Denver Catholic

6 JUNE 24-JULY 7, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese C F & C S N C A M A D For more information cfcsDenver.org MT. OLIVET CATHOLIC CEMETERY 12801 W. 44th Avenue Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (303) 424-7785 ST. SIMEON CATHOLIC CEMETERY 22001 E. State Hwy. 30 Aurora, CO 80018 (720) 859-9785 ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER FUNERAL CENTER Serving the greater Denver area (303) 425-9511 Start planning today: Funeral | Cremation | Cemetery | Family Estates www.proximotravel.com 508-340-9370 Hablamos Español 855-842-8001 anthony@proximotravel.com Call us 24/7 Several trips to different destinations: the Holy Land; Italy; France, Portugal, & Spain; Poland; Medjugorje, Lourdes, & Fatima; Ireland & Scotland; England; Austria, Germany, & Switzerland; Greece & Turkey; Budapest; Prague; Our Lady of Guadalupe; Colombia; Brazil; Argentina; Domestic Destinations; etc… We also specialize in custom trips for Bishops, Priests and Deacons We also offer other trips with prices starting at $2,499 ~ Prices are ALL-INCLUSIVE with Airfare from anywhere in the USA W hen Christianity is reduced to a mere set of precepts or dogmas, living out one's faith could be perceived as a burden, and the faith could seem to be some- thing not connected to "real life". But when the faith is lived out as a rela- tionship that began with an encounter with a person that we fi nd so fascinating that we couldn't imagine living another moment without Him, it becomes some- thing beautiful, says the president of the Fraternity of Communion and Libera- tion, Father Julián Carrón. Father Carrón is the successor to Father Luigi Giussani, founder of the movement known by its members as "CL," and the author of Disarming Beauty: Essays on Faith, Truth and Free- dom (Notre Dame Press, 2017). In this interview with Denver Cath- olic, Father Carrón speaks more deeply about what he calls the "event" of Chris- tianity. A longer version of this inter- view can be found at denvercatholic. org. DENVER CATHOLIC: In Disarming Beauty you speak of Christian- ity as "an event" that is "full of attractiveness," and which "seizes human beings with its beauty. How can we as Catholics redis- cover that "event" of Christianity and recover a sense of the beauty of the faith? FATHER CARRÓN: It is enough to observe what happens in the life of each one of us when we fi nd a really signifi cant person for our life (for example, when we fall in love). It is an event that takes us out of boredom and fi lls life with fullness. In an anal- ogous, but infi nitely more appealing way, this was what happened at the beginning of Christianity. The fi rst encounter of Jesus with John and Andrew shows that when someone is fascinating, one cannot help but wish to see him again the next day. They met someone so exceptional that they wanted to be with him. Being with him was the most beautiful thing that could have happened in life. What does exceptional mean? That which corresponds to what the heart is wait- ing for. DC: Freedom is a major theme of the book, and you describe freedom as "a gift" from God, who chose to create us as free beings. How can we reconcile the demands of living a Christian life with our condition as free beings? FC: I understand that if Christianity is reduced to a set of precepts to be fol- lowed, the Christian life is perceived as an unbearable burden. No one would marry just to wash dishes, get the gro- ceries or clean house. One gets married because he has found someone so sig- nifi cant that he does not want to lose out on living his life in her company. Then, because you want to create a beautiful environment to share with the loved one, you decorate the house or clean it, or make a good meal. No one who lives an experience like this has the perception of losing his free- dom. On the contrary, he has a sense of fulfi llment. Ultimately he is free, because he has found someone who, by her presence, fi lls his life with joy. DC: Let's talk about a very common diƒ culty for Catholics today. A young couple decides to begin a large family as a beautiful way to build up the culture of life, but soon fi nds the day-to-day grind of raising small children more than they can handle. What advice would you give to this couple? FC: Find people in your parish, associa- tion or movement who live Christianity as something fascinating, and who can accompany you as you live this situation. Only within a Christian community can we live the life that the Church proposes to us. It is useless to waste time blaming yourself. Only a living Christian commu- nity can look at us with the gaze of mercy we need to be sustained along the way. It is an adventure only for bold people, who do not surrender to the di± culties. This is one of the advantages of our time, that we will eventually be Christians, not by obligation or tradition, but because of our fascination with Christ. The event of Christianity, a thing of beauty Q & A with Father Julián Carrón, president of Communion and Liberation BY KARNA SWANSON karna.swanson@archden.org @KarnaSwanson

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