It often happens that people lose themselves in dark and unknown ways, abandon themselves to sadness and go to meet narcissism and selfishness.  A denigrating feeling of sorrow puts the person face to face with annihilation, without the energy to reflect, and they realize  that in this vain and painful wandering they fail to recognize the Light of salvation, the Christ who is beside them.  But Jesus’ heart is great and merciful.  On the day when Divine Mercy was celebrated the Lord surprised a “lost soul” in the same way he presented himself as a beggar at the house of Saint Faustina.It often happens that people lose themselves in dark and unknown ways, abandon themselves to sadness and go to meet narcissism and selfishness.  A denigrating feeling of sorrow puts the person face to face with annihilation, without the energy to reflect, and they realize  that in this vain and painful wandering they fail to recognize the Light of salvation, the Christ who is beside them.  But Jesus’ heart is great and merciful.  On the day when Divine Mercy was celebrated the Lord surprised a “lost soul” in the same way he presented himself as a beggar at the house of Saint Faustina.On that day, which seemed ordinary and banal, a woman got on a bus and her cell phone was stolen. However, a man on the bus told her what had happened, and she reacted instinctively, leaving the bus and chasing the thief.  She managed to reach him and unexpectedly he returned her cellphone without objection or resistance.   Almost incredulous and still surprised in fear, what awaited her was much more. Happy to have recovered her well-being, she realized that the bus had not left, but was waiting for her!  And her amazement was much more when she was welcomed with warmth and solidarity by perfect strangers, the passengers, who shared her joy for having succeeded in her quest.  At that point, she thanked everyone, especially the man who had alerted her.  All of this led her to reflection.In a world where people are very individualistic, people have become blind to the point of not recognizing the Other in the neighbor, the One who puts us in relationship with ourselves.  Jesus is the One who makes us feel alive and renewed, because he is always present.  He is present in the smiles of the passengers, in their solidarity, in their sincere expectation and trepidation.  He is present in the unknown man who without thought about himself, alerted the woman of the theft, revealing himself to be an angel.  He is present in the miserable looks of those who, like the thief, have a desire for forgiveness and to make amends.  The Lord is present in the footsteps of the woman who did not fall while running and who did not rage at a man in need and unable to react to life.The Lord traces the way of each one of us and illuminates the darkest night, revealing himself in small gestures, in the simplicity of being human, in welcoming the other, in knowing how to forgive and forget.  Christ manifested himself on the Cross, asking the world to learn to be humble.  He was, is and will be the maximum and extraordinary example of how life passes through human beings, not the opposite, and how in looking down one can discover the whole sky within.  Jesus has been running through humanity and its history for centuries and many times he has been ignored, despised and voluntarily hidden.  But he has always existed and tests our faith, asking us only one thing, the simplest of all:  he asks us to love him.  So, on the day we celebrated Divine Mercy we learned to love Jesus, thanking him in an authentic way for the gift of his Holy Heart.

Rosanna Evangelista