Castel Gandolfo 18th June 1988
Chiara Lubich’s answer to a child
Chiara, sometimes when I fight with my brothers, after one or two days, I can’t get along with them, and it is hard for me to forgive them. What do you think I should do, Chiara, so that I can get along with them? I know that I have to love them, but I’m not able to….
Chiara: I understand! Sometimes he fights with his brothers. He would like to stop doing this because he knows he should love, but he isn’t able to, and so he asks, “What can I do?”
Well, this is what I have tried to do: when I feel a little angry, a little bit of anger (and this is the “old self” who surfaces; it is the “old self” who wants to win) I have tried to tell myself, “Stop it!” I say this to the “old self” in me and I start loving. We must always do this. The “old self” wants to take over, to fight and to criticize, to talk badly about people and tread on their toes; all these things. We have to say to the “old self” in us “Stop it!” and begin to love instead. If you do this once, twice, three times, many times, then it becomes easy, easy, easy and you will do it always!
