"The future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a 'you' and themselves as part of an 'us.' We all need each other." Pope Francis

My grandparents, on my mom’s side, were Syrian immigrants. They came here as young teens on boats overflowing with hope, not speaking the language but bringing with them the values of hard work and the importance of family.

After he married my grandmother, my grandfather ran a fruit and vegetable market in downtown Albany. He loved the store and being able to spend time talking to customers. Times were hard, and when people couldn’t pay their bill he would let them run a tab so they could have food for their families.

Eventually, that happened so often that he couldn’t pay his own bills and had to close the market. But he was never sorry that he helped the poor.

My great uncle, also a Syrian immigrant, bought some old abandoned buildings in the city. In the winter, he would turn on the heat and open the rooms for the homeless. Whoever needed to get out of the cold, my uncle would find a place for them.

My aunt, who had a small luncheonette, never turned away a homeless or hungry person.  She made up small boxes of food every day, setting them aside for those who needed sustenance and a reaffirmation of their value as persons.

No one in my family was rich, at least not with money, but they were rich in generosity, joy and compassion and a refusal to judge others because of hardship. They had been there themselves, and they knew that poverty should never be the measuring stick of human dignity.

They also had their faith. My grandfather was known for the small, dog-eared Bible he read every night, written in Arabic but containing the same Gospel of Jesus Christ that is in my English language Bible; the Scriptures in which Jesus summarizes the whole of law in the two greatest commandments – love God and love your neighbor; commandments that didn’t include any exclusions about where neighbors lived or the color of their skin.

There comes a point when the love that Jesus modeled, preached and taught becomes a part of who we are, more than words on a page or lessons in a classroom. My family taught me this by their outrageous generosity. They knew intrinsically what Pope Francis has taught, “You cannot love only as long as it is ‘advantageous.’ Love manifests itself when it goes beyond one’s own self-interest, and when it is given without reservation.”

My family also taught me the importance of gratitude. It seems to me that those who have the least, or who have struggled the most, are sometimes the most grateful for what they do have, often sharing what little they have with others and praising God for that opportunity.

 “When one realizes that life, even in the middle of so many contradictions, is a gift, that love is the source and meaning of life,” said Pope Francis, “how can they withhold their urge to do good to another fellow being?”

Well, it’s not always easy. Being human is not easy. Getting it right is never guaranteed, especially when it comes to love. But we should not be discouraged.

Pope Francis reminds us, “Knowing how to love is never a thing acquired once and for all. We must begin anew every day. We must practice it. … We have to learn the art of loving every day.”

Mary Morrell is the former managing editor of The Monitor and an award-winning writer, editor and educator working at Wellspring Communications.  She can be reached at [email protected], and read at her blog, “God Talk and Tea.”