“The Gospel is full of non-protagonists who are nevertheless essential. This is an unmistakable sign of God, who always prefers ‘non-protagonism’ to bring about the history of salvation. God never chooses the most visible things, so much so that Jesus does not come into the world in Herod’s palace, in the spotlight, but is born in a stable. Christ is not the son of famous people, but of poor people, and his whole life is one of taking from the periphery, starting from the margins and placing them at the center. This method, with which Jesus proceeds in his life and in proclaiming the Gospel, is also true in the spiritual life. Therefore, it is essential to have the ability to place at the center of our existence what we normally leave on the margins.”
This is how Luigi Maria Epicoco introduces us to his new work, whose underlying theme is as simple as it is decisive: to find God, we must look into the folds of history, into the details of our daily lives, where it is the little things we did not expect that make the difference, surprising us and forcing us to come to terms with ourselves.
Through marginal characters in biblical history—from Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, to the nameless widow of Nain, from the “minor” prophet Habakkuk to the boy who brings five loaves and two fish, from the servants at the wedding at Cana to the woman with the issue of blood—we are thus led to the heart of Jesus’ proclamation: like them, we too must come to terms with and decide on our daily lives, the only fragile and fruitful place where God’s Love comes to seek us.
by Luigi Maria Epicoco (Author)
