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Saturday, July 19, 2014

Love Is Stronger Than Death: Love Letters Between Saint Gianna Beretta and Pietro Molla

Transformed in Love

Love Is Stronger Than Death: Love Letters Between Saint Gianna Beretta and Pietro Molla  

Journey of Our Love - Copy
"The exchange of letters between Saint Gianna and her husband Pietro introduces a new and significant chapter in Christian spirituality. Better than a theological treatise, these letters are a convincing proof that the way of holiness does not necessarily pass through religious life or the priestly ministry, but can unfold in the midst of the world, living one’s own vocation as a Christian called to holiness with Christ in married life. This ancient truth (as we can see in the Acts of the Apostles, saints is synonymous with Christians) was hidden in oblivion during certain centuries which passed over in suspicious silence anything that had to do with the body and sexuality. Among the different types of saints (martyrs, confessors, doctors, virgins), there seemed to be no room for the many Christians who had embraced married life and had viewed it as a mission given them by God, as the field in which to bring their talents to fruition. More often than not, the few married persons (Rita, Nicholas of Flue, Frances of Rome, Jane de Chantal, Louise de Marillac) whom the Church proclaimed as saints had more or less renounced their marriages. Gianna and Pietro, however, died in the married state, and their letters testify to the joy of life lived together in a Christ-centered marriage, and to the strength and tenderness of their love for their children. In fact, lifting the veil on their private life, they show us that love centered in Christ takes away nothing of the beauty of being in love, of attraction toward and passion for the beloved, of loving transports and dedication to the children. On the contrary, in these letters of husband and wife, these sentiments are set before us fresh, pure, and joyful, ever renewed by participation in the Church’s liturgy and by communion in prayer which kept the two united during their separations, the birth of new babies, and the demands of their professions.
"… Right now when the Christian concept of matrimony is misunderstood and mocked on all sides, the time has come to put aside reserve in order to propose to the world the beauty of common life between husband and wife, above all in answer to the many detracting voices. It is urgent to show by example rather than words that Christian marriage is eminently livable, that it is a rational and humanly gratifying way to spend one’s life."

DOWNLOAD 10 Letters Gianna and Pietro sent each other during their engagement >>

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