Don’t miss the opportunity

At the station, I had just bought a return ticket to a certain city. So I rushed to the platform but was disappointed to discover the train had just left. I went back to the ticket office to try and get a refund and further information, but the lady in charge told me she couldn’t spend time on me with so many people waiting in line. Disgruntled, I walked away feeling really angry, but as I was putting my tickets in my planner, a phrase I had written down that morning caught my eye: ‘Don’t miss any opportunities.’ I stopped, reflected, then made up my mind: “I must not miss this opportunity to love!” I walked back to the woman at the ticket office, and when my turn came, I told her I was sorry if I was too demanding with her and that I understood her reaction. Her facial expression and tone of voice changed and, without hesitation, she attended to me. She even looked for alternative routes to help me reach my destination in time. I realized that it really doesn’t take much to restore harmony in relationships.

(R.J., Romania)

My to-do list of “enemies”

As his followers, Jesus wants us to love our enemies. He wants us to forgive. For a long time, I didn’t think this concerned me. I live a quiet life, have a good position in society, and a peaceful family. We don’t hurt anyone and try to protect ourselves from the negative elements in society. Nevertheless, that statement of Jesus troubled me. Enemies? When I really thought about it, I realized that I still had some, but had consigned them to the back of my mind where they would not bother me. One by one, situations came to mind in which, rather than face the opposition of an ‘enemy,’ I had fled. Running away had become a real habit for me. Nevertheless, Jesus was asking something else from me. So I listed down all the ‘enemies’ for whom I had to do something: with a phone call, a message, or a meeting to let each one of them know that, in spite of everything, they were an important part of my life. It really wasn’t easy – obstacles and various reasons kept holding me back. Now that I have overcome myself, I can truly say that Jesus’ commandment has achieved its purpose – it has made me come alive!

(G.R., Portugal)

Compiled by Maria Grazia Berretta.

(From “Il Vangelo del Giorno,” Città Nuova, year VIII, n. 1, January-February 2022)

¹ C. Lubich, “When you have known suffering,” in Essential Writings, Rome: Città Nuova, 2006, pp. 140-141