One day, André agreed to give a witness talk in a prison. He had been paralyzed for four years at the time. While waiting to leave for the prison, he was watching television and came across an interview show. The person being interviewed was a man accompanied by his wife and children. That man was paralyzed to the same extent as André, and he was telling his story.

"He was explaining that he had decided to let himself die," said André. "He had already stopped eating and he had written his will. He was disgusted with life, with having to ask for everything, with being dependent…

"I listened and I understood his despair. I really understood what he was saying because, like him, I no longer had any courage. Listening to the man made me suddenly realize that the only difference between him and me was Jesus Christ. What was different in our lives was that God had given me the grace to receive a Word that gave me life, life that did not come from within me but from outside of me.

"Without Jesus Christ, there were times when I, too, would have let myself die. But when you know you are loved by God, you have a freedom and a strength that surpasses everything. When you know you are loved by God, your life has meaning."

—Translated and reprinted with permission from Le Nic, (October 7, 2007), Rawdon, Quebec.