The Religious Sense

by Luigi Giussani, John E. Zucchi

Giussani challenges us to penetrate the deepest levels of experience to discover our essential selves, breaking through the layers of opinions and judgments that have obscured our true needs. Asserting that all the tools necessary for self-discovery are inherent within us, he focuses primarily on reason, not as narrowly defined by modern philosophers, but as an openness to existence, a capacity to comprehend and affirm reality in all of its dimensions. Part of the so-called new religious revival, The Religious Sense avoids any sentimental or irrational reduction of the religious experience. It is a forthright and refreshing call to reassess our lives.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Religion, Christianity, Catholic, Nonfiction, Christian

184 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1986

About the author

Luigi Giussani was born in 1922 in Desio, a small town near Milan. His mother, Angela, gave him his earliest daily introduction to the faith. His father, Beniamino, a member of an artistically talented family, a carver and restorer of wood, spurred the young Luigi always to ask why, to seek the reason for things. Fr. Giussani has often recalled episodes from his family life, signs of an atmosphere of great respect for persons and of an active education to keep alive the true dimensions of the heart and reason. An example is an episode when, still a young child, he and his mother were walking in the pale light of dawn to morning Mass, and his mother suddenly exclaimed softly at the sight of the last star fading in the growing morning light, “How beautiful the world is, and how great is God!” Or the great love of his father, a Socialist anarchist, for music, a passion that led him not only to try to lessen the impact of difficult moments in the family by singing famous arias, but also to prefer to the few comforts affordable in a modest economic situation the habit of inviting musicians home with him on Sunday afternoon so as to hear music played live.

At a very young age Luigi Giussani entered the diocesan seminary of Milan, continuing his studies and finally completing them at the theological school of Venegono under the guidance of masters like Gaetano Corti, Giovanni Colombo, Carlo Colombo, and Carlo Figini.

Besides the cultural training it offered, and his relationships of true esteem and great humanity with some of his masters, Venegono represented for Fr. Giussani a very important environment for the experience of the companionship of some “colleagues,” like Enrico Manfredini—the future archbishop of Bologna—in the common discovery of the value of vocation, a value that is enacted in the world and for the world.

These were years of intense study and great discoveries, such as reading Leopardi, Fr. Giussani recounts, as an accompaniment to meditation after the Eucharist. The conviction grew in him in those years that the zenith of all human genius (however expressed) is the prophecy, even if unaware, of the coming of Christ. Thus he happened to read Leopardi’s hymn Alla sua donna [To his Woman] as a sort of introduction to the prologue to the Gospel of St John, and to recognize in Beethoven and Donizetti vivid expressions of the eternal religious sense of man.

From that moment, reference to the fact that truth is recognized by the beauty in which it manifests itself would always be part of the Movement’s educational method. One can see in the history of CL a privileged place given to aesthetics, in the most profound, Thomist sense of the term, compared to an insistence on an ethical referent. From the time of his years in the seminary and as a theology student, Fr. Giussani learned that both the aesthetic and ethical sense arise from a correct and impassioned clarity concerning ontology, and that a lively aesthetic sense is the first sign of this, as evidenced by the healthiest Catholic as well as the Orthodox tradition.

Observance of discipline and order in seminary life became united with the strength of a temperament that, in his dialogue with his superiors and the initiatives of his companions, stood out for its vivacity and keenness. For example, Giussani promoted together with some fellow students an internal newsletter, called Studium Christi, with the intention of making of it a kind of organ for a study group dedicated to discovering the centrality of Christ in every subject they studied.

After ordination, Fr. Giussani devoted himself to teaching at the seminary in Venegono. In those years he specialized in the study of Eastern theology (especially the Slavophiles), American Protestant theology, and a deeper understanding of the rational reasons for adherence to faith and the Church.

In the middle of the 1950s, he left seminary teaching for high schools. For ten years, from 195

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This erudite exploration of the phenomenon of relgious desire contains some really interesting ideas. At base, Guissani is saying that all human beings have a religious sense -- he would argue that this is innate and God-given -- and that one can either recognize and cultivate this sense or one can deny or suppress this sense. If the former, then one draws closer to understanding the Mystery at the root of all things (i.e., God). If the latter, then this religious sense becomes channelled into idolatry. He treats specifically rationalism and positivism as types of idolatry. It's a very intersting and convincing argument. There are passages that are difficult to read (in some ways it reminded me of reading Aristotle lo these many years ago), but there are also passages of unutterable beauty -- in particular when he is talking about Oddyseus travelling beyond the Pillars of Hercules as a model for our human striving. Gorgeous. Well worth the read.

[ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Description of the human experience, cut straight to the point. Giussani so often upgathers widely varied arts and philosophies together into their fulfillment in Christ — and he does it with such ease! There are those you would expect: St. Thomas, Dostoevsky, the holy Scriptures. But then, he recruits Marx, Kant, and Hegel; Kerouac, Hemmingway, Leopardi, and many other poets (I just now read the excellent passage excerpted in Chapter 8 from the Tang Dynasty era scholar-poet Han Yü). In the few short months I have been involved with Communion & Liberation, twice have we meditated on pieces of classical music: a Beethoven (I forget which piece) and Chopin’s “Raindrop”. Christ the Word is found even in the wordless. That seems to be Giussani’s conviction: that He can be found anywhere.

This is definitely a book to chew on for a lifetime. (And it has persuaded me to keep reading Giussani.)

Currently, as of this review, I am re-reading Giussani’s discussions of the insufficiency of materialism, the trap of ideology, the limitation of man (as he is a mortal, contingent, given creature), the meaning of “freedom”, and the overall, constant insistence to LIVE; to risk, to engage with reality instead of denying its provocations.

Read this if you desire more, or want to desire more, and are sick of ideology and your own preconceptions.

—


“[…] [P]ower is the prevailing expression of a determined instant of historical flux. Any conception whatsoever of the human person which is pantheistic, materialistic, biological, or idealistic — any of these— must reach these conclusions: in this sense Hitler or Stalin are the same. Power is the emergence of the force of reality in this instant. If, in order to make its contribution to history, power is persuaded that it must kill all Jews, then, according to the conception we mentioned above, it would be justified in killing them or using them all as guinea pigs. The entire reality of our epoch has codified this: the State, whether it be capitalist or Marxist, is the source of every right. But this is not just true of our era. Two thousand years ago, the only man who had all human rights was the civis romanus, the Roman citizen. But who decided who was a civis romanus? Those in power.” p. 90

“Religiosity is the single hindrance, limit, confine to the dictatorship of man over man.” p. 92

[Luke LeBar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing a review for this book is really hard because I’ve been reading it for so long. It is basically inseparable from my experience of the Communion and Liberation Movement which I have loved. I have had so many good conversations with my friends over this book. I like Giussani. I think his approach to the spiritual life (which is Ignatian) is simply better than a lot of other traditions. This book resolved a lot of spiritual anguish and doubt. It helped me move onto new questions, a deeper search for meaning. I have enjoyed meditating on this for two years, it has been fruitful. Giussani is a great synthesizer, and it you take the time to digest and understand this book I am sure it will be transformative for you as well.

[Tommaso Ongis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bello il libro, ma ho preferito i venticinque anni di live action

[Iman Bany Sakher · Rating 3 out of 5]

#الحس_الديني
#لويجي_جوساني
عدد الصفحات: 250
الكتاب الثاني والسبعون لعام 2019
من خلال خمسة عشر فصلًا، شرع جوساني إلى توضيح مفهوم الحس الديني من عدة جوانب مهمة من حيث عقلانيته ومساره ومنطقيته.
بدأ الكتاب بثلاثِ فصولٍ تمهيدية، اعتمد بها سلسلةً من الأسئلة والأجابات وتحليل كل ما طرحه بنهجٍ فلسفي عالي الصخب. ثم أسرع بإظهار أيضًا عمقه الفكري من ناحية اطلاعه على الآداب المتنوعة مع للعلم أنه رجل كنيسة ودارسٌ لعلم اللاهوت، فقد انتقل بفصوله التالية نحو جمع كل النصوص التي ما من شأنها رفد فكرته الأساسية، ولم يقف عند هذا الحد بل أتبعها بشروحاتٍ وتحليلاتٍ منطقية، سواءً كانت قصائدَ فلسفيةٍ وجوديةٍ معقدة لليوباردي، أو روايات نفسية عميقة كمؤلفات دوستويفسكي، والذي يُعرف عنه أيضًا لجوار العمق النفسي والتحليلي للدواخل البشرية، خطابه الديني المنبثق من عمق حسّه تجاه المسيحية في مجمل أعماله. ولم يقف عند ذلك بل وضع عدة نصوص من مؤلفات بيرتراند راسل والذي يعرف عنه لادينيته( إلحاده ). فكان كأنه يحارب كل النظريات الأخرى بأسلحتها ذاتها.
وهذا وكله قد جعلني أقرأ بتمهلٍ وروية فلم أشعر بأني أمام خطاب ديني بل كان ميّالًا للفكر أكثر ولكل الإعتبارات المنهجية بإيجاد الحقيقة. فكانت شروحاته الفكرية تَتدرج من الذات إلى إدراك العوامل المكونة للخبرة الدينية، إلى تعريفات فلسفية رأيت أنها كانت تطرد عمقًا وتتزامن مع محاولةٍ منه إلى التبسيط قدر المستطاع لكل تلك التعريفات.
بالنهاية هذا الكتاب ليس سهلًا كما يُرى من عدد صفحاته القليلة، بل إنه فلسفي بامتياز وثقيلٌ

