By Rev. Alex Morrison
Readers of the Magazine may remember seeing in the April issue extracts from letters sent by our Italian friends. We went to Italy shortly after that article was published. The visit was short, lasting only three weeks, but we came away feeling that it had been worth while.
We felt that at least some from the home Church followed our visit with prayerful interest, and it is the Lord alone who can fully reward such for their support. However, we must do what we can to express appreciation of their help, and perhaps one way of doing this is to give the following details of our visit. They are given in diary form, and are printed below substantially as compiled while we were in Italy. Of course, I refer only to a few of the visits made and of the meetings held. However, I hope that the report will be used to encourage prayer for the cause of Christ in Italy.
Thursday, 11th April:
Today we arrived, and this evening we went round to the grandmother’s house. They gave us a warm welcome, and spoke in appreciation of tapes that had been sent out. The grandmother spoke sadly of having some of her friends in, and reading a portion of Scripture to them. She had asked if they would take a Bible, but they had absolutely refused. She spoke about Giorgina and her husband, and said that she had asked them to come to the meetings. (Giorgina is the lady who attended meetings held by Mr MacInnes, but who had been away from home on our first visit). She did not know if they would come this time, or not.
Friday, 12th April:
At Emilia’s this evening were Emilia and Claudio, the grandmother and the three children. We read the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee and then began to discuss it. We had hardly started when Emilia broke in to say how much it meant to her to have the family meet like that around the word of God. She preferred it to anything else in the world.
Reminiscing on the past, Emilia said there had been a time at the beginning when she had always been at peace, and had always had faith. She had thought then that faith was an easy thing, and that experienced Christians lived a life of perpetual peace. Now she knew. She thought of those who had once taken an interest in the gospel, and of what a fine beginning they had had. But now they had gone back. She did not really believe that she would herself go back, but the fear was always at the back of her mind that she might. About the Publican crying for mercy she said: “There is always a sense of unworthiness, and certainly, I am unworthy. But at the same time there is a peace, because we know that God is able to pardon sinners.”
Sabbath, 14th April:
There were present today the grandmother and grandfather, Emilia and Claudio, the three children and Sergio (oldest son of Emilia’s brother, Ermete).
Latterly Emilia was speaking about Giorgina’s circumstances, and said that her house was divided. When she was alone with us, she went on to say that the same applied to a degree in her own home. Her children had to go to school, and because they went to school they came under the influence of the priest. She had no heart for that. Also Claudio used to be a Roman Catholic, but now he was nothing. I said we should pray that he would get that baptism of the Holy Spirit of which we had been speaking and they both agreed, the grandmother clasping her hands in an unaffected, mute expression of an intense desire.
Wednesday, 17th April:
Tonight we spoke about the security of the true church, however small it might be in numbers, on the basis of 2 Kings, 8:16 (‘Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them . . .’) We had just finished reading the passage when Giorgina came in, with her husband and mother. After a little conversation it was Giorgina who requested that we proceed with discussing the Scriptures. The context made possible a remark about the plain living of the church in Elisha’s day. Giorgina spoke in criticism of the riches of the R.C. Church, and said that the confessional was just a measure to procure revenue. Others agreed with her. Her husband (still professing to be a Roman Catholic) said he did not believe in the confessional, although he attended it once a year to avoid being excommunicated. He said that in Italy the Church was losing ground rapidly; the young people ‘did not believe in anything.’
Thursday, 18th April:
We paid a visit to Lucca, a town about twenty miles from Fornaci di Barga. After leaving Gospels and Scripture tracts at doors in the town we went along to the cathedral. It is a very large building, dating from the 12th to 14th centuries, and is famous for its ‘volto santo’ (holy visage).
This volto santo was found occupying a prominent place within the cathedral, protected by a framework of stone pillars and metal netting. It is a large model of Christ on the cross, supposedly constructed by Nicodemus who, after the crucifixion, wished in this way to reproduce the features of Christ. The legend is that an Italian bishop, while on a pilgrimage to Palestine, discovered the volto santo and took it back with him to Italy. It was a remarkable voyage, being accomplished by the bishop with neither crew nor sails!
A prayer was printed on a plaque attached to a bench in front of the image. Obviously visitors were expected to kneel there, and say the prayer. In fact, those who did read devoutly to the end of the prayer found that they had thereby gained themselves forty days’ remission from purgatory. The eye of the devout worshipper, passing in wonder from this gracious assurance, caught a notice nearby soliciting help for the upkeep of the cathedral. We left nearby the T.B.S. tract ‘The Ten Commandments,’ with the second underlined.
Saturday, 20th April:
There was some discussion again about the R.C. Church, partly stemming from our visit to Lucca, and the grandmother told us about a conversation she had had recently with one of her friends. She had been saying to this neighbour that there are many things taught in the R.C. Church which are not in the Bible — purgatory, for example. But the neighbour replied that the local priest also said that there was no purgatory; only “Heaven and Hell.” This astounded us, but Giorgina said that changes were taking place within the Church. Emilia commented that it was one thing for the R.C. Church to be more conformed outwardly to the Scriptures, but that really to receive the Gospel required a new birth. The doctrine of the new birth was not taught in the R.C. Church. This conversation gave us some indication of the confusion which seems to prevail in the Italian Church. The Church is losing power, and is making adjustments in an attempt to reduce the loss. But how can the Roman Church change when one basic dogma is that she is always the same?
Tuesday, 23rd April:
Emilia spoke again about the problems which she has to face. She has a sensitive nature, with a tendency to nervousness and depression. She often confesses that, when there is no one among them to instruct them in the Scriptures, she does not always have the desire to read the Bible. Then her faith grows weak, and she wonders if she was ever born again at all. On another occasion she said that she was often afraid that she only understood the gospel with her mind, without receiving it really in her heart. But she did admit that there were times when her heart was fully satisfied with the word of God. The things of the world never gave her this satisfaction; rather they only left a bad taste in her mouth.
Friday, 26th April:
This afternoon we went to Barga (three miles away) and contacted an old man whom I had met last time, but whose address I had afterwards lost. I got his address again, and also that of his brother. I will send a Bible to them both (D.V.) before leaving Fornaci, and will send typed sermons from home.
Sabbath, 28th April:
Speaking on the subject of the Transfiguration this morning. There were present the grandmother, Emilia and Claudio, the three children, Giorgina, and latterly Ermete. In applying the subject, I was about to say it was not necessary for us to see with our bodily eyes the glory of Christ, when Emilia herself volunteered: “Do you know what came to my mind? I said to myself ‘I would not ask to be on the Mount of Transfiguration. For me, it is enough if the Lord will touch me in my heart by His Grace’.” It was a pleasure to see how the word had been blessed to her, to make her more cheerful and less harassed by doubts.
Tuesday, 30th April:
Our last night here. Besides Emilia’s family there were present Giorgina, with Ermete and his wife Zitta. We spoke for a little on Hebrews 12:1-2: running the race, looking unto Jesus. May those who have not yet looked to Him by faith have their eyes opened that they might see Him. May those who have already seen His glory be kept looking to Him, so that they will not wander from the way. J.T.