Notes from the dialogue at the General Assembly of the Companionship of Works, Fiera Milano Congressi, Milan (Italy), November 25, 2012

by Julián Carrón

WITH THE AUDACITYOF REALISM

In these pages, panels of the bell tower of Santa Maria del Fiore byAndrea Pisano, Florence. Here, The Art of Navigation.

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No 11 2012 I

WITH THE AUDACITY OF REALISMPAGE ONE

BY JULIÁN CARRÓN

Notes from the dialogue at the General Assembly of the Companionship of Works, Fiera Milano Congressi, Milan (Italy), November 25, 2012

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE PERSON

Bernhard Scholz: These times are characterized bygreat difficulty for those who do social work and havebusinesses. It seems like an earthquake, with every-thing crashing down. In the last assembly, we redis-covered how to be free persons and not slaves of thecircumstances, and heard many testimonies abouthow to live with a capacity for constructiveness. To-day we find ourselves navigating “against the wind.”What can help us be audacious and realistic?Julián Carrón: I accepted my friends’ invitation tospeak to you even though the prospect over-whelmed me a bit; after all, you are theones who are the true protagonistsof this earthquake. However, Ihope that I can help yougrow in the awareness thateach of you, entrepreneursor those involved in vari-ous ways in businesses,are persons. It may seemlike saying that water flowsdownhill, but it is not soobvious. Everybody takesit for granted, reducingthe person to his or herown capabilities. But theperson is a unique whole.Saying that an entrepreneur isa person means saying that beforeanything else, she or he needs a personalconsistence, without which those capabilities andall the rest are insufficient. It is all too evident that to-day the earthquake hits the center of one’s “I,” one’s con-sistence, one’s substance. In this sense, the recession canbe a precious opportunity for discovering the truth ofoneself, the grounding for one’s substance, and thus laya foundation suitable for facing the situation, the chal-lenge we have before us, one that is never detached fromthe exercise of one’s profession. But what is the “I” ofeach of us? The genius of Dante comes to our aid: “Every-one confusedly conceives of a good in which the mindmay be at rest, and desires it; wherefore everyone strivesto attain it” (Dante, Purgatory, XVII, vv. 127–129). Wherecan such an “I”, with this desire for good that consti-

tutes it, find its own substance, in order to stand firmin the midst of an earthquake? This is the truest chal-lenge of the circumstances we find ourselves facing. Tofind an answer, mere opinions, interpretations, and chat-ter are not enough, because they have no effect. We needto look at what, in our own experience (or in the ex-perience of others), has the substance to keep us stand-ing. Saint Thomas Aquinas provides us with the crite-rion of substance: “Man’s life consists in the affectionwhich sustains him most, for there he finds his great-est satisfaction” (Summa Theologice, IIa, IIae, q. 179,

a.1 co). Therefore, in order to have substance,one must find that affection capable of

sustaining life, precisely becauseeverything is founded on one’sown satisfaction.This is the level at whichwe Christians can offerour simple contribution,that is, if we are the first toaccept the verification offaith in our daily circum-stances. Only those whohave verified this can con-firm that only Christ pres-ent in the Church corre-sponds to the constitutiveneeds of the human heart.

As Benedict XVI reminded uslast Wednesday, “Christ, He alone sat-

isfies the desires for truth and goodness[that Dante speaks of] that are rooted in every

human being’s soul” (General Audience,November21, 2012). Only Christ ensures the satisfaction that gen-erates affection capable of sustaining life in any even-tuality, a sure grounding in the midst of the earthquake.This is where one sees whether the challenge of the cir-cumstances has caused a certainty to mature in us thatenables us to offer our fellow human beings a surefoothold. Only He can be the suitable foundation for anoperative friendship like yours. In fact, only in the com-panionship of true friends will you be able to look at thereality of your businesses with truth, without being over-come by the fear that blocks you from acknowledginghow things stand, the one condition for being able»

II No 11 2012

Gesù e la Samaritana al pozzo.

Architecture.On the left, The Art of Building.

