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Word of Life – August 2017

Jul 28, 2017 | Non categorizzato, Word of

This psalm is a hymn of glory that celebrates the kingly nature of the Lord who governs the whole of history. He is eternal and majestic, yet he expresses himself in justice and goodness, more like the closeness of a father than the power of ruler. God is the focus of this hymn, which reveals his tenderness, superabundant like a mother’s. He is merciful, compassionate, slow to anger, great in love, good to all … The goodness of God was shown to the people of Israel, but it extends over all that his hands have made, over each person and all of creation. At the end of the psalm, the author invites all living beings to make this hymn their own, thus adding a harmonious chorus of voices to his own proclamation: “The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.” God himself entrusted creation to the hands of men and women, as if it were like an open book in which his goodness is written. We are called to cooperate with the Creator’s work, adding pages that speak of justice and peace, acting according to his plan of love. Unfortunately, however, what we actually see around us are the many wounds inflicted upon people, often the defenseless, and upon the natural environment. This happens because of many people’s indifference, and the selfishness and greed of those who exploit the great wealth of the environment purely for their own ends and at the expense of the common good. In recent years, the Christian community has developed a new awareness and sensitivity in its respect for creation. In this context, we can recall the many appeals of church leaders encouraging us to rediscover nature as the mirror of divine goodness and the heritage of all humankind. In his message for the Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Environment, on September 1 last year, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople said: “We need to have constant vigilance, information and education in order to understand clearly the relationship between today’s ecological crisis and our human passions … which result in and lead to the current crisis that we face. “Therefore, the only way out of this impasse is our return to the original beauty … of frugality and asceticism, which can guide us toward a more careful management of the natural environment. “In fact, the voracious need to satisfy our material needs assuredly causes spiritual poverty, which in turn culminates in the destruction of the environment.” And in his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis wrote: “Care for nature is part of a lifestyle which includes the capacity for living together and communion. Jesus reminded us that we have God as our common Father and that this makes us brothers and sisters. “Fraternal love can only be gratuitous … This same gratuitousness inspires us to love and accept the wind, the sun and the clouds, even though we cannot control them … We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it” (228–9). Let’s take advantage of time we have off work, or all our our chances during the day, to lift our gaze to the depths of the sky, the majesty of the mountaintops and the vastness of the oceans, or even just to see a tiny blade of grass sprouting by the roadside. This will help us to recognize the Creator’s greatness, the one who is “lover of life,” and to find hope again in his infinite goodness, which surrounds all things and accompanies them. Let’s choose a modest style of life for ourselves and for our families, a lifestyle that respects the demands of the environment and is in keeping with the needs of others. Let’s share the goods of the earth and of our work with the poorest of our brothers and sisters. And let’s give witness to the fullness of life and joy by becoming bearers of tenderness, kindness and reconciliation to the world around us. Letizia Magri Each month the Focolare offers a Scripture passage as a guide and inspiration for daily living. Focolare’s founder, Chiara Lubich (1920–2008), wrote these commentaries for many years. Now an international commission continues this tradition, faithful to her spirituality of unity. Letizia Magri, an expert in marriage and family from the John Paul II Institute in Rome, is head of this commission and part of the Focolare’s center for the family. This Word of Life is translated into 96 different languages and reaches several million people worldwide through the media. This monthly leaflet is also a supplement to Living City, the Focolare magazine (livingcitymagazine.com). For information and to subscribe to this leaflet or to the magazine, write to: Living City, 202 Comforter Blvd, Hyde Park, NY 12538; tel: 845-229-0496; e-mail: livingcity@livingcitymagazine.com. Visit focolare.org (international) or focolare.us (U.S.). © 2017 by Living City of the Focolare Movement, Inc.   Read more Coda, Piero (2015) “God and Creation: Trinity and Creation out of Nothing,” Claritas: Journal of Dialogue and Culture: Vol. 4 : No. 1 , Article 3. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/claritas/vol4/iss1/3 Masters, Thomas and Amy Uelman, “Perspectives on money and material goods,” Focolare. New City Press: Hyde Park, New York, 2011, pp. 146-148. Rondinara, Sergio (2014) “The “Book of Nature”: Connecting Science and Wisdom,” Claritas: Journal of Dialogue and Culture: Vol. 3 : No. 1 , Article 5. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/claritas/vol3/iss1/5

In the wake of Gen Verde

In the wake of Gen Verde

Jul 28, 2017 | Focolare Worldwide

Gen-Verde-PalermoWhen the international group Gen Verde passed through the city and school where Tiziana teaches, there were positive effects in her relationships with students. In particular, when she heard at the end of the course that one of them had declared themselves an atheist, she decided to write to him. The student’s response was unexpected. “Dear Luca, at this point we are at the end of your school journey. I wanted to write you a note because I didn’t get the chance to chat. So I’m doing so for no particular reason, only because I like having exchanges like this. I would have also liked to ask you about your atheism, as (Italian comic) Checco Zalone would say, but didn’t get the time. I’m convinced that there are no real atheists, only different sorts of believers. The longing for the infinite that consumes our souls is too strong. In my life, I made a fundamental discovery that changed me radically: that God loves me, and each of us, like crazy. Perhaps I would have also been an atheist if I had not gotten to know this God. Love touches all of us, and we madly thirst for it. If you, like me, believe in love, both of us are believers in a way. If your atheism brings you to not believe in a cruel, judging, cold, indifferent prime mover, grand architect, supreme being etc., etc. – then I too am an atheist with you! I can only believe in a God who was flesh and bones, who out of love was born, became man, died and rose. “Bye Luca, I just wanted to say thank you for these past years that we spent together!” 2017-07-28“Dear Prof, it gives me the greatest pleasure to know that even beyond the school environment you still wanted to stay in touch (not that I didn’t already know, but this confirmed it). I too would have liked to discuss with you a number of wider topics, from politics to religion. I have always admired your availability and open mindedness, your ability to dialogue, listen, understand and take in others’ opinions, even if they were completely different from your own. I have always considered your perspective very important. Among other things, you taught me that changing my point of view is fundamental to understanding others, and above all ourselves. This year, together with some schoolmates of mine, I attended PULSE, the May 1 celebration at the little city of Loppiano. During our stay, we were hosted by the Sophia University Institute, where young people from all over the world continue their studies after having graduated. It was there that, for me, I experienced firsthand what equality and fraternity mean. This was thanks to the way we were generously welcomed by the institute’s students and teachers, who treated us as if we had known each other for a lifetime. What struck me most happened during the evening of the second day, when we ate together with our hosts. They had prepared the meal with passion, just for us, using everything they had in the kitchen. In that moment, despite being more than 1,000km from my city, I felt at home. I found myself at table talking about this and that with two from Lebanon and others from Germany, Cuba, Argentina, Colombia, and Bologna, sharing a plate of meat, spinach, potatoes and onions. After that we stayed up late talking about our experiences, plans, playing guitar, singing songs and sourcing a bit of wine from the German black forest. In that moment PULSE, at least for me, had achieved its goal. Thanks Prof, till next time!”