One way to remain united with Jesus is to welcome his Word. It allows God to enter into our hearts and purify them – cleansed of selfishness, they are able to produce an abundance of quality fruit. Giving confidence He was a man in his 40s, a bit sad, who didn’t look so good: dirty, shabby clothes smelling of alcohol and nicotine… But he didn’t ask me for money, just work, any job. He clearly needed help. What would Jesus have done in my place? I decided to invite him to my house, where I needed some repairs. He had told me that he just got out of prison and had expenses while on probation, but he had nothing. His wife had left him, too. He did the job I asked him to do, which I paid for. Before taking him back to where he was spending the night, he asked me if I had any other work. After we talked to some friends, we found other things for him to do. He came back several times, and our mutual trust and respect grew. After about a month or so, he never showed up. I was afraid he had ended up back in prison. Then one day he called me on my mobile. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, for the trust you’ve given me. I was able to pay my probation and buy a phone. Now I have a steady job. I’m very happy!” W., U.S.A. What I believe I’m a hairdresser, and I do home service. One day I was called by a young recently married lady who was expecting a baby. Sadly, she confided in me that she was planning to divorce her partner. Her mother-in-law made life impossible for her. I listened to her for a long time, then I advised her to wait. After a few days, her mother-in-law called me to get a haircut. Immediately she spoke badly of her daughter-in-law. “How strange,” I replied, “just two days ago I was at her house and only heard her say nice things about you.” When I met the daughter-in-law again, I told her, “Your mother-in-law spoke well of you, she loves you very much.” A few days later, the family got together at a party. After months, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were meeting once more. As they described it, it was a beautiful moment. And they thanked me. “Who teaches you the beautiful things you tell us?” they asked. So I was able to explain to them what I believe in: a Gospel that teaches us to be peacemakers. F., Pakistan Practically for fun My husband and I noticed that our children lacked knowledge in the basics of Christianity. So we asked ourselves, “Why not start a sort of catechism course at home?” I began with Mary, Jutta and Ruben, making sure that the concepts were simple and related to daily life. Then we added Jeroen and Rogier, Rose and Michel. The result was a new experience that was both fun and engaging. It was truly fun to prepare a sort of lesson each week, which some of the children wrote out on the computer and copied, while others put together some nice folders to keep the handouts in. Our children were so enthusiastic that many times they spontaneously would invite their friends to participate, which they did. When we covered the sacraments, we saw again how little they had understood. Yet now they have become a treasure in our life of faith. And this catechism course, which started practically for fun, continues. W., Holland

by Stefania Tanesini

(from “The Gospel of the Day”, Città Nuova, VI, n.3, April–May 2020