The Risen Jesus invites to go beyond ourselves, our frail insecurities and our borders Passing the test You could hear the noise of a fight between two students down the hallway where, waiting to take a test, I was pacing back and forth nervously. I had the idea to go and calm them down, but I held back because I worried that I’d be called and marked as absent. Better to leave that to others… But the shouts kept getting louder, and I could not just be indifferent to my neighbour, which is something important to me. A moment later I ran down to separate the two and have them cool down. Coming back upstairs, after a while I heard my name called. In the study hall I answered all the questions and passed. A passed exam – and I hadn’t failed the other one, either. (Antonio, Italy) In the convent Following a few enthusiastic years after I entered the convent, a feeling that I was living a life without affection, almost without kindness, crept up within me. One day while I was recovering at the hospital, I was completely alone, while all the other sick people around me were surrounded by tenderness and affection. Later, stressed at having made a big mistake with my life, I centred myself in prayer and understood that God had entrusted me with a mission to be a source for others of that affection that I was looking for myself. When I returned, I was “healed” – I had the strength to begin again. And things were not like they had been before! (G. d. G., Slovenia) Technology My husband is interested in all the latest technology, but some devices leave me feeling hopeless, and I am slow to adapt to what’s new. Over time I began to feel inferior, and he would exacerbate it by pointing out what I didn’t understand and even making fun of me in front of our children. This ended with me throwing out my mobile phone and closing myself off in silence. It was my oldest son who explained to his father that something wasn’t right and, as an example, he reminded him that I had been to the doctor and he hadn’t even asked me how the visit had gone, adding, “If your tech distracts you so much, why did you want a family?” When my husband came to apologise shortly after, I told him we should be grateful for the children we have. (E. d. F., Slovakia) Divorce When our daughter confided to us that she was close to divorce, we once again decided to share her pain, doubts, problems, without judging. We would often call her on the phone so she wouldn’t feel alone. When she came to our house with her children for a few days, we welcomed her with extra affection. Having returned home after those few days, she called to say that she no longer wanted to go ahead with divorce proceedings and wanted to do her part to rebuild her marriage. (J. S., USA)

Chiara Favotti