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Accueil Main aspects of our lives In the midst of world

In Civic Responsibility

italie Italy. Pina T

 

ruelle-italie

I am a retired teacher, and I live in the hills, in a village of about 3000 inhabitants. I live alone, but I have a close relationship with my sister, my brother and their families, and it is a source of mutual support.

 

Village life is a quiet life. But, as is the case in villages in underdeveloped areas where the population is ageing, and  decreasing more perceptibly than in urban areas,  there are many elderly people, some of whom are sick and live alone on a small pension.

 

Fortunately, in a village, life is still on a human scale, we all know one another, the social fabric is still strong, and everyone feels accepted as he is.

This is the context in which I live my Nazareth. Thank God, I am still in good health. I devote my time to older people, with a parish group that works in a very warm and friendly atmosphere. On Sundays, I bring communion to about fifteen of these friends, and I bring them the parish news (initiatives or particular problems, which I recommend to their prayer) so that they may share the life of the community.

 

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Against the background of this ordinary life, a new experience has been superadded, in the past two years: that of serving as a deputy in the municipal social services – it is a centre left  administration .

I was invited as an “unaffiliated” (I do not represent a party), and I did not  hesitate, first because of the list of  candidates, and also because it is the task of lay people to inspire a Christian spirit into temporal realities. So, I decided to have a try.

Through the experience of these two years, I discovered that in order to fulfil the function of deputy mayor properly, it is not enough to take care of one’s jurisdiction and make choices that meet the needs of citizens, beginning with the most disadvantaged.

You also have to make sure that practices and procedures are fair, so that no person who is entitled to a benefit will be deprived of it, out of misinformation.

Moreover,you should also be able to known what is going on in other departements. Indeed, all décisions, in every département, are taken collectively and signed by all the deputies, who are all equally responsible.

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In my responsibility for welfare services, what I find most difficult is to be confronted with a needy unemployed father who asks for a job, with great dignity, and to be unable to offer anything but a meagre financial help, which humiliates him and does not solve the problem…

 

I am striving to find solutions, but in our city it seems there are no job opportunities, even for a short term. I have begun to inquire whether the situation is the same in nearby cities, or whether they have found solutions.

We also have quite a number of immigrants, most of them legal. They are Slavic, or northern African. Most of them work without a permit, and are underpaid. Their children go to school. They live in fairly decent housing and their integration is helped by their environment, which is hospitable. But they are not really integrated: rather, they have adjusted to our way of life, since their culture has no place among us.

This is my Nazareth –being with these people and their problems. This is where the Lord asks me to show his love:

-  a love that accepts all men, without any distinctions.

-  a love that is faithful

-  a love that is patient and steadfast, which gives courage  and confidence.

-  a love that he alone can  transmit , provided he finds me  totally open,  so He can guide me as He wants.

 

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