Don Camillo and God have a discussion

 

 

Don Camillo was unhappy to give up entirely on the idea of the flood, so he tried to salvage something from it.
You could at least make it rain a bit. The land is dry and the reservoirs are all empty.'
It will rain, Don Camillo, it will rain,' Jesus reassured him.
'There has always been rain. ever since the world began.
The mechanism has been set in motion so that it will rain when the time is right.
Or are you of the opinion that the Eternal One has slipped up in his management of the universe?'
Don Camillo bowed. 
'Very well,'he said sighing.  'I understand  what  you  are saying  perfectly.  
But if a  poor country priest can't even allow himself to ask his God for a few bucketfuls of rain, well forgive me, but it's disheartening.'        
                          
 

'You are right a thousand times over, Don Camillo.
All that remains is for you to go on strike in protest.'

Don Camillo was still unhappy and walked off with his head down, but Jesus called him back.

Jesus looked grave. 

'Fret not, Don Camillo,' whispered Jesus.
'I know that men wasting Gods grace looks to you like a mortal sin, because you know that I got down from a horse to pick up a breadcrumb.
But you  should  forgive them because They do not mean to offend  God.
They search  desperately  for justice  on  earth because they no longer have faith in divine justice, and just as desperately go after worldly goods because they have no faith in the recompense to come.
They only believe in what they can touch and see.
The flying machines, they are the angels of this infernal hell on earth which they are trying in vain to turn into a paradise.
It is a body of ideas - a culture — that leads to ignorance, because when a culture is not supported by faith, there comes a point where man sees only the mathematics of things.
And the harmony of this mathematics becomes his God, and he forgets that it is God who created this mathematics and this harmony
But your God is not made of numbers, Don Camillo, and good angels fly in the skies of your paradise.
Progress makes man's world ever smaller: one  day, when cars  run  at 100 miles a minute, the world will seem microscopic to men, and then  mankind  will  find  itself like a sparrow on the pommel of a flagpole and will present itself to the infinite, and in the infinite it will rediscover God and faith in the true life.
And mankind will hate the machines which have reduced the world to a handful of numbers and it will destroy them with its own hands.
But all this will take time, Don Camillo.
So do not worry, your bicycle and your scooter are in no danger for now' Jesus smiled, and Don Camillo thanked him for putting him on earth.

 

:) 

There is so much to unpack in this passage - I leave it to you though to do just that and come to your own conclusions!!



Have fun!  

 

 

 

 

 

Don Camillo and Peppone

It has been a very long time - still remember the black and white films starring Don Camillo (the village priest) and Peppone (the communist mayor).

It is a delightful story - set and written post second world war in Italy i.e 1946.

Recently I discovered the (in German) films via YouTube! It is required watching of course!!

Then I came across the books which have at long last been translated into English! Thanks to Amazon and a credit card and international posting (which given recent Covid19 mailings IS indeed remarkable) they arrived here in less then 7 days!! yussss

The books themselves are a collection of stories - each duly published in the news paper way back in 1946 - short stories that can stand on their own.  The films took all of them and made them into a long storybook - weaving them through time and place. 

The thing that always has attracted me is that at times Don Camillo has "conversations" with Christ on the Cross as well as Mary (you know - the mother of said Jesus)!!  The dialogue is thoughtful and at times thought provoking.  

 Samples of them are:

"When you share your last crust of bread with a beggar, you mustn’t behave as if you were throwing a bone to a dog. You must give humbly, and thank him for allowing you to have a part in his hunger.”

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“It is right to hate sin, but not to hate the sinner.”

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“No, Don Camillo; you didn’t exactly steal it. Peppone had two cigars in his pocket. Peppone is a Communist. He believes in sharing things. By skillfully relieving him of one cigar, you only took your fair share.”

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“When God gives you an inch, don’t take a mile.”

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"When things do not go well, finding a way of making them go better always seems less important than finding someone to take the blame."  <----- love this one - so true even nowadays!!!

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As he passed by the altar, the Lord frowned down at him.
"Lord," said Don Camillo, "Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." "Don Camillo," said the Lord, "for some time now you've been skating on thin ice."  "With God's help, no ice is too thin," said Don Camillo.

-----

Don Camillo hastily put on the leather harness with the support for the foot of the cross, lifted the enormous crucifix from the altar and adjusted it in the socket. Then he sighed: "All the same, they need not have made this Cross quite so heavy." "You're telling Me!" replied the Lord smiling. "I had to carry it all the way up on that hill and I never had shoulders such as yours."

-----


“What should I do?” Don Camillo had inquired. 
“Anoint your back with a little oil beaten up in water and hold your tongue,” the Lord had replied from above the altar.  “We must forgive those who offend us. That is the rule.”  “Very true, Lord,” agreed Don Camillo, “but on this  occasion we are discussing blows, not offenses.”
“And  what  do  you  mean  by  that?  Surely  you  are  not  trying  to  tell  me  that  injuries  done  to  the  body  are  more  painful  than those aimed at the spirit?”
“I see your point, Lord. But You should also bear in mind that in the beating of me, who am Your minister, an injury has been done to Yourself also. I am really more concerned on Your behalf than on my own.”
“And was I not a greater minister of God than you are? And did I not forgive those who nailed me to the Cross?”
“There is never any use in arguing with You!” Don Camillo  had exclaimed. “You are always in the right. Your will be done.  We  must  forgive.  All  the  same,  don't  forget  that  if  these  ruffians,  encouraged  by  my  silence,  should  crack  my  skull, the responsibility will lie with You. I could cite several passages from the Old Testament. . . .”
“Don Camillo, are you proposing to instruct me in the Old Testament? As for this business, I assume full responsibility.
Moreover,  strictly  between  Ourselves,  the  beating  has  done  you  no  harm.  It  may  teach  you  let  politics  alone  in  my  house.”


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Jesus: "Sie spricht mit meiner Mutter"  (she speaks with my Mother)
Don Camillo: "Die Ärmste!" (Poor Mary)

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The underlying message within the many stories told - is that compassion and practicality are far better than religious or political dogmatism.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Camillo_and_Peppone

Have fun!