No 11 2012 III

to face them with some possibilityof success. I am talking about acompanionship of friends that sup-ports you in looking at all the signsof the situation in which you findyourselves without censuring any ofthem, a companionship that en-courages and supports you in thewillingness to acknowledge andobey the indication of all that has tobe changed, a companionship that helps you to have theaudacity to make decisions, even risky ones, most ap-propriate for facing the challenges that lie before you.Everything, if confirmed in experience, will make youdiscover the most precious value of your friendship: help-ing each other have a truer gaze upon reality. Compared

to this, any other self-interest or ad-vantage of any kind is too little, fortimes of earthquake and not. SaintThomas understood well the natureof the challenge: “From naturesprings the fear of death; from gracesprings audacity” (cf. Saint ThomasAquinas, Super Secundam adCorinthios, 5,2:165). “So then, saying‘audacity springs from grace’ means

it comes from a Presence different from us” (L. Gius-sani, Un avvenimento di vita, cioè una storia [An Eventof Life, that Is, a History], Edit.: Il Sabato, Rome, 1993,p. 308). I can have the audacity I need only if I am will-ing to base everything on that Presence, on that true com-panionship that offers me the foothold for risking. There-

“Emblematic of audacity isNavigation by Pisano.Behind the disciples isJesus. The journey, thecrossing toward destinybecomes possible only

when there is a presence.”

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Agriculture.On the right,Weaving.

IV No 11 2012

fore, Fr. Giussani said, “emblematic of audacity is Nav-igation by Andrea Pisano (a small bas-relief...). Thereare the silhouettes of two disciples rowing, parting thewaves of the lake on their way to the other shore, andthey are simultaneously tense but calm and sure: behindthem in the boat is Jesus. The journey, the passage, thecrossing toward destiny becomes possible only whenthere is a presence (if one were rowing alone, his sightwould fog, and he would stop right away). The journeybecomes simple if there is a presence, that is, let’s say itoutright, if there is a companionship” (Ibid.).

THE ORIGIN AND THE WORK

Scholz: Many works and firms associated with theCompanionship of Works were founded by peo-ple belonging to the Christian experience, of-ten lived in the movement of Com-munion and Liberation. How thisorigin reverberate in theworks? How does it re-verberate in the firms?Carrón: Thank you forthis question, becausein these times it is par-ticularly urgent to clari-fy the relationship be-tween the movement ofCommunion and Lib-eration and the workdone by people educatedin the Movement.1) The goal of the move-ment of Communion andLiberation is educative: to educatepeople who can then shoulder their ownresponsibility, and take the initiative to gener-ate works; this responsibility is totally entrusted tothe adult. The Movement does not enter into the man-agement of the work, because it would be like admit-ting that the Movement is incapable of generating adultswho shoulder their own responsibility; this would bethe total failure of the experience of a movement likeours. It is not that the Movement does not care aboutthe works. No. The Movement shows that it cares andis present by carrying out its own work, which is thegeneration of the adult. Fr. Giussani was so convincedthat the Movement could generate adult subjects thathe left people total responsibility for the works they cre-ated; he did not feel the need to set a “guardian” to keep

an eye on people. He betted and “risked” everythingon adult awareness of responsibility.2) The work is entirely of those who do it, thus thereis no work “of” the Movement. The Movement hasno works, except for the Sacred Heart Institute [a highschool in Milan], which Fr. Giussani wanted as an ex-ample for everyone in the sphere of education. Forthis reason, the Movement has no direct responsibilityfor any other works. The Movement is not part of theboard of directors of this or that work, and thus, notbeing part of it, does not take on responsibility forthe decisions the board of directors makes. It seemsto me that this is very simple. All the people who, as adults, decide to give life to awork must be conscious of their total responsibili-

ty for the work. This is particularly important,because at times one notes a lack of pre-

cisely this awareness. And so it canhappen that things are leftadrift when instead thereshould be an intervention,taking responsibility asadults. If everyone wastruly aware of his or her re-sponsibility, certain thingswould not happen. This is a call to the per-sonal responsibility in-herent in being an adult,and thus it is a challengeto grow in this self-aware-ness in the way you man-

age the works in which you areinvolved. This taking responsibility

is a part of the growth of the subject thatwe all wish for each other. This is the respon-

sibility of the layperson that the Church wants eachperson to shoulder, so that, in doing things, laypeoplecan witness to all the newness of the Christian life, allthe newness that is born of the new creature. This is whyit seems to me that we have a long road before us, notout of a lack of many stupendous experiences amongyou, but because it is necessary to learn from what hap-pens, or from the possible deficiencies that can revealthemselves in the works, to become aware and avoidmistakes or risks that one often finds oneself facing.The capacity of an adult–who participates in the ex-perience of Communion and Liberation–to generate awork is a sign of the vivacity of the Movement, of its

