«We should portray the saints as the protagonists of a fun holiday, just like Halloween. The problem is that we traditionally think of them as distant and perfect entities.” Michele La Ginestra he is someone who knows a lot about saints. And not only because last June he took on the role of the first Pope, then saint, in the show Peter and Paul in Rome, but because discovering “the humanity behind every saint” was a fundamental stage in his journey of wedding ring. Saints and not saints, therefore, precisely those who are celebrated on November 1st: real people capable of speaking even to children and teenagers. «If we celebrated the saints with a smile, even the kids would feel closer to them. Ultimately the saints interpreted Christ’s message in the best possible way but they remained menthis is their extraordinary nature”, explains the actor.
The actor Michele La Ginestra in a photo by Alessandro de Luca Rapone
For La Ginestra, the sanctity to be told to children who know pumpkins and pointed hats better than the biographies of witnesses of the faith is «simple and joyful»: «Let’s take Mother Teresa of Calcutta, she was certainly not a good old lady, but a young man who transformed his life to bring smiles to the suffering. And then Giovanni Bosco and Filippo Neri, who educated in joy and happiness, or Thomas More, who prayed “Give me, Lord, a sense of humor”: holiness goes hand in hand with a smile, not with punishment.” Then there is another aspect that the actor would highlight with the kids, namely that the saints should not be described as superheroes: «We all have their powers, and even saints make mistakes! Saint Augustine, just to give an example, was a self-confessed criminal. From them we can learn the serenity of being ourselves, without feelings of guilt.” The mind goes back to Peter and Paul, «who, despite having had the privilege of knowing Christ, remained what they were: Peter was a gruff, instinctive type. He dedicated his life to others but he did some stupid things! Jesus’ betrayal makes him closer to everyone.”
So, a practical idea to celebrate the holiday: in addition to going through houses asking “Trick or treat”, «take an interest in the neighbors and ask how things are going». And perhaps organize a nice lunch with the poor, “who don’t have to eat well only at Christmas”. Ginestra insists: «We tell the kids who the saints were, not the little images that are kept in the car to protect us from trouble, the ones that make you understand how beautiful it is to live with a smile and dedicate yourself to others. Holiness is already next to us, you just need to look around to see how much good some people do, and it is within everyone’s reach. Indeed, it belongs to us.”
In the cover photo, Michele La Ginestra in the center as the priest protagonist of the TV2000 series Canon (photo by Alessandro de Luca Rapone)
