Pier Giorgio's last Easter

Pier Giorgio's first Easter was a memorable one! He was only a few hours old having been born the night before - some time between 6 and 7 p.m. - when the church bells were ringing out the joy of the Resurrection. He wouldn't have remembered that first Easter but his parents surely treasured it.

His last Easter was spent during the Holy Year of 1925.  From his letters that April, we can get a pretty good idea of how he spent the days leading up to it.

A month before, he wrote to his sister Luciana to encourage her to prepare herself better during Lent with "some little sacrifice and self-denial." (March 13)

Two weeks before Easter, he wrote to his best friend Marco that he still did not have plans. He had injured his left knee and was hoping it would be well enough to go skiing: "everything depends on my leg, if the left knee continues to do poorly, then mediocre plans..." (March 30)

From a letter to his friend Isidoro, we know he was hitting the books hard about 10 days before Easter, hoping to be able to take one of his few remaining exams to complete his college degree. He had just turned 24 and was under a lot of pressure to graduate. He wanted to make a spiritual retreat on the Saturday before Palm Sunday but his mother was expected back from a visit to her newly married daughter at the Hague and he needed to stay home to welcome her. "In any case, I’ll go on Sunday if possible; believe me I need a bit of silent time to review spiritual matters and to do a bit of spiritual housekeeping." (April 3)

Before leaving Turin to go to spend Easter at the family's vacation home in Pollone, he had a wonderful visit at the house of his friend Clementina where he delightedly "listened to the news from Rome , concerts from London and Paris" on the wireless and "saw the love that reigns in the family." (April 10)

This visit to Clementina inspired him to write some of his most beautiful words that are very often quoted about the gift of friendship:  

In this earthly life after the affection for parents and sisters, one of the most beautiful affections is that of friendship; and every day I ought to thank God because he has given me men and lady friends of such goodness who form for me a precious guide for my whole life. 

I hope that this letter reaches you for Easter and so I send you my best wishes, rather just one, but I believe it to be the only wish that a true friend can make to a dear friend and it is this: the Peace of the Lord be with you always because when you possess peace every day you will be truly rich.

He was ready to return to Turin on the Thursday after Easter, but not before making his usual visit to his beloved Madonna of Oropa. On a postcard to his sister, he wrote, "I remembered you here in beautiful Oropa. Today we are leaving for Turin." (April 16)

The depth of his many friendships, the stress of his studies, and his complete reliance on the Providence of God are all recurring themes from his correspondence at the time. He found "peace and relief and spiritual enjoyment in reading St. Paul" but was very clearly preoccupied with the pressure of completing his degree - a desire he never fulfilled in his lifetime.

In the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Catholic Church, a hymn urges us to "set aside all earthly cares." Pier Giorgio's last Easter seems to have been full of them but he is free of them now. May he help us to set aside all worries that may prevent us from experiencing the fullness of Easter joy. Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Verso l'alto!  ///cmw