Chiara Lubich wrote “Faith is a new way “to see”; it is, so to say, the way Jesus sees” [1]. Faith helps us meet Jesus in every neighbour and understand deeply even his inner feelings.
Never lacked anything
One day, the owner of the company where I work called a meeting for all the employees. After enumerating the problems that the company was facing, he proposed reduced ours 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 be working, 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 lent to a friend of mine. I gave this money to him quite a long time ago, and I thought that I would never get it back.
Now, that so many months have passed, we realize that we never lacked anything, and our children have acquired a greater sense of responsibility.
S.d.O. – Brazil
Teleshopping
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 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 teleshopping. 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 neighbour to love, the more I listen, the more miserable I become when I finally declare my refusal. I’m trying to say at least a quick “Good day!” before I hang up.
C.C. -USE
Perceiving love
A 52 year old man who shot himself in the head because of family problems was 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 at your bedside?” 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 hospital, he came to see me. He was a totally different person: he started a new life, even a new married life. But above all, he told me that he discovered faith. Jokingly I said to him that the loss of an eye gave him better sight!
F.K. – Slovakia
Edited 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, in Parole di Vita, compiled and edited by Fabio Ciardi (Works of ChiaraLubich 5; Città Nuova, Rome 2017), pp. 169-170.
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