WITH THE AUDACITY OF REALISMPAGE ONE

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No 11 2012 V

educative energy in generating people sensitive to theneeds of others and able to get together to set up ini-tiatives, works, that constitute answers appropriate tothe needs. We will never give up on this. I cannot tell youhow often I remain speechless before so much creativ-ity, initiative, and generosity! This is the fruit of the ed-ucation received in the movement of Communion andLiberation. It is a very beautiful thing that testifies to faith’scapacity to generate subjects able to become protago-nists through the creation of works. Such a richness ofinitiative is a fact, evident to all, and cannot be called intoquestion because of our failures or the mistakes that any-one can make. Rather, acknowledging them, asking forforgiveness, and correcting ourselves offers us thechance to regain awareness of our own responsibil-ity in the work in which we are engaged. Suchrichness cannot be put at risk because ofa lack of personal responsibility.This responsibility entails re-alism and prudence inrealizing the works thatGod permits us to do; italso involves making thedifference of these worksshine out, for example,in the way you treat staffand the way you relatewith clients and suppliers.These signs may seemsimple, but we all knowthat they “cry out” thedifferent-ness of a work.Before concluding thispoint, I would like to take the op-portunity to say something about theCompanionship of Works Association[COWA], often presented by the newspapers as the“economic arm” of CL, leading some to think thatCL depends economically on the COWA. Nothing isfurther from the reality.Since the very beginning, the Movement has beensupported exclusively by the economic sacrifices ofthe people who belong to it. Those who belong to theMovement commit to a monthly donation of a freelydecided amount, the so-called “common fund” thatFr. Giussani always indicated as a gesture that edu-cates to a communal conception of what one pos-sesses, to the awareness of poverty as an evangelicalvirtue and as a gesture of gratitude for what one ex-

periences in the Movement. Precisely for this educativereason, what is important is not the quantity one gives,but the seriousness with which one remains faithfulto the commitment. To support the life of our com-munities in Italy and the world and its charitable, mis-sionary, and cultural initiatives, the movement ofCommunion and Liberation needs nothing else, andfor this reason we are free from everything and every-one in carrying out our task as a movement.

RESPONSIBILITY

Scholz:Often, belonging to the Church or an ecclesialmovement is seen as a limit to personal responsibili-ty, but you insist on the fact that precisely such mem-bership promotes the assumption of responsibil-

ity. How does this empowerment of respon-sibility through belonging happen?

Carrón: Everything depends onhow one views the nexus be-tween belonging and re-sponsibility. There aretypes of belonging thatinstead of helping themember mature andgrow in responsibility,step into his place, al-most as if belonging to acertain group could sparethe risk of personal re-sponsibility and justifya priori one’s behavior.Instead, there is a be-

longing that generates the per-son in her responsibility, her free-

dom, her initiative. It reawakens all thehidden energies of the subject.

“The communal dimension” Fr. Giussani said,“does not replace freedom, personal energy, and deci-sion. Rather, it is the condition for their affirmation. If,for example, I place the seed of a beech tree on a table,it will not develop into anything, even after a thousandyears (assuming that everything remains the same). If,on the other hand, I take this seed and plant it in theground, then it eventually becomes a tree. Now, the hu-mus does not replace the irreducible energy, the in-communicable ‘personality’ of the seed. Rather, the hu-mus is the condition needed for the seed to grow.The community is the dimension and condition nec-essary for the human seed to bear fruit. For this rea-

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son, we can say that the true, the most intelligent per-secution, is not the one employed by Nero and his am-phitheater of wild beasts or the concentration camp.The most ferocious persecution is the modern State’sattempt to block the expression of the communal di-mension of the religious phenomenon. As far as theState is concerned, a person can, in conscience, believewhat he likes, as long as this faith does not imply thatall believers are one and, therefore,have the right to live and express thisreality. To obstruct communal ex-pression is like cutting off the rootsthat nourish the plant: the plantsoon dies” (L. Giussani, The Reli-gious Sense, McGill-Queen’s Uni-versity Press, Montreal 1997, p.131). It seems that we have beforeus many examples of what happens

when the opportunity for this decisive communal ex-pression for the growth of the person is blocked. The test of belonging is one’s capacity to cause theseed to germinate, that is, to generate adults with acapacity to stay in reality, to judge, to understand re-ality, to be willing to listen to it. At this level, affir-mations of principle do not suffice. What is neededare testimonies that document how people flower

through their belonging, and howbelonging generates persons.

