Link to audio: http://www.focolare.org.uk/podcasts/2013-05.mp3

Has it ever happened that you received a gift from a friend and then felt you had to reciprocate — not so much because you felt obliged to pay the person back, but simply out of love and gratitude? I’m sure it has.

If you feel this way, imagine how God must feel, God who is love. God reciprocates every gift that we give to any neighbor in his name. True Christians experience this frequently. And each time it is a surprise. We can never get used to the inventiveness of God.

I could give you a thousand examples of this. I could even write a book on this subject alone, and you would see how true are the words, “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be put into your lap.” God always reciprocates with generosity.

Here is one example. Night had fallen in Rome. In their basement apartment, a small group of young women who wanted to live the Gospel were wishing each other good night. Then the doorbell rang. Who could it be at this hour? At the door they found a panic-stricken young father. He was desperate: the following day he and his family were going to be evicted because they had been unable to pay their rent.

The women looked at one another and then, in silent agreement, went to the dresser drawer. There they kept what was left of their salaries. In envelopes marked “gas,” “electricity” and “telephone” was the money they had set aside for these bills. Without a moment’s worry about what would happen to them, they gave all the money to their visitor. That night they went to bed very happy. They knew someone else would take care of them.

Just before dawn the phone rang. It was the same man. “I’ve called a taxi, and I’m coming right over!” Amazed that he should have chosen to come by taxi, they awaited his arrival. As soon as they saw his face they knew something had changed. “Last night, as soon as I  got home,” he said. “I found I had received an inheritance I never dreamed I would get. My heart told me I should give half of it to you.” The amount he gave them was exactly twice what they had generously given him. 

“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be put into your lap.”

Haven’t you also experienced this? If not, remember that the gift must be given with no self-interest, without hoping to get it back, and to whoever asks for it.

Try it, not so that you can see if it works, but because you love God.

You might be tempted to say, “I have nothing to give.” That’s not true. If we want to, each of us can discover that we possess inexhaustible treasures: our free time, our love, our smile, our advice, our peace, our words that might persuade someone who has to give to someone who has not.

You might also say, “I don’t know whom to give to.” Just look around you: don’t you remember that sick person in the hospital, that widow who always feels lonely, that boy in your class who failed and got discouraged, the young man who is sad because he can’t find a job, your little sister or brother who needs a helping hand, that friend who is in prison, that new person at work who is unsure of herself? In each person, Christ is waiting for you.

Put on the new style of behavior that comes from the Gospel and is the garment of a Christian. It is the exact opposite of having a closed mind or being concerned only about ourselves. Stop putting your trust in this world’s goods, and start relying on God. This will show your faith in him, and you will see from the gifts you receive that your faith is well founded.

It becomes apparent, however, that God does not give as he does in order to make us rich. He acts in this way so that many, many others, seeing the little miracles that happen to us as a result of our giving, may decide to do the same.

God also gives to us because the more we have the more we can give. He wants us to be administrators of his goods and see to it that they are distributed throughout the community around us, so that others might be able to repeat what was said of the first Christian community, “There was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34).

Don’t you think that in this way you too can help give a solid spiritual foundation to the social change that the world is waiting for?

“Give and it will be given to you.”

When Jesus said these words, undoubtedly he was thinking first and foremost of the reward we will receive in heaven. But the reward we receive on this earth gives us already a foretaste and a guarantee of our heavenly reward.

Chiara Lubich

(Previously published in June 1978 and October 2008)

For a better understanding of the Word of Life offered us this month, we ought to bear in mind the circumstances that gave rise to it. They were the difficulties appearing in the Christian communities James was writing to. There were scandals, discrimination, a selfish use of wealth, the exploitation of workers, a faith made of words more than deeds, and so on. All of this led to resentment and ill feeling between one person and another, creating an unhappy atmosphere throughout the community.

‘Beloved, do not grumble against one another.’

Even at the time of the Apostles, therefore, we can see what we also find in our communities today. Often the greatest difficulties in living our faith are not those from outside, that is, from the world, so much as those from within. They come from certain situations that arise within the community and from attitudes and actions of our neighbours out of step with the Christian ideal. All this generates a feeling of uneasiness, mistrust and upset.

‘Beloved, do not grumble against one another.’

