Dawn of eternity
May I quickly share an experience? a woman asked me after mass. She told me about an elderly man who had been living with his wife in a centre for the seniors. Unexpectedly, he had had a stroke the day before and had been admitted to hospital wher...
Brave and clear
She has passed her final exam! Congratulations! But even more congratulations on the confident step she took the night before. I read in an email: "Although I have the feeling that I'm well prepared, I'm starting to get a bit excited. That's why I...
Precious moments
Early in the morning, we are on our way to a school with the navi4life mobile. After everything is set up, we have breakfast. First contacts with the 28 pupils are made. Our programme begins. All the young people get the logbook "My life - crooked...
Blessed and enriched
My mobile phone rings - an unknown number. An older woman calls, timid and uncertain. Slowly a conversation develops. "I am the grandmother of a girl who is going to be confirmed!" I hear. Since her granddaughter is a little learning disabled and ...
peace - hidden presence
I was invited to speak to a group of students on the topic of "peace". I shared experiences about how to live and come into peace with myself personally and as with others, and how to give space to God's dream of being among us. With high attentio...
with a fighting spirit
From time to time I help out as a doctor in a prison. During an examination there, I had met a woman who was very touched because she had felt treated as a woman - and not as a prisoner. During a new examination, I was unsure about one of the medi...
breathe peace
Call again! I felt an impulse in my heart. I called an elderly sister who touchingly cares for many nuns, some of whom already suffer from dementia, with an alert mind and a loving heart. Every time I talk to her on the phone, I experience the con...
How do you do that?
In the supermarket I had noticed a very weighty man who could only move slowly with his shopping trolley. Several times he had blocked my way for several moments. Each time I gave him a good word of encouragement. When I arrived at the cash regist...
Live completely now!
Early in the morning of May Day, I had travelled to my mother's house. I wanted to spend that day with her until the following noon. I had been the first customer at the bakery at 7.30 am. In the afternoon, we decided to take a short trip by car t...
from the bottom of his heart
There had been a change of translator in our network team. I wanted to give the young woman, who had served us for a long time, a small gift as a sign of my gratitude. So I drove to the post office to get it done promptly. For this day, I had deci...
He seemed to be stressed!
I was standing at the cash register in a supermarket. I sensed how stressed the cashier was. At first he couldn't find the price of a product. Then a woman came back to the checkout and let him know, "You collected €10 too much from me!" Shortly a...
He was excited!
I had agreed to preach at the Golden Jubilee of a priest of one of my confreres. For a long time he had lived in a small village where he was very familiar with the people. He was suffering from health problems. After a long journey, I reached his...
I exist!
I was on my way to visit my cousin. On the way to see her, I saw a graffiti on the pillar of a motorway bridge. "J'existe!" it said in French: "I exist!" This word followed me and accompanied me into the afternoon with my relative. An honest and d...
Touching wounds
"Oh, if we could get another microwave!" I had overheard from a Ukrainian family. On the following Sunday, I had to preach a sermon about " Doubting Thomas". What fascinated me about him was that he wanted to touch the wounds of Jesus. And what is...
A desperate cry for help!
It was getting late. I had decided to go to bed earlier. One more message arrived on my mobile phone. Against my intention, I looked again and read: "Are you still awake?" It was a farmer from the village. A short time later I heard on the phone: ...
Door opener
In a video on a Bible verse, I had told that I stuttered as a child and was often very ashamed of it. When I called an elderly nun at Easter to wish her Happy Easter, she let me know in a joyful voice: "You know, that was really a miracle. We list...
Sense of the Risen Jesus - Update
Easter Sunday afternoon - the celebrations for Easter in our Catholic parish are almost over again. A quick run to the office and then a somewhat quieter afternoon, I thought. On my way from the office to the house next door, I see a group of peop...
And everyone is welcome!
We had celebrated the Easter service with people from 14 nations - with many children and young people. All of them had found their place in the liturgy. The church was noticeably filled with joy. An old couple - both well over 90 years old - had ...
Healing presence
I knew about his illness. It had been going on for several years now. During the last phone call, I had the impression that it had become more serious, although he was trying to live out of a deep confidence. I postponed another appointment and ma...
Half of the burden had been lifted...