[Dhanya Jothimani · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 300th review on goodreads :)

I guess it might be difficult to rate a book on theology. This book was recommended to me by one of my close friends so I decided to read. Definitely, it partially aligns with certain views I have had. But, reading this gives a different perspective - 'religious sense' on life, purpose and reality.

Book has led me to many book club like discussions with a few friends. Apart from the concepts discussed, it made me realize sometimes how carelessly we use some words - now the word 'rational' sounds differently to me than what it used to.

P.S.: this is one of those theology books that I might read again sometime.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't a word for how good this book is.

[Ali Reda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book argues that the solution for the question of meaning is the total meaning but death limits the attempt of reason towards it. So it must exist beyond reason and life and every reasonable meaning (idols), and that's the need of revelation.

But the real problem lies in defending this position objectively, which is impossible due to an inheret fallacy that equates metaphysical meaning with truth. And this fallacy is stated clearly in this book.

So how does the book justify this claim? As usual, with the only possible argument: ("The world without God would be a "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing". Life would be a strange dream, an abstract discourse of an exasperated imagination, and, therefore, without unity. Life would be all splintered into segments, with no true order, with no vision beyond the immediate instant)".

In the end, I can only say that this book succeeds subjectively but fails objectively.

[Simone Santini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indescrivibile.
Spesso viene usato impropriamente l'attributo "un libro che tutti dovrebbero leggere" e sento che, tra gli oltre cento libri che ho letto, questo sia l'unico veramente degno di tale attributo.
È un libro che non parla di religione ma dell'uomo; cerca di dare all'uomo degli strumenti con i quali approcciarsi alle grandi domande e alla realtà conciliando una razionalità e una profondità intuitiva senza pari.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Systemitizes the way in which the full human experience indicates the existence of God.

[Lucina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars is honestly an arbitrary number. At times this book was a 5-star, and at times I wanted to give it up altogether. Needless to say, I suppose it was worth reading in the end.

Here is my short synopsis of this book (from the limits of my own understanding):
Giussani begins at a place of natural theology, and the discourse making up the majority of this book contain strains of thought related to such. It involves an introspective approach to the discovery of the Absolute. He rounds out the book with the claim that divine revelation was absolutely necessary to make sense of the dizzying abyss that results from the human connection with the divine.

Here is my long, opinion-heavy, probably flawed, review of this book:
First of all, Giussani writes longwindedly. He is artful in his interweaving of various personal, historical, and artistic examples of what he is explaining, but as the concepts develop, these examples tend to complicate matters. At times they are indeed helpful, but sometimes they served simply to misdirect my mind for a few minutes during my attempt to make sense of his position.
Apart from writing style, the content is most interesting. Giussani would argue that this is because it relates closely to the meaning of my life. Amidst the meandering sentences of the Italian priest, one finds truths presented in a unique way. Giussani makes the argument that one can discover God by turning inward, noticing our insatiable desires, and directing them toward discovering the meaning of life. This meaning, however, is absolutely impossible to understand by human methods. Thus, many will simply reduce the Absolute to something within the sphere of their own experience; they do so by creating ideologies and various other idols.
The challenge, then, of life, is to live with the understanding that we will never reach the answer to the 'mystery,' as Giussani calls it, but that the search for such a thing constitutes the purpose of life. In fact, Giussani writes, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst. Contrarily, cursed are those who do not hunger and thirst, who already know, who expect nothing" (p. 126). This is a life of reactivity, that is, of living without asking the deep question at the core of humanity, and instead simply reacting to the things that are right in front of us. A tempting way to live! But ultimately unsatisfying, as any thinker in the great age of human existence would agree.
So, how do we rationalize living for something so unattainable? Divine revelation. Instead of believing that we can reach an understanding of God by our own human attempts, we must depend on Him to reveal Himself to us. This is known as the Incarnation.

