30 Jul 2011 | Non categorizzato
True happiness, that can be seen on people’s faces, in their eyes, in their actions. It takes root in the depths of a person and unleashes buried energies that can no longer be still. It’s a contagious and liberating joy that helps us to see the events of life correctly. It was the same story for everyone in the early days of the Movement, everyone who drew close to the Movement followed this same track. It’s what happened to Graziella De Luca in Massaia Hall, in Trent, where the newly-born Focolare community would meet. “As Chiara spoke, with the eyes of my soul I could see a very great light and I realized that this light was God, endless Love. The understanding was simultaneous to the light. Saying “I realized” implies a lapse of time. It was an immediate understanding. It was God, infinite Love, satisfying my soul, there was no emptiness left inside me. It was what I had always been searching for.” The experience of being loved by God and responding with love is the common plot of every story that is shared in environments where the Focolare is at work. Whether in small sharing groups or in the large public gatherings promoted by the Movement, it is a thrust toward universal brotherhood that begins in the place where you live in the present moment: in the family, at school, at work, even on a hospital bed. It’s this natural personal and communitarian spreading that leads to a deep inculturating of the Gospel and of the charism of unity in every continent and country. Stressing how our age is called to live unity, Chiara Lubich wrote: «(. . .) if it is lived, its reflections on society will quickly become obvious. And one of these will be mutual esteem between States, between peoples. This is somewhat unusual. We have become strongly accustomed to seeing the boundaries between peoples, fearing the other’s power, unless to join powers for our own benefit. But we think it difficult to act – since popular morality has never reached this point – only out of love for another people. But when the life of the Mystical Body is so developed among individuals who actually love their neighbours – black or white, red or yellow – as themselves, it will be easy to transplant this law to between States. And we’ll witness a new phenomenon, for love either finds or makes us similar, and nations will learn from what is better in the other and each people’s virtues will be put into motion for the enrichment of all. Then there will truly be unity and variety and a new people will blossom in our world which, though child of this earth will be formed by heavenly laws, and be called “People of God”».
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28 Jul 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Like all focolarine, Lina Velasquez lives in a focolare, the heart of the wider community. She lives with five others on the outskirts of Guatemala City. In her country too, people and ethnic groups have met serious conflict with much suffering, pain and, at times, discrimination. How is it living with other focolarine – a Guatemalteca ladina, which is another ethnic group, a Nicaraguan, a Mexican and a Salvadoran – a world in miniature. . . ? What helps inculturation among you? The love among us, with the measure that Jesus asks of us, that is, being to be ready to give our lives for each other, even in small everyday things. At times, out of love, it’s better to stay silent, at times it’s better to say what’s in our hearts. It helps me a lot to understand that the other person is different from me and so there is something for me to learn from everyone. I can be a person, someone who loves, not an “indigena” who wants everyone else to understand her. The inculturation among us is a witness to those who know us and a contribution to the elimination of discrimination. I feel fortunate to have a calling that unites us and that is mutually enriching. What work do you do? I’m a teacher at a school for “ladino” and indigenous children. This helps me to love everyone without distinctions, without prejudice, without the fear of being who I am. Each morning we toss the dice of love. It’s a very original toy that we use with the children: each side of the dice has a sentence, like: “Love everyone”, “Love your enemy”, “Love each other” , “Make yourself one”, “Be the first to love” “See Jesus in your neighbour”. We all try to live the sentence that comes up each day. It also helps me, because when I don’t take part, the children ask me: “Why do you say we have to do it, but you don’t live it?” One morning, we tossed the dice and the sentence that came up was: “Love your enemy”. Precisely on that day, the father of one of the students reprimanded me saying things that simply weren’t true. As I listened to him, I asked Jesus to help me forgive him and to see this “enemy” with new eyes, even if it cost me some effort to do so. The next morning that father came up to me and I greeted him with a nice smile. He was so surprised and he came closer to me and said: “Truly, I am heartily sorry and I ask you to forgive me. Today I realized that you are a real Christian person, and capable of understanding me.” From then on his attitude changed. Some of the parents don’t know me, especially when I’m wearing my traditional dress and, mistaking me for the cleaning lady, they don’t allow the children to greet me and embrace me. But the children are learning to love, even me, and they take this discovery home with them. It’s a freedom which I wish all indigenous people could experience, those who don’t wear their native dress and try to hide their origins. I’m glad to be working in this school, because I feel that I’m helping to form new people, that I’m able to love without prejudice, because they feel that they are children of God, and that each culture has great richness to offer to others. Your language is Kaqchikel. Is it still spoken today? My parents didn’t speak Kaqchikel, but my grandparents did, because they had never learned Spanish. The majority of the people in my community speak it among themselves, but never in the city because they are ashamed. Now with the Education reforms in Guatemala, the young people have begun to appreciate the language and also the precious indigenous culture. I’m doing my Master Degree on it, so that I can know it well and help my people to understand that the values I live can be a gift. I’ve realized that the spirituality of unity must reach my people in my language, so that they can understand it better.
