Here, December 25 is not a holiday – a volunteer at the centre for children with disabilities told us. Nevertheless, informing ahead of time the families of these children with disabilities who are undergoing rehabilitation with us, we at least take a break for one day. And so, together with the youth in our team, we thought of spending Christmas at the Center by having lunch together.

They also invited other young people who have helped us during the year in our service in some orphanages and who were happy to share this moment with us. Some of them are Christians while others are not, just like the majority of the people around us, but the desire to be one family is in the heart of each one. When we greeted one another there was that look of joy in everyone in expectation of something beautiful.

In this period, some families with their children whom we are taking care of and who come from faraway, are housed near the Center, where we try to put into practice the spirituality of unity. They are passing through very difficult and painful situations, for many reasons. Even if we had suspended our services for the day we told them that whoever wished to join us to share a moment of celebration were welcome to do so. All of them said yes. A mother cried tears of joy at our invitation: “I know that Christmas for you is a very important celebration, if you have invited me it means that I too am important!”.

Another mother, just three weeks ago had taken the train to come to the city with her husband to search for medical treatment for their daughter who has a severe form of cerebral paralysis. She went to several places but everyone told her that it was not worthwhile and it would be better for them just to go home and accept things as they are. With great sadness in her heart, she already had the train tickets to return home in the afternoon. But then she remembered one of her Christian relatives who some time ago told her about a church that she had visited. Even if she was not Christian, she felt the push to go and look for this church. She found it and met a priest. He knew one of the youth in our team who sings in the church choir, and so he told her: “Look, just fifteen minutes from here there is a place where they take care of children like yours, why don’t you try to go there”. He explained to her the route and she arrived in our center. Even if she did not have an appointment, two of us welcomed her. After awhile she called her husband who was waiting at the hostel and she told him: “We will not leave anymore”.

Later we understood that their relationship was undergoing a moment of crisis because of their daughter: “When I arrived here, what immeediately touched me was the smile of the people. I found hope once again and my husband is also not as depressed”.

The invitation to the Christmas celebration was also exptended to them. Christmas… a God who made himself little so as to make us all brothers and sisters!