Focolare Movement

A love secret: within the family and beyond it

Sep 20, 2012

Their dream of marriage and then daily life together. The experience of Luca and Giulia on returning from their honeymoon. Expectations, difficulties, and responding to the needs of others.

“We used to think that the period following the wedding would be a continuation of our honeymoon,” Luca and Giulia tell us. They got married recently. “In fact we are very happy, despite our many differences in character and habits that emerge in our daily life. This initial period is a time of trial.” “For example, when I return home in the evening, Luca tells us, “I just feel I want to unwind. Giulia, on the other hand, is there waiting to tell me what she had lived during the day. Living the Gospel teaches us to love each other in a concrete way. With sensitivity we seek to explain, listen and accept each other.” “What is interesting,” Gulia says, “is that when I do manage to lose what I would like to say and do in that moment, Luca asks me how I have passed my day. A dialogue emerges that is very serene and enriching for both of us.” “When we were in Madagascar on our honeymoon, we got to know a local man and his family. We could see they were struggling financially,” Luca recounts. “They were expecting a child, but they couldn’t afford the hospital fees. We reflected over this, even though they never asked for anything.” “Since I love football,” Luca continues, “I had planned to subscribe to pay TV in order to view the matches at home. However we felt that the needs of this family were ours as well. I spontaneously felt that the subscription was superfluous; so we sent them the corresponding sum together with other funds we saved by going without unnecessary expenses. Even if initially it seemed as though we had lost something, now we can say that we gained; in fact we are often invited by friends or neighbours to watch the games on TV, and this gives us the opportunity to build profound friendships.”

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