We need courage to reject false and evil stories. In an age when falsification is increasingly sophisticated, reaching exponential levels (as in deepfake), we need wisdom to be able to welcome and create beautiful, true and good stories. Centuries later, it remains timely, for it nourishes life. By patching together bits of unverified information, repeating banal and deceptively persuasive arguments, sending strident and hateful messages, we do not help to weave human history, but instead strip others of their dignity.īut whereas the stories employed for exploitation and power have a short lifespan, a good story can transcend the confines of space and time. Often on communication platforms, instead of constructive stories which serve to strengthen social ties and the cultural fabric, we find destructive and provocative stories that wear down and break the fragile threads binding us together as a society. We may not even realize how greedy we have become for chatter and gossip, or how much violence and falsehood we are consuming. How many stories serve to lull us, convincing us that to be happy we continually need to gain, possess and consume. “If you possess, you will become, you will achieve…” This is the message whispered by those who even today use storytelling for purposes of exploitation. Gen 3:4): the temptation of the serpent introduces into the fabric of history a knot difficult to undo. “When you eat of it … you will be like God” (cf. Yet since the very beginning, our story has been threatened: evil snakes its way through history. Human beings are storytellers because we are engaged in a process of constant growth, discovering ourselves and becoming enriched in the tapestry of the days of our life. By immersing ourselves in stories, we can find reasons to heroically face the challenges of life. The stories of different ages all have a common “loom”: the thread of their narrative involves “heroes”, including everyday heroes, who in following a dream confront difficult situations and combat evil, driven by a force that makes them courageous, the force of love. We weave not only clothing, but also stories: indeed, the human capacity to “weave” (Latin texere) gives us not only the word textile but also text. Gen 3: 21) we are also the only ones who need to be “clothed” with stories to protect our lives. We are not just the only beings who need clothing to cover our vulnerability (cf. They can help us understand and communicate who we are. Stories leave their mark on us they shape our convictions and our behaviour. Often we decide what is right or wrong based on characters and stories we have made our own. Stories influence our lives, whether in the form of fairy tales, novels, films, songs, news, even if we do not always realize it. From childhood we hunger for stories just as we hunger for food. A narrative that can reveal the interweaving of the threads which connect us to one another. A narrative that can tell us that we are part of a living and interconnected tapestry. A narrative that can regard our world and its happenings with a tender gaze. Amid the cacophony of voices and messages that surround us, we need a human story that can speak of ourselves and of the beauty all around us. Stories that build up, not tear down stories that help us rediscover our roots and the strength needed to move forward together. I would like to devote this year’s Message to the theme of storytelling, because I believe that, so as not to lose our bearings, we need to make our own the truth contained in good stories. “That you may tell your children and grandchildren” (Ex 10:2)
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