Fathers and mothers

Publish date 19-02-2023

by Matteo Spicuglia

There is no more beautiful lesson than the gaze of a man and a woman who become parents. The tiredness of a mother who forgets the pain of childbirth and experiences joy. The emotion of a father who, faced with his littleness as a son, says moved: "In this moment I felt you being born inside". Miracles like this go almost unnoticed, yet they are among us. Every moment, every day. Like a treasure, ready to change life and transfigure it. Because whoever has this experience lives his love and mystery, feels his heart is open, dilated, without borders. And he never stops. A child changes you, it helps you understand that it's not perfection or talent that makes him special, but the extent of your love, the depth of your gaze. However, paternity and maternity do not end here, they go beyond the biological capacity to generate.

Luca is paternal, a lifetime educator of fragile boys and girls. He has learned to wait, to share the joys of each step forward as well as each step backwards. He knows that his job is to sow and that the fruits will come slowly. But his gaze already sees them.

Chiara is maternal, Lucia's closest friend and her inner tangle. She knows her limits, her imbalances, but has decided to stay close to her anyway. She knows that sometimes mere presence is a balm. Chiara doesn't ask for anything, that's enough for her. It is her gaze that sees beyond.

Franco is paternal, a talent cultivated with many sacrifices. He has always felt responsibility towards himself. He never tied his heart to his work, but grasped the underlying value of his actions, the commitment required to build the common good. He struggles, often collides with opposing forces, but he understands that it's worth it. His gaze has never stopped at difficulties.

Cecilia is maternal, guardian of many secrets and confidences. Empathetic by nature, she accepted in her heart to make room for others, even at the cost of giving up parts of herself. You know that listening is rare in a world where everything runs fast. She knows it, she is not afraid of it. The slowness of her being there is the answer. His gaze of hers is a space that he welcomes.

Bruno is fatherly, a life spent for his ideals, thousands of projects, ideas. Above all, the intimate choice not to stop, to always invent new ideas to alleviate a pain, an effort, a situation of misery. He knows very well that his actions are a drop in the ocean, but it doesn't matter. It is his gaze that imagines the good that perhaps has not yet been accomplished, but which already exists.

Fathers and mothers of children, of ideas, of fragile entrusted ones, of situations never imagined, of crossed faces starting from an availability. We all can be. With that look on the world and on the things that can make a difference, that can give new light to life. And to give those who have the gift of faith the opportunity to intuit and experience already now how God loves.


Matteo Spicuglia
NP December 2022

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