C as in CHARITY

What language do missionaries “speak”? Theirs is an alphabet of mercy, with letters that breathe life back into words and generate works

It was 11:45 a.m. on January 22 a few years ago and I was on the train, heading to Reggio Calabria.
Sitting in my seat, I was looking out the window at the ever-changing landscape.

I had departed from the Gulf of Salerno and was going down, skirting the sea. At one point, the train stops to let passengers get on and off.

A strange guy sits in front of me. His face looked like a clock and his arms resembled hands. He had on his head a funny little hat with a ribbon, to which was tied a bell that rang, when someone asked his time. And he walked funny, a little to the right and a little to the left. His shoes, as he moved, would tick and tock.

That’s why he was called, he told me, TIC TOC and he was the good watchmaker who helps each person live his hour. I was very intrigued by this character.

The journey

The journey continued to his destination. I was so eager to meet him, until one day he happened to be in the park near the house where I lived. So I decided to talk to him.
He opened his eyes and we sat on a bench. His shoes were silent. He listened to me with interest.
From time to time his doorbell rang softly so as not to disturb me.

I told him many stories. In short, a little bit of my whole life.
He followed me with interest. His arms were moving slowly. He was continuing to mark the hours of
someone.
I finally asked him, when my hour would strike. He did not answer me right away. Perhaps, he was doing mental math. He asked me if I was really in such a hurry.

I replied that, after all, everyone would like to know something about his future.
He smiled, telling me he had no answer for now.

Charity explained in a simple way

And he added that every time I saw a smile from a child, a caress from a mother, a “what patience” from a father, my hour would ring. I could not understand.

And he, taking my hand, brought it close to his little bell, telling me to pull it. Immediately the little bell rang. Then I understood.

Whenever you take in your hand that of your brother, your hour has struck — the hour to love.

This encounter helped me to understand in a simple way what Charity is.

How many times have I heard big speeches from people who think they know it all, who say how to do it and how not to do it, and then…when the opportunity comes to them, they reduce it to a simple charity.

Charity, from the little experience of life (even that lived in Africa), is realizing that others exist, that they are not enemies, nuisances, people who have nothing to do and therefore come to bother me.

The other begins with those who are close to me, share my life, my way of being on this earth.
The other is different from me, but is like me.

And so “loving the other as yourself” urges us to — listen, watch, waste time, don’t be in a hurry….
These are all things we are forgetting, but we would like others to do for us.

Charity is not only giving, but also learning to receive, to appreciate, to say thank you, to greet even those you don’t know, to look at the other person as someone who has good things and who can help me grow.

Imagine

• Brett Jordan (Pexels)

Source

• Father Oliviero Ferro