As mentioned, my opinion of this book fluctuated quite often as I continued to read. The writing is difficult to understand, not to mention that it is translated from Italian (and there is that certain overly romantic element that comes with this). My pragmatic American brain struggled through some of the more nuanced sections, and I could not help thinking that this book might be much more concise than it was, had it been written in a different style.
That being said, I have some structural concerns as well. It concerns me that Giussani recommends turning inward so much and examining our own thoughts, desires, and notions. There are many things within the human mind (or which can enter the human mind) that can lead down dangerous routes. Yes, God exists within us, and He planted the desire for Him in our very souls, but one needs a deep understanding of Truth in order to successfully sift through their own soul to find the Absolute. Or, perhaps we can just start at the top (God, the Church, Revelation) and establish faith, eventually understanding ourselves a little better in the process.

In addition, as evidenced by the back cover of this work, one could mistake Giussani's words to mean that he advocates for relativism. For context, here is the quote:

"What Monsignor Giussani teaches us is to rise beyond the smallness of our own minds and open ourselves up to the core spiritual experience of what it means to be human. This is a book for all faiths and no faith."
- Rabbi Michael Shevack, speaking at the 1997 United Nations Conference where Christians, Buddhists, and Jews celebrated the spiritual and religious renewal that Luigi Giussani's work has inspired throughout the world

If the book is read with deep understanding (with the Catholic worldview), the explanation of this quote is fundamentally false. Taken with the Catholic worldview, there is no possible way Giussani's work could have inspired religious renewal among other faiths. I do think there may be some explanation, though, as to why his work was interpreted in this way.
Giussani spends the last two chapters hinting at the need for divine revelation, which, of course, is the fact that Jesus entered into human history. It is almost excruciating how close he comes to presenting the Gospel at the perfect moment: "In the proper sense of the word, 'revelation' does not signify the outcome of man's interpretation of reality, human nature in search of its meaning. Rather revelation means a possibly real fact, an historical event, which the human person may or may not recognize. In fact, neither Judas, nor the majority of those who saw it, recognized it" (p. 143). This is the second to last page of the book, and, alas, he concludes with the idea that God is "Father," again hinting at the "truth that Christ has revealed" (p. 145). All I'm asking for is one more sentence proclaiming that Christ is the revelation, the entrance of the divine into human history that we require! He is the fullness of humanity as well as divinity, and thus bridges the dizzying divide that occurs when a human tries to peer into the Absolute.
In conclusion, Giussani is just a little bit too vague when it comes to Catholicism, and, looking back, this holds true for my personal experiences with the movement he began, Communion and Liberation. That being said, the work is interesting. There are many pieces of wisdom. I am sure it has led some readers closer to the Lord, and that is all I can ask. I would also like to say that, by reviewing this book, I run the risk of claiming that I fully understand it, which would be untrue. I struggled through much of it, and it would probably take at least a couple more reads for me to understand most of Giussani's points. Unfortunately, at this point, I do not think it is worth my time. I gleaned what I gleaned from it, and it was fruitful, but I believe there are better works out there for the time being.

[Trincheras Ocultas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro en el que el autor nos trata de acercar a la religión y a dar sentido a nuestra vida a través de Dios.

En ciertos momentos he sentido como si el razonamiento que da también es "una función dialéctica condicionada por su ideología", con referencias a las últimas décadas rusas y algún dato como el de Galileo sobre su muerte por la Inquisición, que actualmente ya se ha demostrado que murió de viejo y sin ningún signo de tortura.

La intención es muy buena, solo que a veces tira de recursos difíciles de captar, ya que parece que solo hay que aceptar sus posturas y sus ejemplo. Le doy un 6,5.

