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Buenos Aires, Sunday, September 3rd, 2006

Father Oscar Pezzarini

We live... but are we alive as well?

Today the reflection's “trigger” is related to this question of if we really “are alive”, if we fully carry on with our life, or as it often happens, if we just are “dragging along”. When referring to life and to how we live it I don't just refer to development, to growth, to the organic issue, but to “intentness” for living, this “passion” for everything that concerns us, the power I experience when doing my job, what we seriously could call “being fulfilled”, a feeling of “plenty” due to what we do throughout our life, feeling we are alive through what we are and what we do, not just in a material way which is also important, but even more important, realizing that whatever we do truly “fills” our existence. When referring to important figures of our history, to models in our Church, perhaps to close loved ones who “gave” their lives for an ideal, for their families, who fully devoted themselves to a mission assigned to them, who may put in doubt a fully lived” life which makes us feel like “getting infected” so we can stimulate and realize that live deserves to be lived and devoted to a cause?

In these reflections I have often referred to “life”, to its defense, to how we live it, what it means to each one of us and what it means as a true “value”, as the first and fundamental right of Man.

Today the reflection's “trigger” is related to this question of if we really “are alive”, if we fully carry on with our life, or as it often happens, if we just are “dragging along”.

We often run into people, either adults or youths, who cannot find real sense in life, who are not able to “renew” their enthusiasm for life, who seem to be “drowsy” and who walk through life just out of habit.

When referring to life and to how we live it I don't just refer to development, to growth, to the organic issue, but to “intentness” for living, this “passion” for everything that concerns us, the power I experience when doing my job, what we seriously could call “being fulfilled”, a feeling of “plenty” due to what we do throughout our life, feeling we are alive through what we are and what we do, not just in a material way which is also important, but even more important, realizing that whatever we do truly “fills” our existence.

We also realize that we “are alive” when we understand that any obstacles, crises, even our failures are opportunities to overcome them and go on growing.

And there's something I believe we must never forget: The best way of realizing we are alive and actually living is making sure we are “offering” our life for something worthwhile. There's no doubt that “going out” from ourselves helps us in valuing the wonderful “gift” of life we got and in experiencing that “living pays off”.

When referring to important figures of our history, to models in our Church, perhaps to close loved ones who “gave” their lives for an ideal, for their families, who fully devoted themselves to a mission assigned to them, who may put in doubt a “fully lived” life which makes us feel like “getting infected” so we can stimulate and realize that live deserves to be lived and devoted to a cause?

Father Oscar Pezzarini
Provincial Superior of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Mexico

Father Oscar Pezzarini together with Fr. Leonardo Abregú makes us reflect on Saturdays from 8 to 12 AM (GMT-03:00)with "VENTANA A LA VIDA", the Don Orione radio program he conducts on FM PROVIDENCIA, 90.3 MHz together with some residents of the Claypole Cottolengo (Raúl Romero, María Laura Andrada, Alberto Zoroch, Américo Torres), with the production of Roberto Beluzzo and Ignacio Cavalli as technical operator. You can also listen to FM PROVIDENCIA by clicking here.

Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina, or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

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