Hitchhiking

“I was on my way home in the car with my wife when we noticed a hitchhiker. We pass him, but we felt the absurdity of having passed by pretending not to see him. We decided to go back. He is a student from Senegal on his way to Antwerp, and he had been standing on the road for quite some time already dressed in his summer clothes. He was feeling very cold and so we invited him for lunch at home. After having eaten I offered to drive him to Antwerp (25 km from our house). He was so happy and was deeply moved. When I dropped him off and greeted him, I felt that I could not just abandon him like this, in the cold. I gave him my coat, the best one that I had. On the way home I alone, I was singing”. L. H. – Belgio

Quarrels

“On a day in which I was particularly agitated, it was my wife who went to market. Hoping to release my bad mood, I left the house and spent the afternoon with our neighbours, boring myself in front of the T.V. As soon as I arrived back home, the stern voice of our little Milos startled me: «Papà, don’t you know that Jesus doesn’t want people to quarrel?». It was a healthy lesson. I ran to give my wife a kiss. The children are the real “thermometer” of unity in the family”. Stjepan – Croatia

Laziness

“Sometimes it is difficult for me to commit myself to a task because of my laziness. Like that time: I was supposed to fix the library where there was a great confusion of books on the floor, but I didn’t feel like doing anything. Suddenly it seemed as if someone was telling me within: «Be love!». So I decided to do everything for God and for those who would be using the library. When I finished, I felt a great joy in my heart and I understood that this joy was a gift from God”. T. – Brazil