contact: Jeff Matthews

I am a skeptic about religion, but I still take it seriously. When it comes to eternal verities and discussions of how and why we exist, I know nothing and I know it. But I don't scoff at believers. The gentleman, Gennaro Matino, who wrote this morning's article for the Naples edition of La Repubblica had a sensible approach to what it all means, no matter what you believe. His headline and subhead were

                    "San Gennaro, Blood for Peace
This is not a folk festival, but a warning to face up to human suffering.

"After almost three years we saw the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro. We saw it calmly and without restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic, which has passed. The holiday now returns to
the forefront. The Cathedral was packed and there was a large crowd outside. They all had favors to ask of their saint, and that is exactly as it should be. In any case, the faithful should all be wishing for the same thing in unison: peace for our city, for Italy, and for the whole world. Even Pope Francis has talked of the nightmare of a third world war, and of the danger of disease, still active, making a comeback. We have to understand what our miracle truly means. Blood is the substance of life and there can be no life where there is no justice to generate peace."

He mentioned Ukraine, the energy crisis, the flood of refegees in the world and young children washed up dead on Italian shores. There is no miraculous solution. This wonder of clotted blood turning liquid is a metaphor of the hostilities in the world turning into peace, but we are the agents of that solution.