Oct 11, 2012 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare Movement welcomes the invitation launched by Pope Benedict XVI at the solemn celebration that opened the Year of faith and that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council: make the beauty of the faith shine out in our time with that same “emotional tension” of the Council Fathers. Church-communion, application of the Gospel in daily life, dialogues, communion between laity and priests, the role of women and the importance of society are some of the principles developed by Vatican II, already in some way present in the life of the Focolare Movement from its inception. “The challenges that remain open – affirms Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement – are the ones to implement what the Council wanted to point out and to propagate more the knowledge of the contents and the novelties present in the council documents. … The maturity of the laity should contribute significantly … to the precious work of handing over the principles of Vatican II to the believing community.” Maria Voce is participating as an auditor in the session of the Synod of Bishops on “The new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith.” “Humanity – affirms Maria Voce – needs to encounter God through love of neighbour. This is the way to evangelize perceived by Chiara Lubich and appropriated by the members of the Focolare: a commitment lived out daily, alongside people, intended to fulfil always and everywhere Jesus’ prayer to the Father, ‘That all may be one,’ to make humanity one family, even now.”
Oct 11, 2012 | Senza categoria
A celebration full of “signs that evoke the Council,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella and president of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, as he described some of the moments of the opening ceremonies of the Synod and the Year of Faith, which was presided over by the Pope and held in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday, 11 October 2012.
The first of these moments was the reading of excerpts from the four Conciliar documents, texts which marked the work of the Council and the renewal of the life of the Church. This was followed by a long procession which brought many people’s memories back to 12 October 1962. Thursday’s procession included all the Synod Fathers, including fourteen of the seventy still living Council Fathers who were able to attend in spite of their advanced ages.
As at the Council Paul VI gave delivered messages to the People of God, those same Counciliar messages were delivered by Pope Benedict XVI to personalities from around the world: to governors; to men and women of science and thought; to artists; to women; to workers; to the poor, the sick and suffering; to catechists and young people. Among the latter were also two youths from the Focolare Movement: Chiara Azwaka (Congo) and Ivan Luna (Philippines).
There will be 262 people attending the Synod (the highest number in the history of such assemblies), 103 Synod Fathers come from Europe; 63 from the Americas; 50 from Africa; 39 from Asia and 7 from Oceania.
Significantly, 45 experts and 49 auditors will also participate in the work: lay men and women who bring their life experience, and many other specialists and people actively involved in the New Evangelization on all five continents. Among the auditors are: Maria voce (Focolare Movement), Salvatore Martinez (Renewal in the Spirit), Chiara Amirante (New Horizons), Franco Miano (Catholic Action), Marco Impagliazzo (San Egidio), Enzo Bianchi (Bose).
Cardinal Rylko underscored the importance of the Ecclesial Movements as means for the New Evangelization during his speech on 8 October 2012.
Also significant were the fraternal delegates of other Churches and ecclesial communities, and the noteworthy ecumenical contribution offered by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Rowan Williams who gave an address on 10 October 2012 illustrating the Synodal theme from an Anglican point of view. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholemew I also attended.
There are three special guests: Brother Alois, Prior of Taize, with an experience of the Evangelization of the young in an ecumenical setting; Reverend Lamar Vest from the United States, and president of the American Bible Society; and Werner Arber, Nobel Prize winner for Medicine in 1978, who is a Protestant, Professor of Microbiology in Biozentrum from the Swiss University of Basilea and president of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, who will offer a few reflections on the relationship between faith and science on 12 October 2012.
Among the usual languages being used by the various speakers, there is one who will speak in Arabic. This decision is linked to the Pope’s recent visit to Lebanon and the publication of the post-Synod Exhortation “Ecclesia in Medio Oriente”.
On the same day, the official opening of the Synod and of the Year of Faith was remembered around the world.
Oct 11, 2012 | Non categorizzato
Faith is a fire, the more it grows the more it instructs souls. Those who keep it to themselves risk suffocating it, since it will then lack the oxygen of charity, a virtue that is expansive and not egocentric. We have not done all that needs to be done when we have found faith for ourselves; that is the start of the debt to give it to others. Religion is born in the conscience; but it does not die there. It is born, and it expands beyond the person. Closing it in ourselves, as in a strongbox, means constricting the immensity of God and of love. It is to commit an act of deformation and restriction. What follows is stunted worship, limited to our own measure, jealous of the worship that can be seen in others: a sectarian attempt to kidnap divinity for our personal use. We substitute Jesus who is ours for Jesus who is mine; brotherhood is vivisectioned. We become uncatholic, without realizing it, adopting in practice the principle of everyone for himself and me first, and the solidarity of the Mystical Body disintegrates. Just as if in the human body, a cell or an organ functioned for itself alone, unconnected to others.
But – and here lies the strength of our true personality – the person does not live for self. Indeed the person lives the least possible for self and progresses spiritually if living a continuous renunciation of self, because in serving others God is served and in this the self is served. According to the paradox of Christ, those who take most care of themselves, take least care of themselves. The greedy die of fear and starvation. It easier to be saved though others, because the salvation which comes from God abides by the rule of human works, that is, of service to our neighbours, in whom the law of love takes effect, linked as our neighbours are to God not only by faith but also by love which translates into acts. It is a faith demonstrated by facts by which we stand before God not only in a one-to-one relationship, but accompanied by our brothers and sisters, just as every child before its father, with the debt of solidarity.
