Warm people's hearts as Jesus did on the road to Emmaus

[brown_bear]

It is awesome!

Jesus rebuked the two disciples, yet their hearts burned along the way!

Thus we too can warm people’s hearts with kindness, with affection, but also with fraternal correction, if however it is done with the sentiments of Jesus.

Kindness is often received with suspicion, because, so many times, seemingly kind people cheat you, they disappoint you.

On the other hand, when we work, when the topic is serious, we have to be serious, we can’t do like Jerry Lewis or Roberto Benigni.

But even in that seriousness that recognizes the value of people’s arguments, which shows esteem for our interlocutor, there is a way to warm the hearts of others.

It is not certain that, if we make a good fraternal correction, our friend will be immediately happy, on the contrary, often he will need time.

In a hundred different ways, warming people’s hearts is essential, otherwise we are clashing cymbals.

Opinions?

 

[brown_bear]

I love CAF, it has unique characteristics, in Italy there is no such thing, perhaps not even in Europe.

But every morning I have to put on the greatcoat, to face the ice.
They are all very, very serious. Nobody makes a joke, nobody smiles, nobody makes fun of himself.

Not really anyone: hardly anyone.

I don’t think that’s an indication from the staff - I’ve read the guidelines carefully twice and there’s no such thing, that is, be ice.

I think it is a climate that has been created over time: and in my humble opinion it does not help to pursue the goals of testimony.

For example: there are often new friends, scrupulous, very tender. Now: I have well understood that we cannot solve certain types of personal problems, but we cannot answer either:
“No”
“Look for a priest”
“Let a shrink see you”
Wow …! We can get to the same point, but with some human warmth!

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Actually, there’s whole sections of the forum that pretty much just involve people joking and having fun with each other.

Because I work for a very heavily international company, I also think the forum reflects primarily US ways of communicating, which are often perceived by people from Europe as abrupt or even rude. US people just see it as normal. I have had to train myself for example to include remarks of small talk in my business e-mails that just seem bizarre to a US person but it’s very important to the person in some other country who I am trying to contact.

With respect to the scrupulous, people are exercising “tough love” often because otherwise, the person is encouraged to keep returning, which is not good for them.

 

[Dan_Defender]

‘A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.’ - St Basil the Great

 

[brown_bear]

In fact, although I have seen countless American TV series, who am I to know what’s going on in America?

Let’s say, to exploit the metaphor of the TV series, that maybe here I expected to find The Office, with Steve Carrel playing the fool all the time and John Krasinski always playing tricks on Rainn Wilson, even if in reality they esteem themselves.

Instead, here I have perhaps found The West Wing where (apart from the political color, which I don’t care now) the general atmosphere among the President’s men and women is one of esteem and collaboration, but also of (albeit apparent) coldness, detachment, rudeness, seriousness. The President, however, is a nice clown who does not finish telling things that others do not care, he seems almost Italian

Obviously they are just clichés and, if I applied them here and now, it would be absurd.

But I can confirm that an Italian here, every day, feels a bit like an arctic explorer, wandering around the ice.

For what little I know the French, always so courteous, kind and polite (politesse) I don’t think it’s easy for them either.

I know little about the rest of the world, but perhaps others feel uncomfortable too.

I repeat: the good things about CAF are many and great, otherwise I would not continue to frequent it or even write these things, thinking every time “Who knows in how many minutes the staff will close my topic?” - not because the staff is censorious, but because I know I am sometimes at the limit of the OT

As for the scrupulous, I have sympathy for them, because I know that, behind sometimes ridiculous scruples, there is often a heart with great potential for love for Jesus.

I think, yes, they should be corrected, but in my opinion not with coldness, but by explaining to them with kindness why they cannot be helped directly.

 

[Jellyfish]

You know… I have something I really love.
It’s when you comfort someone so much you give their hearts bandages, tea or chocolate.