30 August 2020 – 22 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A lberto Marvelli (1918-1946) was born in the final into the night, he never went to bed without saying his year of one war and died the year after another Rosary. Using his engineering credentials, he made Psalter Week 2 A ended. He was second in a family of six. Alberto contact with the Todt company that was forcibly was a good student and an avid sportsman, especially exporting foreign workers to Germany. He used these fond of cycling. One of his classmates, Frederico Fellini, contacts to help some of the workers escape from the would later become famous as an outstanding film trains carrying them to German work camps. On one director. occasion he kept two escaping workers in his own house although he faced death if he were caught. THOUGHTFUL TEENAGER After the war, his dedication to the poor continued. He was given responsibility for rehousing people who is father died when Alberto was 15 and his had been left homeless by the war. He carried out his SERIES: FOREVER YOUNG Season colour: GREEN youngest sister was just a few months old. work with dedication and scrupulous honesty. By this H Around this time, he began keeping a diary time, his thoughts were beginning to turn towards the In this series, Fr Brendan McConvery CSsR explores the lives of some young people, some and confided to it some of his deepest thoughts, place of politics in the new post-war . He was a co- well-known, others virtually unknown, whose witness to Christ has kept the church forever young. particularly his growing faith. He had been active in founder of Italian Workers’ and joined Catholic groups since his early teens. When he was 18 the Christian Democrat Party that was beginning to and a student of engineering, he was elected national emerge. His deep convictions of his place in ’s plan president of Catholic Action. On graduation, he found a for the future of his country enabled him to accept the with the Fiat company in . invitation to stand in the first free elections in post-war Alberto had inherited from his parents a strong Italy. He was killed shortly before the election when a sense of justice and compassion for the poor. He was van belonging to the Allied forces struck him as he was an active member of the St Vincent de Paul Society. In cycling to an election meeting. He was 28 years of age. his diary he wrote: “before teaching the poor how to save their soul we must enable them to live in such a RECOGNITION BLESSED way as to allow them to be aware of having one.” he cause for Alberto’s canonisation opened in CHARITY IN WAR TIME 1975. He was beatified by St John Paul at the ALBERT T Italian Marian of Loreto in September 2004. hen war broke out, he was called up for In his homily at the , the said: “In military service, but as his two older the difficult time of the Second World War, which sowed MARVELLI W brothers were already in the army, he was death and multiplied violence and atrocious suffering, declared exempt. The devastation of the war years Blessed Alberto fostered an intense spiritual life, from claimed more of Alberto’s time. His home town of which flowed the love for Jesus that led him constantly  CHARITY IN and the surrounding areas was bombed by the Allies. to forget himself and to take on the cross of the poor.” n After a raid, he rushed to the place on his bike to see what help he could offer. Someone described how, with TOBER 5 WARTIME : OC his bicycle laden with provisions, he got to the places FEAST DAY where help was need. Although he often worked late ds series en

Today’s readings GOD’S WORD TODAY

Jer 20:7-9 Today’s Gospel opens with a prediction of the Passion. Peter draws Jesus aside from the disciples to rebuke him. It is met with a rebuff Peter could hardly have Rom 12:1-2 anticipated. Shortly before this, Jesus had named him the foundation stone of Mt 16:21-27 the church: now he calls him a different kind of stone – a ‘stone of stumbling.’ Our word ‘scandal’ comes from the Greek word for an ambush that blocks the path of an enemy, or for a stick holding a trap open and which springs shut when the animal hits it. Peter’s misunderstanding of Jesus’ destiny and mission provides an occasion for teaching on the true meaning of discipleship. This is nothing less than total self-forgetfulness. Carrying the cross means a lot more than simply putting up with the small irritations of life. The cross meant horror and shame. To make cross-bearing a condition of discipleship was to embark on a path that ran counter to the culture of the day. Matthew is always he world of politics often seems far away from the world of holiness. Alberto Marvelli died just as he careful to balance pain with reward when he describes Jesus’ way. The faithful will see the triumphant T was setting out on a career in politics. He was a young man of 28, but he had learned much about life Crucified One returning in glory, bearing a reward for all who have striven to follow him. and human suffering through his service of the victims of war. He loved to quote the words of the great French philosopher, Blaise Pascal: Jesus Christ will be in agony until the end of the world, therefore we cannot sleep.

“Soul Space - Forever Young.” is written by Fr Brendan McConvery CSsR; “God’s Word Today copyright Redemptorist Communications”. Designed by Carbone. Images from ShutterStock. Published by Redemptorist Communications, St 's Monastery, St Alphonsus Road, Dundalk, County Louth A91 F3FC. Printed by W&G Baird. © REDEMPTORIST COMMUNICATIONS 2020 www.redcoms.org [continued on back page ]