One day, in Aleppo, the rebels came to the district where a lot of us live. At that moment we were chatting on Facebook. Worry, anger… we all had different feelings. One, full of fear wrote, “You see, even God is against us.” “No, He is crying with us.” “But these people have ruined my life.” “Let’s try to love them too.” “But how?” “By praying that they find love as well.”

In the end we accepted the challenge to love even those who were hurting us.

‘To tell the truth,’ writes Mira from Aleppo, ‘I didn’t always manage to live the Ideal of unity the way I would like to. All the hate around me managed almost to get into my heart, but it didn’t win. I got to the point that my view of life was really pessimistic. I asked myself: how was Chiara Lubich able to live in the middle of the war when the Movement began? But then I said to myself, “If she could do it, then maybe I can too. This made we want to carry on, to start again. Sometimes I feel that we have to try and live as Jesus would in our place in Syria, which is why we are trying to help other people, even though we may only be able to do it in small ways.

‘I would like to ask everyone to pray because, believe me, your prayers give us a lot of strength. I hope that none of you goes through dark moments like these and sees what we see. I’m sorry I’ve written so little, I’m trying to write quickly before the electricity goes off. Let’s ask the Lord to give us peace in our hearts.’

This chain of prayer already involves people across the world. It is the ‘Time Out’, which takes place at 12 noon every day wherever people are. The idea came just before the First World Supercongress (1987), the big get-together of Youth for Unity. It was suggested by a young basketball player.

Chiara Lubich liked the idea so much that during the Gulf War she asked for ‘permission’ to use it for a chorus of prayer for peace. In December 2012 Maria Voce suggested it again, saying, ‘Only God can satisfy humanity’s need for peace. We have to have a truly powerful prayer… with renewed faith that God can do it, that if we ask in unity God will satisfy our need.’

Source: Gen 3 magazine, no. 1/2013

11 Comments

  • Je vais régulièrement sur le site pour essayer de vivre avec vous et votre pays cette absurdité de la guerre. Merci pour vos témoignages si forts qui m’aide à pardonner et à faire la paix autour de moi. Chiara Lubich nous a donné la force la plus puissante: l’amour. Je le vis avec vous, en priant le Time Out chaque jour et avec la Parole de ce mois.
    Comptez sur nous!

  • ho letto la vostra posta dalla Siria, e alla fine ho pianto perché mi immagino quanto voi soffrite per questa inutile guerra, mi ha fatto molto piacere sapere che ci sono delle giovani focolarine, mi sembra di risentire la storia di Chiara all’inizio, tutti i giorni nelle mie preghiere affido al signore i bimbi che soffrono per la guerra in Siria, ora affiderò pure voi, non so come potervi aiutare ma vi assicuro le mie preghiere per voi.
    Andrea

  • Grazie della comunoine!
    Anche se lontano (nordest del Brasile), la preghiera del mezzo giorno e l’amore a Gesù ed ai frattelli ci fa vicini e unite a voi!
    Come ha detto Emmaus, “ci vorrebe veramente una preghiera forte, potente” e ci siamo in questo coro che sale in cielo.
    Un abbraccio fraterno per ciascuna de voi!
    Nel Rissorto,
    Maria de Fátima Assunção da Silva Palmeira (Assunta)

  • Certo che mi unisco a voi e chiedo con voi!
    Siccome s. Agostino dice che “chi canta” PREGA due volte, ecco io canto per voi col cuore queste parole : “Signore ti chiedo la pace, Signore la pace del cuore,
    Signore ti chiedo l’Amore, Signore la Vita sei tu.
    Signore che hai preso un volto, per essere uno di noi,
    Signore non ci lasciare,
    Signore rimani con noi.”
    Vivendo la Pace di Gesù, diventiamo la Sua pace che parla anche senza usare le Parole. “Come Maria”! Chi vi vede, vede la PACE.
    Auguri! gm

  • Grazie a voi Teens4Unity di Aleppo, non sapete che coraggio ci da a noi qui in Svizzera di vedervi così coerenti e unite nel andare avanti nonostante tutto nel vivere come Gesù per la propria gente! Offriamo a Dio per voi e la Pace in Siria anche tutte le nostre piccole “lotte interiori” per vivere con fedeltà l’Amore e rendere viva l’Unità e la Pace dentro e intorno a noi. Farò conoscere a tutti i miei amici questo vostro messaggio – per sostenervi. Kathrin

  • Prego per voi nel “Time out” e anche durante la santa messa, nella preghiera dopo la comunione. Che Dio esaude le notre pregghiere.
    Una volontaria di Toulouse (Francia)

  • Dearest GEN of Aleppo,

    i want to assure you of my love and support in what you are all undergoing in each moment. I join you in praying for that peace that only God can give.

    Yes, i do the same. When I have a difficulty in life especially in moments my heart want to refuse to love, I ask how Chiara did it and I get strength and I try again. She was young too like you during the war but she did it. That is why we are one right now.

    God loves you all immensely, each one of you. UNO. nilda

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