Mary, after welcoming the power of the Most High, hurried to her kinswoman Elizabeth, her heart full of joy. This is the first missionary action by the Mother of God after she pronounced her “yes”. She goes out towards another person bearing good news. Christmas is a time we too can bring this same good news to the world with a generous heart. The puddle We’ve reached a stage in our family where my children seem to have lost any sense of proportion and respect, all in the name of personal freedom. One day I walked out of the house to try to calm down and avoid reacting sharply to them. As I often do, I started reciting the rosary. That got me thinking of Mary. She too was a wife and mother. She had silently pondered everything in her heart, including her pain and sufferings. This prayer and reflection began to break through my negativity, bringing me some peace and the strength to go back home and try to introduce some of that serenity there too. As I was walking back towards the house, I noticed the sky reflected in a puddle. That’s what I felt like: a puddle which can reflect a part of the heavens. And that image was all I needed to find new joy once more. (F.A. – Albania) Together My husband and I had agreed that he would stay at home after work to be with our son John, who has Downs Syndrome, so that I could attend a regular parish meeting which was really important to me. After a while, however, I noticed that taking it in turns so often to care for our son seemed to be having a negative impact on his behaviour. So one evening I decided to miss the meeting in order to stay in with him. When he realised that the three of us would be staying at home together, his challenging behaviour improved greatly. As I got supper ready, he came to tell me, “I’m sorry I’ve been naughty, Mom. Let’s start again.” He was referring to something he’d done the day before and I knew he meant “Let’s start to love each other again”. I was pleased he was aware of what he’d done wrong. My husband heard his apology too, and family harmony was restored all round. We had a really lovely evening together. When John went to bed that night, we both saw how happy he was. (R.S. – USA) In hospital I’m a volunteer hospital visitor. One morning I went to greet one of the older patients and asked if he’d like to receive the Eucharist. He shook his head laughing and replied, “It’s a very long time since I last received Communion…”. Undeterred, I suggested perhaps he’d like to say a few prayers, to which he responded, “Yes, OK, but you’ll have to help me, because I’ve forgotten them all!” I started, and he repeated after me, phrase by phrase. When we’d finished, he turned to me with a smile and said, “That was very moving”. It showed me never to be put off by appearances. We parted company with the warmest of greetings. (Umberto – Italy)

Selected by Maria Grazia Berretta

(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, n. 4, November-December 2021) Foto © Joachim Schwind – CSC Audiovisivi