even after Cain. And while it perceives purity in impurity, beauty in ugliness, light within the darkness, it also moves the body, and touches one in the flesh. The bowels are moved. Mercy involves the whole body, it is a totalistic experience, something like the birth of a new creature - if there was no mercy, the experience of childbirth would remain totally inaccessible to us males; and yet we can understand something of this mystery, the greatest of all, when we give life with mercifulness. Mercy is something that is felt, it hurts, there is labour in it. It is an embodied experience, it is corporal. For this reason those who know mercy also know disdain: if I do not suffer viscerally from all the injustice and evil around me, I cannot be merciful. The same bowels are moved today by the indignation and anger in front of the children who died locked inside a lorry or drowned in the sea, and tomorrow the betrayal of a friend in need of forgiveness. Mercy is a blend of gift and virtue. The ability to see the living part of the heart of the other that remains immaculate even after the most heinous crime (it is actually a living part, and it remains alive until the last second of our lives, because if it wasn't so we would only be demons), is not the fruit of our efforts. It is all gratuitousness. It is a gift received from life, from our family and education in childhood and youth. Mercy, however, also needs commitment and virtue, when we have seen through our soul and listened to our guts, we decide freely that it's time for action, the movement of the legs, hands and the mind. Virtue and commitment, which come always after the gift of the "heart of flesh" and the "eyes of resurrection", are therefore necessary in order to conserve and enhance that gaze throughout our lifetime, as it tends to fog up with the passing of the years. We are not merciful to just anyone, but only against those who are in an condition of error, fault, sin, a situation that touched me personally and wounded me. The first pain at the source of the merciful process is what the merciful person feels for the wrong suffered. That first pain - for treason, for a crime against me or others, for an injustice that reaches me directly or indirectly - must be real and concrete. It is thanks to this first instance of suffering that the different look, the compassion for the pain of the other and the action aiming to heal the wound are activated. That's why mercy is born and exercised first and foremost inside our primary relationships of communion (in fact it is used in the Bible for the relationship between God and his people, for relationships with one's children or friends). The semantic field of mercy will not cross that of meritocracy. By its very nature, compassion is felt for the undeserving, for he or she who deserves only contempt and revulsion. For this reason we do not find it in the world of economics and big businesses, where it is not present and, if it makes an appearance, it is fought against because it is subversive to all the laws and rules of justice of the markets that know and practice only the merit based logic of the "big brother". Yet mercy is unwise, partial, skewed, unbalanced, biased. That's why capitalism cannot love; but if there wasn't at least one merciful person in every organization or community, their land would be too poisoned by the toxins they produce, and no good fruit would grow on it. Mercy, furthermore, has an intrinsic and necessary relationship with forgiveness. The forgiveness of the merciful, however, is forgiveness with its own characteristics. It does not need, for example, the repentance of the other, or that forgiveness is asked. The motion of the bowels and the healing look are activated before the other has acknowledged their guilt and converted - although repentance and contrition are favourable for the activation of mercy. The father waited for his prodigal son on the doorstep when he was still consuming his last resources with prostitutes and when he was eating with the pigs. His standing at the door to look toward the horizon was already mercy. He had "seen" him even when "he was far away". And