We are made like this

A blunt phrase uttered by Pope Leo in one of his first general audiences: "Before being believers, we are called to be human." No mincing words, no ambiguity, a precise message to a world in flames. The pope was commenting on the parable of the Good Samaritan, the concrete gesture of that traveler who, faced with a wounded man, decided not to remain indifferent. That traveler was a witness not to philosophical or religious visions, much less to ostentatious affiliations, but simply a man willing to be human to the fullest. This remains true today because—before anything else—it is humanity, it is who we are that can lead us out of the shallows of history, the same humanity that can destroy us. After all, that's how we are: capable of reaching sublime heights or falling into the abyss, of doing all the good and all the evil in the world.

But capable of being masters of our choices and directing our hearts and minds.

So let us remember this! We are made to love and be loved, to step outside ourselves and be changed by encounters with others, in our relationships, in our loves, in our living environments.
To show our fragility without fear and learn to feel at home in the lives of those who love us.
We are made not to judge or be judged, because we are all in the same boat, marked by the same struggles and fragilities.
Each with our own diary of mistakes, of things we could have done better, of the wounds we carry, of the harm we have caused. We are made to understand and be understood, finding in others a friendly gaze, empathy, and no exclusion.
We are made to be recognized for our value, our talents, the beauty we can share, and the diverse ideas and cultures that can build us together.
We are made to be recognized even in our pain, in the situations that have made us suffer, in the upheavals we have experienced. A baggage of life that demands nothing more than spaces for sharing, listening, and processing, to console and be consoled.
We are made to create, to imagine new events and paths, to build, to leave a mark, to not surrender to the inevitable and the logic of "that's how it is."
We are made not to be afraid, knowing that fear exists and cannot be faced alone.
We are made to grow and mature every day, to encounter respect, to protect and be protected, without force, without tricks, because personal conscience is sacred. We are made to be free, free to express our ideas, to believe and not to believe, to do everything possible to realize our ideals and plans for happiness.
We are made for dignity and justice, because every man and every woman has the right to a home, care, education, work. To the same opportunities.
We are made for peace because no one deserves to die innocently, under the bombs, sent to the front, sacrificed on the altar of greater and darker interests.
We are made to look far ahead, to not remain caged in a hopeless present. We are made to plan for the future now, to believe that evil will not have the last word, and to commit ourselves completely to this.

We are made this way, and—precisely because we are—if we wanted to, we could change the world…

Matteo Spicuglia
NP June/July 2025