Here at Huiling
Dear friends,
Sometimes, here at Huiling, when I look into the faces of people living with mental and physical disabilities, I find myself saying: bear with me, for I do not know how to respect, serve, and love you as I should.
I have been working in China for nine years now, and I feel the weight of daily struggles and the many battles for the rights of the smallest, the sick, the poorest among us. Yet I do not hide from you the good that is also happening. The organization where I work is already serving hundreds of people with disabilities across different cities in China. So many people are helping us—in countless ways, through fervent prayer, by giving their time and resources, many as volunteers. The greatest gift we received at Huiling was the arrival of a new missionary, Father Mario Marazzi. He now works in a group home just tens of kilometers from me. His spiritual guidance, his courage—he is already 76 years old—and his wisdom illumine all of us, encouraging us to serve better and with deeper love, especially toward the most vulnerable. If we can sustain this strength into old age, it is because the Lord, through his saving story of passion and resurrection, has marked our hearts with this truth: "Strong is his love for us, and his faithfulness endures forever" (Psalm 116). May this be our trusting and heartening Easter wish: that the Lord's Resurrection, today and always, breathes new hope into our hearts. In solidarity,
Fr. Fernando
I Have to Say This
For health reasons, I was forced to retire earlier than I had planned. Until recently, the joy of work was the golden thread connecting all the actions of my life. I still need time to come to terms with a new kind of unpredictability that greets me each day, asking for patience and surrender.
I write this to tell you: what you do for our friends with disabilities and their families brings me joy and consolation. Reading your magazine carefully remains—and is more than ever—a stable anchor in my life.
I have noticed some new or nearly new names among your writers and editors, and I am grateful for the dedication and skill of every one of you. The latest issue moved me deeply and made me cry out: "I have to say this!" My heartfelt thanks to all of you.
Maria Ricci
"Thank You for This Son"
How many times we parents of children with disabilities have found ourselves praying: "Why, Lord, why my child? Why this burden for me?"... Over time, we learned to pray differently: "This son of ours is your will for our family, for his schoolmates and coworkers, for the teachers who help him grow, for the friends who accept his presence. In this way the burden, spread across many shoulders, becomes bearable."
Our children are excluded from the race for efficiency, wealth, and beauty. Some of them have limited awareness of being less able than their peers, yet they express an urgent need to be accepted and loved.
So many times my son has asked me: "Mama, do you love me? Are you happy with me?"
Each time I feel shaken inside... it is hard to say yes from the heart. To accept their presence without sadness, without shame before others, without anguish about their future—this is God's gift, and without it there is no peace for us. Give us, Jesus, patience, courage, and health so that we may truly love our son every day. Give society—which we do recognize for its efforts toward people with disabilities—a culture of inclusion, so that people may see with new eyes those in difficulty. Not eyes of wonder or pity, but eyes that are at ease, eyes of genuine liking.
Perhaps one day we parents too will have new eyes, and we will be able to pray to you: "Thank you, Jesus, for this imperfect son, because he is the occasion for growth and solidarity for all of us."
From a Polish Mother
Henry Bissonnier
Father Bissonnier returned to the Lord on January 13, 2004. We remember him for our readers who have read his articles in Ombre e Luci.
A professor of religious education for people with disabilities, known for his works and lectures, he devoted his life to the human advancement of people with handicaps, their families, and those who care for them. Among his works, we recall YOUR WORD IS FOR ALL: Catechesis and People with Disabilities, published by E.D.B. in 1998 at the request of the National Catechetical Office of the Italian Bishops' Conference. We recommend it to our readers who wish to learn from the wisdom of this great priest.