he will run to meet his son, kiss him and embrace him even before checking on his repentance and conversion. Nothing is more unconditional than an act of mercy. And nothing is more free. Repentance and conversion are often a result of mercy. The "I will arise and go" is very often a mysterious effect of the mercy of someone who, maybe without our knowing, started to think about us and look at us inside their heart with eyes of mercy and healing. We will never know how many departures of liberation have begun from the darkest conditions because someone looked at us with mercy - perhaps while we slept - and healed our wound in his soul this way. And one day we found ourselves able to get up, to get back on the road. The earth is full of roads to liberation from very deep moral and spiritual traps taken up in the heart of the merciful. Rebirths begin by rising in the heart of who looks at us with the eyes of a mother. Our compassion is always second. I discover, surprised, that I am able to be merciful because someone else was so with me before. When it comes to mercy, the "me" precedes the ''I": someone loved me and cared for me with their guts and with their eyes, and so I have become able to do the same. It is a reciprocity of receiving and giving mercy that is always valid, but is essential when you are little and young. Today, behind a person capable of mercy there hide, invisibly, the many merciful faces that have given him or her the possibility of mercy. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." It is a wonderful blessing, the only one that offers only herself as a reward. The promise of mercy is mercy. But what mercy will the merciful find? We have no guarantee - we see it every day - that my being merciful should generate mercy towards myself. Perhaps there is a connection between the instances of mercy offered and received, but the world is also full of merciful people who are not met with mercy on the day they would need it - or they see too little of it in a relationship comparing to how much of it they were originally offered. But there are two types of mercy that the merciful will certainly "find". The first is that which we have given and that, by giving it, has multiplied. Mercy, just like and even more than the great virtues, grows with its exercise. By practicing mercy you become more merciful. The pain that we dry up in others becomes food that feeds our capability of mercy. Just like poplars and tamarisks that heal and detoxify sick and poisoned soils, trees that feed on harmful substances that make them live and grow. If the world was not inhabited by the merciful - and they are more than we think - all of the land would be poisoned, and the bloom of spring would never arrive. Another form of mercy that the merciful finds truly precious and sublime, is the one towards him- or herself. Those who are able to practice mercy with others, out of gratuitousness and virtue, one day find realise having received the gift of new eyes with which to look at even those dimensions of their own life that would not want to entertain and that make them suffer. On that day our bowels start to move in the face-to-face meeting with the person we did not want to become but have, with missed appointments, with the wrong direction taken at the crossroads, with the story that we did not want to write and but we did. While I am leaving Taranto I see that the 640 scions of poplar and tamarisk that some 300 people planted eight months ago have already exceeded three meters in height. They heal and they grow, just like our hope. Download pdf article in pdf (102 KB)
