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Buenos Aires, Sunday, February 4, 2007

Father Oscar Pezzarini

Let's care for our life

n view of what is going on these days in our country, related to the number of accidents with a tragic outcome, this time I will refer to the death of many people, or the non-lethal outcome of so many people which will experience physical, mind, or family consequences, which still is tragic. I called them accidents, and that's what they are called immediately after they happen, but later on as we learn some more details, many times we see they could have been avoided, and that these “accidents” are no more and no less than regrettable consequences of our lack of respect towards ourselves and towards others, of not complying with transit laws, of not considering if we are in conditions or not for driving, and we also have found people who work as a public service driving public transport vehicles who are being demanded an excessive work load, or whose vehicles are not shipshape as they should be. That's when this question comes to my mind, as it probably does to many others: What's wrong with us? Don't we value life anymore? Are we no longer interested in caring for life? Or perhaps we feel “almighty”, so that nothing can happen to us?

In these reflections which I share with you it is not the first time that I refer to Life, and above all to the need of caring for it.

Many times I referred mostly to the care and the defense of life starting at its beginning at the very moment of conception, trying no to allow nor to minimize so-called “abortion”.

But, in view of what is going on these days in our country, related to the number of accidents with a tragic outcome, this time I will refer to the death of many people, or the non-lethal outcome of so many people which will experience physical, mind, or family consequences, which still is tragic.

I called them accidents, and that's what they are called immediately after they happen, but later on as we learn some more details, many times we see they could have been avoided, and that these “accidents” are no more and no less than regrettable consequences of our lack of respect towards ourselves and towards others, of not complying with transit laws, of not considering if we are in conditions or not for driving, and we also have found people who work as a public service driving public transport vehicles who are being demanded an excessive work load, or whose vehicles are not shipshape as they should be.

Another thing which astonished me is that many of these events happened during the holiday season, many of the victims even were on vacation or coming back from there, so that no one could talk about “the crazy frenzy we live in”, the times which make us run.

Could these events be a strong reason for us to reflect on the “precious Godgiven gift” of Life, or will it just be a time of being touched or moved, of sorrow, after which we “surrender” to unwise rashness, showing how little we value our lives and the lives of those around us? I expect and wish the former to happen, because everyone's life is not only a “personal gift” but also a gift to others, and us such we must care for it.

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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