The first is the testimony of Monika Midveryte, a girl who experienced tribulations in her youth, but through faith she overcame her sufferings, making peace with herself and with her parents.
The role of the community in the life of faith
Monika says I received faith from my grandmother. From the time I was a child, she taught me to pray, recite the Rosary with her every afternoon, and attend Mass at church. To me, she is a reflection of God's love without limits: until death she remained faithful to the faith, with countless sacrifices for God and to her holy death."
From a young age, my relationship with my father was complicated. When angry, my father often beat me; he hit me in the face and it made me feel hurt and humiliated. Gradually, year after year, my hatred for my father grew. I was angry at my mother, too, because she refused to divorce him. The failures in business made my father depressed, wanted to commit suicide and he fell into alcoholism... Because of the lack of love in the family, I looked for it in friends. To make friends, I tried to follow certain rules like wearing designer clothes, drinking alcohol, etc. But I didn't find real friends and didn't feel happy. The hatred in my heart grew.
It was in that difficult situation that my mother and I went to a Franciscan parish and we found there a lively and hospitable community: the parishioners laughed, the priest spoke clearly; they are simply honest. So we want to stay there. And slowly, God opened the door of my heart. He began to heal my wounds, especially through Eucharistic adoration. Confession is also an important step. Then came the time when I also understood that following the path of faith, it is not possible to hate your father. I had the courage to ask my father for forgiveness. My father himself was very touched, hugged and kissed me. From that moment, the ice began to melt until it completely disappeared. Even when my father became an alcoholic, stealing money from my mother and me, I never held a grudge against him, but just felt pity and prayed a lot for his conversion and salvation. He committed suicide 5 years ago. I can't imagine how I would live if my soul still held a grudge against my father until he passed away.
Watching all that happened, I realized how important community was to my faith. Even if I knew Jesus, it would be difficult for me to fight the difficulties alone. I have found friends of the faith, with whom we serve, we grow up, we are close. There's no need to fake anything to please someone. God has shown that material possessions and brands are nothing more than objects; they do not bring happiness and do not fill the emptiness of the heart. I thank God for saving me from the power of darkness, of suffering, into his beautiful light. I have begun to see the world differently; I have become a happy person despite changing emotions or future challenges. Even in difficult times,
The second testimony of Jonas, a young man married for 11 years. He shared about the faith he found during the ordeal of illness. “We often look for God in times of difficulty, but when we are lucky and have everything, we don’t remember God,” he said.
Trust in God and believe that God works in the little things in everyday life
The faith I have today was born out of my family life around the 6th year of marriage. During these 6 years, we have had many fun but also many challenges. Suddenly, being a happy healthy man, I have an immune system problem. This disease causes my body to react to the cells as antigens and the body starts to destroy itself... Why does it happen to me? Who is to blame for this? How am I supposed to live with this disease?” But it was also during this time that I had many opportunities to understand deeply the meaning and importance of the wedding vows: what it is like to commit to live beside your spouse when he or she must go on a journey through problems, diseases, difficulties, and how important it is to always be accompanied by your partner. Step by step, God is always more present in our family.
For me, faith also means recognizing the invisible signs of God's will. For me, the most important thing is trusting in God and the idea that God works in the smallest things in our daily lives, but also knowing that nothing happens outside of God's will and We must learn to find ways to see God's presence in every day of our lives.
Currently, I live with a fixed rhythm: 3 times a week, I have to go to dialysis for 3 hours. Any other activities or spare time must be arranged according to this dialysis schedule. And I live in hope: hope someone will donate an organ to me or hope to be healed. I want to share that I am living the best time of my life. This is not to say that there are no hard times for me, for us, but that we don't want to give up and we have no regrets. Truly, I trust God and know that He has a plan for me. I hope for the better but also accept any situation. God and my family are my rock to lean on, my hope and my help, in joy as well as in pain.
God often reveals himself in small daily miracles, when we can successfully live each day of our lives. He is not explicitly present in every event; we are not always able to recognize him; but blessed are those who believe even though they have not seen. I believe and trust in God.
Hong Shui - Vatican
Tags:
catholic