Let's face it: in the historical moment we are living through, in which we receive increasingly alarming news every day, talking about courage can seem almost out of place. Everything seems to lead us to discouragement, trapped between insecurity in the face of overwhelming situations and expectations that demand we always rise to the occasion.

But having courage doesn't mean not feeling fear, pain, or helplessness. Sometimes it simply means not letting those feelings defeat us and finding the strength to keep going. And often, that strength is born precisely when we don't face what happens to us alone.

Chiara Lubich writes: «If there is one mysterious reality in our lives, it is pain. […] Even those who are by our side and love us are often unable to help us resolve it; and yet, sometimes it is enough for us if someone shares it with us, perhaps in silence.»[1].

The key word is precisely this: “sharing”. Because it also takes courage to step outside of ourselves, reach out to others, and not remain indifferent to what they are experiencing.

Even in the darkest moments, let us strive to find the strength to overcome evil with good. Let us not withdraw into ourselves, but remain open to others, caring for them with small, concrete gestures, both in everyday actions and in our social commitment to building the common good.

Sometimes, a person's courage is made possible by others who, when needed, choose not to look the other way. This is illustrated by the story Mario Calabresi tells about his encounter with Ali, a much-loved tailor who works in a small shop in a northern Italian town. «A life that surprises anyone who wants to move away from the simplifications of our time. Let’s think about how many labels could be applied to Ali, reducing him to a number, just one more among so many: “refugee,” “undocumented immigrant,” “illegal migrant who arrived by boat,” “asylum seeker”… Because Ali has been all of these things. (…) Ali has managed to build a serene and normal life, the one his parents dreamed of, because he found people who, in the most difficult moments, reached out to him and didn’t let him sink. It happened when, in the forest on the border with Bulgaria, a voice told him to change direction to avoid being shot by the border guards; it happened when his friend Ahmad dragged him onto the deck of the boat that was taking them to Italy, to prevent him from drowning.». And that help continued when the mayor of a small town in southern Italy took him in at the home of an elderly aunt who had recently passed away; when two retired teachers from a small town at the other end of Italy, in the north, opened their home to him so that he wouldn't have to sleep at the station or in the park; and when a group of friends acted as his guarantor with the real estate agency so that he could rent the premises.

Calabresi concludes: «Her story tells me that others can make a difference. We are those others»[2]

[1] C. Lubich, Word of Life March 2005: Words of Life/2 (1991-2006) (ed. F. Ciardi), forthcoming edition.
[2] Mario Calabresi, Ricucire la vita ("Mending Life"): https://mariocalabresi.com/ricucire-la-vita-2.