SSA
28 Jul 2011 | Non categorizzato
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28 Jul 2011 | Non categorizzato
Video in Italian (2 minutes, 30 seconds) « The proposal of dialogue goes far beyond simple tolerance, which can also be considered an achievement and is always a value at risk in our society. If two centuries ago Lord Stanhope could say that tolerance, which was once invoked as a grace and then acquired as a right, “would be rejected one day as an insult,” it was because he foresaw that one day – we hope today – people would become sensitive to higher values, like dialogue, that is, not only tolerating the other person, but profoundly respecting him or her, being open to different ideas, building a relationship among true brothers and sisters. What do you think of this reflection? » Piero Taiti asks Chiara. I’m sure that dialogue goes far beyond tolerance, even though I wouldn’t totally disregard tolerance because it would be a first step in some cases, at least people wouldn’t be fighting one another. Dialogue, however, is a completely different thing, it’s mutual enrichment, it’s loving one another, it’s feeling that we are already brothers and sisters, it’s creating universal brotherhood on earth, so it’s completely different. Of course, dialogue is true if it is animated by true love. Now, love is true if it is not selfish; otherwise, it’s not love. What kind of love would it be? It would be egoism. In fact, you’ve asked me a number of questions in which you speak of a love that might nurture personal interests, even in dialogue. Such a dialogue would not be built on love, so it wouldn’t even be dialogue, it would be something else. Proselytism. Proselytism must stay outside of this door, it can’t be admitted, otherwise, there isn’t dialogue. Dialogue means loving, giving what we have within out of love for the other, and also receiving and enriching ourselves. This is dialogue: becoming “world men and women,” as our gen say, people who are open to everyone and who give what they have to everyone. I remember that when we first began to live this way of life, we followed the path of loving, and we were really convinced that love is not selfish. You must not love in order to win over another person, or to form a little group for yourself. You must not love in order to have an impact, let’s say, in the office or at school. No, you must love simply in order to love. Our motives were supernatural because of our Christian convictions. Here, we can speak of building a brotherhood, this value of universal brotherhood, but never in order to conquer others. And this is why very many people followed us – because they felt free and they saw the beauty of this way of life. Likewise, we’ll have many contacts with people of other convictions, if we love in this way. Chiara Lubich at the Meeting with Friends of Other Convictions Castel Gandolfo, February 8, 1998
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26 Jul 2011 | Non categorizzato
Preparations are underway in diocese around the world, preparing young people for their meeting with the Pope. In the backpack that each young person who has registered for WYD will receive, there will also be YouCat, the aid to the Catechism of the Catholic Church made especially for youth with its question and answer format. Just recently Città Nuova Ppublishing House, which edited the Italian edition of YouCat, has released an application that can be downloaded to the latest mobile phones. It is an “app”, that is, an “application” called YouCat, which enables teens to discuss the issues contained in the Catechism and the WYD. What is it exactly? Debora Donnini asks Giulio Meazzini who works for Città Nuova and dealt with the application of YouCat for mobile phones: 
“Città Nuova decided it wanted to give a gift to the youths who will go to Madrid by offering them, gratis, the chance to download this app to phones that have the Apple operating system, Windows Mobile or Android; that is, the vast majority of the latest mobile phones. The functions that are available include a social network like Facebook with a “wall”, a wall for messages where you can share comments, create your own profile, exchange messages and text messages between users as well as create a list of friends, also “famous friends”. We, for example, put in Maritain, Blessed John Paul II, St Francis, Cardinal Van Thuan etc. So every couple of days, via this application, you can receive quotations from these well-known people. In addition, specifically with regard to WYD, through this app, you have the opportunity to receive news updates directly to your phone in different languages regarding the World Youth Day, a daily update on all the events that happen during WYD and also the possibility join a kind of “community” of those participating in the WYD, with information and comments …”. 
This responds to what Benedict XVI himself wrote in the premise to YouCat. In fact, the Pope invited youths not only to study the catechism, but also to read it among friends and to form study groups and networks. So was this meant to be your answer to this invitation from the Pope? This is precisely what we were thinking. In fact the other feature that’s available with this app, the most important perhaps, is the ability to have available on the phone, twenty per cent of the questions and answers from YouCat. It’s a way of making the message immediately available. The intent is to enable young people to discuss the content of the catechism through the phone. . . “Exactly. Just as they are accustomed to talk and share information on social networks, in this way they’ll be able to share impressions, questions – also the questions and answers and topics in YouCat. A site will soon be opening on internet – www.cittanuova.it – where more information will be provided about WYD and YouCat. I also don’t want to forget to mention the international site that all the European editors are putting up in different languages, regarding YouCat. I would add that other editors have asked us to publish questions and answers not only in Italian but also in other languages, and so there will probably soon be English and French.”
