Never lacked anything

One day, the owner of the company where I work called a meeting of all the employees. After enumerating the problems that the company was facing, he proposed reduced hours of work with a 30% decrease in salary to avoid redundancies. What did this mean to me? I was faced with a very difficult decision because I have a large family and a lot of expenses… But since this meant that many of us would still have their jobs, I accepted the proposal. My wife and I were determined to trust in God’s providence. We also involved our children, asking them to pray not only for the needs of our family, but also for other families who were facing difficulties. We soon found out that God was listening to our prayers; I received a sum of money that I had lent to a friend of mine. I gave this money to him quite some time ago, and I had thought that I would never get it back.

Now, so many months later, we realize that we never lacked anything, and our children, too, have acquired a greater sense of responsibility.

(S.d.O., Brazil)

The telemarketer

Most of the time, I find myself in the awkward position of having to say no to a telemarketer.

These unwanted phone calls often arrive at the least appropriate time of the day. Over the years, I’ve adopted a variety of answers that range from faking a foreign accent and pretending not to understand to the usual “I don’t have time” while hanging up quickly. However, every time I use these or other similar tactics, I feel uncomfortable because I know that I am causing more unpleasantness to someone who has no other choice but to work in a teleshopping company. What can I do? Reject gently but firmly before any proposal is made to avoid wasting time? When I remember that the person doing this work is always a neighbor to love, the more I listen, the more miserable I become when I finally refuse the offer. So I try to greet him, at least, a quick “Good day!” before I hang up.

(C.C., USA)

A glimmer of light

A 52-year-old man who shot himself in the head because of family problems had been admitted to my ward. Fortunately, his brain was not damaged, but his eyes were, and he had to undergo very complicated surgery. In the visits that followed, he kept on saying that he wanted to die. After a period of intensive care, he was brought to my ward, where I took every opportunity to stop and greet him. One day, I asked him, “Do you know who is next to you?” He answered: “I can’t see, but I think it’s the doctor who operated on me. During the operation, I felt so much love.” I promised him I would do my best to save at least one eye. One morning, he told me that he was beginning to see a glimmer of light. His eyesight improved daily. A few months after he was discharged from the hospital, he came to see me. He was a totally different person: he had started a new life, even getting married again. But above all, he told me that he had discovered his faith. Jokingly, I said to him that the loss of an eye had given him better sight!

(F.K., Slovakia)

Compiled by Stefania Tanesini

(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VI, n. 2, March-April 2020)

[1] C. Lubich, Word of Life, April 1980.