{:mt}
Ħabiba tagħna timrad
Sirna nafu li l-ħabiba tagħna Lia, li t-tfal tagħha għadhom teenagers, għandha cancer. Il-komunita’ kollha ngħaqdet magħha f’katina ta’ talb u b’ġesti ta’ solidarjeta’. Bdejna niltaqgħu l-Knisja darba fil-ġimgħa għall-siegħa adorazzjoni biex nitolbu għall-fejqan tagħha.
Ippruvajna nifhmu kif stajna nħeffu xi ftit mis-sitwazzjoni diffiċli li kienet tinsab fiha. Kien hemm min beda jieħu ħsieb it-tisjir, attent li jsajjar ikel li jkun tajjeb għaliha; kien hemm min għen billi ta xi flus ħalli jinxtraw il-mediċini meħtieġa. Dawn l-atti żgħar ta’ mħabba għenu li din il-ħabiba tagħna biex ma tħosshiex waħidha imma biex tħossha tassew parti mill-komunita’. Meta saħħitha kienet tippermetti hi kienet taqsam l-esperjenza tagħha fil-laqgħat li kien ikollna. Wara kors ta’ kemoterapija, t-tumur sparixxa, Ħassejna li din kienet tweġiba għat-talb tagħna u għall-impenn li nħobbu u naqdu lil din il-persuna bl-aħjar mod li stajna. (C.V., Brazil)
Minkejja l-azzjonijiet ħżiena li rċevejt
Wara l-mewt ta’ żewġi, ġarrabt ħafna umiljazzjoni: qrabatu riedu jitfugħni l‘ barra mid-dar fejn minn dejjem għexna flimkien. Wieħed minn ħut żewġi, li kien ukoll il-parrinu ta’ wieħed mill-erbat itfal tagħna beda jqajjem ħafna problemi. F’daqqa waħda dan marad, u kull darba li ma kienx ikun tajjeb kont immur nixtrilu l-mediċina biex itaffi xi ftit mill-uġigħ. Il-ġirien kienu jgħiduli: “Kif tmur taqdih meta ġarrabt daqshekk azzjonijiet ħżiena minnu?” Kont ngħidilhom: tħobb għalija tfisser li npoġġi ruħi għas-servizz tal-oħrajn. Ftit wara, ħu żewġi miet u jien bqajt immur ngħin lil martu fl-affarijiet li kien jieħu ħsiebhom hu. Irringrazzjatni quddiem kulħadd u llum din tgħix magħna; tassew li aħna familja waħda. (R.P., India)
L-espert tal-mushrooms
Waqt li kont mixi fil-bosk niġbor il-mushrooms, nara raġel mixħut fl-art. Ersaqt lejh biex ngħinu. Kien qed jirtgħod u pprova jindikali fejn kien joqgħod: container kollu msaddad qalb is-siġar fil-qrib. Għentu jasal sal-container u poġġejtu fuq l-ispeċi ta’ sodda li kien hemm fiha. Erġajt mort inżuru bosta drabi u kont noħodlu l-ikel u l-mediċini.
Kien espert kbir tal-mushrooms u kien jaqla’ l-għixien tiegħu billi jbigħhom. Fil-ħin li kont ngħaddi miegħu għallimni fejn nista’ nsib l-aħjar mushrooms u kif kelli naqlagħhom mill-ħamrija. Irrakkuntali wkoll dwar ħajtu: dwar il-fallimenti li kellu bil-business u kif sab ruħu waħdu abbandunat.
Darba mort u sibtu tassew ħażin ħafna: kellu ħafna deni. Qalli: “ Issa ormaj taf kollox dwari, iżda l-aktar ħaġa importanti hi li jiena dejjem emmint f’Alla. Il-fatt li ltqajt miegħek huwa sinjal mingħandu”. Imbagħad qalli li kellu xi flus moħbija u talabni noħodhom u nagħtihom lil xi ħadd li tassew kellu bżonnhom.
Kull darba li mmur niġbor il-mushrooms, naħseb fih bħal anġlu li jiggwidani” (R.S. Poland){:}{:gb}A friend falls ill
Our friend Lia, who still has teenage children, was diagnosed with a malignant tumour. The whole community banded together around her with a prayer chain and gestures of solidarity. Once a week we got together at church for an hour of adoration and to ask the gift of healing for her. We tried to understand how to lighten those difficult days. We took on a number of tasks: someone made food, carefully choosing the appropriate ingredients for her; someone else put money in common to pay for medicine. These were small actions that helped her not to feel alone, but part of a community. When her health permitted, she would tell of her experience at community meetings. After a round of chemotherapy, any trace of the tumour had disappeared. For us it was an answer to our prayers and our commitment to love and serve her in a privileged way. (C.V., Brazil)
Despite the wrongs done
After my husband died I had to put up with tiresome humiliations from his relatives, who wanted me out of the room we had always lived in. One brother-in-law in particular, despite being the godfather of one of our four children, started making quite a few problems. Suddenly this brother-in-law got sick. Each time he fell ill, I ran to buy him medicine to ease the pain and brought it to him. My neighbours asked, “Why are you doing this, after everything you went through?” I responded that for me, to love means to put myself at the service of others. A few days later my brother-in-law died, and I stayed there and comforted his wife, helping her with all the things that her husband used to take care of. She later thanked me publicly. Now she lives with us and we are truly one family. (R.P., India)
The mushroom expert
As I was walking through the woods gathering mushrooms, I came upon a man lying on the ground. I went to him and helped him get back up. He was trembling. He pointed toward where he lived – a rusted out container among the trees. I tried to get him to lie down on some kind of bed. I later went back a number of times to see him, bringing him food and medicine. He was a great expert on mushrooms and made a living selling them. In the time we shared, he taught me where to find the best ones and how to dig them up. He started to tell me about his life, business failures and abandonment. One day I found him with a high fever, and I brought him in. He was in serious condition. He told me: “By now you know all about me, but the most important thing is that I always had faith in God. To have met you was a sign from him.” He then told me he had money hidden and gave me the task of getting it and giving it to someone who needed it. Now, each time I go gathering mushrooms, I think of him like a guiding angel. (R.S. Poland){:}