But even though all these more or less serious contradictions and inconsistencies stem from a faith that is not always enlightened and a love of God and neighbour that is still very imperfect, as Christians our first reaction should not be impatience and inflexibility but what Jesus taught. He tells us to wait patiently, be understanding and merciful, which helps develop that seed of goodness sown in us, as explained in the parable of weeds among the wheat (Mt. 13:24-30; 36-43).

‘Beloved, do not grumble against one another.’

How then can we live the Word of Life this month? It presents us with a difficult aspect of Christian life. We, too, belong to various communities – the family, the parish, the workplace, the civic community and associations of various kinds. Unfortunately, in these communities there may be many things that we feel are not right: attitudes, points of view, ways of doing things, lapses that pain us and make us feel like rejecting others.

These then are many opportunities to live the Word of Life for this month well. Instead of moaning or passing judgement, as we would be tempted to do, let’s be tolerant and understanding. Then, as far as it is possible, let’s also correct one another as brothers and sisters. Above all, let’s give a Christian witness by responding to any possible lack of love or commitment with a greater love and commitment on our part.

Chiara Lubich

(First published December 1989)

They wanted to set a trap for him with this question. If Jesus had shown himself to be against the stoning, they could have accused him of going against the law. According to the law, the actual witnesses were to begin throwing stones at the one who had sinned, and then the people were to follow in turn. If, instead, Jesus had confirmed the sentence of death, they would have succeeded in making him contradict his own teaching about God’s mercy toward sinners.

But Jesus, who was bent down writing on the ground with his finger, remained unperturbed and finally straightened up and said:

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

When they heard this, “the accusers went away one by one, beginning with the elders.” Jesus then turned to the woman and asked, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she replied. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore” (Jn 8:10–11).

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

With these words, Jesus certainly does not wish to appear permissive with regard to wrongdoing, such as adultery. His words, “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore,” clearly express God’s commandment.

Instead Jesus wishes to unmask the hypocrisy of those who set themselves up as judges of their fellow human beings who have sinned, without recognizing that they themselves are sinners. His words here underline the well-known command: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged” (Mt 7:1–2).

Speaking in this way, Jesus also addresses himself to those who, in the name of the law, ignore the person involved and do not take into account the repentance that sinners may feel in their hearts. This clearly shows what Jesus’ attitude is toward one who has done wrong: he is merciful. As St. Augustineput it, when the accusers of the adulteress had gone away, “two persons remained: one in need of mercy and the other Mercy itself” (Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John 33:5).

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

How can we put this word of life into practice?

In all our dealings with others, let us remember that we too are sinners. All of us have sinned. Even if we think that we ourselves have not fallen into serious sin, we must bear in mind that we do not know just how strongly circumstances have influenced others, causing them to fall and to stray far from God. We do not know how we would have acted had we been in their place.

In any case, we too have broken the bond of love that was meant to unite us to God. We too have been unfaithful to him.

If Jesus, who was certainly without sin, did not throw the first stone at the adulteress, neither can we condemn others.

We should have compassion toward everyone, resisting those impulses that drive us to condemn others without mercy. We must learn how to forgive and forget. We should not harbor traces of judgment or resentment in our hearts, since these can easily give rise to anger and hatred that alienate us from others. We should see every person as “new” in every moment.

If our hearts are filled with love and compassion toward all, rather than judgment and condemnation, we will help others to begin new lives, to find the courage to start anew.

Chiara Lubich

To help them the Apostle points out a radical solution: to love the brothers and sisters, to live the law of love they have received from the beginning, which he sees as the summary of all the other commandments.

Doing this, they will know what ‘life’ is. They will be led, that is, deeper and deeper into union with God and will expe­rience God-Love. And, having this experience, they will be confirmed in faith and be capable of facing any attack, especially in times of crisis.

We love our brothers and sisters, and with this we know that we have passed from death to life.

‘We know…’ The Apostle is referring to a knowledge that comes from expe­rience. It’s like saying: ‘We’ve experienced it, we’ve touched it with our hands.’ It’s the experience that the Christians evangelized by John had at the beginning of their conversion. When we put God’s commandments into practice, in particular the commandment of love for others, we enter the very life of God.

But do Christians today have this experience? They certainly know that God’s commandments have a practical purpose. Jesus constantly insists that it’s not enough to listen to the Word of God; it must be lived (see Mt. 5:19; 7:21; 7:26).

