‘Heart’ refers to that which is our inner most being, what is hidden, what is most alive; ‘treasure’ refers to what has most value, what gives us a sense of security today and for the future. The heart is where all our values lie, where our choices are rooted, the secret place where we work out the meaning of our life: what is our priority? On the underground Train While I was travelling on the underground train I went over a topic that I considered important for the upcoming exam. At the next station a student got on whom I knew. She is sitting for the same exam and she asks me about a topic that I don’t consider very important. Seeing how agitated she is, I ‘forget’ my plan and focus on what she suggests. Later, in the oral exam, the professor asks me about that very topic which I just studied with her! (M.L. – Germany) Life awakened by God I am Turkish, a Muslim. When I told my husband Sahib that I thought I was pregnant for the fourth time he began to list all the sacrifices we would have to make. I was completely confused and I asked the gynaecologist if I was still in time to have an abortion. He told me it was just a matter of putting my name down on the waiting list. However, within me I felt that no one in the world has the right to end a life that God has begun. The months that followed were very difficult but I had made up my mind to fight on. Many friends, Christian and Muslim, supported me. Reading the Koran, I could feel the warmth of God who gave me strength. Little by little, Sahib found peace. We have never been as happy as we are with this child. With him, God has come to live under our roof. (F.O. – Germany) Terminally ill While in hospital due to an inoperable tumour, I felt very close to God. It was like a great, inexplicable happiness filled the whole of my being. I tried to befriend the other patients and we felt like brothers, not just those in the room but also with the others. Each time someone was discharged it was painful to say goodbye. It seemed like illness made us deepen our relationships. Now that I am getting weaker, I feel that the brotherhood established in the hospital is accompanying me and supporting me in the final stage of the journey. (M.J. France) Solidarity We got a request from the hospital to do something for a 19-year-old Albanian girl who had just put to bed/given birth. She, her husband and a brother were living in a car. My husband went to the hospital administrator to ask if they could keep the mother and baby for another few days and he agreed. I asked my parents if they would be ready to let them use their old flat. With the help of the two Albanian boys and other friends, my husband painted the rooms. A friend offered some furniture. A plumber did some jobs for free. When she left the hospital, L went to a cosy house. The Council Social Services arranged for a free meal a day until she could find work. (A.A. – Italy)

Edited by Chiara Favotti