For weeks I had felt that a younger person was not well. Somehow life seemed hard. I invited her for a coffee. We found a good place in a fast-food café. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of a normal everyday life, an honest exchange developed...
Transformed boredom
A day of deadly boring work lay ahead of me. The first step was to make a backup copy of my entire computer. For me, this meant looking at the screen for a long time and intervening again and again in case of problems. So I sat there and asked mys...
Two daily miracles from school
In my religious education classes in primary school, very trusting relationships often develop with the children. They tell me honestly how they feel. The message of Jesus' infinite, unlimited love often touches them deeply, too good to be true, e...
In the second hand cloth shop
"Go to the clothes shop for a moment!" came to my heart as an impulse. Although the day was overflowing, I followed the impulse. There I met many refugees from our town. I met a teacher from Kherson who had come with three children. I promised her...
Rhubarb e.V.
We met halfway in a café. We quickly got into a deep and honest exchange. Many worries about our world and our church came up, but also many hopeful little signs. The light of hope was burning among us. A young woman served us in the café. She see...
Encouragement
Jesus had been deeply touched by the story of the life and passion of Lazarus. He had called him out of his grave: "Come out!" This call had touched my heart deeply and in my sermon I had told how I had stuttered as a teenager and a young priest h...
Show Jesus your love today!
Next to the missal was a small note with a name I did not know. I was told that this person had been taken from life quite suddenly and completely unexpectedly at the age of 56. His sister-in-law delivered the message. I felt how much this death t...
I asked Jesus to help me!
" I am healthy again! Can you pick me up?" I read in a WhatsApp. It was at the end of a long day. I was tired and didn't know if I would be able to handle this situation emotionally. Nevertheless, I set off. I earnestly begged Jesus to stand by me...
Love overcomes everything!
A friend had hurt me by his careless, rash behaviour. I could not take his quick "I'm sorry!" over the phone. So I ended the phone call. I felt this hurt disturbing my soul. In my mind I began to judge this friend. This was pulling me down more an...
What remained was a deep joy!
I had a long night journey ahead of me on the train from Kyiv to my home town. An elderly man was sitting in my train cabin. We struck up a friendly conversation. After a while, a soldier joined us in the cabin. The older man spoke to him. He told...
Give her the smile of love!
The bell rings. A man asks for the anointing of a woman at the hospital in our town. I change my plans and immediately ride my bicycle to the hospital. Station 5. An assistant leads me to the woman's room. She is responding, but speaks only a few ...
Give and it shall be given to you!
I came home late in the evening. The tank of my car was empty. So I drove to a petrol station. I had 1 € left over. I gave it to the young man at the petrol station as a tip. He didn't expect it and smiled at me. We said goodbye with a heartfelt T...
Create space for talking!
I was in the car. I knew about his son. He had a difficult background and had not really arrived in life yet. His father was worried. So he had called me. There had been little time to talk. I called him back. He had time. We started talking, laug...
God's handwriting
Because of my work, I had to go to Kyiv urgently, but my family circumstances hardly allowed it. I had promised to be there for my niece. What could I do? I asked God to give me clearness. Quite unexpectedly, my sister informed me that she had bee...
Discover the handwriting of God!
A busy day came to an end. I was on the motorway on my way back from a conference. The motto of the day came to mind: "Discover God's handwriting! I had taken many small steps out of love and had met people whose hearts could not engage with new t...
United in pain!
"My sister is ill, that's why she couldn't come as an altar girl today!" I heard a girl saying before Mass. After the service, I carefully asked if the illness was more serious. "Yes, she always has a terrible headache. That's why she had to go to...
We help the "good Lord"!
I work in a therapeutic field. Early in the morning my 8-year-old daughter comes to cuddle with me in bed and asks: "Mum, do you actually enjoy your job? Do you like helping people?" "Of course, I'm happy when I can help others," I reply. "So you ...
The power of prayer
"He is in Bachmut," I read in a WhatsApp message. "I contacted him this morning and told him that I was praying strongly for him, because I had to think about him so often in the last few days. And then he replied that a grenade had hit near him a...
"Please do your part!"
"My sister urgently needs her own flat for herself and her child!" I had picked up in a conversation. Her marriage was on the edge. There was not much money. I felt the deep need and helplessness of these young people who were having a hard time w...