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Milosrđe – vezivno tkivo civilizacije Milosrđe je pokret duše kojim uspijevam vidjeti drugoga u njegovu izvornom naumu Gledam i otkrivam svoje svjetlo u drugima, svoju istinsku stvarnost, svoje istinsko ja u drugima – možda je ono zbog stidljivosti bilo pokopano ili dobro zamaskirano – ali, pronalazeći samu sebe, ponovno se sjedinjujem sa sobom i uskršavam. Chiara Lubich, Uskrsnuće Rima Milosrđe je vezivno tkivo, “cement” kojim smo u proteklim stoljećima “umijesili” našu civilizaciju. Bez poznavanja i poštivanja milosrđa ne možemo razumjeti Bibliju, Savez, Knjigu izlaska, Izaiju proroka, Lukino evanđelje, Franju Asiškoga, Tereziju Avilsku, Francescu Cabrini, don Bosca, kršćanska socijalna djela, san o ujedinjenoj Europi, zajednički život i naklonost nakon koncentracijskih logora, obitelji koje žive ujedinjene do kraja. Upravo milosrđe daje da naši odnosi sazriju i traju, ono preobražava zaljubljenost u ljubav, simpatiju i emotivni sklad u velike i snažne projekte, daje da se ostvare naše izjave “zauvijek” izgovorene u mladosti, ne dopušta da zrelost i starost postanu samo nostalgična pričanja o slomljenim snovima. Milosrđe živi od tri istovremena pokreta: pokreta očiju, pokreta utrobe (biblijski rachàm) i pokreta ruku, uma i nogu. Milosrdna osoba je prvenstveno netko tko je sposoban vidjeti dublje. Prvo milosrđe je pogled kojim se unutar milosrdne osobe obnavlja moralni i duhovni lik onoga tko pobuđuje milosrđe. Prije nego li nešto učini kako bi se “pobrinula za njega”, milosrdna osoba ga gleda i vidi ga drugačijega. Uz ono što on jest i što je bio, a što vide svi, primjećuje što on još nije. Prije nego što je to etičko djelovanje, milosrđe je pokret duše kojim uspijevam vidjeti drugoga u njegovu izvornom naumu, prije njegove pogreške i pada, i ljubim ga s ciljem da ga obnovim u njegovoj pravoj naravi. Milosrđe može obnoviti slomljenu sliku u duši, spojiti prekinutu potku. Ono vidi da je međuljudska solidarnost dublja i istinskija od bilo kojeg prijestupa te vjeruje da nikakvo bratoubojstvo neće ukinuti bratstvo. I dok vidi čistoću u nečistoći, ljepotu u ružnoći, svjetlo u tami, pokreće se i tijelo, i ono je dodirnuto. Premješta se utroba. Milosrđe zahvaća čitavo tijelo, to je sveobuhvatni doživljaj sličan rađanju novoga stvorenja. Kad ne bi bilo milosrđa, nama muškarcima bi iskustvo porođaja bilo potpuno nedostupno. Međutim, mi možemo naslutiti nešto od te tajne, najveće od svih, kada milosrđem nekome vratimo život. Milosrđe se osjeća, trpi se, tu postoji patnja. To je utjelovljeni, tjelesni doživljaj. Iz toga razloga, tko poznaje milosrđe poznaje i prezir. Ako ne trpim iz utrobe zbog nepravde i zla oko sebe, ne mogu biti milosrdan. To je ista ona utroba koja se danas pokreće iz ogorčenosti i gnjeva zbog djece umrle od gušenja u prikolici nekog kamiona ili u morskom tjesnacu, a sutra zbog izdaje prijatelja potrebnog praštanja. Milosrđe je isprepletenost dara i kreposti. Sposobnost da vidimo onaj živi dio srca druge osoba, koji ostaje bezgrešan i nakon najtežega zločina, nije plod naše zauzetosti. Živi dio realno postoji i ostaje do posljednjeg sekunda našega života, jer kad tako ne bi bilo, bili bismo samo demoni. To je sve besplatno. Taj smo dar primili od života, od naše obitelji i od odgoja u djetinjstvu i u mladosti. No milosrđu je potrebna zauzetost i krepost, kada, pogledavši u dušu i osluhnuvši vlastitu utrobu, slobodno odlučimo da treba početi vrijeme rada, pokreta nogu, ruku i uma. Krepost i zauzetost dolaze uvijek nakon dara “srca od mesa” i “očiju uskrsnuća”. Potrebne su kako bismo u tijeku života nastojali sačuvati i ojačati onaj pogled koji se s godinama može zamagliti. Nismo milosrdni prema svakome, nego samo prema onima koji se nalaze u zabludi, greški, grijehu, u situaciji koja me se dotakla i ranila me osobno. Prva bol u redu milosrdnog procesa je ona koju osjeća milosrdna osoba zbog pretrpljene boli. Ona prva bol – zbog neke izdaje, zbog zla počinjenog meni ili drugima, zbog nepravde koja me pogađa izravno ili neizravno – mora biti stvarna i konkretna. Upravo zahvaljujući toj prvoj patnji, aktivira se drugačiji pogled, ganuće zbog boli druge osobe i pokušaj da se rana zaliječi. Eto zašto milosrđe nastaje i vrši se osobito unutar naših osnovnih odnosa zajedništva. Nije slučajno da se u Bibliji prakticira u odnosu između Boga i njegova naroda, u odnosima s djecom i s prijateljima. Semantičko područje milosrđa neće se susresti s područjem meritokracije. Po samoj svojoj naravi milosrđe osjećamo prema nekome tko je nedostojan, tko zaslužuje samo prezir i gnušanje. I to je razlog zašto ga ne nalazimo u ekonomskom svijetu i svijetu velikih poduzeća, gdje nije shvaćeno, a ako je shvaćeno