The week that ended yesterday was not particularly wonderful for me, in that week I was in pain and agony for 3 days only.
I could not travel to Maiduguri, as was planned. I visited the hospital twice. The Doctors came to my rescue. And I enjoyed also the warmth of love and care from good friends around me. These supplied me the healing. I was up and healthy and could return to the office. I am grateful to all of you, who knew and were concerned. May you also experience support and love of friends in your moments of need and pain.
I could not travel to Maiduguri, as was planned. I visited the hospital twice. The Doctors came to my rescue. And I enjoyed also the warmth of love and care from good friends around me. These supplied me the healing. I was up and healthy and could return to the office. I am grateful to all of you, who knew and were concerned. May you also experience support and love of friends in your moments of need and pain.
The next day was Friday the 4th of February 2022. On this day, came to me a father of about 3 children, agitated, and desperate. He could hardly look at me in the face. He could hardly tell me his story. He starred at me wordlessly. I became confused. At a stage, I thought he was getting frenzy. I did not know what steps to take and how best to go about the awkward situation.
In my confusion and near desperation, I asked him what the matter was, and what he thinks I could do about his condition. He looked at me and heaved a sigh of relief and stuttered.”Fr. I have done all I could in my life, within my powers without success; my life has been in ruins. I have lived and taught my family the path of honesty and integrity, and yet life has been hard on us. My children are not taking after my examples, and my wife does not see anything wrong in the bad habits of my children and yet both of them are not lucky with life. My children are near- life failures. They are all school drop-outs, in their various turns, without any justification. I had always paid their school fees even when I did not know, that they were not in the school. Today, they are all adults without any meaningful focus in life. I am currently 65, and on my exit way of life. My family and I do not seem to know peace and love.We seem to be at the cross- road of our lives” .
As if that was not enough, I visited a Priest friend, whom I met first in 2017 after his priestly ordination on the same evening. The guy is currently 35, and was suddenly blind and was being operated upon. He has lost all hopes and prospects of seeing again. The operation did not succeed the way he was promised. He has been devastated and utterly helpless. On seeing his present condition, I could not hold my tears. Painfully the young man, was grooping, and looking for the door handle to open for me having heard my voice calling him and having knocked at his door. After several futile attempts at the door handle he managed to open the door for me. He offered me a space to sit around him. He was not sure there were seats in the room he was staying. Yet there were 3 seats besides him without him knowing. He could not speak to me; neither could I tell him anything. And we kept our silence for the next 10 to 15 minutes. Friends, what is this life?
Friends! In my first and second story above, that constitute the content of today’s digest, I wish you could spare a little time in thoughts if you are the one in any of these situations. How would you go about the ordeal that has become the badge of your identity?
Friends! What can we do when life seems hard on us and on our family? What could we do, when we have done our utmost best and life remains hard on us? What could we do, when all our plans and savings do not bring us the desired goals we have legitimately set for ourselves? What is this life for us, when all those, for whom, we have worked and moiled, sacrificed our time and treasures, turn back and try to muzzle life out of us by their indifference and ingratitude? Or even when life itself and its opportunities deal us dead bllows? Again, what is this life?
Finally, I know that you know that life is larger than the pictures painted above. I know you are all men and women of faith and hope. I know the scenarios above would not be any of your portions. But whatever life affords us, let us remember that it can be harsh sometimes, to us and to people in our neighbourhood. Let us therefore make the best of the opportunity of today, to make the best out of life for ourselves and for people around us, in sincere empathy and solicitude of mutual sharing and love!
Shalom!
Sincerely yours in the Service of Caritas!
