Audio Word of Life


The apostle Peter is showing his communities the true spirit of the Gospel in its practical applications. In particular he refers to each person’s circumstances and position in life.

Here he is speaking to slaves who had converted to the faith and who, like all slaves in society at that period, were sometimes subject to totally unjust ill-treatment and lack of understanding. These words also extend to all those in any time and place who find they must endure a lack of understanding and injustice at the hands of their neighbours, whether superiors or equals.

But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval.

Peter advises them not to give in to the instinctive reactions that such situations provoke, but to do what Jesus would do. He urges them to respond with love and to see such difficulties and lack of understanding as a grace, that is, something God allows so they can demonstrate the true Christian spirit. Besides, like this with their love they will be able to bring to Christ even those who do not understand them.

But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval.

Some people use this sentence and others like it to accuse Christianity of encouraging excessive submissiveness, dulling people’s consciences and making them less active in the struggle against injustice.

But this is not so. If Jesus asks us to love those who do not understand or who treat us badly, it is not because he wants to make us insensitive to injustice. Far from it! It is because he wants to teach us how to build a truly just society. This can be done by spreading the spirit of true love, beginning ourselves to be the first to love.

But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval.

How should we live the Word of Life this month? There are many ways today in which we too can be misunderstood or treated badly. They range from a lack of tact and rudeness to malicious judgements, ingratitude, offensive behaviour and real injustices.

We can say this: even on all these occasions we have to give witness to the love that Jesus brought to earth for everyone and so, also, for those who treat us badly.

The Word of Life this month wants to tell us that, even in the legitimate defence of justice and truth, we ought never to forget that our first duty, as Christians, is to love others. We have to treat them with that new attitude, made of understanding, acceptance and mercy, which Jesus had for us. In this way, even when we defend our ideas, we will never break relationships, never give in to the temptation to resent others or to take revenge on them. Acting like this, as instruments of Jesus’ love, we too will be able to bring our neighbours to God.

Chiara Lubich

(First published May 1990)

Each month a Scripture passage is offered as a guide and inspiration for daily living. This commentary, translated into 96 different languages and dialects, reaches several million people worldwide through print, radio, television and the Internet. Ever since the Focolare’s beginnings, founder Chiara Lubich (1920–2008) wrote her commentaries each month. This one was originally published in May 1990.

Read more:

Brandl, Gary and Tom Ess, OFM. “Trustworthy Witness,” The Gospel in Action: A New Evangelization Day by Day, New City Press, 2013, p.54–61.

Lubich, Chiara. Christian Living Today: Meditations, New City Press, 1997

Lubich, Chiara, “Even Our Enemies,” The Art of Loving, New City Press, 2005, p.41.

Next month’s Word of Life:

“For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Gal 5:14)

14 Comments

  • Esta palabra de vida llego muy bien todo lo que va del mes, pero el dia 21 un empleado me hiso una cobro cuatro veces mas alto del costo y sin educación y delicadeza no me dio la cara, tuve deseo de pelear por lo robado y decirle hasta de lo que se va a morir, viernes y sábado lo pensé y lo pensé como recuperar lo perdido Y se lleno mi corazón de alegría cuando la P:V: }Jesús me pedia Amar por primero, perderlo todo,todo como la desolada, volvió la tranquilidad y la armonía a mi vida. por ti J.

  • Merci pour la Parole de Vie! m’aide beaucoup à aller toujours vers l’avant, même si c’est difficile. Comme disait Chiara durant sa visite à la communauté aux Philippines en 1983. Quand t’as beaucoup de difficultés d’aimer ou d’aller à l’avant. Il faut être comme le bambou qui courbe mais qui ne casse jamais.Quand tu tombes, relèves toi et marches vers l’avant et avoir encore du courage à aimer de plus en plus.J’essaie de vivre la Parole de vie à mon travail,aider aimer tout le monde sans parler.

