The joy of service When our son died after the treatment he received was ineffective, my wife began to suffer from depression. She found visits from other children unbearable and, gradually, we became very isolated to the extent that life didn’t have meaning anymore. One day we got to know a community that tried to put the words of the Gospel into practice. There was one Gospel sentence that made a big impact on her and changed her life. It was, “There is more joy in giving than receiving.” After reflecting for a while, she went back to work as an assistant in a centre for children suffering from cancer. From then onwards, she recovered very quickly. One day she told me about the joy she had found in serving other children. R.A. France The shoe rack Poor health forced me to stay at home for a few weeks. I wanted to do something and so I decided to make a shoe rack but I made such a bad job of – it had so many defects – that I was quite depressed with the result. My wife and children, however, kept saying that it was wonderful and praising me. That made me think that maybe it wasn’t as terrible as it seemed to me and so I began to make other things that would be useful around the house. When I returned to work, I was really happy to see my colleagues again. I think love made me well. S.V. Czech Republic The new car Our old car wasn’t worth repairing but we couldn’t afford another one. We have a daughter who suffers from autism and can’t use public transport or walk very far. With great faith we prayed for a solution believing that God had already answered us. Soon afterwards, some friends in the parish told us about a car they had found: it was second hand but in perfect condition. Once again, God helped us. R.C. Great Britain No keys On account of poverty and unemployment, many people on our island resort to stealing and burglary. One evening, Nanou wanted to go to a meeting in the parish while her parents were out. She didn’t have keys to lock the door and so she pushed it shut with a brick and asked Jesus to keep the house safe. When she was coming back she met her parents who were also making their way home. Her father was furious when he found the door unlocked but he couldn’t match her faith and trust in Jesus. What’s more, nothing had happened. D.R. Madagascar I am free to love I didn’t take much notice of the early symptoms. My voice sounded lower, I had backache, difficulty in swallowing, I had poor balance and fell over, I had problems with my nose. Then, on June 13 2016, in Bologna, I received the diagnosis: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS. There were just the initials written on a tiny piece of paper. For several days, the words of Saint Paul kept coming into my mind; “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair.” I kept looking at that piece of paper. The initials reminded me of the Italian words which say “I am free to love.” When my muscles won’t work, when I can’t smell anything, when my senses of touch and taste have disappeared, I can still love. If you can transform suffering into a gift of love, then life smiles back at you. We are not made for defeat. F.S. Italy