A free heart
I was entering the big gate of the church when I heard the Mass starting. I was rushing to enter the Church when I saw an 87-year-old woman with a cane entering the small gate on the other side of the church, walking very slowly. I accompanied her inside the church and by the time we reached her seat, it was almost time for the Gospel reading by the priest. While walking with her, she told me that she was alone in the house and that that day was her birthday. I greeted her with a hug and a kiss. I saw my mother in her and there’s so much joy in my heart. This is the fruit of living the Gospel with a free heart.
(Tinding, Philippines)
More beautiful holidays
My husband and I have different ways of relaxing. I like sports and swimming while he likes to visit new places and museums. This year, as the holidays approached, I felt more than ever the need to rest and recover my strength, but a voice inside me kept telling me not to impose my preferences, but rather to adapt to what my husband would like. But he also tried to do the same with me. This meant that both of us were detached from our personal projects and this made our holidays more beautiful and restful than ever before.
(B.S., USA)
Setting an example
A young migrant man who was trying to sell socks knocked on my door.
We were talking and I was trying to get to know him a little when a neighbor of mine passed by. I knew this neighbor had a negative attitude towards migrants but, to my surprise, she invited him to come to her house too because she had something for him. The next day, I heard that she had given him shoes and medicine, and she had also promised to provide further support. I really wouldn’t have expected that!
(C.V., Italy)
Filling the void
Our son suffered from depression. We couldn’t help him no matter how hard we tried and eventually he ran away. One summer afternoon, he decided to end his own life. I felt a deep sense of guilt and thought I was being punished. However, slowly, with the support of the parish community, I began to pray and I made myself available to people in need. Sometimes, I offered practical help, a word shared or a smile. One day, a mother came to me. She had lost a child just as I had. I told her how I was trying to fill that void by putting myself in the service of others. Although she did not believe in God, she too found a certain serenity by doing the same.
(G.F., Italy)
From enemy to sister
One of my nursing colleagues did everything possible to make my life difficult. Her actions made me suffer. One day, I went to work with a flower bouquet and offered them to her with a smile. I will never forget her expression of amazement. It was the beginning of a new phase in our relationship. Now we have become like sisters.
(Annamaria, Italy)
