Hajja Salesjana

to prepare him for the Encounter with Him. So great was his conviction and his peace that I went to celebrate Mass having already received my dose of “la parolina all’orecchio” (a “brief word whispered in the ear” – a phrase Don Bosco used to describe one means of exercising the Preventive System in relationships). At Mass, I met, as on other occasions, a young man no more than 32 years old who, because of an accident, has been living in a wheelchair for years. Even being in a wheelchair, he has gone with his mother to India to make contact with the poorest. My young friend impressed me with his serenity, his smile, and the joy that lives in his heart. It is with this same serenity, smile, and joy that he participates in daily Mass and receives the Lord. Certainly, this young friend of mine could have reason to decry his “bad luck.” But, even worse, he could blame God for it because people often do that when something is beyond them. But no, he simply lives without feeling sorry for himself and being thankful for the gift of life, even in a wheelchair. When I’d see him at the end of each Mass, we’d always greet each other. His words were always ones of gratitude; yet it is rather I who should thank him for being a great living witness of faith in the Lord of Life, which he shows to us all. That’s how beautiful and impressive my Epiphany day had been up until the moment when, at the exit of the church, a middle-aged couple greeted me and gave me their wishes for the new year. They also had joyful faces – the husband with more joy and serenity (who was suffering from cancer) than his beloved wife (who suffered for him). Still, both spoke to me of their certainty that they must live this moment and this illness in trust and abandonment to God. Photo by Billy Pasco - Unsplash.com 9 Jannar-Marzu 2024 hajja