Instead, what’s not clear to most, either because they don’t know about it or because their  knowledge is purely theoretical without having had the experience, is the marvellous feature of the Christian life the Apostle puts into light. When we live out the commandment of love, God takes possession of us, and an unmistakeable sign of this is that life, that peace, that joy he gives us to taste already on earth. Then everything is lit up, everything becomes harmonious. No longer is there any separa­tion between faith and life. Faith becomes the force pervading and linking all our actions.

We love our brothers and sisters, and with this we know that we have passed from death to life.

This word of life tells us that love for our neighbour is the royal road leading us to God. Since we are all his children, nothing is more important to him than our love for our brothers and sisters. We cannot give him any greater joy than when we love our brothers and sisters.

And since love of neighbour brings us union with God, it is an inexhaustible wellspring of inner light, it is a fountain of life, of spiritual fruit­fulness, of continual renewal. It prevents the rot, rigidity and slackness that can set in among the Christian people; in a word, we pass ‘from death to life’. When, in­stead, love is lacking, every­thing withers and dies. Knowing this, we can under­stand why certain attitudes are so widespread in today’s world: a lack of enthusiasm and ideals, mediocrity, boredom, longing to escape, loss of values, and so on.

We love our brothers and sisters, and with this we know that we have passed from death to life.

The brothers and sisters the Apostle refers to here are, above all, the members of the communities we belong to. If it is true that we must love everyone, it is equally true that our love must begin with those who normally live with us, and then reach out to all of humanity. We should think in first place of the members of our family, the people we work with, those who are part of our parish, religious community or association. Our love for our neighbour would not be real and well-ordered if it didn’t start here. Wherever we find ourselves, we are called to build the family of the children of God.

We love our brothers and sisters, and with this we know that we have passed from death to life.

 This word of life opens up immense horizons. It urges us along the divine adventure of Christian love with its unforeseeable outcomes. Above all it reminds us that in a world like ours, where the theory is of struggle, the survival of the fittest, the shrewdest, the most unscrupulous, and where at times everything seems paralysed by materialism and egoism, the answer we should give is love of neighbour. When we live the commandment of love, in fact, not only is our life energized, but everything around is affected. It’s like a wave of divine warmth, which spreads and grows, penetrating relationships between one person and another, one group and another, and bit by bit transforming society.

So, let’s go for it! Brothers and sisters to love in the name of Jesus are something we all have, and that we always have. Let’s be faithful to this love. Let’s help many others be so. We will know in our soul what union with God means. Faith will revive, doubts disappear, no more will we know what boredom is. Life will be full, very, very full.

Chiara Lubich

‘… I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  Do you remember when Jesus said these words? While he was having dinner one day, some publicans and persons of ill-repute came and sat at the table with him. As soon as the Pharisees noticed this, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ Upon hearing this, Jesus replied:

‘Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” ’

Jesus is quoting the prophet Hosea (Hosea 6:6), which shows that he likes the idea it contains. In fact, it is the principle he himself follows. It expresses the primacy of love over any other commandment, over any other rule or precept.

This is Christianity: Jesus came to say that what God wants from you, in your relationships with others – whether men or women – before anything else is love, and that this will of God has already been proclaimed in Scripture as the words of the prophet show.

Love is the agenda of life for all Christians, the basic law of their actions, the yardstick of their behaviour. Love must always come before other laws. Indeed, love for others has to become the firm foundation on which a Christian validly puts into practice every other principle.

 ‘… I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’

Jesus wants love, and mercy is one of its expressions. He wants Christians to live like this, above all else because God is like this. In Jesus’ eyes, God is, in first place, the Merciful One, the Father who loves everyone and who makes the sun rise and rain fall on the good and the bad.  Because Jesus loves everyone, he is not afraid of associating with sinners, and in this way he reveals to us who God is.

If God, then, is like this, if Jesus is like this, you too must have the same feelings.

‘… I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’

‘… and not sacrifice.’ If you do not love your neighbour, your worship will not be pleasing to Jesus. He does not welcome your prayers, your Church-going, your offerings, if they do not flower from a heart at peace with everyone, rich with love towards all.

Do you remember the extremely powerful words of the Sermon on the Mount? ‘So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift’ (Mt 5:23-24).

These words tell you that the worship most pleasing to God is love of neighbour which should be the basis even of worshipping God.

