Down from the clouds

Anyone who knew DI STEFANO may recall some of his memorable phrases. One of them was a summary of the game of football which he gave to a team he was training:

"The ball is made of leather, the leather comes from cows and the cows eat grass; therefore get the leather on to the grass as quickly as possible."

We too should come 'down from the clouds' in many instances. We should be concerned about people's problems, and be willing to help them find solutions. It is certain that no-one will be truly happy if they don't have the solution to the main problem in their life, their relationship with God... and it is also true that we show God's love to others when we are concerned about their situation. Sometimes God has to teach us that we can't live all the time with our heads in the clouds!

Hunger, social injustice, unemployment, drugs, racism, discrimination and other similar problems are the harvest that the world reaps as a result of disobeying God. We should not keep quiet in the face of such problems. When hunger in the world is referred to, we should be the first to do what we can to resolve the situation. When unemployment is mentioned, it is Christian businessmen who should be fighting against this predicament.

When people suffer from racism, we can be the first to break down the barriers. That is how it should be! We show people that we love them when we do everything possible to find solutions to their problems. God does not want people to live degraded lives, without purpose, without objectives and full of misfortune. Everyone has within them the image of their creator, and everyone around us can recognise God's love when they see it reflected in our actions. We need to 'speak' with actions as well as with words, and start with the people around us.

When someone is hurt we should be the first to help them. When we are aware of any kind of need we should bring what aid we can. Even if no-one else seems to care, we should show our interest in helping others. We should be the first in helping, in serving and in loving those around us...friends and enemies alike.