Focolare Movement

Having hit rock bottom, I decided to come back and begin again.

Oct 13, 2009

A 20-year-old Italian young man finds the strength to persevere against all odds. He recounted his story in Argentina, at a meeting with hundreds of young people.

I was born and grew up in a family that was always committed to instilling within me the Christian values of respect and love for our neighbor, without discrimination. As a child I dedicated myself to live according to these values: with my soccer team, at school, and with my friends, I always tried to swim against the tide, that is to say, to not allow myself to be dragged down by all that a consumer society offers; in fact, in Europe materialism is predominant, what you have and your appearance count more than what you are. But at a certain moment of my life, the pleasures and the things of this world made me lose my way. In reality, I sold myself to the world. I wanted to know all that, until then, I had considered the easy way and, at the same time, more empty. So I began a new phase of my life, where respect for people and for God no longer had value. I began to experience things that would satisfy me for a moment, and immediately afterwards I would feel a great emptiness of soul, an immense loneliness that left me feeling bad. After being knocked to the ground more than once, I decided to start over and return to my beginnings. To find again for myself those values that were always present within me, even if buried under so many useless things. Now, in this community (the little town of O’Higgins in Argentina) where I live with young people from all over the world, I am having a very beautiful experience. I am discovering many things that I didn’t know, thanks to the people who are around me. I discover in my brother a way to grow, a mirror in which I see my reflection. I am searching and finding pure love, without self-interest. A love that gives life to the soul, without prejudices. This love, that has its roots in the lived Gospel, helps me break free from temporal things and it is a path toward true freedom, a path that carries me to God together with my brothers. (J. – Italia) Testimony given at the “Fiesta de los Jovenes”, O’Higgins, Argentina, September 27, 2009

___

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

Searching for peace: a path in the hands of each of us

Searching for peace: a path in the hands of each of us

Eliminate every desire of power. In a world constantly torn apart by conflict and in following Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to build an “unarmed and disarming” peace, we want to share a reflection by Chiara Lubich that is extremely relevant for us today, taken from a 1981 Word of Life.

Education based on Peace

Education based on Peace

How can we become peacemakers in our everyday lives, right where we are? Anibelka Gómez, from the Dominican Republic, shares her story, showing how education can build human networks that sow beauty for the good of entire communities.