Rome (NEV), April 9, 2018 – On April 8th, the Methodist and Waldesian churches observed the Sunday of legality. Established in 2009 on the initiative of the Methodists and Waldensians from Southern Italy, from 2013 it became a national event in the awareness that “the Christian faith must learn how to denounce abuse and injustice”.
This year’s liturgical and homiletic material was edited by the churches of central Italy. The general theme chosen was the relationship between legality and justice, analyzed through a re-elaboration of the children’s story “The theft” by judge Luciana Breggia. Children in fact are the main addressee of this year’s reflection.
The story tells of a young girl who steals a row of sausages because she has been hungry for many days. “It is not a strange invention, but it is an event that often happens in our cities – we read in the material of the Day – and is poured into the halls of justice where, unfortunately, an unacceptable criminalization of misery is sometimes celebrated”.
“The judge of the story – continues the text – leads the villagers to understand the reasons of the girl, deprived of parents and of every means of support, and convinces them to help her, welcoming her in their community. The judge therefore finds a solution that does not separate, but recreates the community and solidarity bonds”.
The tale is associated with the biblical passage of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37), in which, to respect the letter of the law, a priest and a Levite do not succor a wounded man, but abandon him on the road.
It is on this idea of justice, “broader than law, a justice which doesn’t find solution only by rules, but most of all by the ability to recognize and resolve conflicts”, that the “Sunday of legality 2018” intended to make young and old generations think about.