If you wanted to give a present to your father while you were angry with your brother or your sister (or your brother or your sister were angry with you) what would your father say? ‘Make peace between you and then come and give me anything you want.’

But there is more. Love is not only the basis of Christian living. It is also the most direct way of being in communion with God. We are told so by the saints, the witnesses of the Gospel who have gone before us, and it is experienced by Christians who live their faith. If they help their brothers and sisters, above all the needy, their devotion grows, their union with God is strengthened, they feel that a bond exists between them and the Lord, and this is what gives most joy to their lives.

‘… I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’

How can you live this new Word of Life? Do not discriminate between the people you are in touch with, do not treat anyone as less important, but offer everyone as much as you can give, imitating God the Father. Patch up minor or major disagreements which are displeasing to heaven and bring bitterness to your life. As Scripture says, do not let the sun set on your anger with anyone (see Eph. 4:26).

If you behave like this, all you do will be pleasing to God and will remain in eternity. Whether you are working or resting, whether you are playing or studying, whether you are with your children or going for a walk with your wife or husband, whether you are praying or making sacrifices, or fulfilling the religious practices of your Christian vocation, everything, everything, everything is raw material for the kingdom of heaven.

Paradise is a house we build here and dwell in there. And we build it with love.

Chiara Lubich

As we welcome and accept one another in mutual love, so we receive the power to become children of God in a relationship that shares in the Son’s own relationship with the Father. Like this we live out the the grace Jesus died for us to have.

This is the amazing new thing that Jesus proclaimed and gave to humanity: to be children of God, becoming God’s children through grace.

But how, and who is given this grace? It goes to ‘to all who received him’ and to those who would receive him in the following centuries. We must receive Jesus in faith and in love, believing in him as our Saviour.

But let’s try to understand more deeply what it means to be children of God.

All we need do is look at Jesus, the Son of God, and at his relationship with the Father. Jesus prayed to his Father as he did in the ‘Our Father’. For him the Father was ‘Abba’, which means Dad, Daddy, the one he turned to in tones of infinite trust and boundless love.

But since he had come on earth for us, it was not enough for him to be the only one in this privileged position. By dying for us, redeeming us, he made us children of God, his brothers and sisters, and through the Holy Spirit he made it possible for us too to enter into the bosom of the Trinity. This means that we too can use his divine words, ‘Abba, Father’ (Mk 14:36; Rom. 8:15): ‘Dad, my Daddy’, our Daddy, with everything this implies: the certainty of his protection, security, surrender to his love, divine consolation, strength, ardour – the ardour born in the hearts of those who are certain they are loved.

‘But to all who received him, he gave power to become children of God.’

We are made one with Christ and daughters and sons in the Son by baptism and the life of grace that comes from it.

In these words from the Gospel there is, moreover, an expression that reveals the profound dynamic within this being ‘daughters and sons’ which must be realized day by day. We have, in fact, ‘to become children of God’.

We become, we grow as children of God, by co-operating with the gift he has given us, by living his will which is wholly concentrated in the commandment of love: love for God and love for our neighbours.

To accept Jesus means, in effect, to recognize him in all our neighbours. And they too will be helped to recognize Jesus and believe in him if they can discern, in the love we have for them, a spark of the boundless love of the Father.

‘But to all who received him, he gave power to become children of God.’

This month, in which we remember specially Jesus’ birth in the world, let’s try to welcome and accept one another, seeing and serving Christ himself in each other.

The result will be that a flow of mutual love, of living knowledge like that binding the Son to the Father in the Spirit, will be established also between us and the Father, and time and again we will feel coming to our lips Jesus’ own words: ‘Abba, Father.’

Chiara Lubich

Published in 1998

Then Judas (not Iscariot) asks him why he intends to reveal himself only to them and not publicly. The disciple was hoping for a huge outward manifestation of Jesus, one that could change the course of history and that, in his view, would be more effective in saving the world. In fact, the apostles all thought Jesus was the long-awaited prophet of the last days who would reveal himself to everyone as the King of Israel, who when he came would put himself at the head of the people of God and establish the kingdom of the Lord once and for all.

Jesus explains that instead, his revelation will not take place in a spectacular and outer way. It will be a simple but extraordinary ‘coming’ of the Trinity into the heart of the faithful person, occurring wherever there is faith and love.

