"Siamo Nati e Non Moriremo Mai Piu: Storia di Chiara Corbella Petrillo" ("We were born and we will never die again: the story of Chiara Corbella Petrillo") was first published in Italian in 2013, and it was translated into English under the title of "Chiara Corebella Petrillo: A Witness to Joy" in 2015. And finally, the Korean translation came out under the title of "Choice of Chiara" in November.
I read this book in one sitting on the train to my third sister's home in Daejeon. A thoroughly enjoyable read, the book caught my attention since it bears witness to the indescribable preciousness of life and the mysterious beauty of pain.
This book is a collection of testimonies about the life of Chiara (1984-2012), who is undergoing the process of Beatification as a servant of God. The book is a detailed chronological record of the journey of Chiara's response to the unfathomable will of God. Willingly saying "Yes" to the calling of God, Chiara was able to dance in pain, and thus, she lived in joy and peace to the end.
Born in 1984, Chiara was a devout Catholic. After dating Enrico for six years, she married him in 2008, but she had to face a special situation that is very difficult to imagine as a young person.
In spite of all the pain, she faithfully walked toward the kingdom of God and passed away on June 13, 2012, at the age of 28.
After her funeral, Enrico was unable to respond to all the requests about information on her. So, he consulted with his spiritual guide, Fr. Vito D'Amato, and asked Simone Troisi and Cristiana Paccini, who was close to Chiara, to write this book.
The book chronicles the two authors' perspectives and the memories of Chiara's relatives and friends who witnessed all the heart-wrenching moments that she went through with the firm belief that "God, the Father who loves me, will give me the best."
Chiara knew that her first and second babies would not live even if they were born due to serious disabilities in the womb. Nevertheless, she carried her children to the end and sent them to God with the birth.
When she was pregnant with her third child, she discovered cancer, but she delayed cancer treatment for fear of harming her fetus. With unchanging faith, she responded to the calling of God. Thus, she was able to dance in pain and live in joy and peace.
With the help of this faithful testimony of the couple who took care of life with love and acceptance, we are enlightened to believe that we are truly born for eternity and we will never die. How beautiful and marvelous it is to witness the holiness of living as a couple through the sacrament of marriage and the greatness of the power of love!
The first leading cause of death worldwide is abortion and the second leading cause of death is infectious diseases. It is said that more than 42.6 million abortions were performed worldwide last year alone. Over 3,000 abortions are performed a day in Korea. Considering this worldwide situation, this book draws much attention.
"I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19)
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul. When available, please feel free to visit her blog "A piece of sunshine" at mtorchid88.blogspot.com.