FATHER BONACCI

     Today, at my church, we had a Community of Faith Breakfast. Anyone is welcome; the special guests are the local pastors and other religious clerics, as well as the lay people. There is a guest-speaker and some small entertainment. Before we start, the volunteers make a wonderful breakfast. Today, the guest speaker was Father Thomas Bonacci, the founder of the Interfaith Peace Project. He gave a beautiful talk about our family being the community, our education being all-inclusive and our love being the agape love.
     Father Bonacci has a speech impediment. He slurs some words quite noticeably. I think, his problem comes from the sinuses, because sometimes, during the speech, he shorts loudly. It would stop a more timid man, but Father Bonacci speaks with such conviction and passion, that the listeners are completely won over. 
     I was very moved by one small example that he brought of, how we should not close our hearts to others and consider them our family. He told us how once, in a toy store, he was looking at some Lego blocks. Suddenly he felt a small hand in his hand. A boy was standing next to him. Father Bonacci looked down and the boy looked up. "You are not my father" - he said calmly. The dad hurried up to Father Bonacci: "I'm sorry, is he bothering you?" "No" - said Father Bonacci. He was amazed, how natural it felt, that a strange boy put his hand in his. I could almost feel that boy's hand in mine, so striking was the example. Are we able to accept others as our own? Can we count others' problems as ours? Whether we think, we can or not, I think, we ought to, at least, try!