(…) Looking back today, we can understand what we can learn from December 7th, the day the Movement began decades ago. It affirms that a charism of the Holy Spirit, a new light, came down on earth during those days, a light which, in the mind of God, was destined to quench the burning thirst of this world with the water of wisdom, to warm it with divine love and thus give life to a new people nourished by the Gospel. This is what it tells us, above all.

And because God acts concretely, he immediately provided the first brick for the building that would serve his purposes, the building that is our Movement. He decided to call me, a girl like many others, and this led to my consecration to him, my “yes” to God, soon followed by the “yes” of many other young women and men.

That day speaks of light, then, and of the total gift of ourselves to God, so as to be instruments in his hands to achieve his goals.

“Light” and “giving oneself to God” are two realities that were extremely useful at that time when there was general confusion, reciprocal hatred, war. It was a time of darkness, when God seemed to be absent from the world, absent with his love, his peace, his joy, his guidance. It was a time when no one seemed interested in him.

“Light” and “giving oneself to God” are two realities that heaven wants to repeat to us today, too, when many wars continue to rage on our planet. (…)

“Light” means the Word, the Gospel, which is still too little known and, above all, too little lived. (…)

Chiara Lubich
(Conversazioni, Città Nuova, Roma 2019, p. 665)
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