“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
Saint Catherine of Siena
One of the last books we know that Pier Giorgio read before he died was The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena. Just four days before he died, he read from it to a friend he was visiting. The conversation is relayed in some detail in the moving book about the last days of his life written by his sister Luciana.
It is too easy to take for granted the powerful way he had of evangelizing his friends. He would call this the apostolate of persuasion - what he considered the most important and most beautiful apostolate. The story of how he shared the spirituality of Saint Catherine with his friend Massetti is a great example of how he put this apostolate into action.
First, Pier Giorgio had this book in his pocket. Think about it. He was walking around with a spiritual classic. Do you have one with you right now that you could pull out and read to a friend? I guess we have digital capabilities now to access this material but it's worth reflecting on the fact that he had this book with him as we went to visit his friends. He routinely carried such things.
Second, he didn't hesitate to open the book and read a page to his friend. That says a lot about the quality of the friendship. It's also something else to reflect on for a bit - are our friends the kind who would welcome a discussion on the spiritual life of a saint? They should be. And are we convicted or comfortable enough to share our faith with our friends? We should be.
Third, he clearly meditated on the writings of Saint Catherine. His enthusiasm to read from the book was one sign. But when he told his friend he envied Saint Catherine, it gives us a glimpse of the longings of his heart. She was able to talk to Jesus during her earthly life. He envied that. Meeting the Lord daily in the Eucharist was the center of his life. Meeting Him face to face was something he yearned for. And did just a few days later.
I imagine the conversation with Pier Giorgio that day lit a spark for his friend. I imagine that Pier Giorgio lit quite a few sparks throughout each day of his life. I imagine that he set Turin on fire just being who God meant him to be. In fact, he started quite a blaze around the world. Let's keep it burning. Verso l'alto! ///cmw