A key experience
In the gallop of the day, I had attached a number sign to a trailer. After this work, I immediately set to work on the next steps. In the process, I carelessly put the key of the trailer in an unusual place. When I looked ahead to the next day in ...
Just a look!
We had only met briefly during a congress. We had spent the length of a coffee break together. In it, I had told a little about myself when asked. Then someone joined us, so that a personal exchange was no longer possible. I felt a sadness in my s...
Everything is good!
"Last night, three Russian missiles hit my home village!" I heard at breakfast and I looked into the eyes of a young Ukrainian. I felt my own helplessness in the face of these waves of Russian destruction. How could the flame of hope for peace be ...
I had to smile!
I had a conversation with my chief. Our relationship is not easy, although we were really on our way as friends. But I haven't let go of believing in the power of honest love. So, with different questions, I kept trying to discover his point of vi...
A WhatsApp full of hearts!
She had been unsuccessful several times in her driving test and was really disappointed and sad. As a refugee, it had not been easy for her and she had tried very hard. I could hardly console her on the phone. So the next day I went to see her and...
Bear one another's burdens!
A voice message reaches me via WhatsApp. I get to know that an elderly man has started his last journey of life. At the same time, the question resonates whether I could come again. I rearrange my daily schedule and set off to see him. An hour's d...
Paintings full of life
"That prayers are answered? -something like that doesn't happen in the real world just because I prayed and believed during the prayer," I often still think. But then it does happen, and it is simply unbelievably beautiful: "I am a teacher and hav...
Only love remains!
A digital meeting at the end of the year was planned. Very few registrations had been received. I felt disappointment in my soul, as I had invested a lot of time again. I was thinking of cancelling the meeting. The day before the meeting, I read i...
Love has time!
My mobile phone rings. Unknown number. I answer it and hear a woman's voice. "I wanted to tell you thank you for the service you celebrated for our father six years ago. It sparked so much in me!" After a few moments I remember. "I didn't have it ...
The pain made our love deepen!
My father has been ill with a brain tumour for a long time. His health has become more difficult. Over Christmas, everyone was at home. Now that my older siblings are going back to their places, I am thinking about this year's Christmas and New Ye...
High5
Last summer I led a dance workshop at a go4peace camp. In my group there were also some young guys from Ukraine. One of the boys in this group is going his way with Down syndrome. He particularly enjoyed the dancing. Last week, I went with my moth...
They followed the star!
In the middle of the day's rush, a message from Ukraine reaches me. "We have no electricity again!" a short time later a photo arrives. It shows a Christmas tree with a shining star at the top. "This star brought us deep joy today when it got dark...
On the plattform
After years, it was time for her to say goodbye to our town. I felt that this was not easy for her. So I offered to take her to the railway station in the next bigger town. She gladly accepted. I picked her up. At the station we had time for a cap...
Eternity dawned!
It was a day that had started hard. I was struggling with a lot of sorrow. I asked Jesus for consolation and help, but in everything I had the feeling being absolutely helpless. So I went to the school. A child full of energy came running towards ...
A look into eyes full of tears!
I had to wait three hours in the emergency room of a hospital for my mother. As she was not well, I felt how sad my heart was. I prayed to Jesus and asked him what was next. Then the motto "Don't stop giving!" came to my mind. Immediately I looked...
He who gives, wins!
We wanted to fulfil a wish of my mother-in-law's heart for her birthday and gave her a group trip to Dresden. She had experienced the destruction of this city as a child and always dreamed of seeing the Frauenkirche in all its beauty again once it...
Everyting was destroyed!
For one week, young people had worked to raise money for a family that had lost a lot in the floods and now faced great challenges. For five days, the young people had baked and sold waffles from morning to night. Now it was clear: We are going to...
Love remains!
A few days ago, we said goodbye to a colleague who was retiring. She had to take over a lively first school year in the last few weeks because the class teacher became ill. One of our wildest boys has not yet been able to get used to school. He ha...
Discover the fruits!
Since March I’ve been part of the Red Cross, and Im helping them in their activity of helping people in the vaccination center in Pristina the capital of Kosovo. The first day that i went there, it was amazing and its still as amazing as it was, e...
Would you like a little bit more?