onda se napada jer ruši sve zakone i pravila tržišne pravde. Tržišta naime poznaju i prakticiraju samo meritokratsku logiku “velikog brata”. No milosrđe je nesmotreno, parcijalno, asimetrično, neuravnoteženo, pristrano. Zato ga kapitalizam ne može voljeti. Ali kad ne bi bilo barem jedne milosrdne osobe u svakoj organizaciji ili zajednici, njihov teren bi bio suviše zatrovan otrovima koje proizvode i na njemu ne bi izrastao nijedan dobar plod. Milosrđe je potom duboko povezano s oprostom. Oprost milosrdne osobe ima svoje značajke. Njemu nije potrebno, primjerice kajanje drugoga, niti zamolba za oprost. Pokret utrobe i ozdravljujući pogled aktiviraju se prije nego druga osoba prizna svoju krivnju i preobrati se – iako kajanje i skrušenost pospješuju aktivaciju milosrđa. Otac je čekao izgubljenoga sina na vratima kuće dok je on još tratio svoja posljednja dobra s prostitutkama i jeo sa svinjama. Njegovo stajanje na vratima i gledanje prema obzoru bilo je već milosrđe. Vidio ga je kada je još bio daleko. I potrčao je ususret sinu, poljubio ga i zagrlio još prije nego što je provjerio je li se pokajao i obratio. Ništa nije toliko bezuvjetno kao čin milosrđa. I ništa slobodnije! Pokajanje i obraćenje često su posljedica milosrđa. Riječi “ustat ću, poći svomu ocu” su vrlo često tajanstveni učinak milosrđa nekoga tko je, možda i bez našega znanja, počeo misliti i gledati u svoje srce milosrdnim i iscjeljujućim očima. Nikad nećemo saznati koliko oslobađajućih koraka od najmračnijih uvjetovanosti započinje jer nas je netko milosrdno pogledao – možda dok smo spavali – i tako ozdravio našu ranu u svojoj duši. I jednoga smo dana shvatili da možemo ustati kako bismo nastavili hod. Svijet je pun oslobađajućih koraka iz dubokih moralnih i duhovnih zamki započetih u srcima milosrdnih ljudi. Preporodi započinju uskrsnućem u srcu onih koji nas gledaju očima majke. Naše je milosrđe uvijek drugoga reda. Iznenađen otkrivam da mogu biti milosrdan jer je prije netko bio milosrdan prema meni. Netko me ljubio i skrbio za mene utrobom i pogledom, pa sam ja postao sposoban činiti to isto. Uzajamnost u primanju i davanju milosrđa vrijedi uvijek, ali je od bitne važnosti kada smo mali i mladi. Iza jedne osobe danas sposobne za milosrđe skrivena su mnoga nevidljiva lica milosrdnih osoba koje su joj darovale mogućnost da bude milosrdna. “Blago milosrdnima: oni će zadobiti milosrđe!” To je predivno blaženstvo, jedino koje za nagradu nudi samo sebe. Upravo je milosrđe obećanje milosrđa. No kakvo će milosrđe naći milosrdna osoba? Nemamo nikakvog jamstva da će moje milosrđe u drugima pobuditi milosrđe prema meni, vidimo to svakoga dana. Možda postoji veza između ponuđenog i primljenog milosrđa, ali svijet je pun milosrdnih osoba koje ne susreću milosrđe kada se nađu u situaciji da im je potrebn – ili ga susreću premalo u odnosu na to koliko su ga dale. No postoje dvije vrste milosrđa koje milosrdna osoba sigurno nalazi. Prvo je ono koje je darovala i koje se darivanjem umnožilo. Milosrđe kao i velike kreposti, i još više, raste prakticiranjem. Postajemo milosrdniji ako prakticiramo milosrđe. Bol koju uzmemo drugima postaje hrana našoj sposobnosti milosrđa. Kao što jablanovi i tamarisi vrše detoksikaciju bolesnog i otrovnog tla, hraneći se otrovnim tvarima od kojih žive i rastu. Kad na svijetu ne bi bilo milosrdnih – a više ih je nego što mislimo – zemlja bi bila sva zatrovana, a proljetni procvat ne bi se dogodio nikada. Milosrdna osoba pronalazi i drugi oblik milosrđa, dragocjen i uzvišen, i to u odnosu na samu sebe. Tko je sposoban besplatno i kreposno prakticirati milosrđe prema drugima, jednoga će dana otkriti da je dobio na dar drugačije oči kojima gleda i one dimenzije vlastita života koje ne bi želio i koje mu izazivaju patnju. U taj dan naša će se utroba početi kretati prema susretu licem u lice s osobom kakvom nismo željeli postati a kakva jesmo, s izgubljenim sastancima, pogrešnim raskrižjima, s poviješću kakvu nismo htjeli napisati a napisali smo je. I dok odlazim iz Taranta vidim da je 640 sadnica topole i 300 tamarisa što su ih građani zasadili prije osam mjeseci već prešlo tri metra visine. Liječe i rastu, kao naša nada. Luigino Bruni