Riccardi

Roma, April 25, 1988 Commentary of the Word of Life: Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action (1 Jn. 3:18). John the Evangelist wrote these words. He was putting his communities on guard against certain people whose words spoke highly of faith in Jesus, but who did not follow faith through with practice. Indeed, they considered practice to be useless and superfluous, as if Jesus had already done everything. Their faith was empty and sterile because it took away from the work of Jesus the indispensable contribution he asks from each of us. Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. Love in action. True faith, says John, is faith that gives proof of itself by loving as Jesus loved and taught us to do. Now, the first characteristic of this kind of love is its concreteness. Jesus did not love us merely by giving wonderful talks. Rather, he was in our midst doing good, healing all, being fully available

Rome, 1961 A reflection on art and the artist. The purpose of art is somewhat obscure, almost mysterious, perhaps simply unknown. Certainly it does engage reason alone.Yet art, in a manner equal to science, has always produced more or less beautiful expressions of itself, because the imagination, its mother and origin, is a marvellous human talent and gift like memory, affectivity and reason, and it too has flowered in works: in “works of art,” even spontaneously. The true artist is a great person. Everyone says it even though few are art critics, but everyone admires and is fascinated by “beauty.”The artist in a certain way is like the Creator.True artists possess their skill almost unconsciously and use colours, musical notes, stone as we use our legs to walk. Their point of concentration is in the soul, where they contemplate an impression, an idea that they wish to express outside themselves.Hence, within the infinite limits of their human littleness before God, and thus within the infinite difference between the two “created” things

Bulle (Switzerland), 10 August 2003 First of all, greetings to all those who are connected through the satellites and internet. …This year August 11th is a very important date because it marks the 750th anniversary of Saint Clare’s birth in heaven in 1253. So it’s a very special day for us too, and because it is so, we too would like to spend it in a particular way and we have already seen this. And we can do so because the thought I am about to present expresses something that is really very important to us. (...) Transcription Video in italian