Just a word!

I never knew a simple word could be so powerful! I was unprepared when the whole episode was revealed to me. The other day I was working in the garden with our lay collaborators. Suddenly two elderly women entered in to our campus and walked straight to me. “Father I came to tell you something” she said with a smile on her face.

“Please tell me” was my quick reply.

“My son, who was not going for Mass for the last few years, has recently begun to go for Mass and the credit goes to you” she said in a loud voice.

 “Is it so? How?” I asked rather doubtfully.

“The other day, in the market you called my son bhai (brother) when my son greeted you. He was so taken up by the word ‘bhai’ and decided to go for Mass. He was surprised because he could never expect that a priest address to a lay person as bhai (brother).”

Though I felt little uncomfortable when she was talking to me, but it made me to think how we could reach out to many people just by our simple words. There are people around us who just need a gentle smile, polite word or a loving touch…