Before she left for her home country, I wanted to bring her a present for her family. On the way there, I met an oversized truck in the city centre that had lost its way. The driver looked very desperate. I helped him to launch the 20-metre-long v...
Love bears consequences!
For a long time, my son had a burning wish to be able to improve the world more sustainably and with greater steps. He doubted that all the small gestures and rays of hope that we can give really make a difference. I had tried several times to exp...
A little bit more!
I needed a tool from a DIY store. There was a hectic and irritable atmosphere throughout the store. The staff seemed overwhelmed by all the questions from the shoppers. There were no batteries left for two models I had chosen. So I went in search ...
A moment of eternity
At a crossroads sat a 'beggar'. He was talking to himself about the people rushing by. He was very skinny and had long grey hair. I felt like talking to him. He seemed so isolated in the face of so many people who were not interested in him. At th...
Be good news!
When I opened my mails in the evening, I heard from a woman who had been on "Corona duty" at one of our services: "I met a young woman at the service today who has also been to the go4peace camps several times. Today we worked the church together ...
A fence became a wall
Yesterday I was talking to my husband about our neighbours. In my opinion, they have cheekily just taken down our fence that separates our gardens and put a new one there, much higher. They had not informed us about this, and now our dog cannot go...
A phone call
Last week I went to my sister's family. I planned to stay with them one or two days. My sister had to study for an exam, so her husband and I animated their 2 kids. The next morning we found out that one kid has chickenpox. He couldn't go to the k...
New hope!
The annual general meeting of the go4peace e.V. association had taken place. A participant reported back. She wrote: "A big thank you for the professional conduct of the meeting on the net, especially for the lively reports about the last year of ...
Keep Jesus on board!
The task was to develop an online course for young people. It is about five tools that can help to keep Jesus on board. It involves to learn to speak about facts that prevent individual's growth. Very time-consuming, I had developed a learni...
He held the strings in his hand!
An eye operation had been scheduled. Now a painful healing process was in store. Over Easter, I had planned a small festival of encounter with my children. As my pain was very great and I had to keep my eyes open at night, my daughter made me unde...
A simple cross
A moving experience reached me by mail: "I met a boy with schizophrenia who was at odds with God.... He felt abandoned by Him. I asked him why he thought that way? He told me very personally about his family history, and I could see that there was...
To be concrete - is always possible!
Completely unprepared, my son wrote me an email that weighed heavily on me. I could not defend myself against a certain statement. Sadness wanted to spread through me. I read the following thought in a reflection on a Bible text: "God is ready to ...
Do small things with big love!
I have realized that God is so simple and don’t want from us to do extraordinary things.Today at the work a nurse had backache because of the hard work she had done in these days with patients who are physically restricted and can not do anything ...
We felt comforted!
In the midst of the greatest stress of everyday life one of our birds became very sick. The tame animals mean a lot to our son in particular. They trust him and fly to him as soon as he enters the room. The vat saw only one last hope. He adviced u...
We get as much as we trust!
It was my father’s birthday and I was not home to celebrate with him. So, my sister and I decided to go on weekend to make a little birthday party for him. My sister had left earlier and had arrived home. I was working and I was late. I started to...
Beyond borders!
Today the phone rang and on the other side was a young iranian muslim woman, whom I got to know recently here in my town in Germany. We are both teachers and are part of a qualification program for the foreign teachers at the university. In a shor...
Open up for the moment!
The stores have just opened. A woman with Asian roots is standing at the dairy refrigeration unit. She reaches for a product on the shelf and can't reach it. My moment! I quickly rush to her, get the whole box from the top to a level she can reach...
Be concrete!
She had sent a large donation for the refugees in Bihać. I wrote a letter to thank her and enclosed a small book about the Gospel. A few days later I was able to read in her reply letter: "I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in your i...
Have courage to be quiete!
My telephone rings. A friend from Sarajevo answers: "You know, I have been giving the motto in Croatian every morning for many years to a larger circle of interested people and often I get feedback. Today a friend called me who is having a hard ti...
You give them to eat!
We made a little film. It was about speaking the words of Jesus to young people. I had asked a young woman who had come to Germany as a refugee if she would be willing to take on this role. She gladly accepted. Fluidly and in a very appealing mann...
A ray like the sun!
