The Gift of Friendship
Four years ago, my son and I—he has a physical and mental disability—became part of the large Faith and Light family.
It has done me good to be woven into this chain, like beads on a great rosary.
So many young people who are "different," surrounded by friends who hold them close with love, eager to help their ailing brothers and sisters. In their serene, kindly faces, I encounter God.
Every day of my life, easier or harder, I know these people more and more. But I had never discovered such friendship as I did during my son's operation. Those difficult moments—that's when I truly felt them as brothers, and I loved them deeply. All of them wonderful, always at my side with a helping hand, a word of encouragement, even those who could not visit in person.
It was proof of real friendship—something I had been searching for for years in this chaotic city of Rome, among so many people carrying unsolved troubles. I feel that these people are building a world as Christ wills it. These are unforgettable moments that pass through the eyes straight into the heart.
So simply, with deep gratitude, I want to thank them all—even those I've never met personally who sent a gift for my son, and those who were with us in thought.
A Mother
Dear Nicole,
First of all, warm greetings to your whole family. I hope you are all well and that the young people remain as lively as ever.
I received the latest issue of Insieme and it reminded me that I might be able to send you some news. Use it as you see fit, discreetly so as not to clutter the magazine with what belongs to the past.
So here I am, in a parish in southern France. A large suburban parish: 15,000 people living in HLM housing or in apartment blocks fourteen stories high. There are three of us priests handling the pastoral work. It goes without saying that the environment is very different from parishes in Rome. For instance:
- Regular practice is about 5% (700 people on a Sunday).
- "Religious feeling" is far less alive here.
- Parish organizations barely exist and are not desired—to avoid competing with everything else the neighborhood already offers in human terms.
My time is taken up with worship (Mass, weddings, funerals), catechesis (I lead two confirmation groups), and meetings with various Christian groups. All of this requires long preparation sometimes.
From the moment I arrived, I asked whether there were any families like those we knew at Faith and Light. I got two addresses and began making visits (five so far). Will anything come of it? Who knows! Régine, twenty-seven, had already attended catechism but never had the chance to receive Communion. She will make her First Communion at a parish Mass.
And after? Who knows?
Once I learn more about concrete works that exist in the region, I'll try to let you know, if that might interest you. I don't think I'll come to Italy this year, but I assure you that I wish, with all my heart, that all your various efforts will flourish.
United in the same service of the same people.
Michel Charpantier, 1977
Love
What is this love?
It is the most beautiful feeling
that is born from the depths of every heart.
Whom must we love?
But it's simple: everyone!
Did Jesus not love
the beautiful and the plain?
In my heart there is love
for everyone near me
who gives me good counsel
to continue on my way.
I hold love for my parents,
for my schoolmates,
for my teachers.
I feel it too for my relatives,
for my good friends, for my acquaintances.
We must love everyone,
even those
who are cold toward us.
Maria Rosa Sonzini - Milan
If We Can Find It
If we can discover true friendship, it's as if we find a small path that gives us real Light!
It doesn't matter what country you're from. What matters is that you welcome your brother. What does it matter to you if the person you know is lame, crippled, or blind? Love is what matters. It is the most important thing.
Sometimes people have closed-off moments, but don't worry. If there is a pause in that moment, it is God thinking of you and helping you. Because we are never alone. There is always someone helping us, and that someone is God.
Whoever finds the path of God is like someone who has found the hour when they see the rainbow.
Luigi Raffaghello
Happy to have spent this time with you. We remain united in prayer. We wish every group to grow toward Community.
Alleluia.
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