Scholz:There are people who, withtheir talent and temperament, havehad the gift of creating works andfirms. They got involved personally,shouldering their own responsi-bility. But, in some cases, this per-sonal commitment becomes»

“The test of belonging isone’s capacity to cause

the seed to germinate, thatis, to generate adults

with a capacity to stay inreality, to judge, tounderstand reality.”

Medicine.On the left, Lawmaking.

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personalism, with atten-tion centered on oneself,and consequent rela-tivization of objective cri-teria. This personalism isalso seen in the difficultyof the passage from onegeneration to the next.Where does this person-alism come from, andwhat is the road for a realvalorization of the re-sponsible person? Carrón: Personalism is a mis-taken attempt to resolve the problem oflife, to reach the fulfillment that makes lifeworth living. It is a pity that this attempt arises fromthe inability to understand the nature of the “I” andthe failure to find an adequate answer to its needs.“By nature, man is relation to the infinite” we saidat the last Meeting. If we do not realize that we are“made for the infinite,” we try consciously or un-consciously to respond to our human need–as yousaid–with “focus of attention on oneself” that will nev-er satisfy the desire for the infinite that constitutesus. Personalism is not only mistaken, but it is also use-less for responding to the need that causes it. But per-sonalism thrives only when there is the complicityof all those who think they can resolve the problemof their life by dumping their responsibility on thosewho exercise this personalism, the so-called “re-sponsible” (we can all be com-plicit with this personalism). Sothen, “the relationship with theresponsible, when he is followedbecause he is the head of the or-ganization upon which one hasdumped all one’s hopes andfrom which one expects the ac-tualization of one’s own project,tends to be absolutely closed in anindividualistic dependence. Theobedience that is established isobedience to the organization, of which the re-sponsible is the crucial point and the guardian, andthis eliminates the creativity of our persons, becauseeverything is established and defined by the struc-ture to which one adheres. Everything becomesschematic” (L. Giussani, Il rischio educativo, [The Risk

of Education], SEI, Torino 1995,p. 63.) How does one get free ofthis personalism?The way one gets free ofidolatry is finding a pres-ence that is so true that itprovokes us; we are pro-voked by the promise offulfillment that its veryexistence sets before us.Only those who realize thetrue nature of their human

need can understand that only thesequela of that presence that provokes

us, because of the promise it contains, re-sponds to our need. But the key is the very con-ception of sequela. Sequela cannot be conceived ofas following orders of someone upon whom wehave dumped our own responsibility with the hopethat this person will resolve the problem of our ownlife. “Sequela is the desire,” said Fr. Giussani, “to re-live the experience of the person who has provokedyou and who provokes you with his presence in thelife of the community; it is the tension to becomenot like that person in his concreteness, full of lim-its, but like that person in the value to which he giveshimself and that redeems him deep down even inhis human limitations. It is the desire to participatein the life of that person in which something Oth-er is brought to you, and your devotion is to this

Other; you want to adhere to thisOther, within this journey”(Ibid., p. 64). Only a person committed to re-living the experience of the per-son who provoked him or her canreach the Other, He in whom onefinds that to which one aspires: nolonger needing to center every-thing and everyone on oneself,one can finally be free of all per-sonalism. Only a person like this

can awaken in the other the desire to follow, to be-come engaged, and, so doing, help one’s collabora-tors to become themselves, putting them in the con-dition of offering their own contribution to the com-mon work. In this way, all the human resources areplaced at the service of the work.

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“Only those who realize the true nature of their

human need can understandthat only the sequela of

that presence that provokesus, because of the promise

it contains, responds to our need.”

Sculpture.

VIII No 11 2012