Snow Hill Road

I was walking, as usual, by the relatively steep hill of 'Snow Hill Road', with just the right amount of time to arrive punctually to my Sunday mass. Normally, in a situation like that one, my gaze is fixed on the road ahead of me; my mind starts to build the shortest path routes that I could take and at the same time it starts preparing the excuses that I could say to the Lord in case I arrive late; my body, like an unstoppable train, keeps on walking without looking back. In short, I'm pretty oblivious of what happens around me. Except for this occasion that I want to tell.

That afternoon was something special. For some reason, something grabbed my attention like a balloon steals the attention of small kid: It was an elderly couple. A man and a woman. Probably in their seventies. Their bodies, already showing the exhaustion and lack of production of collagen and elastine, went slowly but steadily down the same road accompanied by a third person. This person was between the two of them and he firmly clinged to the hands of the old man and lady: It was a person with some sort of physical and psychical disability. By his appearance, I would say that he was probably in his forties.

When I looked at that scene, I was moved. The first thing I thought when I saw that trio was the great love that this couple of spouses, in their old age, provided their son. Sure, this not necessarily could have been the case. Maybe they were two random good Samaritans that were helping someone with a disability. I don't know. The permutations and combinations of what could have been the actual case are virtually infinite. In this case, only God knows what was the Truth. What I can say, given my bias ('dramatic-optimistic' ) view of life (added to the capacity that I have to fantasize and make novels of different situations), is that the mental vision that was forged in my memory was of the spouses helping their son... And I would like to believe that was the case.

This love shown by this old couple, this caritas expressed towards their son, is contrasted in a shocking way with the pettiness that our hearts demonstrate when dealing with things that are unpleasant. Our hearts close their doors to 'ugly things'; we close our hearts to the things that imply a greater effort on our behalf. We prefer to plunge ourselves in our own worlds, led by the law of 'likes and dislikes' to keep us 'safely' in our comfort zone... Unbeknownst to us that it will put us in a bubble filled with our own miseries; filled with our own selfishness. 「 Here, I would like to make a small parenthesis: Dear reader, Do you have a relative with some sort of disability? If you do, When was the last time you sat down to talk with him/her (fully giving him/her your attention) about anything that he/she would want to tell you? When was the last time that you invited him/her to your house to show him/her, with simple gestures, that you love him/her just the way he/she is? When was the last time that you took him/her to a family trip so that he/she can also take part in the happiness that you would enjoy? Did you prefer not to take him/her? Did you prefer not to invite her? Did you prefer not to listen to him/her? Question yourself... "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me...[1]" 」

Now, maybe the wisdom that come with old age makes us more inclined to serve others... Yes, it could be... But being sensitive to others suffering is something that we have inscribed in the deepest part of souls. It is something that we all share. It talks about the fact that we are beings made to love and to be loved in return; it talks about something of our nature. And this takes us to something deeper; something that maybe many may not be able to see at first sight: "Love is patient, love is kind... It does not seek is own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury... It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails... So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love."[2] The example that this old couple gave to me is an irrefutable testimony that true love is real! That true love is a tangible reality!

Perhaps someone may argue that the reality that this elderly couple is living is a sad one since they have to bear with the uncertainty of what is going to become of their son after they leave this mortal world. Objectively speaking, yes, it is a sad and tangible reality. As matter a fact, the heart and soul of this couple must pierced by such a painful sword. However, their attitude of holding their son's hands, with the same firmness that he who seeks in the them his security, demonstrates that, even knowing of this biting reality, they will still seek out to live true love to the bitter end. To live it out carrying that cross that may be too heavy to bear for some. To live it out until it hurts. To live it out until their last dying breath.

I see this small experience that the Lord allowed me to live as very sweet sample that true love exists. Yes, the world has objectivized love by selling it as sex. Yes, at times the world seems as a dark entity that mistreats and crushes those who are most vulnerable... Yes, we live in a dramatic reality... That can still be looked upon with optimism. That's why we should open our eyes. Perhaps, when we least expect it, we are going to find true love disguised as fragility...

This was a translation of my previous post written in Spanish. 

[1] New American Bible. Matthew 25, 40

[2] New American Bible. 1 Corinthians 13, 4-13