One of my greatest sorrows, from early childhood, has been the absence of a father, since mine was an alcoholic. Before encountering Christianity, my father meant nothing to me. It was easier to censor the pain than to face it. Nonetheless, after my encounter with the embrace of this friendship, I found it impossible to carry on in my indifference. If there were people who were so passionate about my life, how could I not be the same toward the lives of others? I was led on a journey, accompanied by the fathers that God has given me, people who reawakened the desire to reconcile with my father. The first question that I asked myself was: “What is my father’s value, since he has never stood by me?” Last year, he was near death in the hospital. One day, after visiting him, I had lunch with my mother and my brothers. A heated discussion ensued, and they all got angry at me for saying that my father’s desire for happiness was so great that neither my mother’s love nor his children’s love could ever fulfill it. I recognized that his desire for happiness was limitless, just like mine; unlike him, I met what can fulfill this desire. The day I came to this realization, I discovered a sympathy for my father. Now that his health is on the mend, I can go visit him. I want to offer him my friendship because, in doing so, I can be reached by Christ’s embrace–which surrounds everything and everybody, including my father and the mistakes that he might have made. In front of his pain, I have become able to look at him with the certainty of a good destiny. Somebody cared for me, even before I started to exist in my mother’s womb. My father was not chosen to be my father by fate, but by Somebody who loves me. I see something new when I think of my future. I don’t know what will happen but, much to my surprise, I am not even afraid of the high school final exams. I think this is because I am certain that, through His companionship, His embrace accompanies and sustains me in my journey.

Camilo, Santiago, Chile