1220 15 December 2020 Monthly Year 4 The Emotions and Affections of Jesus: An analysis of the Synoptic Gospels React In Hope: The figure of Charles de Foucauld in ‘Fratelli Tutti’ A Lucky Universe? .12 O The Second Vatican Council in Cuba the first 25 years after the revolution Nagorno-Karabakh: One hundred years of conflict OLUME 4, N 4, OLUME The White-Red Revolution in Belarus V 2020 2020 Dante and the Jesuits Stan Swamy’s Arrest: The need for a prophetic Church The Power of Forgiveness: Colum McCann’s book ‘Apeirogon’ In memory of Fr. Giandomenico Mucci, SJ (1938-2020) BEATUS POPULUS, CUIUS DOMINUS DEUS EIUS Copyright, 2020, Union of Catholic Asian Editor-in-chief News ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ All rights reserved. Except for any fair Editorial Board dealing permitted under the Hong Kong Antonio Spadaro, SJ – Director Copyright Ordinance, no part of this Giancarlo Pani, SJ – Vice-Director publication may be reproduced by any Domenico Ronchitelli, SJ – Senior Editor means without prior permission. Inquiries Giovanni Cucci, SJ, Diego Fares, SJ should be made to the publisher. Giovanni Sale, SJ, Claudio Zonta, SJ Federico Lombardi, SJ Title: La Civiltà Cattolica, English Edition Emeritus editors ISSN: 2207-2446 Virgilio Fantuzzi, SJ Giandomenico Mucci, SJ ISBN: GianPaolo Salvini, SJ 978-988-74903-0-2 (ebook) 978-988-74903-1-9 (kindle) Contributors Published in Hong Kong by George Ruyssen, SJ (Belgium) UCAN Services Ltd. Fernando de la Iglesia Viguiristi, SJ (Spain) Drew Christiansen, SJ (USA) P.O. Box 69626, Kwun Tong, Andrea Vicini, SJ (USA) Hong Kong David Neuhaus, SJ (Israel) Phone: +852 2727 2018 Camillo Ripamonti, SJ (Italy) Fax: +852 2772 7656 www.ucanews.com Vladimir Pachkow, SJ (Russia) Arturo Peraza, SJ (Venezuela) Publishers: Michael Kelly, SJ and Bert Daelemans, SJ (Belgium) Robert Barber Thomas Reese, SJ (USA) Production Manager: Paul Soukup, SJ (USA) Grithanai Napasrapiwong Friedhelm Mennekes, SJ (Germany) Marcel Uwineza, SJ (Rwanda) Marc Rastoin, SJ (France) You Guo Jiang, SJ (China) Luke Hansen, SJ (USA) CONTENTS 1220 15 December 2020 Monthly Year 4 1 The Emotions and Affections of Jesus: An analysis of the Synoptic Gospels Vincenzo Anselmo, SJ 12 React In Hope: The figure of Charles de Foucauld in ‘Fratelli Tutti’ Diego Fares, SJ 25 A Lucky Universe? Paolo Beltrame, SJ 36 The Second Vatican Council in Cuba the first 25 years after the revolution Raúl José Arderí García, SJ 49 Nagorno-Karabakh: One hundred years of conflict Vladimir Pachkov, SJ 58 The White-Red Revolution in Belarus Giovanni Sale, SJ 70 Dante and the Jesuits Giandomenico Mucci, SJ 77 Stan Swamy’s Arrest: The need for a prophetic Church Stanislaus Alla, SJ 83 The Power of Forgiveness: Colum McCann’s book ‘Apeirogon’ Marc Rastoin, SJ 87 In memory of Fr. 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On the contrary, as the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS) states, “the Son of God [...] worked with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted by human choice, and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly become one of us, like us in all things except sin” (GS 22). In fact, the Gospels present us with a very human portrait of a Jesus who is capable of rejoicing and crying, of being moved and angry, of being indignant and loving, of feeling anguish and marveling. He calls himself “meek and humble of heart” (Matt 11:29), but he is also ardent with zeal when he vigorously drives the merchants out of the temple. In this article we will try to open a window onto the interiority of Jesus as transmitted to us in the Synoptic Gospels.1 The most vivid and nuanced description of Jesus’ emotions and affections is found in the Gospel of Mark. Matthew and Luke are more sober but no less significant in portraying the interiority of the Son of God.2 La Civiltà Cattolica, En. Ed. Vol. 4, no. 12 art. 1, 1020: 10.32009/22072446.1220.1 1.The Gospel of John merits a separate treatment because of its distinctive features that differentiate it from the Synoptics. 