Don Francesco Cristofaro presents some exciting life stories taken from some passages from the Gospel. Central is the figure of Jesus who, with his mercy, can heal even the deepest wounds. The author, very active and followed on social networks (over 230,000 followers), is also a radio and television host. He was a columnist in the broadcast “Italian Stories” on Rai 1 and contributes with themed services to the broadcast “Forum” on channel 5.
Publishing House: Tau Editrice
Necklace: Word and prayer
Genre: Essay / Spirituality
Pages: 172
Price: € 16.00
«Today, man is sad because he is without God. Today man’s heart is lost because he has lost the truth of the Gospel, the only one that can save him. Today man wants to build himself without God. Today man wants to make himself god instead of the Almighty Lord. Great, then is the responsibility of the Christian. Great is the mission of the priest: to build God in the heart of man “
“The gaze of Jesus. Pages of Mercy” by Don Francesco Cristofaro is a theological essay written in simple and immediate language, accompanied by a heartfelt preface by HE Card. Angelo Comastri. The work is divided into three parts: in the first there are some stories taken from passages from the Gospel, in the second the life of the author is narrated, focusing in particular on his experience with faith, and in the third there are prayers from he composed. The passages chosen from the Gospel focus on those who had been labeled as sinners, and who at a certain point of their journey had met the eyes of Jesus, full of mercy, and in this way they were saved – “What is mercy? It is the gaze of God that penetrates you to the point of totally transforming you so that you allow yourself to be transformed ». As for the personal history of the author, he confesses speaking of his disability: Don Cristofaro was in fact born with a spastic paresis in the legs. Since he was a child he has struggled to accept himself and to be accepted by others, suffering bullying, pietism and marginalization; then he understood, thanks to the gaze of Jesus who rested on him and made him an instrument of mercy, that disability was not a limit but a gift, with which he could manifest the works of God. It is also very interesting , in this part of the work, the story of the evolution of his vocation, which also experienced moments of crisis: in fact, he distanced himself from Jesus for fear of not being up to his task, but the call received was a light that continued to shine strong in his heart. He thus embarked on the mission that had always chosen him, committing himself to show the face of Jesus to the world – «I feel saved, one who has been born again, who is asked to sing about life, to praise the wonders of the Lord. Sometimes, I think of the thousands of people who follow me. It seems to me that I am doing nothing for them. Then they write to you and say thank you for the smile and, then, I understand that I have served something ».
SYNOPSIS OF THE OPERA. Reading the pages of the Gospel, we come across many encounters and moments of mercy. People see in Jesus one who is different from all the others; one who is not afraid to stop, to listen, to sit at the sinner’s table, to touch a leper. When we judge, we label, we do nothing but close our hearts to mercy. Let us look to Jesus and then let us pause for a moment to ourselves. What attitude would we have assumed in front of the sinner caught in the act of adultery? How many stones would we have thrown? And before Zacchaeus, Matthew the tax collector? What would we have done if the blind beggar, the leper excluded from the community or any other brother in need came to us? In these pages you will discover stories and faces, some have a name, others are faceless and nameless because you could be in those stories too. You will touch the suffering, the desire for redemption and change. There is the attitude of Jesus, all of his love of him. It will be a true hymn to God’s mercy.
AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY. Don Francesco Cristofaro was born in Catanzaro on 10 November 1979, and is today parish priest in the “Santa Maria Assunta” Parish in Simeri Crichi. He obtained a licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical Teresianum Faculty in Rome. He hosts the program “In the light of faith” on Radio Mater and the program “Made for Heaven” on Padre Pio TV. He also collaborates with Tv2000 in the program “L’Ora Solare”. He was a columnist in the Rai 1 program “Italian Stories” and contributes with themed services to the “Forum” program on channel 5. Invited to various Italian cities to bring his testimony of life, he has received several awards and recognitions. He holds prayer meetings throughout Italy and is invited to preach at national retreats. He is also the testimonial of social events, in particular on disability. He wrote for the weekly “Miracoli” and published several works for Tau Editrice.
Contacts
www.donfrancescocristofaro.it
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https: /www.youtube.com/c/DonFrancescoCristofaro
“The look of Jesus. Pages of Mercy” by Don Francesco Cristofaro – Seven Press