Word of Life

February 2007

Trusting in God is powerful. It means that working together with him all things are possible.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. (Jer. 17: 7)

This is the wisest way to live: placing our life in the hands of the One who gave it to us. Whatever may happen, we can blindly trust in him: he is Love and wants the best for us.

The prophet Jeremiah, in proclaiming this ‘beatitude’, recalls an image frequently used in biblical tradition: a tree planted on the banks of a running stream. It does not fear the summer heat: its roots are well nourished, its leaves are always green and it bears abundant fruit.

On the other hand, those who place their hope in things other than God – it could be power, wealth, influential friendships – are likened to bushes in land that is dried-out, stagnant, and which do not grow, nor bear fruit.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.

We turn to the Lord when we find ourselves in situations that are extreme, desperate: an incurable illness, a huge debt, the danger losing our lives…. It can’t be otherwise. We know that what is impossible for human beings is possible for God. But if all things are possible for him (see Matt. 19: 26), why don’t we turn to him in every moment of life?

This Word of Life invites us to live in constant communion with the Lord, quite apart from the many things that we have to ask of him, because we are always in need of his help. ‘Blessed’ – that is, having found the joy and fullness of life – are those who build a relationship of trust and intimacy with him that comes from faith in his love.

He, the God who is close, more intimate to us than we are to ourselves, walks with us and knows every beat of our heart. With him we can share our joys, sufferings, worries, plans. We are not alone, not even in the darkest and hardest moments. We can trust in him fully. He will never disappoint us.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.

Chiara Lubich says that a particular way of expressing this intimate relationship is ‘to work as a twosome’.

At times we are assailed by such troubled thoughts, because of circumstances or people we can do nothing for directly, that it’s difficult to do what God is asking of us at the moment. We would like to be close to that person dear to us who is suffering, who is going through a trial, who is ill. We would like to be able to sort out that complex situation, to go to the aid of the victims of war, of refugees, of the starving…

We feel so powerless! This is the moment to trust in God fully, sometimes even in a heroic way. Chiara gives some examples: ‘I can do nothing in this case…. Well then, I will do what God wants of me in this moment: study well, sweep well, pray well, take care of my children well… And God will see to untangling this knot, comforting the one who suffers, sorting out that unexpected development.’

Chiara’s thought concludes: ‘It is a job done by two who are in perfect communion, demanding of us a great faith in God’s love for his children and making it possible, by the way we act, for God himself to have trust in us.
‘This mutual confidence works miracles.
‘We see that what we could not do, Another has truly done, and has done far better than we could have done.
‘The heroic act of confidence will be rewarded; and our life, limited to just one field, will acquire a new dimension; we will feel in touch with the infinite…. It will become even more clear, because we have experienced it, that we are truly children of a Father-God who can do everything.’

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.

Rina, who has been housebound for years, told us this story: ‘The telephone rang and it was an old lady like me, to whom I have been sending the Word of Life for some time. Her brother was dying and she was at a loss what to do. It was holiday time and it was difficult to find someone to look after him, all the more so because in the last few years he had become homeless and had been reduced to living on the streets…. I felt my friend’s suffering as my own and I felt totally powerless, just as she was. What could I do, living so far from her, stuck, as I am, in my chair? I wanted to share at least a few comforting words with her, but I just did not know what to say. I was not even able to do that much! All I could do was tell her I was thinking of her, but still more that I would pray.

That evening, when my friends came back from work, we entrusted this situation to God together and we placed all our fears and doubts in his heart.

That night, I woke up and imagined that homeless man, alone and dying. I fell asleep and again woke up a short time later. Each time, I turned to the Father and said: ‘He is your son, you cannot abandon him. Take care of him!’

A few days later, I received a phone call from my friend who told me that after having spoken to me that day, she had felt a great peace. ‘Did you know we managed to get him to hospital! They helped him and managed to relieve the pain. He was purified by his suffering and was ready. He died in great peace, after having received Jesus in the Eucharist.’

‘In my heart I have such a sense of gratitude, and a greater trust in the Lord.’

by Fabio Ciardi and Gabriella Fallacara