Truth that does not pass away

After almost 30 years of life (mostly in Asia) spent totally at the service of others, my ‘batteries’ were completely drained. I returned to Italy to try and recover my health which I feared had been irreparably damaged. During those long months of inactivity and solitude (albeit surrounded by the love of my companions in community), ‘outside’ of the life that had been so dynamic and rich in relationships on which my outgoing temperament has always thrived, something very important happened – on an inner, existential level – which is difficult to put into words. For me, it was a renewal of my original choice, and the understanding of a fundamental truth that everything is a gift, and we need to thank God for everything while being ready to lose anything, even God’s gifts, for they are not the whole truth of life. The truth that does not pass away is something else. What matters is our personal relationship with God, the only ideal of all time: Him and nothing else. Contrary to what I feared, I did regain my health. And so, a new period began in the newfound joy of working at His service, while treasuring a new union with God born from that trial in the depths of my heart.

(Silvio, Italy)

Challenged but joyful

Struck by the fact that so many doctors and nurses had been risking, even giving their lives in the battle against COVID-19, I decided to register again as a reserve nurse in a hospital, since I was a nurse 30 years earlier (but later took up another job). Recently, I was asked to help out, once a week, in the Intensive Care Unit. It was a huge challenge for me (so much has changed in the past 30 years in hospital equipment and care), but, at the same time, it was a great joy for me to still be useful. The greatest reward I received was when my children, whom I try not to neglect, told me they were proud of me.

(Martina, Czech Republic)

Living what is essential in life

In the home for the elderly where I work as an animator, I became very fond of the residents. Understanding how best to help patients with Alzheimer’s or other degenerative diseases had made my service there a true network of intense and living relationships. Then COVID struck that home and, one by one, they all became ill. It was heart-breaking for me to feel I was the link between the patient and their relatives, but could do nothing to fill that void. Later, I too contracted the virus – maybe when I was helping a very sick elderly woman talk to her family via mobile phone. In my loneliness, I understood even more what these elderly people were going through and rediscovered the value of prayer. Every time I received news that someone had died, my grief increased along with my sense of helplessness. Nevertheless, I began to pray more intensely, often not on my own, but with those who were still there. The pandemic has brought us to a new way of appreciating and living what is essential in life, beyond that caused by illness and old age.

(G.K., Slovakia)

Compiled by Lorenzo Russo

(taken from “Il Vangelo del Giorno,” Città Nuova, year VII, no. 3, May-June 2021)