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28 Aug 2011 | Non categorizzato
In 1940, Chiara Lubich in a letter wrote a striking passage: ‘I am a person passing through this world. I have seen many beautiful and good things and I have always been attracted only by them. One day (one indefinable day). I saw a light. It seemed to me to be more beautiful than other beautiful things, and I followed it. I realised that it was the Truth.’ Her ambitions at the time, as a recently qualified teacher, were to go to the Catholic University in Milan. Her thinking was: ’It’s Catholic, they’ll speak about God there, they’ll teach me a lot about God’. There was an entrance test which resulted in funded places for 33 candidates. Chiara came 34th. She felt she had missed a great opportunity. “Between the tears, a voice rang clearly in her troubled heart: ‘I will be your teacher!” Her understanding of study lies in the answer Jesus gave. Later, in 1980, Chiara explains further: ‘Already in ’44 Jesus had asked me to leave my studies behind and put my books in the attic (…) Thirsting for truth, I saw the absurdity of looking for it in the study of philosophy when I could find it in Jesus, the Truth Incarnate. I left my studies to follow Jesus (…) There was, in that episode, a prelude of what would come to be in time the Focolare Movement. We saw a splendid light, but this in our soul, a fruit of our life (..) Following that choice which God asked of me, the light came to us in abundance. It gave light to the spirituality that God wanted from us, it shaped day by day the Movement as it developed. We called this light ‘wisdom’. (…) We understood that wisdom was fundamentally our new way of studying, the studying of the whole Movement (…) Having left studying behind in ’43-’44, by 1950 I felt it was necessary to pick up the books again and study theology. I felt a need to base all the intuitions of that period upon a solid foundation.’ Now the Movement has many places where the culture of unity is developed for example, the ‘Abba School’, which explores the doctrine that pours out from the ‘charism of unity’, and is at the source of many initiatives permeating various fields of thought and life; the Marian University which aims to provide basic theological courses for the members of the Movement; various schools and courses based on the specific aims of the Movement; through the publishing house Citta Nuova with numerous publications in many languages, and the cultural magazine Umanita Nuova, and finally in 2008, the Sophia University Institute based in Loppiano (Incisa V. – Florence).
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27 Aug 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
“…We had to wait for the appearance of three stars in the sky, the sign that Saturday had ended. Only then could we start. The appointment was in front of a large hotel in the centre of Buenos Aires, where some of the Jewish friends who came over from the United States, Europe and Israel were staying. After three hours travelling, we arrived at the Mariapoli Lia, in deep night.
“The first day of the Jewish-Christian symposium. The participants are around eighty from various parts of the world. The atmosphere is very high, with reciprocal listening, and friendly relationships. Several of us have met in previous symposiums, especially that of Jerusalem. The chosen theme is that of identity and dialogue, two realities that enter into each other: identity is the fruit of relationship. There are very profound presentations from the philosophical, anthropological, and psychological point of view, with names that are remembered: Martin Buber, Emmanuel Lévinas, Victor Frankl, Paul Ricoeur…”
“… I realise increasingly that interreligious dialogue cannot be improvised; preparation and refineness of soul are required. It is participation in the work of mediation done by Jesus between heaven and earth, and between the divisions of human beings. So as to fill every divergence and bring unity, he became that “nothing” of love that allowed unification without there being anymore any diaphragm.
“… If night in the Argentine Pampas is silent, with stars that shine mutely, the day is full of the singing of a thousand birds. Nature seems to participate in the feast among us in this symposium. We become aware of an increase compared to the previous three: a profound knowledge, more trust, and a love which is more sincere. It seems a dream. Today, next to the usual conferences, the dialogue meetings for different ambiance: the world of Justice, of communication, of education…
“… the strong affirmation of one’s identity can generate conflict. Only the reciprocal “non-being” in front of the other, as expression of love, makes “being” the other and makes one find oneself fully in the most profound religious identity: being love. Another intense day. It seems almost superfluous to speak of dialogue amongst us, so profound is the unity achieved. When the Rabbis speak one feels the wisdom of centuries.
“… I delivered my talk: the Crucified, Icon of Extreme Love. The greatest love, Jesus said, is that when one gives one’s life for one’s friends (Jn 15, 13). Thanks to this extreme love, every person becomes his friend. He gives his life also for those who are his enemies. It is the new view required to build universal brotherhood: see all as brothers and sisters for whom one is ready to give one’s life: see a friend in every person one contacts. Chiara Lubich has translated this extreme love of Jesus with a simple and demanding expression: “make oneself one” with the other, or rather understand him deeply, enter in his world, share his sentiments. It is the preamble for every dialogue. Chiara has applied this teaching of hers in the field of interreligious dialogue, placing herself in the disposition of listening to members of different religions, so as to understand them from within their culture.
“…the symposium was concluded at the seat of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, at Buenos Aires. There were present Jewish and Christian civil and religious dignitaries. It was thus highly represented. We part feeling called in person to accomplish a work of mediation between tendencies, positions and experiences that are sometimes contrasting in between themselves. The way- we have understood in these days – is to be only a presence of love, without any pretences, or judgements, being of service, until we become that “nothingness of love” that allows us to come together.”
