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PortuguêsWhat would a mother not do for her children when they are sick? She would look everywhere for help; she would call out and beg for support. She would never lose hope in the certainty that the impossible is possible and, sometimes, she will show a great deal of logic in responding to the heartbreak of the situation. Maternal love and trust are her strengths. Her attitude shows us ‘living hope in action’.
Sometimes the hope inside us can be in crisis because of unexpected difficulties or facts that upset our plans, or because of a serious illness, or when a very painful situation drags on. This may also happen because of the absence of peace in the world, or because of social injustice or serious environmental challenges to our planet, or because of conflicts in the family or in society... Additionally, lack of perseverance and trust may be one of our weaknesses.
We should believe that collaboration and fraternal love enable us to cope with challenging situations and trigger in us the strength needed to carry out our plans and meet expectations and needs both in ourselves and in those around us.
This happened to Saliba. It seemed he would have to leave his city and his elderly parents in Homs, in Syria. His father was a glazier whose shop had been destroyed during the war, and the city was in ruins. Like other young people, Saliba thought he would have to create new opportunities elsewhere, but he did not give up. He was just 22 years of age and was determined not to run away from helping his people who were suffering. He took advantage of the opportunity offered to him by a project called RestarT to open his own convenience store, where his fellow citizens could find cheeses, yogurt and butter made by his mother, as well as pulses, oils, spices and coffee. He already had a refrigerator and a power generator.
On days when the convenience store is closed, he and his elderly father distribute baskets of food to families in need. His experience continues to this day in a country where people have been suffering unprecedented violence for many years.
THE IDEA OF THE MONTH, based on the Word of Life of the Focolare Movement, was born in Uruguay as part of the dialogue between people of different convictions, whose motto is "building dialogue". The purpose of this publication is to help promote the ideal of universal fraternity. The IDEA OF THE MONTH is currently translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 25 countries.
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