MATTEO FARINA - SERVANT OF GOD

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Matteo Farina (1990-2009) from Brindisi, he spent his brief but deep earthly life surrounded by love of his family, his friends, his parish community and his girlfriend.

As people of his own age, he played various sports and he cultivated some hobbies. He loved music and he played some musical instruments. He found a music band called “ No name”.

Matteo had a great passion for chemistry, he would like to continue his studies in the environmental engineering field.

He also liked information technology and he was an excellent student. He had been taking part to the holy mass since he was a child. He read the Word of God and he said the holy Rosary every day. He confessed every week.

Two events have marked his life: a dream and the diagnosis of a brain cancer.

The dream

When he is 9 years old, he dreams of St. Pio from Pietrelcina who reveals him the secret of happiness and gives him the task to spread it to everyone. These are St. Pio’s words according to the story of the young Matteo: “If you managed to understand that who is without sin is happy, than you have to teach it to the others, so that we can go all together happily in the heavenly kingdom”.

This dream will lead Matteo to understand which was his vocation and he will write: “I hope to succeed in realizing my mission as ‘infiltrator’ among young people, telling them about God (enlightened from Him)… I look around me and I want to enter in young people’s lives quietly like a virus, infecting them of an incurable illness: Love!”.

The illness

When he was 13 years old, the first cancer symptoms raise. He doesn’t lose the love of life, nor his strong faith. He smiles everybody and during his hospitalization for surgical operations, he supports other patients.

During his illness he writes: “You would like to scream to the world that you would do everything for your Saviour, that you are ready to suffer for the salvation of souls, to die for Him. You will have the opportunity of showing Him your love”.

Matteo, champion of faith, tells the following about this theological virtue: “ Faith is to grasp God to spread his Word. It is to pray to nourish of his food, that we will always need. It’s to take care about God’s plans in the best way as possible. It is to bend one’s head without raising it with a cavalier attitude. It’s to quietly do good and to think about the bad done”.

Happiness is the fruit of faith. Matteo used to say: “It is useless to despond, we have to be happy and transmit happiness. The more happiness we give people, the more people are happy. The more they are happy, the more we are happy”.

Although it could seem surprisingly in a young man of 19 years old, Matteo deeply understands the value of life, the responsibility of receiving the faith gift, the family gift. He understands the care for life important things, he appreciates the importance of living with intensity in human and Christian sense.

His mission can be described with his own words : “My God, I have two hands, let one of them to be always clasped to you in order to hold you closer in every trial. And let the other hand fall throughout the world if this is your will… as I Know you by others, so let others know you through me. I want to be a mirror, the clearest possible, and if this is your will, I want to reflect your light in the heart of every man. Thanks for life. Thanks for faith. Thanks for love. I’m yours”.