After reading her witness, my mind and heart raced back to an incident which took place some two millennia ago, precisely in the city of Capernaum, the field of repentance, the city of comfort. Thus, Luke’s Gospel recounts: “And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:37-38).
It seems that time has brought this “woman of the city” (Luke 7:37) back to our times. Her actual name is no longer Hebrew but Italian. Her dwelling place is no longer Israel but Italy. The woman we are talking about is none other than the famous Italian actress Claudia Koll who will be visiting our country this week on 6th and 7th May. Claudia, a Mary Magdalene of our time, has an interesting story to tell us. The story of her own conversion to Jesus Christ.
Despite having a successful career, a Claudia had to struggle with a life full of troubles and difficulties especially as she was growing up. Due to her mother’s death her grandmother took the responsibility of rearing Claudia. As she was growing up, the lure of the movie industry tempted he and Claudia ended up playing obscene roles in a number of movies.
But God did not give up on her. In fact when in 2000 Claudia, out of personal courtesy, accompanied her American friend to enter the Holy Door at St Peter in Rome, something powerful hit her innermost heart. She recounts:
“One day there was this dramatic situation that needed to be resolved and I did not know how to handle it at all. I remember being desperate, I paced the room up and down, and just simply in one moment I started to speak to God. I prayed Our Father and I was squeezing in the palms of my hands a little crucifix that one of my friends had given me few days before. In those moments, my whole being was turned towards God, I felt as I was tied close to the Cross and I was able to feel complete liberation. I felt I was immersed in something like a deep peace. And I rested in that feeling. No longer was I worried, or afraid; it felt as there was only one feeling of deep silence, something unknown to me prior to that particular moment. It was that silence that spoke to me about God, I did not see Him, but I was able to feel Him. I asked Him, ´Why did You do that, why did you console me, I do not deserve that?’ Then I said: ‘You are my Father, I prayed to you in the prayer of Our Father and I told You that I would like to meet You!’ That was my prayer!”
Claudia Koll’s witness shows that an authentic conversion is a process. “The Lord did not take away my suffering, but He walked with me, slowly, and helped me to resolve that pain. Even more, that suffering was my journey towards Him, I started to feel a desire to go back to the Church. At first I would just spend time in a church and enjoy the silence and peace of God and that brought me to the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. God started to heal me through the sacraments. It was a long process, with its ups and downs, but every time I would fall down, I would get up again.”
If you are interested in listening more to what this living icon of God’s mercy has to share with us, why not attend a prayer meeting at St Julian’s parish church on Friday 6th May at 7.30pm? Or attend a lunch at The Palace Hotel in Sliema on Saturday 7th May? Bookings can be made by calling 2144 2468 or 7944 2468.
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap