Don Carlos Knocci, was an Italian priest and educator. During the second world war, he was miliatary chaplain of the Alpini, the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the itlalian army.  After the tragic experince of the war, he strove to ease the wounds and suffering of so many children. Born in 1902 and died in 1950 at the age of 52. After the war, Gnocchi felt as his duty to aid that part of childhood that had been affected by the war the most. First, he directed his charitable work to the orphans of Alpini, housing them in Institute Arosio and subsequently devoted himself to the “mutilated” and to children invalids of war and civilians, establishing for them a vast network of colleges in many cities of Italy. He felt that these mutilated children  were destined now to live the rest of their lives with a great handicap. He dedicated himself completely to the rehabilitation of these mutilated children. His idea was not just to give them a new arm or a new leg, but to give them dignity. Don Gnocci made a great difference in the lives of so many children. He is blessed and venerated in the Catholic church. Whe he died he arranged to give the cornea of his eyes to 2 blind children, so that they might one day see again. One might ask: how someone could be so unselfish  during those challenging times; I think the answer to this question we have it in the gospel of today’s mass. Jesus is speaking to the apostles at the last supper,  and he gives them a new commandment,  ‘love one another as I have loved you’. This is the essence of Christianity,  and Don Knocci had understood it perfeclty. Love is not the easiest commandment, because love always demands a response. In the emotional side of our human nature there are two basic tendencies: a tendency to be loved and a tendency to love. People tend to see the problem of love as being loved rather than being a loving person. Today Jesus speaks this commandment to us also, and  he asks us to put this into practice in our families, with our friends and in our work and parish. We may never have to work with mutlilated people,  but the world is full of people who need our care and our affection, our time and our love. Let us ask for the grace to love them as Jesus loved us.