Chiavari – Christmas, a celebration of warmth and affection, but also an opportunity with the extraordinary power to sharpen emotions, even negative ones. And if you are alone, at Christmas you feel the weight of loneliness even more, and if you are experiencing a difficult moment, such as illness, the festive atmosphere makes the burden to bear more burdensome. This is why the bishop of Chiavari, Giampio Devasinion 25 December, took part in two initiatives aimed precisely at sharing the weight of his journey, during two particularly significant moments: on the one hand the Christmas mass celebrated at the Lavagna hospital and on the other the lunch for the poor organized by the parish of San Giacomo di Rupinaro in Chiavari.
Two intense and meaningful moments, in which Christmas is loaded with its authenticity and freed from the purely commercial trappings, which sometimes risk suffocating its authentic nature.
Celebrating mass in the morning in the atrium of the Lavagno hospital, the bishop used the metaphor of the night to talk about the illness, which for the faithful is nevertheless followed by the light of hope in recovery. A transition from darkness to light, shared by the many sick people who spent Christmas in hospital, to whom Monsignor Devasini he visited, ward after ward, room after room, bringing words of comfort and hope. Then, at lunch time, the diocesan bishop sat down at the table in the hall of Casa Charitas dressed to the nines, sharing the dishes with around fifty fragile, poor and homeless people, gathered for Christmas lunch, traditionally organized by the parish of St. James.
In a joyful and festive atmosphere, volunteers and guests sat down at the laid tables, prepared the previous days by other volunteers, just as is appropriate on special occasions: tables of six or eight diners, decked out with Christmas decorations, at At the center of each table is a card with the menu, mixed appetizers, baked lasagne, pesto and meat sauce, roast meat and side dishes and the inevitable panettone.
«It was a moment of authentic sharing – he says Angelo Bedini, member of the organization of Rupinaro's lunch – but the atmosphere that was created in the previous days was also very beautiful. Many people called the parish to ask how they could collaborate, even those who were unable to attend the actual lunch wanted to make their contribution in some way.
In the end, so much food was prepared that the volunteers prepared take-away trays, which the guests could also take with them for dinner.” A desire to participate that involved not only those who are poor, as he continues Angelo Bedini in fact: «People who suddenly found themselves alone and wanted to offer time to this extended human family for the occasion also called me to share lunch».
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