An urge to reach above conducts this debt to God; an urge to breadth conducts it to humanity. The two urges are not independent of one another, but linked, like the two axes of the cross, which meet in the heart of Christ. The more the one ascends, the more the other is spread wide. The more we love God, the more we seek out other human beings, in each of whom blazes God’s image.
Extract from Igino Giordani, Segno di Contraddizione, 1933 (Città Nuova, Rome, 1964, pp.272-4 and p.321)
www.iginogiordani.info
Oct 11, 2012 | Non categorizzato
«We know that God-Love is a truth of our faith, and a very timely reality. In our world today, God seems to be far off and people even reach the point of speaking of the death of God. What could be healthier and more awaited by this humanity around us – including the one that calls itself “Christian,” but isn’t completely so – than to open her up, with the help of the Spirit, to this revelation: God is close to everyone with His love, and He ardently loves each one of us? What could be more important than to tell this humanity that every circumstance speaks of this love? To make them understand that we should feel enveloped by this love, even when everything would make us think otherwise? To announce to them that nothing escapes Him, who counts even the hairs of our head? … Our world needs this announcement: that God is Love, that God loves you, God loves you immensely! Thousands of people have done it by now, they have announced it, they’ve said it in the train, at school, at home, in the stores; whenever they had the opportunity they said: “Look, remember that God loves you.” The effects were extraordinary, the people got a shock, precisely like when the apostles proclaimed: “Christ is risen.” “What? Risen?” Tell these people, say it with conviction: “God is Love and God loves you immensely!” This will start a revolution.» Chiara Lubich, “Dio Amore”, Ed. Città Nuova, Roma, 2011, pagg. 86-87. Chiara Lubich, “Dio Amore”, Ed. Città Nuova, Roma, 2000, pag. 87-88.
Oct 11, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
Leyland is a charming city of Lancanshire, near Preston (UK), which grew quickly after 1950 because of the expansion of the automobile industry and others. Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and other Christians have lived together in this area for more than three hundred years. “In the 1980’s,” John recounts, “some people from St. Mary’s parish attended a Mariapolis and were so well impressed by it that, afterwards, they invited more parishioners to attend. In order to pay for the registration fee they sold sandwiches after Mass! Some people were curious and offered their talents organizing celebrations, music nights, quiz games, and theatrical performances that all helped to gather funds, but also brought the people of the parish together. And so each year the number of people attending the Mariapolis increased and when they returned to the parish they tried to live the spirit of unity that they had experienced at the Mariapolis, in the parish.” 
Leslie continues: “Evangelization is not a theory, but a way of life that engages everyone: those who go to church regularly, those who go seldom and also those who are not interested in religion at all. Each person is appreciated for who he or she is and is involved in this joint venture like Julie who does not talk and finds it hard to move around. She helps with the cleaning at the parish and offers hope and encouragement to the people who work with her. Julie, who found the faith a few years ago, is truly a symbol of what is happening here: welcoming everyone, welcoming the poor and needy, caring for the sick, the elderly – all in a spirit of joy. The Church is open to everyone. It once hosted a Hindu funeral, because the family could find no other place to have it. Many of their family and friends attended, and they were all very struck by the welcome they found.” “This year, there were two hundred Confirmation candidates,” John explains, “and preparations for the Sacraments required a huge amount of work, but the unity among the animators allowed us to overcome all the obstacles. As a service to the local population we have special ceremonies for pre-school children in wheelchairs and for those who take care of them. In this way we meet many people who do not attend church. We join with the St. Vincent de Paul Society in caring for the elderly, the sick and the lonely, visiting them and bringing them material assistance that is often the fruit of the communion among nearby parishes. Recently the Newman Fund was instituted, sponsored by our parish with the goal of helping people in need. This help covers the cost of school transport for some of the children who live in this area. It also administers the communion of goods and the distribution of furniture and clothing to families in need.” John continues, “The pastoral council is attentive to the local population and supports people’s participation and the communion among all, with the help of many volunteer animators. They also collaborate with ten other churches nearby. The ecumenical group that began spontaneously is very active. When the wife of a lay Methodist preacher died, the first one to call on him was our parish priest. Many of us Catholics attended the funeral in the Methodist church. These kinds of relationships are the order of the day now.” “On the exterior of our church,” John concludes, “there is a Latin phrase that says: ‘Where charity and love are, God is there’. It’s quite a programme! Indeed we would like our parish to be a spark of light for the world around us.”
The Focolare Movement welcomes the invitation launched by Pope Benedict XVI at the solemn celebration that opened the Year of faith and that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council: make the beauty of the faith shine out in our time with that same “emotional tension” of the Council Fathers. Church-communion, application of the Gospel in daily life, dialogues, communion between laity and priests, the role of women and the importance of society are some of the principles developed by Vatican II, already in some way present in the life of the Focolare Movement from its inception. “The challenges that remain open – affirms Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement – are the ones to implement what the Council wanted to point out and to propagate more the knowledge of the contents and the novelties present in the council documents. … The maturity of the laity should contribute significantly … to the precious work of handing over the principles of Vatican II to the believing community.” Maria Voce is participating as an auditor in the session of the Synod of Bishops on “The new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith.” “Humanity – affirms Maria Voce – needs to encounter God through love of neighbour. This is the way to evangelize perceived by Chiara Lubich and appropriated by the members of the Focolare: a commitment lived out daily, alongside people, intended to fulfil always and everywhere Jesus’ prayer to the Father, ‘That all may be one,’ to make humanity one family, even now.”
