Living the Gospel:  helping  one another

The Word of Life for this month, taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, says: “Comfort one another and be of help to one another” (1 Th 5:11). It is simple; we all can understand it and put it into practice, yet it can revolutionize our personal and social relationships.

On the bus

As I got on the bus to return to the city where I study, I realized that the lady sitting next to me was holding  a child covered in skin sores. I felt like changing my place, but I tried to overcome my sense of repugnance. The journey was long; we started talking and I got to know that we were both going to the same place. The lady was going there to seek medical care for her child, but she had  neither money nor a  place where to stay. She had only the name of a contact person and a lot of hope. We arrived at our destination late at night. I felt I could not leave her alone, so I invited her to come with me and share some space in the room  I shared with another student. When we arrived at my place I heard her greeting someone. It was the contact person she had to meet.  (M.F. – Brazil)

 Reconciliation

For several years, misunderstandings gradually increased and built a wall between us and some of our relatives. Explanations and attempts of reconciliation, even by others outside the family, proved futile. My husband and I knew  that some of our relatives shared our same feelings, so one day we decided to start a chain of prayers to ask for God’s gift of reconciliation. We also involved some friends to pray with us. Yes! Through God’s grace we obtained what did not manage to obtain through so many other attempts during the years: in a few moving minutes both sides decided to bury the past and have a complete change  heart. (Giovanna  and Franco – Italy)

 Outside my four walls

I was a young girl when together with some friends I rediscovered the meaning of the Gospel. Since then my days acquired a different flavour. Now that I am married and have children, I feel “settled”. I know that I have to renew my choice of God every moment to give him the first place in my life.  The moments I share with my husband have become more precious and the daily chores  for my children are more constructive. Shopping or listening to a neighbour are no longer a waste of time but opportunities of encounter. The desire for further constant commitment led me to get involved in scholastic organizations and community work in my neighbourhood. I try to be attentive to the needs of people around them, and being open to their needs  does not allow me to be confined within my four walls. (Nuccia – Italy)

 Edited by Chiara Favotti