A test of faith
Rob left home after an argument between us that seemed to be the end of our marriage. Two years passed since he left, and I had no news of him. I only got to know from his parents that he was auditioning for films and that he had started to get involved in the film industry. When he came back from Italy, disappointed and penniless, he looked like a dog that had taken a beating. He cried and asked me to forgive him. The man I had loved, esteemed, and chosen as my life companion now seemed a stranger, a failure. Where had all his pride gone? and the beauty that was his pride? As for myself, during the time my husband was away, I came closer to faith and started basing my life on values I had neglected. When he came back, I felt as if God was testing my faith, but I managed to feel even stronger. Now he too has found a new peace, and together we are discovering a new way of life. I feel as if I am beginning to know a new person in Rob.
(R. H., Switzerland)
Finding ways to build unity
During an online working meeting, there were members from different countries in my group. After various presentations, someone imprudently ventured to define others politically, with overtones of nationalism and fascism. The tension that arose eventually degenerated into an outrageous exchange of words. As a journalist who had traveled extensively and also studied the history of the countries in question, my opinion was quite different from those who relied on hearsay and media reports. That day’s session was a real failure. The next day, preparing for another working group, I made it a point to highlight in each participant only those elements that build and not those that divide. Things turned out to be quite different, so much so that when it was my turn to talk, everyone felt appreciated. Hence a reflection: even just by keeping silent, one can become either an accomplice to division or a constructive and unifying element. It may not be easy, but we need to find ways to realize Jesus’ dream “That all may be one.”
(G.M., Hungary)
Loving in silence
At the hospital, I had to do night shift work with another doctor. He was not a practicing Christian, and seeing that I attended Mass almost every day, very often, he made fun of me. Our shift starts at 11 in the evening and ends at 7 in the morning, but he would go early at the end of the evening, and this meant him leaving a lot more work for me. In spite of this, I tried to keep an open attitude towards him, without judgment, for a month, two months… Then one day, he expressed the desire to join me for Mass. He said, “During these months, I have learned many things from the way you love in silence.” Since then, he does not only see to his duties fully, but he also sees that I do not overtire myself during the night.
(Bashar, Iraq)
Compiled by Maria Grazia Berretta
(from “Il Vangelo del Giorno,” Città Nuova, year VII, n. 4, November–December 2021)
