English
EspañolThe strength of love is tried in difficulties. Do you genuinely want to love? Be aware that love brings trials. Those who love each other do not run away; they face them together and conquer. What do they gain? Being able to love each other more and better.
Text
“…times of difficulty and trouble in the lives of family life can teach important lessons…times of illness enable family bonds to grow stronger.” (The Joy of Love, n.277)
Commentary
Inevitable friction and conflicts among the members of a family circle are frequent. Perhaps we get carried away by our pride, by the tendency to impose our points of view, interests, and will. We forget that time cannot be bought, that we cannot live resenting the people we love the most. That wasted time does not come back.
Many times the trials we go through as a family, as long as our love and union are true and good, such as when illness knocks on a loved one´s door, force us to acknowledge reality and take action.
It makes us forget our differences and urges us to give our best due to the love that unites us to our suffering family members. Because illness reflects our fragility, we are not self-sufficient and need another person to care for us and, above all, comfort us with his tender and warm affection.
Love, shown in the care of our sick, teaches us that our body can ache quite a lot while our soul remains at peace, without suffering or anguish, thanks to the company and loving attention.