With this answer, Jesus states clearly how he will continue to be present in the midst of his own after his death, and he explains how it will be possible to have contact with him.

Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

He can be present in Christians and in the midst of the community right now. There is no need to wait for the future. The temple that welcomes him is not so much one of bricks and mortar, but the very heart of the Christian, which becomes the new tabernacle, the living dwelling place of the Trinity.

Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

But how can a Christian achieve this? How can we bear God within ourselves? What is the way of entering this deep communion with him? It is love for Jesus. A love that is not mere sentimentality but translated into concrete life and, specifically, into keeping his words. It is to this love of a Christian, verified by deeds, that God responds with his love: the Trinity comes to dwell within.

Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

‘… keep my word’. What are the words that the Christian is called to keep? In John’s Gospel, ‘my words’ often mean the same as ‘my commandments’. So the Christian is called to keep Jesus’ commandments. But these should not be viewed as a list of laws. Rather they should be understood as summed up in what Jesus illustrated through washing his disciples’ feet: the commandment of mutual love. God commands each Christian to love the other to the point of complete self-giving, as Jesus taught and did.

Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

So how can we live this Word of Life well? How can we reach the point in which the Father himself will love us and the Trinity will come to dwell within us? By putting into practice with all our hearts, radically and with perseverance, precisely this kind of love for one another.

It is here, mainly, that the Christian finds the way of that profound Christian asceticism demanded by Christ crucified. Indeed, it is in love for one another that the various virtues flourish in our hearts and that we can respond to the call to our personal holiness.

Chiara Lubich

This commentary on a sentence from Scripture suggests ways of putting the Gospel into practice in our daily life. It was first published in full as the Word of Life for February 1983

Read More:

Chiara Lubich, “The spirituality of unity and Trinitarian Life” in New Humanity Review, n.9.

Chiara Lubich, “The Law of Heaven,” A New Way, New City Press, 2006, pp. 48–51.

Marisa Cerini, “God who is Love”, New City Press, 1992.

As soon as the nets were let down, they became so full of fish that they began to break. Some friends came to help him and they filled their boats, too, almost to sinking point. Simon was amazed, and so were his friends, James and John. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and begged him to go away from such a sinner as he. But Jesus told him not to be afraid: from that moment he would be fishing for people. From then on, Simon, James and John became his followers.

This is the account of the miraculous catch of fish, which symbolizes the future mission of the Apostles. Peter’s handling of the situation is a model not only for the other apostles and those who come after them, but also for every Christian.

‘If you say so, I will let down the nets.’

 After an unsuccessful night, Peter, who was an expert at fishing, could have just smiled and refused Jesus’ invitation to let down the nets during the day, which was the worst time to do it. Instead he went beyond his own reasoning and trusted Jesus.

This is a typical situation that every believer is called to go through today, too, precisely because of being a believer. Faith is put to the test in a thousand ways.

Following Christ means decision, commitment and perseverance, whereas everything in the world we live in seems to invite us to take things easy, to mediocrity, to just letting things be. The task seems too big, impossible to achieve, a failure before it’s started.

So we need the strength to keep going, to resist the world around us, social pressure, friends, the media.

It’s a hard trial to face day by day, or better still, hour by hour.

But if we face up to it and welcome it, it will serve to mature us as Christians, to bring us to experience that the extraordinary words of Jesus are true, that his promises are fulfilled, that life can be a divine adventure a thousand times more attractive than anything else we could imagine, where we can witness, for instance, that while life in the world is often tough, flat and fruitless, God fills those who follow him with every good thing: he gives the hundredfold in this life as well as eternal life. This is the miraculous catch of fish repeated.

‘If you say so, I will let down the nets.’

How can we put this Word of life into practice?

By making the same choice as Peter: ‘If you say so…’ By having faith in his Word; by not questioning what he asks. On the contrary: basing our behaviour, our way of acting, our life on his Word.

By doing this we will base our existence on something solid and secure, and to our amazement we’ll see that, precisely where all human resources are lacking, he intervenes, and that where humanly it is impossible, life is born.

Chiara Lubich

Read more on this topic:

- Chiara Lubich, God’s Word to Us: Short Reflections on Living the Word, New City Press, 2012.

- Tom and Mary Hartmann, Gifts from Heaven, New City Press, 2012.

- Leahy, Brendan, “Movements and Evangelization,”

Ecclesial Movements and Communities, New City Press, 2011, pp109–118.

