Cut following the dotted lines Fold vertically in 4 parts Fold horizontally in 2 BEFORE TEACHING WE HAVE TO GIVE WITNESS “Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” [Read the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 19] Jesus went up the mountain to teach the people who were following him. His first words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are the meek,” already signaled the novelty of his message. They are words of life, words of light and hope that Jesus entrusted to his disciples. These words would enlighten them and give their lives zest and meaning. Once they were transformed by this great message, He asked them to share with others what they had learned, especially by their witness of putting them into practice. WORD OF LIFE WoL 2 From the commentary of Chiara Lubich People all around us need to hear the words of the Gospel and be transformed by them. Jesus has to be able to repeat once again: ► “Don’t be angry with your neighbors.” ► “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” ► “Tell the truth.” ► “Love your enemies; remember that we have only one Father and we are all brothers and sisters.” ► “Do to others what you would want them to do to you.” If these words were lived, the world would change! Jesus invites us to proclaim his Gospel. But before teaching his words, he wants us to obey them. We have to become experts in living the Gospel and then people will listen to our words. We have to be a “living Gospel” in order to be credible when we speak. What’s the best way to live this Word of Life? By allowing Jesus to teach us, by attracting him into our midst through our mutual love. Then he will suggest which words to use when we approach others, he will show us how to open ways into our neighbor’s heart, so that we can witness to him wherever we are, even in the most difficult situations. We’ll see the little part of the world where we live transformed, and peace and harmony will reign. WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT WE KEEP HIM PRESENT AMONG US THROUGH OUR MUTUAL LOVE. AND THEN LISTEN TO HIS VOICE WITHIN US, THE VOICE OF OUR CONSCIENCE WHICH WILL ALWAYS SPEAK TO US IF WE KNOW HOW TO SILENCE ALL THE OTHER VOICES. That’s what happened to… Severina from Burkina Faso “T here’s a boy in my class that I don’t like playing with because when the teacher asks you a question, he starts to make fun of you, and everyone laughs. The last time it happened to me, I wanted to get even with him. So just before finals, we were divided into different rooms for an oral exam. The teacher in the room where this boy was assigned started to call the class to order before examining them, and since I happened to be there because I was looking for my friend, I heard his name being called. As I left the room, I saw him talking to his friends. I thought: “This is my chance to get even! I won’t tell him the teacher is calling his name!” But the little voice inside of me told me that I should tell him, and so the two voices caused a turmoil within me! Then all of a sudden I realized that the first voice was the one that does not want peace or love and so I realized I had to fight it. I remembered the sentence in the Gospel that says, “Do to others what you would want them to do to you.” I would certainly have wanted him to tell me, and so I did. He thanked me a lot and I was very happy because from that day on, there was a seed of peace among us and with our other classmates.