It must have been the first really sunny afternoon in a week. People were drawn outside. Many were out for a walk. Some were cycling. And again some were running a big lap along the way. As I noticed the sun's rays flooding my face with warmth, we...
Bring everything to Jesus!
It was snowing heavily. It was the birthday of a co-worker. Despite the stormy weather, I had decided to walk to his apartment and leave a small gift on his doorstep. I had just left my house and was standing in the snowstorm. My mobile rang. Was ...
Search and live your word!
I had chosen for this day the word: "You are the light of the world!" A few days ago, after I had trustingly brought all the pain to Jesus in my fear and helplessness and hoped that this difficult time had a meaning, I realized that love for other...
Circulation of love
The brother of a nun from India fall seriously ill in her home country. Day after day she called him to encourage him and his family. Therefore, she needed money for phone cards. A woman gave me 20 € for a pair of socks that a fellow sister had kn...
Heavenly help
A call reaches me from an elderly woman. "Imagine, a priest from Africa is coming to our parish for a year. Now the parish priest was looking for an apartment near the church because the guest did not have a driver's license. Immediately the motto...
A big applause
A boy had hit another boy from his class in the face completely unexpectedly and for no serious reason. The children were very angry with him. When I came, he had his head hidden in his arms and he was sobbing. My boss then took up the conversatio...
A wooden toy
A family from the Asian region had asked for asylum in our country. Their court hearing took place about 200 kilometers away from Kamen. So we had found a car and a driver for the family to be able to be at the court early in the morning with the ...
A spark in my heart
It had simply become too much to do, so I decided to cancel an activity for refugee children on Christmas Eve. A teacher called. She asked if the activity would take place again. I hesitated. I felt that at that moment God was asking for my greate...
The "grace of an accident"
Jesus brought me to a man in need in a curious way. I confessed in church. Suddenly I heard a commotion. The old man asked whose blue car it was in front of the church. They brought him to me. He was one of our parishioners, 83 years old! "Father ...
Love all!
One month ago, I had a big fight with a very good friend of mine. At that point, our friendship came to an end. I did not even think about talking to her. I felt like I really hated her, because she behaved with so much disrespect towards me.
Som...
The secret of sharing
In a letter I was allowed to read the following wonderful experience. "I came back from my home country to my place of study with quite a lot of tea and honey. Someone asked me a few days ago, 'Now you have very little tea for yourself. Why do you...
Pain, a bridge between people
I want to share a story about strong faith of one woman in Ukraine. During the last days I went to my parents by train. A woman was sitting next to me. She was sad. We started a conversation and I found out that her son is in Russian captivity sin...
She took my hand!
"I need your help again," I read in a WhatsApp message. A young Lebanese woman contacts me. I remember her well, but our last encounter was years ago. I set off on my bicycle to visit her. She now has a little daughter. Her husband has left her. S...
Modest and quiet
At 75 years old, our long-time friend has been busy once again: he repaired a floor lamp that had been broken, installed many lamps after a move, put up cupboards and then hauled away another large load of bulky waste. He doesn't have much money a...
unexpected ways
Years ago she had taken part in the confirmation preparation in our parish. The contact had remained very loosely. Every morning she received the motto of the day by text message. In the meantime, she had successfully completed her professio...
One more time!
"Can you help me get another power generator for the hospital in Kherson?" I read in a WhatsApp message. My heart fluttered, then we had just found 9 such generators of 7.5 KW for some bunkers in Khmelnytskyi district. I knew how difficult it was ...
Silent in the darkness
Late in the evening, a WhatsApp message reaches me. "May I ask you to pray for my friend's father? He died in the heavy fighting for Bachmut." I am just in the church and in the darkness I light a candle for him and send it as a photo to Kiev. The...
God is looking for you!
On Tuesday, I received a call from a gentleman who had received a tip via various indirect routes to ask the Encounter Centre I manage if we could take in a Ukrainian family with three children. They have twins who are only 2 months old. He had al...
The fridge did it!
I had known them for years. I had been able to accompany them through many difficult and challenging moments in their lives. Now they were celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. They came to a mass in our church. During the service, the wif...
Tenderly!
I had given a Christmas tree to several Ukrainian refugee families. In prayer that evening, a young refugee couple from Afghanistan came to my heart, whom I have known for several years and whom I had helped a lot when they arrived in Germany. Via...
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