Purified by the Word

A “living dead”

I was in the waiting room of the commissioner, it was hot and I was very tired when a poorly dressed lame man arrived. After he greeted me in a feeble voice, having realized that I was concerned about him, he shared with me his story: he was a homeless refugee, without friends and family, without documents; he was a “living dead”, as the policemen who had stopped him called him. As I greeted him I told him where I lived: if he would come, we would welcome him and give him something to eat and a place to sleep. In fact, a few days later, he came to see us, and so we were able to help him concretely before he went on his way to Yaounde. For our family, he was the image of  of the suffering Christ, a gift for us.   P. B.-Ivory Coast

Effects of a robbery

After a beautiful day in the aquatic park with our children, in the parking lot we noticed that the documents, keys … were stolen from our car. After we reported the robbery, we prepared to go to bed putting some furniture against all the main entrances of the house. Our children thought it was quite adventurous. The next day, when we went to buy new locks for the house, I realized that the cost of our purchase was exactly the same as the amount my wife received the day before. This fact helped us to reflect together for a moment and we decided not to harbor any bad feelings towards the robbers. A few days later, as we were saying our prayers together, one of our little girls reminded us that they (the robbers) had also given us a chance to learn how to forgive.    S. G. – Genoa (Italy)

On the street

On the street I encountered a prostitute; I stopped to greet her, I gave her the Word of Life with the comments of Chiara Lubich, explaining to her that it is a thought taken from the Gospel. “Why are you doing this?”, I asked her. “I have three daughters to raise”, was her answer. Then she told me to bring the Word of Life also to one of her companions, who was a fews steps away seated in a car. So I went to greet her too, and while I was offering her the Word of Life, I said: “It is a writing about Jesus”. She thanked me and added that she had just finished saying the Rosary; then she showed me her small book of prayers to Mary. I asked her the same question. She answered: “I am divorced and I have four children to feed everyday”. Together we recite a Hail Mary praying that she may find a more dignified way of earning a living.    M. R. – Segni (Italy)

Taken from : The Gospel of today, Città Nuova Publishing House.

(510)