Mario Parisi left us suddenly on August 15th. He joined the great "Faith and Light" pilgrimage to Lourdes at Easter 1971, and from that moment he stood alongside the movement as an enthusiastic partner. He had the joy of seeing it flourish across Italy. On September 15th, in the Church of La Merced—where he had long hoped a Faith and Light group would take root—many of us gathered to thank him. We are certain that from heaven he continues to encourage us on our way.
To All of You
To all of you, dear friends of Faith and Light, I am glad to share these thoughts that Mario left written in the margins of his Bible.
I found them a few days after his death. Though I hold them close—and you understand why—I know I can entrust them to you. I am certain you will receive them as a true message of Faith and Light, of which Mario was truly an authentic bearer:
- His anger lasts but a moment; his love, a lifetime (Psalm 29)
- For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great mercy I will gather you (Isaiah 54)
- Our momentary, light affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure (2 Corinthians 4)
- The Lord is witness between you and the wife of your youth, whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with flesh and spirit? And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth (Malachi 2)
- Unity among Christians is realized in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12/14). If we seek unity with our brothers in all our differences, we must seek the Spirit and live in him, always ready to hear his voice and his inspiration.
- I have chosen holiness rather than peace; on this earth, to live is to change, and to be perfect means to have changed often (Newman)
Mariolina P, 1976