Just as the desert blooms only after an abundant rainfall, similarly the seeds buried in us at baptism can bud forth only if sprinkled with the word of God. Then the plant grows, giving off new shoots and shapes that become a tree or a lovely flower, all because it receives the living water of the word of God, which gives it life and preserves it for eternity.

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus’ words are addressed to all of us who are thirsty in this world: to those who are conscious of their spiritual aridity and who still suffer thirst, and to those who are not even aware of the need to drink from the fountain of true life and of the great values of humanity.

Jesus is actually extending an invitation to all men and women today, revealing where we can find the answer to our questions and the fulfillment of all our desires. It is up to us, therefore, to draw from his words, to let ourselves be imbued with his message.

How? By re-evangelizing our life, measuring it against his words, trying to think with the mind of Jesus and to love with his heart.

Every moment in which we seek to live the Gospel is like drinking a drop of that living water. Every gesture of love for our neighbor is like a sip of that water.

Yes, because that water, which is so alive and precious, has something special about it. It wells up within us each time we open our hearts to others. It’s a wellspring of God that gives water to us in the measure in which it flows out from us to quench the thirst of others through small or big acts of love.

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

We’ve understood: to avoid suffering thirst, we must give to others the living water within ourselves that we draw from him.

Very little is needed — at times a word, a smile, a simple gesture of solidarity, to give us a renewed sense of fulfillment, of profound satisfaction, a surge of joy. And if we continue to give, this fountain of peace and life will pour out water evermore abundantly and will never dry up.

Jesus revealed to us yet another secret, a kind of bottomless well from which we can draw. When two or three are united in his name, by loving one another with his very own love, he is in their midst (see Mt 18:20). And it is then that we are free, that we are one, full of light, with rivers of living water flowing from within us (see Jn 7:38). It is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise, because it is from Jesus himself, present in our midst, that thirst-quenching water wells up for eternity.

Chiara Lubich

Originally published in 2002 (New City Magazine)

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This word of life is a source of great joy and encouragement to all Christians. With this pas­sage, Jesus calls us to be consistent in living out our faith in him, because our eternal destiny depends on the attitude we have assumed toward him during our lifetime.

“Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Whoever rejects me before others I will reject before my Father in heaven.” He reminds us of the reward or the punishment that awaits us after this life because he loves us. He knows, as one Father of the Church put it, that at times fear of punish­ment is more effective than a beautiful promise.

His aim is that we may live forever with God. This is all that matters. It is the goal for which we have been called into existence. Only with him, in fact, will we reach our com­plete self-fulfilment, the full realization of all our aspirations.

If we disown him now, when we reach the next life we will find ourselves cut off from him forever. By referring to the final judgment, he emphasizes the tremendous impor­tance and seriousness of the decision we make here. Our eternity is at stake

“Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Whoever rejects me before others I will reject before my Father in heaven.” 

How can we best take advan­tage of this warning and live Jesus’ word? Let us decide to declare our­selves for him before others with simplicity and openness, overcoming our need for mere human respect. Let’s get out of a state of me­diocrity and compromise that empties our lives.

We have been called to bear witness to Christ: through us he wants to reach all people with his message of peace, justice and love.

We can bear witness to him wherever we are, whether in our family, at work, among friends, at school or in the many different cir­cumstances of our lives. We can do it first of all through our behavior, through the integrity of our lives, through our purity, through our detachment from money, through our participa­tion in the joys and sufferings of others.

We can express it through our mutual love, our unity, so that the peace and joy promised by Jesus to those united to him will fill our soul even now and overflow onto others.

Perhaps someone will ask us why we act the way we do, why we are so serene in a world that is so fraught with tension. We will then answer with humility and sincerity using those words that the Holy Spirit will suggest to us. In this way we will bear witness to Christ with our words, too, on the level of ideas. Then perhaps many of those who are searching for him will find him.

At other times we may be mis­understood, contradicted, made the object of derision, hatred and persecution. Jesus alerted us to this possibility: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (Jn. 15:20).

We are still on the right path, however, so let’s go ahead to bear witness to him with courage even in the midst of trials, even at the cost of our lives. The reward that awaits us is well worth it; it is heaven, where Jesus whom we love will declare himself for us in front of his Father for all eternity.

Chiara Lubich

Originally published in July 1984