Mutual love, lived among peoples and communities, is a sign of hope for all humanity and a balm for the divisions that always threaten it.

Carlos Díaz, a contemporary Spanish philosopher, says: “Love implies a true creation of the beloved by the lover; the beloved appears to him or her as precious, worthy, and deserving of something absolutely free and not strictly required: love. The power and active capacity to love already arise within him or her.” This renewed awareness allows us to open ourselves fearlessly to others, to understand their needs and to stand by them, sharing material and spiritual resources.

Let's look at the actions of people like Jesus, Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, and Mother Teresa. They were always the first to give. The selfish instinct to hoard is opposed by generosity; the focus on our own needs is attention to others; the culture of possessing is opposed by the culture of giving. It doesn't matter whether we can give a lot or a little. What matters is how we give, how much love we put into even a small gesture of attention to others.

Chiara Lubich wrote: "Love is essential, because it knows how to approach one's neighbor, even with a simple gesture of listening, of service, of availability. How important [...] it is to try to be love for each person! We will find the direct path to enter their hearts and soothe them."

This Idea encourages us to approach others with respect and transparency, with creativity, leaving room for their best aspirations, so that each person can make their contribution to the common good. It helps us value each specific occasion of our daily lives: from household chores or work in the fields and workshops, to office work, schoolwork, as well as responsibilities in the civil, political, and religious spheres. Everything can be transformed into attentive and generous service.

We cite a significant experience in Cameroon involving a group of young people from Buea (southwest Cameroon) who organized a collection of goods and funds to help those internally displaced by the war. Among the many people they met, one day they came across a man deeply depressed because he had lost an arm during his escape. Living with this disability was not easy for him, as he was forced to drastically change his habits; a great challenge to live with every day. The visit of these young people gave him great joy and allowed him to overcome those moments of discouragement that always oppressed him, to the point of expressing, as Regina recounts, his most intimate feelings with these words: "Through your visit, I felt a great love that today gives me hope to move forward with greater courage." This man's words gave even more impetus and vigor to the action the young people had undertaken, knowing, as Marita adds, that "nothing is too small if it is done out of love."

Let us continue our commitment today, knowing that love is what moves the world, and that it is the vital need of every human being. Let us prove it!