1. Love everyone.

2. Be the first to love.

3. Love your enemy
4. Love Jesus in the other.
5. Love your neighbor as yourself.
6. Make yourself one with the other.
 experiences
Irene - Italy
In class, Alessia, a classmate
of mine, got involved in a
quarrel between her two
best friends.
At a certain point, both of
them asked her to choose
with whom she wanted to be
friends.
Not knowing what to do,
Alessia asked for my help.
Since I believe that we should
love everyone, I told her that
the problem would not be
resolved by choosing one or
the other as a true friend, but
Art of loving
only by putting an end to the
quarrel. She
followed my advice and
spoke to both to clarify the
situation and peace among all
returned.
Francesca - Italy
In class, G. would always be left
out and made fun of. The situation
worsened when he came to know
that his classmates had opened a
Facebook group against him. I did
not go with the flow so I went to
see it and found very ugly insults
and slights against G.
On one hand, I did not want to tell
the professor about it, because I
would have been considered a spy,
but I also felt that it was not fair
that G. should endure all this.
I asked for help and advice from
other friends and together we
understood that it would be better
to speak to the teacher.
With a bit of courage we went to
our professor who, unaware of all
this, got stunned. He immediately
called for the parents of the teens
who had been picking on G.
My classmates realized their
mistake and apologized to G. Since
then, in class, we've become more
caring than before to one another.
Art of loving
 experiences
Joana – Lisbon
I have two friends M. & G.
who never agree on
anything. When they are
together, they provoke each
other and end up ruining the
climate among us with
constant bickering.
They just can't listen to each
other!
Things don't go better when
I am only with one of them,
because I have to stay to
listen to the criticisms that
one makes of the other.
Art of loving
Francesco –
Italy
I asked Him for help and I Some of my
realized that the best way to companions bring to It happened to
resolve the situation was to do me….
school certain vile
it in such a way that He would magazines and
be the one to talk to my two circulate them
friends. That's the idea! I gave around the
M. a passage from the Gospel classroom. They
which invited us to persevere even offered me to
in loving others. see them, but I
refused.
I could not believe it, the
Gospel was already bearing They started to tease
fruit! This was the 1st small me, but I tried to
episode. love them anyway.
Then I thought of
Others followed in which, bringing to class

seeing that M. was becoming some beautiful

This state of things did not
truly please me: I felt that
we were not really living a
true friendship where people
truly care for each other. But
what should I do?
I lacked the light to brighten
up the "confusion." I felt
helpless, but God - I thought
one day - would know what
to do!
more open in accepting the
ideas of G., G. also started to
do the same. Both were
beginning to be more patient
with each other.
It was the word spoken by
Jesus which paved the way for
change! I have experienced
that without Him, we feel
helpless and only with Him can
we have the strength to love
and to really change
situations.
comics that I have at
home and offer them
especially to my
classmates.
Although they
continued to tease
me, they began to
read my comics and
gave up reading their
magazines. Even our
classmates who used
to bring them no
longer read them.

