Jul 15, 2019 | Non categorizzato
From the special pact that Chiara Lubich and Igino Giordani made on 16th July 1949 emerged a new kind of mystical experience, one open to humanity and able to transform the history of communities and peoples. —- All these pages are worth nothing if the soul who reads them does not love, is not in God. They have value if it is God who reads them in that soul. Now what I want to leave to whoever will follow my Ideal is this certainty: all you need is the Holy Spirit (and faithfulness to the one who began it) to carry on the Work. … As an aid, then, I can leave what I have written – but it has value only if it is taken as “an aid.” Even Jesus, although he was God and had everything in himself, did not come to destroy and begin all over again, but to complete. In this way, whoever comes after me will be able to complete what I have done. I do not want to love those who follow on after me less than myself, and therefore I want them to have the Holy Spirit welling up in them just as God gave him to me. They will not have him directly; they will have him through an intermediary person but they will have him, living, from the living lips of the one who will convey him by living what he is teaching through me. Thus it is good to remove decisively any concern other than that of doing the divine will made manifest moment by moment, but without suggesting anything to God. (Chiara Lubich, Paradise ’49) What are “these pages” that Chiara Lubich was referring to? They are contained in a text known as Paradise ’49, written by Chiara 70 years ago, in the summer of 1949. They were written under the influence of a spiritual light that then continued for many more months. In the part quoted here, Chiara was addressing herself to those who, in our day, do not want merely to remember what happened then, but to graft ourselves on to the mystical experience that she and some members of the Focolare community had at its beginnings. The beautiful words, meaningful metaphors and breadth of concepts expressed in those pages can indulge a reader’s aesthetic sense, and help him or her to savour the religious atmosphere that was breathed at the time, but that is all. Only those who love are able to enter within the deep meaning of the mysticism of Paradise ’49. This meaning arises from the understanding of human reality and of all beings directly inspired by the contemplation of God and in God. The fruits of this experience are visible to all: the broad vision of the spirituality of communion, the doctrine arising from the charism of unity, the mission of the Focolare Movement and the actions and works that have sprung from its social engagement. It is not by chance that the path into this mystical experience was opened by a special spiritual pact that Chiara made with Igino Giordani. He was married and a father, a member of parliament and a well-known author. Mysticism is not usually within the reach of those who are immersed in daily challenges of family, work, unavoidable commitments and complex challenges. The fact that Paradise ‘49 opened up through the unity between Chiara and Igino means that Chiara Lubich’s spirituality is not reserved to, nor is it dedicated to those who live in some kind of special religious state. It is for all humanity and is called to sustain the march towards unity of all people, men and women, communities and groups, peoples and nations, in all circumstances and conditions. Today, Chiara asks us to continue her work.
Alberto Lo Presti
Jul 12, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Seventy young people gathered in the U.S. for one of the international events that is part of United World Week 2019. It was the first of the six “Pathways for a United World” launched by the Focolare’s young people, focused on work and economy, and also opened up the next one on peace, law and justice. 
They are leaves from the same tree, threads of the same fabric. They are different, yet linked to the same dream of fraternity, and united by the same commitment to achieve it. And the more than 70 young people from the U.S. Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, Italy, Brazil, Lebanon and the Czech Republic certainly experienced it when they came together June 9–16 just north of New York City at Mariapolis Luminosa, the Focolare’s international centre for North America. We asked Chris Piazza, a young American who was there, to tell us about this event, which was just one of those scheduled internationally for United World Week 2019. What was the main theme of the meeting? Last year, at Genfest 2018 in Manila, Philippines, the Youth for a United World (Y4UW) launched “Pathways for a United World”, which are six themes to go deeper into and live over six years. The first, which includes the topics of economy, work and communion, was at the core of the event at Mariapolis Luminosa. How did you take it on and develop it? We had a number of workshops to go deeper into topics such as finance, leadership and resource poverty, and in small groups we reflected on how to live and spread a culture that is based on giving and sharing. We also participated in an exercise on consumer awareness called “Into the Label.” The final day was titled “Live to give until no one is in need,” which sums up what we lived. 
Also present were a number of entrepreneurs from the Economy of Communion, a new economic model that promotes fraternity in all aspects of business. Two of them, from competing firms, spoke about how they tried to not compromise their personal relationship despite the cutthroat competition at work. “Hands 4 Humanity” was another of the week’s events – visiting a nursing home. Then there were conservation activities promoting recycling, and an art exhibit called “Fabric of fraternity,” which was a journey towards how to form a symbolic fabric that leads to universal brotherhood. One day you were in New York City – what did you do? That day was dedicated to the climate crisis. Together with Lorna Gold, author of the book Climate Generation, and other environmental activists, we discussed how to fight climate injustice. Each person wrote their related hopes or contributions on a leaf and placed it on a design of a huge tree trunk. Our commitments became a great tree – an individual and collective call to action. “This event helped me realise that a united world is not only possible, but it’s already becoming a reality!” said Mary Bisada of Toronto, Canada. “Even though this pathway may be ending, our mission does not end here.” Treasuring the commitments taken and putting them into practice, we have now opened up, with all the young people of the Focolare, the second “Pathway for a United World,” which focuses on peace, human rights, justice and a lawful culture.
