“Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:13–14).
How much one suffers of thirst today,
and they all run to drink again, not yet convinced to
have mistaken the source!
Is there a source that
refreshes? Yes, it is Jesus.
Today activism drains
us, it pushes us into a race so anxious so as
to lose direction, and one wastes infinite energies in the pursuit of
very provisional goals.
Only by
satiating that thirst which makes you feel loved by the Father, fully
valued and accepted by Him, placing in His hands every concern,
looking to Jesus for the Words of Light that assign to every
dimension of life the right value, you discover that you no longer
need to run because you have already arrived, you are in Christ, in
the fullness of life and you move in His presence.
Will you allow yourself to love
yourself? To find a space worthy for your interior life, for prayer
and meditation, in order to say thank you, in order to ask for
pardon, in order to recognize your limits and your greatness? You
would become a person with whom one likes being around, like being
near the source! … and near the springs rose up entire cities!
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An Experience of Life:
After the first few
years of marriage, we moved to a house that
best suited our needs. This house had a large garage. Often, we
wondered what to make of this environment, which had remained unused
for years.
As a
married missionary couple of the Community of Villaregia, we wanted
to give to our family life the color of the missionary outreach. The
work of Tino allowed us to have some free afternoons which we
utilized to collect clothing and medicines in the various collection
centers for the mission, existing in our area.
Four years ago, we had
an idea: why not make available the garage for storage and
distribution of medicines? This insight increased the vitality
of the family. Every Tuesday, about fifty people gather in our house
to select drugs to be shipped in the containers. From early afternoon
until late in the evening, there is a steady stream of adults and
young people who offer their services to the poor brethren. Last
year, thanks to the generosity of so many physicians and pharmacists,
and the constant commitment of this group of friends, we were able to
prepare thirty-two crates of medicines, worth about three million
euros.
Even our four children,
not withstanding their study commitments,
participate in the initiative, happy to make space within the
domestic walls, for brothers near and far.
Tino e Marta
(Tombelle (VE), Italy)