Art of loving
 experiences
Celeste -
Guatemala
A few days ago, I saw my
friend crying. I
approached her with care
and asked her if she
wanted to tell me what's
happening. She told me
that her parents had
recently separated: this
was the reason why she's
crying. Even for me it was
a big pain and I cried with
her. Then we prayed
together to Jesus for her
Art of loving
family. My friend thanked
me for the beautiful
moment wherein she
could confide to me what
she was experiencing.
Marco – Italy
In my class there is a guy who is
originally from another country
and who, because of his ideas
and his way of thinking, is
mocked and teased by
practically the whole class.
At first I remained indifferent
for fear of being teased. Then I
slowly started to approach him,
especially in that period when
he was in low spirits because it
was bad at school. Seeing how
happy he was when I would
speak with him gave me
courage and with him a
beautiful friendship was born.
My other classmates criticized
me at the beginning for my
choice, but at the same time,
they respected me. Then after
a while, a small group joined
me because they wanted to
learn more about this boy who
now was no longer teased by
anyone. Several of us have
begun to help him with
homework. One day he invited
me to his house and so I was
able to see with my own eyes
the difficult reality that he is
living.
Art of loving
 experiences
Raimond -
Nigeria
I live on the outskirts of
one of the largest cities in
Nigeria. I walk to school,
and I wake up at 5:30 am,
before the sun rises.
I walk through a stretch of
road alone, being careful
of cars which go even
faster at this hour.
Physically I look like my
father who is short in
Art of loving
stature, and this a
compelling reason for
several young people to
make fun of me.
One day on my way
home, my classmates
waited for me at the
corner of a side street
and surrounded me. I
quickly realized the
intentions of the one
who stood in the front
row.
Enrique –
Brazil
A. had not taken well the fact
that during our Math test, I
did not pass to him the
In my family, everyone
lives the Art of Loving.
solution of the problem.
Sometimes, however,
Incited by the others who
there are also
were present, he slammed
disagreements among us,
me to the ground. My first
but they likewise become
reaction was to fight back by
opportunities for us to
throwing some soil which I
learn to love each other
already clutched in my hand
more. For example, one
into his eyes, and then hit him
day, I had a
with a good punch. But
misunderstanding with my
something like a flash came
older sister and, believing I
to me: I could give this pain to
was the one who's right,
Jesus. So I got up and said: "I
we ended up arguing.
forgive you! I only desire to
Immediately after, I went
be friends with you." You
out of the house; but I did
cannot imagine the joy I felt
not feel comfortable.
that night when I was already
Though already far away, I
in bed. But the biggest
decided to apologize by
surprise I had came the next
sending a text message to
morning: A. was outside the
her mobile phone. She
door waiting for me, wanting
replied immediately: she
us to go to school together.
also wanted to rebuild
And since then, we
peace right away so that,
accompany each other every
inside me, I experienced a
morning.
great happiness.
Art of loving
 experiences
Esthelle –
Cameroon
My class is so numerous that
there are 4 of us who sit behind a
desk. Every morning, I would
arrive very early to avoid being at
the back of the room where you
do not hear anything. One day,
the seat I reserved for myself was
already occupied by a girl. "Send
her away, throw her books on the
floor", my classmates told me,
excited to take part in one of the
daily brawls.
Not believing that peace is
obtained through war and having
Art of loving
in mind the Art of Loving, I
thought: if I had been in her place,
I would have liked to keep the
seat. I took my things and sat at
the back, while all the others
made fun of me. She, too, did not
speak a word to me, thinking I
was irritated. I had to do the
opposite and started to greet her
first and pay attention to her,
until one day, after explaining to
her a lesson, she asked: "But how
can you be like that?". I told her
of the Art of Loving and she
became my friend.
Giacomo - Italy
A classmate, without asking,
would do some laps on my bike
or that of others. He would then
bring it back in poor condition:
muddy and with worn wheels
due to forceful braking. It did not
go well with us, and a friend of
mine came up with the idea of
reporting him to the headmaster.
I did not like it, because I was
convinced that this boy, beyond
this behavior, was good. Maybe -
I thought - if he acts this way,
there must be a reason and I did
not want him to be suspended.
One day I saw him as he was
taking the bike of my friend but,
thinking of what he was risking,
in order to love him, I stopped
him and told him to take my bike.
In fact, I could let him borrow it
whenever he wanted to. He was
very touched by this offer; then,
leaving the other bike, he took
mine. He had avoided a
suspension. Since then, he has
been using my bike, but he would
no longer return it to me dirty or
worn. I'm happy, seeing that he is
also like that.
Art of loving
 experiences
Beverly –
Philippines
Last year, attending a
new school, I found
myself surrounded by
unfamiliar faces. The
seats were already
assigned, and great was
my joy when I discovered
that there was not just
another "girl to love" in
my class, but we were
even seated together on
the same desk. Among us
Art of loving
was a Muslim classmate:
Saheeda. With her, even
a simple greeting seemed
like a challenge, as she
was so quiet and closed ...
but maybe we're just as
much! We should love
her first without missing
any opportunity!
Gradually the walls that
were there before
collapsed and by studying
or having lunch together,
a beautiful relationship
was born.
One day, seeing Saheeda
very sad, I sat next to her.
Her mom - she confided
to me - had blamed her
unfairly and she could
not swallow it. I told her
how I try to understand
my mother even when it
would not be easy for
me."Your advice is
difficult to live!" - she
told me the next day. "It's
true - I answered her -
especially at the
beginning, but we will
pray for you to succeed!"
Smiling, she assured me
that she would try again
and when she managed
to regain peace, she was
very happy. Since then,
there are two of us who
live the Art of Loving in
our class and together we
witness that unity
between Christians and
Muslims is possible.
Gene - Italy
D., a friend of ours, had
fallen off from his
motorcycle. At first it did
not seem serious, but as
time went by, the pain in
his knee had increased
so much that the doctors
believe it was necessary
to intervene surgically.
Nobody would have
expected that in a few
hours, due to various
complications, D. would
enter into an induced
coma until he could not
breathe on his own. Our
thoughts were turned to
him and we held
constantly in touch to be
updated on his health.
We thought the best
thing to do was to pray
together.
Art of loving
We were about thirty
inside a church.
Together we prayed a
rosary and read a
spiritual text on how to
deal with pain. The
atmosphere among us
was beautiful, and we
felt the presence of
Jesus. While we were
still greeting one
another outside the
Church, we received a
phone call from
another friend: D. had
opened his eyes, a very
positive sign for his
future recovery. Can
you imagine our
excitement and
amazement? It was
clear that we had met
believing in the words
of the Gospel:
"Whatever you ask the
Father in my name I
will give it to him," but
we did not expect an
answer to come so
fast!