Stefania Tanesini
Jul 7, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The logic of Jesus and the Gospel is always to receive so as to give. Never accumulate for oneself. It is also an invitation to all of us to recognise what we have received: energy, talents, abilities, material goods and to use them for the good of others. The registration fee I am in charge of a hostel for students in a village in the Punjab. On the day for registering for the final exams two brothers came to tell me that they did not have the money to register. Unfortunately I did not have the means to help them. But I was not at peace thinking about these boys. Two days later having made a few savings, without their knowledge, I sent the respective applications for registration to the office of the superintendent. On that very same day I was offered a big farming job using my tractor. (M.A. – Pakistan) The extra change I don’t often check the change at the cash desk because I am always in a hurry. However one night I was already on my way home when I did a check. There was not much change left over but I thought the cashier might have problems if, at the end of the day, the figures did not tally. So I went back to return what was not mine. (Annalisa – Switzerland) All that I have I am elderly and live alone. I don’t manage to get to the end of the month with my small pension but God’s providence makes sure I don’t lack the essentials. One day I had to go for a check up at the hospital and I had only 2 euro in my pocket for the bus ticket. A poor man was begging and so I gave him the 2 euro. I am known around the area so maybe someone will give me a lift. After only a few steps I met someone I knew very well: without my saying anything he took out his wallet and offer me 50 euros. (Tonino – Italy) Picnic We went on a walk out of town with our four daughters. We played, ate lunch, sang songs all with great joy. Towards the evening we went home tired but happy. At the front door however we could not find the keys. Who had the keys? Who had locked the door? My wife and I began to argue when our second child said: ‘Why are you arguing? Didn’t Jesus tell us to love one another?’ At these words our attitudes changed . Immediately afterwards we found the keys in the picnic basket. (T.V. – Madagascar)
Edited by Chiara Favotti
Jun 24, 2019 | Non categorizzato
A report on a journey with Egilde Verì who came back to Syria after 14 years and after a terrible conflict. We travel to Damascus with her to meet and hear from the Focolare community there. https://vimeo.com/343238285
Jun 5, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Learning to act as a “locomotive” within a group and when organising projects is vital at a time when a sense of authority is faltering, social media is dictating the law and politics seems to be in crisis everywhere. This has happened through initiatives of the Movement for Unity in Politics, NetOne, New Humanity, Sophia, Amu, New Families, Youth for Unity and others. At the beginning of the third millennium “leadership” has become a key word. Sometimes the term is misused and we no longer know what it means in practice. There are various reasons for this including the phenomenon of globalization and the digital revolution; another is the parallel crisis in traditional models of governance both on a small scale (parishes, associations, neighbourhoods …) and on a much larger scale (businesses, governments, administrations …). And this is happening almost everywhere. Many of the Focolare’s cultural bodies and agencies are interested in this topic, obviously looking at the problem from different perspectives and initiating processes that result in a synergy of disciplines. One example is the Co-governance Congress that took place last January in Castelgandolfo, organized by New Humanity, Unity in Politics and other cultural agencies in the Movement. Its content is still making an impact in various parts of the world. The congress did not propose a model so much as a style of governance based upon the principle of the charism of unity; in other words, based upon the prefix “co” that expresses a willingness not to give in to individualism and solipsism and to understand that, in part, “sovereignty” and “power” lie in those moments of striving together for the common good. The Sophia University Institute has also worked on the topic of leadership, approaching it from a range of different areas including human and social sciences, politics and economics. In particular, it is interested in leadership within the context of the “culture of unity”, drawing together many different perspectives. This is the logical consequence, if you like, of one of the slogans which were popular at the start of the gen movement in 1967-1968, in particular among some French people including Goffinet and Garoche. They published a brochure with the striking title: “Change yourself to change the world, change the world to change yourself.” At that time, there was already a need for leadership enlightened by the Gospel, rich in the contributions of the human and social sciences, attentive to the inspirations of the charism of unity. Some students and teachers from Sophia, New Humanity and the Movement for Unity, with the collaboration of other cultural agencies in the Movement, have set up a three-year project that focuses on Africa. The first stage of this project took place in Kenya in January 2019. More than 100 young people from seven countries in the region (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo) attended a meeting about African leadership. There were contributions from UNESCO, the Kenya National Commission, Caritas and Missio. “Together4Africa”, as it is called, proposes “African leadership” in a style free from overly western models and valuing all that local cultures have generated over the centuries regarding the management of power and authority. Another initiative worth noting is “Community Leadership in the Light of the Gospel”. It was promoted by NetOne and New Humanity Lebanon, again with Sophia and the Movement for Unity in the Middle East. In the region, there is need for formation to equip men and women, especially young people, to set up and lead groups, to solve local problems and to contribute to the common good of their city, their Church and their country. They also need to be able to relate to other local communities, both civil and religious. Houses need to be rebuilt but, above all, hearts and minds need to be restored and renewed. The project which has a base in Marsat offers useful training to bring life back to many young people and many ecclesial communities in Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan and Lebanon. Obviously, different aspects of leadership are taken into account – everything from psychological, social, ecclesial, ecumenical, organisational, economic and charitable perspectives are taken into consideration. The first phase in Lebanon has been completed, the second in Aleppo, Syria is underway, while the Jordanian phase will take place between September and December 2019. The others will follow.
Michele Zanzucchi
