One of the challenges for me, when I met the spirituality of the Focolare, was the idea of being ready to let go of ones ideas, as a means of ‘loving your neighbour as yourself’. As a software engineer I had been used to putting up a robust defence of my design ideas when we would conduct ‘peer reviews’ of designs as part of our standard development process. The prospect of voluntarily giving up my ideas was an anathema to me.

I had spent a considerable amount of time designing a software application which was due for a design review one day at work. There was a lot of hostility in the room when I entered, and I realised that some of my colleagues were gunning for me (undoubtedly in retaliation for times when I had done the same to their designs). I was ready for the fight, when a little voice inside reminded me of what I had heard at that Focolare meeting about letting go of my ideas for the sake of ‘loving my neighbour as myself’.

As I had suspected, some of my colleagues immediately began to criticize my design. Instead of getting angry and fighting back, I listened calmly to what they were saying and tried to take on board their changes. Soon my design was a shambles.

Suddenly realising that all the work that I had done was being shafted, my boss, who along with the others had been picking holes in it, unexpectedly began to change direction. “Let’s have a look at the original design,” he said, and one by one he began to re-instate all the features that had just been taken out. I couldn’t believe it! When I left the room, my design had been completely approved with no changes to the original, and my colleagues were all happy. One man, who was a fellow Christian, whispered to me as I left the room “What happened in there, how did you manage that!”

A.G. Dublin

Ask And It Will Be Given To You

All the leaves in County Meath seemed to have congregated on our front lawn. So one evening my husband and I, and our four children aged between nine and four set to raking them up. We ended up with twelve huge piles of leaves all over the front and back garden. It was getting dark, and we resolved to tackle stage two – getting the leaves into the ditch the next day after work. Fortunately there was no wind, but in Ireland it is never calm for long.

My husband rang me at work the next day. Our friend’s car had broken down, and he had valiantly offered to go and try and get it started. My heart sank. What about the leaves? My initial reaction was anger with him for offering to help our friend, and leaving me in the lurch, but then somehow I overcame this feeling. It was good to help our friend – I would manage somehow. I braced myself for a long evening of shifting leaves in the garden.

I picked the kids up from school. On the way home, I told them that today we would forget about homework when we got home and get straight into our wellies to start putting the leaves in the ditch. My four year old son was delighted. I was not. I was feeling so tired and the thought of lifting the leaves was like a nightmare. Driving the five mile drive home, I silently prayed. “I know you said ‘Ask and it will be given,” and I don’t see how you can work this miracle, but I’m asking you for a miracle – to move the leaves.”

We arrived home. As soon as I drove in I noticed something different. The leaves were gone. I thought I was seeing things. “The leaves were on the lawn this morning weren’t they?” I asked my eldest daughter. She nodded silently. She too was dumbstruck. There was not a sign of a leaf – the miracle had happened. We ran around the back, no leaves there either. Could my husband have come home from work during the day? I rang him. He thought I was pulling his leg. “Yeah, yeah, the leaves are gone – pull the other one.” But I soon convinced him.

Later we discovered that his parents had called unexpectedly, and had decided to do the good deed. For me it was a confirmation that God can indeed work miracles if we have the simplicity to ask.

AP. Meath

Sell Your Possessions

“Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven that does not fall, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33)

I had been trying to live this sentence very intently – especially the part about “banishing from your heart all anxieties about things of this earth”.

One day I was in Heuston Railway Station to collect my daughter and I was having a cup of coffee with a friend. When I got up I realised my handbag had been stolen. Surprisingly I felt completely free of worry about it. Because of living this Word of Life I felt I was able to trust that all would be well. I had been trying to fill my “purse” with acts of love and so my handbag seemed unimportant by comparison. I also felt complete trust in God’s Providence.

My friend’s husband went to my home and collected my keys and my other daughter who was due to travel by train that evening. I had purchased a train ticket for her and the officials in the Railway Station issued another one free of charge.

Driving home, I joked with the Lord “When am I going to get the Providence”. My brother was waiting for me and gave me €100 (the approx. amount in the handbag) – he had won €300 and was very glad to share his good fortune with me. He also helped me with security in the house.

The only other things of value were the front part of the radio and my filofax diary. A friend bought me a diary as a gift and then the bag was found in a nearby park, minus the money, train ticket and radio. A few days later my brother told me he was changing his car and I could have his old car radio. All in all, everything was replaced by the Providence of God.

R.G. Dublin