The living Gospel: choosing kindness

At the school of Jesus, we can learn to be witnesses and instruments of the Father’s tender and creative love for each other. It is the birth of a new world, which heals human coexistence from the root and attracts God’s presence among men, an inexhaustible source of consolation to dry every tear.

An unusual idea
My husband and I were traveling on the highway when I noticed a couple in the car behind us. The man behind the wheel seemed very agitated, and his driving was dangerous. When we got to a toll booth, I had an idea: why not pay the toll for them too? While my husband was paying ours, I gave the clerk the amount for those behind us, with the following message: “Good day and happy vacation from the couple in the Massachusetts car”. And I explained to my husband, who didn’t understand, that perhaps this small gesture would have reminded the man that someone loved him. Who knows, it could give a different tone to their trip! Looking back, I saw that the tollbooth employee was talking to that couple, pointing in our direction. After a while, resuming the route, their car approached ours. The man was smiling, while she showed off a piece of paper with big letters: “Your kindness worked! Thank you, Massachusetts!”
A., U.S.A.

Peace in the family
For years our relationship with our daughter Grazia and son-in-law has been painful. He became jealous of us to the point that Grazia could no longer visit us. For my part, I could not forgive her such passivity. Then there was a phone call with my son-in-law: an hour and a half of accusing each other. That night I was unable to sleep. I decided to write them both a letter, in which I apologized and assured them that they always had a place in our hearts. I did not expect anything from that letter, but he called me, evidently moved, and said that Grazia would come over the next day. Not long after there was a phone call from our son-in-law’s parents, whom we hadn’t heard from for years. They confirmed that the situation had completely changed: in fact they invited us to spend a few days with them. Never had there been so much affection shown to us, and we spent peaceful days together that we will not easily forget. Returning home, my husband and I thanked God, because with a simple letter he had given us the immense gift of peace in the family.
R., Italy

The missing amount
It seemed to my wife and me that the time had come to buy a house. Having gone through our accounts, committed all our savings and the advance from a sale, we were still missing an amount to be able to make a 10-year mortgage. During that time, at work we made a big purchase. The supplier took me aside and informed me that when I wanted to, I would get “mine” if I stopped by. I understood what he meant by “mine”: a certain amount that I could pocket. In other words, if not a form of corruption, it was certainly unethical, which frequently happens in buying and selling. On the one hand, that amount would have been convenient, and the temptation to accept it was no small thing. But the freedom to be “pure of heart”, as the Gospel says, is priceless. The certainty that God will provide, as he has abundantly provided so far, made us reject the offer and, in addition, gave us the urge to donate our second car to a person who surely needs it more than we do.
A., Italy

compiled by Stefania Tanesini

(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VI, n.6, November–December 2020)