2.On this topic, see the following contributions: G. Barbaglio, Emozioni e sentimenti di Gesù, Bologna, EDB, 2009; S. Voorwinde, Jesus’ Emotions in the Gospels, London - New York, Bloomsbury, 2011. VINCENZO ANSELMO, SJ In psychology “emotion” may be defined as a rapid process, an intense response to a stimulus or a situation, while “affections” refer to a spectrum of feelings and passions that are more prolonged and constant over time, in some cases taking the form of stable traits that mark someone’s personality in a defined and peculiar way.3 We will see that in some episodes Jesus’ affectivity emerges as a reaction to a specific situation, while at other times it is characterized as a more constant trait of his humanity. The compassion of Jesus A verb that recurs with a certain frequency in the Gospel of Mark and has Jesus as its subject is splanchnizomai, which translates as “to have compassion,” “to be moved with 2 compassion.” The image this verb conveys is very strong: in fact, it indicates the movement of one’s innards being shaken by something or someone. In the Semitic world the innards of the human being, the bowels and uterus, are considered the seat of the deepest, visceral feelings such as compassion and mercy.4 The first occurrence of this verb is at the beginning of the Gospel, in the encounter between Jesus and the leper. In response to his pleas, “[Jesus] took pity”5 on the leper, reached out his hand, touched him and said: ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’” (Mark 1:41). The movement that starts from the innards leads Jesus not only to heal through his word, but also to touch the leper, overcoming the social distancing prescribed by the book of Leviticus (cf. Lev 13-14), which imposed a clear 3.See P. Bonaiuto - V. Biasi, “Emozione”, in Enciclopedia filosofica, Milan, Bompiani, 2006, vol. IV, 3331. 4.See H. Köster, “σπλάγχνον, σπλαγχνίζομαι, εὔσπλαγχνος, πολύσπλ- αγχνος, ἄσπλαγχνος”, in Grande Lessico del Nuovo Testamento, Brescia, Paideia, 1979, vol. XII, 903-934. 5.A variant of this text in some manuscripts has “angered” instead of “had compassion.” Although this is the lectio difficilior, it should be noted that the reference to anger could be an insertion aimed at harmonizing the text, giving coherence to the affective tone of Jesus, who would later show himself to be severe toward the leper (cf. Mark 1:43). Cf. G. Perego, Vangelo secondo Marco. Introduzione, traduzione e commento, Cinisello Balsamo (Mi), San Paolo, 2011, 67. THE EMOTIONS AND AFFECTIONS OF JESUS separation between the community and the sick, to avoid being contaminated by impurity. Yet this time it is the sanctity of Jesus that proves to be contagious, healing the leper.6 What happens immediately afterward between Jesus and the leper reveals how the world of emotions is complex in the Gospels: “After sternly warning him he sent him away at once” (Mark 1:43). Why does Jesus’ attitude change so suddenly? What drives the Lord to such an abrupt reaction that clashes with the compassion he just manifested? The verb being used takes on the negative connotation of “to threaten, to reject, to treat harshly.”7 Perhaps the behavior of Jesus should be understood in relation to the command not to say anything to anyone, giving it a nuance of authoritative abruptness and (cf. Mark 1:44). Jesus wants his instructions to be respected, but the healed leper 3 disregards them. This has serious consequences for Jesus, who can no longer publicly enter a city after the news has spread of his works of healing (cf. Mark 1:45). In the Gospel of Mark the verb “to have compassion” occurs again in the context of the two episodes of the multiplication of the loaves, but in two different ways. In the first account it is the narrator who presents Jesus’ reaction to the sight of the crowd that had gathered to meet him: “As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34).