“The clothes hanging in daily faith”: the scent of God in the folds of life
Reflections by Paolo Spina*
There is a simple and disarming beauty in alberto Valletta's Documentary, The clothes hanging in daily faith. A domestic, humble title, yet full of suggestions: a faith that is intertwined with life, that hangs from the sun and the wind, that does not fear the fragility of everyday life.
Not the majesty of large gatherings, not a rigorism that is as granitic as it is cold, but a faith that is lived between the sheets and the streets, between silences and relationships, between the flesh and the Spirit.
A faith that, more than well-packaged answers, knows how to ask me the questions that matter - Ermes Ronchi would call them: The naked questions of the Gospel - in light of the life of Jesus itself: how many times have I met God in the temple? And how many are on the road?
The voices that intertwine in the documentary – abbot Bernardo Gianni, sister Fabrizia Giacobbe, Innocenzo and Carlo de La Tenda di Gionata, don Andrea Bigalli, the Little Sisters of Jesus Clémence, Chiara-Benedetta and Rita-Irene, Luca Trapanese and don Pio Cristiani – make up a mosaic of humanity and incarnate faith.
They are women and men who, in different ways, act concretely to open spaces of welcome and recognition for LGBT+ Christians and all people placed on the margins. Their words, never ideological, smell of the Gospel: a Gospel that does not exclude, does not measure, does not classify, but embraces.
In an interview published in Vino Nuovo, Valletta specifies that he wanted to show a faith "interwoven with humanity", capable of revealing itself in small and concrete gestures of love.
This is perhaps the heart of the documentary: not a theological debate, but a contemplative look at a Church that rediscovers its soul as a mother and sister, which accompanies without fear and which knows how to bend over the wounds of the world.
Offering and enjoying the vision of The clothes hanging in daily faith can become an enriching experience for every christian community.
It is not just a film to see, but an invitation to ask ourselves: what does it mean to follow the Gospel of Jesus today? Where, how can we learn acceptance, compassion, inner freedom?
Sharing this documentary could be, for many parishes and groups, a precious stage in the pastoral journey, from a synodal perspective: an opportunity to listen to different voices and recognize that faith is played out, every day, in concrete love and respect for every face.
I remember a scene from my life that came to mind while watching The hanging clothes of daily faithto. As a young medical student, one of the first people I met during hospital internships was a recently widowed lady. She told me that, in the evening, she still looked for her husband's perfume on the pillow and on his clothes.
Those words remained in my heart, and still move me today. When faith makes us truly seek the face of God revealed in Jesus, we become like that woman: lovers who seek the scent of the Beloved, capable of seeing the signs of his presence even in the most intimate, fragile - and therefore authentic - folds of our lives.
* Paolo Spina is a doctor, passionate about Sacred Scripture and feminist and queer theology. Graduated in Religious Sciences, he collaborates with theLGBT Christian Project+ and withJonathan's tentWriting on current affairs and christianity. you Can find his reflections collected herehere.