From the diary of Fr Fabio Ciardi (OMI)
![Living the Charism: Wisdom and Study]()
25 Aug 2011 | Non categorizzato
Schoolmates is a project conceived and implemented in 2002 by Teens for Unity, a branch of the Focolare Movement, in collaboration with Action for a United World and New Humanity, which involved hundreds of schools over the past ten year period. Its objective is to allow boys and girls of various countries to get in touch and to know each other, as the name suggests, from one part of the world to the other . The one who participates in it contributes afterwards, through various activities, to increase a solidarity fund which allows to distribute various scholarships every year. In the last 12 months 376 scholarships were given out in 25 nations. The revamp of the website www.school-mates.org aims at improving communication, participation and interaction among classes and groups which adhere to the three phases of the project. One begins by committing himself or herself to live the “Golden Rule” which invites to “ do to others what we would like them to do to us”, a rule which is present in the sacred books of many religions. The second phase allows students to get to know each other by connecting classes and groups of boys and girls of different countries through the website. The project wants to offer a possibility of knowing other cultures creating a dialogue in which the differences may be source of enrichment for one another. In this phase we find one of the novelties of the website: the possibility of managing their own space in the website, for those who will have completed all the three phases of the project. In it boys and girls will be able to introduce their classes or groups, making their own country known to others historically, geographically, culturally and sharing their experiences and witness of their commitment in living the Golden rule. If the class or the group wants to get into contact with other classes or groups, that will be made possible through a reserved area. The third phase is characterised by sharing: in fact the classes and groups which adhere to the project commit themselves to contribute to the solidarity fund in order to support, every year, some micro projects of solidarity. The objective is to allow boys and girls to be able to go to school and to complete secondary school or professional formation, by giving them scholarships. Among the novelties of the new website there is also a section dedicated to teachers, educators and tutors, in order to allow them to share materials and pedagogical experiences made in various Countries and schools of different order and grade.
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24 Aug 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Next Saturday 27th August 2011, the first meeting will be held of “Juntos por México”, (Together for Mexico), the fruit of many years of rapport woven with movements and associations. 500 leaders will be reunited representing around 8 million lay catholics in the whole country. A little history: in 2007, the assembly of the Episcopal Conference of Latin America (CELAM), reunited in Brazil, indicated an important stage for all the Latin American church, launching in the whole continent the so called “continental mission”. In answer to this challenge, in Mexico, a a start was made, by organizing the first meeting of all movements, at a national level. From the beginning, the event is seen as a festive meeting, that is at the same time, a witness to the lived Gospel, both on a personal level and in the various surroundings of society. At the end of 2009, a Central Commission was formed, currently composed of 8 movements together forming “The Episcopal Dimension for the Laity”. The group, that is the expression of over 30 of the main Mexican movements and associations, has worked actively to prepare the event with great enthusiasm and a spirit of communion. 
The subject chosen for this first edition is the family, studying in particular three large themes: Formation, Sociality, and Communication. It will be followed by an open dialogue with the aim of defining concrete actions to be undertaken together. Moments for youths and Holy Mass presided by Mons. Javier Navarro, President of the “Laity Dimension” will conclude the works. Many see in this meeting the possibility that new avenues will be opened among the movements and new associations. This is a novelty in the Mexican church, that can, without doubt, blossom into a greater protagonism of the laity in the various surroundings of society. From our correspondents in Mexico
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23 Aug 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Around one hundred persons belonging to different Jewish communities in Argentina and the Focolare Movement, met, on the 15th August, to celebrate the XV Day of Peace, as is done every year in this month, at Mariapolis Lia, the little town of the Focolare in Argentina, situated 250 kms from Buenos Aires, deep in the Pampas. The initiative has the aim of strengthening the reciprocal commitment for Jewish–Christian dialogue in this country. Every year they share reflections, and most of all experiences, as well as the most awaited moment of all – meeting around the olive tree brought from Israel and planted in the citadel around 15 years ago. This tree has become the symbol of the friendship and commitment to building peace together, Jews and Christians. In a brief summary of the path followed in these years, the thrust given by Chiara Lubich was recalled when she spoke in 1998 at the seat of the International Jewish Institute B’nai B’rith. On that occasion Chiara underlined the common points existing in the spirituality of the Focolari and in the Jewish tradition. 
Concurrently, around 180 youths participated in three round tables about tolerance, peace and freedom, and subsequently communicated to all the participants the conclusions and the commitments that were undertaken. Many messages of adherence were received for the occasion, amongst which that of encouragement and applause for the initiative from the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who highlighted the work of the focolari in interreligious dialogue in all the world. This edition of the Day for Peace was characterised by its internationality, by the presence of the participants of the IV Jewish–Christian symposium, programmed for the 22nd-25th August, also at Cittadella Lia. In fact, participants were present from Israel, Switzerland, Italy, United States, Messico, Perù,Uruguay, apart from those who came from different cities in Argentina.
