A testimony from Silvia Viola, CLC Italy
It was a quiet afternoon in our Torino bookshop when she walked in — a woman unlike most of our usual visitors. Her long dreadlocks framed a thoughtful face; her presence felt grounded yet searching. She came straight to the counter and asked for something small, “A simple book about God,” she said.
“It’s for my father,” she explained. “He’s in the hospital. He never believed in God — not once in his life. But lately, I’ve seen him reading the Bible. I don’t know if it’s faith or just something to pass the time, but I want to help him find some peace.”
I led her to a little book that had brought comfort to many over the years: Peace with God – The Secret of Happiness by Billy Graham. She took one look and said, “Yes. This is it.”
With that book in hand, something inside her opened. She told me about her own spiritual journey, that she was Buddhist but deeply open. “I believe in something bigger,” she said, “and I think truth shows up in many ways.”
As she wandered through the shop, she began marveling over the children’s section. She was a teacher, she told me, and always on the lookout for good material. Her Catholic colleagues had been kind to her and she wanted to give them something they would appreciate.
She chose calendars with daily verses and little devotionals for kids. Before long, her arms were full.
As she came to the counter with her purchases, I felt a quiet nudge in my spirit — one I’ve learned not to ignore. I excused myself and walked to the back room, returning with a gift copy of Death of a Guru.
I returned just in time to hear her say, “You know… I love giving gifts to people. I really do. But sometimes it’s hard. I hardly ever get anything in return.”
In the perfect silence that followed, I held out the book and said, “Then this is for you. Since you’re always giving to others, today you get to receive. I hope that through the spirituality you seek, this book will speak to your heart — with the love and truth of Jesus.”
She froze. Her eyes welled with tears. “Really? For me?” When I nodded, something inside her broke free. She burst into tears, clutching the book to her chest. Unable to speak, she whispered a soft thank you, then hurried out the door, overwhelmed by the unexplainable beauty of it all.
Hours later, she came back — radiant. She had run into an old friend on the street, someone she hadn’t seen in years. Right there, outside the shop. “I had to bring her in,” she said. “This place… it’s full of something special.”
She picked out a calendar for her friend and hugged me, full of warmth and gratitude.
“I’ll be praying for you,” I said.
She looked at me, nodded, and smiled.