[Claudia Grassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

L’ho letto non perché mi attirasse il libro in sé, ma perché mi attirava la persona che lo stava leggendo. Capii che era un libro denso, perciò lessi ogni capitolo due volte. Di pagina in pagina, si decostruivano tante cose che davo per scontate (sgombrando il terreno per una costruzione nuova in me, che sarebbe venuta tempo dopo). Non è un libro di religione, ma un libro, appunto, sul senso religioso, cioè sulla domanda di significato che pervade ogni gesto, la vita di ogni essere umano, e questo libro porta con discrezione sulla soglia di ciò che vi potrebbe rispondere.

[William Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary exploration into life, meaning and purpose, a must for anyone who is determined to live well. I was particularly drawn to the exploration of 'I am you who are making me', relationships with each other and God. This was so helpful as I worked on my book about names.

[Alan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Click here to see why this book harbors the Modernist heresy.

[Madison Clatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book changed my life… not to be dramatic or anything

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giussani puts his finger right on that deep desire we all have and he names it, thus the “religious sense.” Now the question is, do I spend my life avoiding it, or taking it up in all its reality.

[Patrick Koroly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most convicting approach to religion ever conceived.

[Adele Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book by a friend who claimed that this book was the 'deepest gift he could give' - while I am afraid that my experience of the book did not live up to this rather exorbitant praise, I can understand why this could have been true, and my passing acquaintance with the Communion and Liberation movement, centered around Giussani's thought, has shown me that Giussani speaks deeply and powerfully to many people. The Religious Sense by itself is interesting (although it requires a bit of patience). Its basic claim is that religion and particularly the desire to answer the ultimate question is what is most human about humans, and that to fulfil our destiny and our humanity we must educate ourselves into nurturing our elemental religious sense. The starting point of Giussani's arguments is what is most basic and common in human nature. The arguments made logically, philosophically, and I think thoroughly, drawing on poetry and literature for illustration, and it is worth the time to dive into what Giussani is saying here. As far as reading experience, he is more accessible and enjoyable than most philosophical works, although less conversational and more strictly intellectual than, for instance, C.S. Lewis or G.K. Chesterton.

I would recommend this book to anyone but most particularly to 'seekers', to people who feel a pressing need to verify their beliefs in their lived experience. I think Giussani has good answers for people who ask a certain kind of question, and for the rest -regardless of creed - his reminders to ask certain kinds of question can help people better realize the full scope of their humanity.

I am not a philosopher and when I read religious books my ultimate hope is that it will inspire my faith or help me to live better. I cannot really say this about The Religious Sense and my ultimate (not very thorough) experience with Giussani and the movement surrounding him rather weakened my faith, and I was uncomfortable with the focus on personal experience and the bottom-up approach: I felt that it led to a dangerous focus on subjectivity and philosophy that spoke about, yet obscured, real lived morality. I don't claim that my experience is indicative of the movement for everyone, but I'd accompany my recommendation of this book with a warning to those involved in the CL movement to balance Giussani's thought with other works: his approach is good and compelling but also incomplete. This does not apply very much to this book in particular however.

[Justin Myk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giussani examines the reasonableness of man’s elementary questions, namely: why am I here? What is this for? Does life have an ultimate meaning? Is there a God?
Giussani does not hit us over the head with dogmatism and apologetics but rather a call to action and adventure. Of taking our existence seriously and affirming life. He provides us with reasons as to why asking these elementary questions are important and why we should avoid shrugging them off for preoccupation, presuppositions, and ideologies (idols). Giussani is both a humanist, existentialist, and theologian and I wish I have read this book at the start of my exploration of these very questions that Giussani encourages the reader to asks. I recommend this book to anyone who struggles with the dizzying anxiety of our existential position.

[DeoDaniel Macharia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucky or blessed to have studied some of Giussani's words for more than 8years..the best part was when he talks of nature and the beauty overall.. Theres alot of partly hidden words, thats call for quite attention.. Its a book i would still read a few times.. 🤔

[Jeffrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got through the first 3 chapters and couldn't finish. The thesis was too confusing

[JP McLane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read. I love his examples to illustrate whatever point he is making. You can tell he was a teacher by the way he explains things.

[Josiah Leinbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing premise. Not as engaging as I had hoped, but I suspect that is my fault and not the book's.

[Ygrable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para aquellos que quieren profundizar en la razonabilidad de la fe.

[Anna Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bello 8

[Megan Revor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luigi has the ability to cure the blind, I see the world with much more clarity after reading this

[Javier Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sencillamente leedlo, releedlo y volvedlo a releer

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this guy
Hope he gets canonized

[Fr. Zachary Brasseur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live the real intensely, y’all.