Madeleine’ s Farewell Speech
February 8, 2020
Madeleine was in Argentina for 14 months
Thank you for coming to give thanks with me for this year of mission.
I want to thank you for what was the most beautiful year because in this year I discovered where one encounters happiness.
That for one to be happy does not depend on material things, nor in having a life without struggle or suffering, nor in looking for an answer inside of yourself.
It is not these things that give happiness.
To be happy is a gift that can be received in the moment that you open yourself to encounter the other.
When there is a child knocking on the window who wants to give you a hug
– and two children more who want to teach you to cook bombas de papas.
When there is a neighbor who wants to fix your electricity cables when the night is already dark and you don’t have light.
When someone who has nothing wants to share their meal with you.
When someone wants to drink mate` and talk sincerely about their life.
When you discover that these lives are neither easy nor perfect but are real and fought.
When, in the middle of these lives, you discover this beauty, love and hope that surprises you every time, and you realize that it is a great honor that they be shared with you.
When, at the end of the day, with a heart full of everything you have received, you find God waiting for you in the silence of the chapel – a final door, so great it that can embrace all of the pain, questions, and joy that you carry inside of yourself.
And there, finally, you can rest.
To be happy does not come from me.
God makes me happy.
You make me happy.
And the only thing I can do is say “thank you.”