"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”(Lk 12:49)
From the Editors Desk
By Clare Zanzucchi
Dear readers,
I recently read of an episode of violence that ended very differently from what we are accustomed to hearing. While praying in his church in Trazbon, Turkey, last February, Fr. Andrew Santoro was shot and killed by Ouzhan Akdin, a 16-year-old high school student who screamed, “Allah is Great.”
Two mothers’ hearts were broken in an instant. The teenager’s was shocked to think that someone via Internet had commanded her son to commit such a tragedy.
The priest’s 90-year-old mother, in Italy, forgave her son’s attacker. “I feel great pain for him, because he, too, is a son of God, who is love.”
Ouzhan’s father responded in an interview. “Ever since I heard those words,” he said, “I have only one desire, [even] if it’s the last act of my life. I want to save enough money to go to Italy and kiss that courageous mother’s hands as a sign of gratitude.”
Fr. Santoro was deeply committed to fostering understanding between East and West, as well as peace among religions. He served the poor and was active in the fight against sex trafficking of women.
This story reminded me of those you’ll find on pages 20–25: they exemplify the power of love in the face of the violence, and the injustices that many face in our world today.
What’s encouraging is that while we all may not have to face such extreme circumstances, we still have opportunities to give of ourselves concretely in our everyday lives. This is what love is all about.
And this May, our gratitude goes out to our spiritual and natural mothers and grandmothers who, with their lives, taught us love.
Two mothers’ hearts were broken in an instant. The teenager’s was shocked to think that someone via Internet had commanded her son to commit such a tragedy.
The priest’s 90-year-old mother, in Italy, forgave her son’s attacker. “I feel great pain for him, because he, too, is a son of God, who is love.”
Ouzhan’s father responded in an interview. “Ever since I heard those words,” he said, “I have only one desire, [even] if it’s the last act of my life. I want to save enough money to go to Italy and kiss that courageous mother’s hands as a sign of gratitude.”
Fr. Santoro was deeply committed to fostering understanding between East and West, as well as peace among religions. He served the poor and was active in the fight against sex trafficking of women.
This story reminded me of those you’ll find on pages 20–25: they exemplify the power of love in the face of the violence, and the injustices that many face in our world today.
What’s encouraging is that while we all may not have to face such extreme circumstances, we still have opportunities to give of ourselves concretely in our everyday lives. This is what love is all about.
And this May, our gratitude goes out to our spiritual and natural mothers and grandmothers who, with their lives, taught us love.
~ Clare Zanzucchi
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© 2012 by the Focolare Movement (New York) •