  • Este mes la Palabra de Vida me ha parecido muy difícil de vivir, ya que tengo una compañera de trabajo que me hace la vida muy difícil, inmediatamente me viene preguntarme los motivos o razonar y tenía ganas de ya no continuar amándola, sino más bien reaccionar, cuando justo llega esta frase que me empuja a continuar con paciencia, sin esperar ver frutos inmediatos, o no verlos nunca. Lo que sí puedo confirmar que ofreciendo este dolor he encontrado mucha paz y sentido la gracia de Dios.

  • Quando mi sento ferita, trattata ingiustamente, non penso mai alla vendetta, ma spesso mi allontano. Non voglio vedere chi mi ha fatto soffrire. La mia difesa umana e’ la fuga. Solo raramente riesco a mettere in pratica il Vangelo, e grazie allo Spirito Santo, non ho paura e quindi non cerco di difendermi. Mi sento in pace e continuo ad andare avanti con serenita’, dimenticando, o comunque non pensandoci volutamente, le offese ricevute.

  • Se vive pleno Jesús abandonado, amoroso, incondicional, siempre ahí,
    con la gracia de vivir el sufrimiento hecho amor.

    El amor de Chiara, amor de la unidad del evangelio, legado no de sumisión, lo contrario de fortaleza espiritual como don y de resurrección.

  • ser testimonio viviente del amor de Jesús por nosotros es deber de un cristiano y obligación de amor con nosotros y nuestro prójimo mas cercano, amar la crúz que nos toque vivir con alegría, solo en nombre de Jesús podremos llevarla para una vida positiva feliz y ser intrumento de crecimiento y no piedra de tropieso para el hermano.

  • I work in a restaurant as a waiter. I was really maltreated and misunderstood yesterday. I was angry with the person. But today I read the Word of Life and my mind is changed. I try my best even not to hurt ants or insects. But yesterday I was so hurt that I made up my mind not to speak with the person. But being Christian and Gen 2 I should love the person and forgive him and live the Gospel today.

  • Prima di cominciare la giornata ho voluto rileggere la Parola di Vita. Avevo appeno visto notizie sulla Siria, dove abito, e una profonda ribellione mi ha assalito davanti ai pretesti più o meno fondati di innescare un intervento militare esterno. Come se fosse quella la soluzione, come se ci fosse uno Stato nel mondo che può permettersi di scagliare la prima pietra. Ero confusa. Ma le tue parole, Chiara, mi hanno rimesso l’anima a posto. Posso continuare la giornata felice di essere qui.Grazie.

  • É incrível como a Palavra de Deus vem sempre ao encontro de nossas mais profundas realidades. Estou vivendo (e digo de coração aberto!), por um momento em minha comunidade onde preciso, e como preciso, viver intensamente essa Palavra da Vida do mês. Senhor, pela ação do Espírito Santo, ajuda-me a vivê-la, não só esse mês, mas por toda a vida e que eu veja que não sou a pessoa tão certinha, como às vezes penso que sou! Jesus manso e humilde de coração, fazei o nosso coração semelhante ao Vosso!

  • Thank you for the Word of Life for the Month and continued inspiration. I miss the audio for the month which I play while on my way to work,l had gotten used to it. All my unity

  • ES INCREÍBLE Y HERMOSO SENTIR COMO DIOS TE PERMITE VIVIR EXPERIENCIAS FUERTES DE MOLESTIAS Y DESESPERANZAS, Y AL MISMO TIEMPO TE DA LA MEDICINA A TRAVÉS DE SU PALABRA. HERMOSO FUE SENTIR QUE AL LEER ESTA PALABRA DE VIDA TAN BELLA «Pero si obrando el bien soportan el sufrimiento, esto es cosa bella ante Dios.» LE DI SOLUCIÓN A LA TRISTEZA QUE TENIA. EN ESTE DÍA TUVE MOMENTOS DIFICILES PERO ANTES DE DORMIR DIOS ME DA LA ALEGRÍA DE SABER QUE ESTA CONMIGO. UN FUERTE ABRAZO DE UNIDAD. VENEZUELA

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