Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The prayer in difficult situations
When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do a man’s faults when he speaks. As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in his conversation is the test of a man. The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does a man’s speech disclose the bent of his mind. Praise no man before he speaks, for it is then that men are tested. Sir 27,4-7
Yesterday night, after a quite tiring day, I decided to have some rest watching to the television. It was not a good idea, because I had to see one of those shows based upon arguments which, under the poorly respected aim to update us on the present problems, really offer to the attending people the opportunity to fight with arrogance, falling down also in the insults and vulgarity. These are indeed the ingredients which presently make the audience raising, proposing the style of communication to which we are now going to be used. Therefore, the today recommendations proposed by the book of the Siracide are very valid, because it recommends to carefully observe the people which are discussing, because “when a man discuss, his faults appear” and it is useful to learn not to fall into the same mistakes. However, because “the word reveals the thoughts of the heart”, the way of speaking can show not only aggressiveness and malevolence, but also rectitude and sincere will to implement good actions.
A valid example of such situation comes from one of the best pages of the Italian history. On 1946, at the Paris Conference, organized to restructure the Europe destroyed by the second world war, Alcide De Gasperi accepted to represent a nation considered by a lot of people a defeated and a betrayer one. He had the concession to speak as the last one, in a terribly hostile climate, where he was feeling as the guilty person. He started by the famous phrase: ”I feel that in this worldwide congress everything is against me, but your personal courtesy”. This recall to the best feelings of the attending persons, not only opened their heart to an active listening, but it allowed also to him to obtain those economical supports necessary for the recovery of our country, as the Marshall plan. The other representatives of the Italian delegation admitted that, during the sequence of the speeches, they intensely prayed, being not sure that they were allowed to speech. That is from where the good communication is born! From the prayer. Give also to us, Lord, the wisdom for a communication which never contributes to sterile arguments, but which, being fed by the prayer, is able to originate so much good things to solve also the most difficult situations.