![The soul of Ethiopia]()
3 Oct 2014 | Non categorizzato
With its 98 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the second most populated country of the African continent, after Nigeria. It has conquered peace for almost two decades now, after a terrible war with its neighbour, Eritrea, that lasted for 17 years and which brought the two nations to their knees. Today it is considered the centre of Africa, and hosts the Headquarters of the African Union, where the interests of entire nations are at play. There are also all the embassies of the continent which represent 115 extra-African countries. Liliane Mugombozi, Directress of New City Africa writes about the 10-23 August journey undertaken with two focolarini, upon the invitation of the Bishop of the diocese of Meki. «I have just returned from Ethiopia where I was invited together with Charles and Legesse, by Bishop Abram. For me now, the Horn of Africa no longer stands for terrorism in Somalia or the dictatorship in Eritrea; and neither is Ethiopia the only Airport of Addis Abeba where I stopover on my flights to Rome. 
Addis now for me is the smile of that boy who helped me with my luggage, and the welcoming look of that nun who took me in at the centre where I was able to rest before continuing my journey the next day. I found the country alive and full of heart in that priest who took the trouble to introduce me to the situation of this nation, in that leper woman, outcast of society, in that young man who wanted so much to meet me, and again, in that suffering caused by the walls that still divide the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches. The meeting with four bishops, among whom the Archbishop of Addis Abeba, Bernhaneyesus Souraphiel, had a strong impact on me. They have great hopes in the contribution of the Focolari. In those days we were able to share, from within the life of the small Catholic community: it was a really enlightening experience! The evangelical testimonial of the small group of catholics, reached not only to the Christians of the old Orthodox Church and various Pentecostal churches developing everywhere, but also to others present who were of other religions of the country, like the Muslims. 
We found a lively and committed Church that was able to imbue charity within the structure of society at all levels: in education, healthcare, farming… in a society that is changing and developing at a very fast pace. When walking through the streets, passing among the people, one has the impression of a country “vibrating” on all fronts: political, social, and in the field of communications, with enormous possibilities for development. The Bishops hope to “find the pass key to enter this world with the values of the Gospel. Politics does not suffice, we have to do our part. We have long heard of how the Church needs trained laypersons. And you are among these… the Focolari Movement has to take part in the education of laypersons…” I remembered the words John Paul II had said to Chiara Lubich a few years ago, inviting her to contribute to «giving Europe its soul». Also the words of the Bishops in Ethiopia echoed this, as if to say «also here we need to give a soul to this country. »
![The soul of Ethiopia]()
1 Oct 2014 | Non categorizzato
The young people in Yangon
“Sport for Peace”(Vietnam)
Thailand: the welcome centre for youth from different tribes
![The soul of Ethiopia]()
30 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato
On 28th September, in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis met with elderly people and grandparents in the first international day dedicated to senior citizens, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family. The meeting entitled: “The blessing of a long life”, coincided with the Day of Prayer for the Synod on the Family, inspired by many of the Pope’s speeches when he several times recalled the tragedy of the “culture of waste” typical of “a people who does not look after its elderly,” discarding them “with attitudes that thinly hide euthanasia.” «We Christians, – the Pope said – together with all people of good will, are called to patiently build a more diverse, more welcoming, more humane, more inclusive society, that does not need to discard the weak in body and mind. On the contrary we need a society which measures its success on how the weak are cared for». The meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm that – as Monsignor Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said “Old age is not a shipwreck but a vocation: our years of life have been lengthened, but an adequate reflection on this issue has not been carried out neither in politics nor economy, nor society and not even culturally.” 
“Old age should be re-thought and also the involvement of the elderly in the world must be reconsidered and the Church’s attitude towards them. In addition to all the civil aspects, there is a culture that the elderly can convey – not to see the weakening of life as the final tragedy but as a witness of hope in the next life.” The event of 28th September is part of the Day of Prayer for the Synod on the Family, “the fundamental and primary place where an elderly person can live within a web of relationships that sustain them” – continues Mgr Paglia – “and which in turn they are called to enliven and enrich. The elderly are not only the object of attention and care, but are also subjects of a new vision of life.”
28 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato, Word of
‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ Jesus already sees himself as bread. In the end, therefore, this is the goal of his life on earth. He is to be bread so as to be eaten. And to be bread so as to communicate his life to us and to transform us into himself. So far the spiritual meaning of these words, with their references to the Old Testament, is clear. But later on Jesus’ words become mysterious and difficult when he says of himself: ‘The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn 6:51) and ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you’ (Jn 6:53). It is the announcement of the Eucharist, and it shocks and puts off many disciples. Yet it is the most immense gift Jesus wants to give humanity: his presence in the sacrament of the Eucharist, which gives satisfaction to soul and body, the fullness of joy, through intimate union with him. When we are nourished by this bread, there is no room for any other hunger. All our desires for love and truth are satisfied by the One who is Love itself, Truth itself. ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ Therefore this bread nourishes us with him already here on earth, but it is given to us so that we, in our turn, may satisfy the spiritual and material hunger of the people around us. Christ is proclaimed to the world not so much through the Eucharist, as through the lives of Christians who are nourished by the Eucharist and by the Word. They preach the Gospel with their lives and their voices, making Christ present in the midst of humanity. The life of the Christian community, thanks to the Eucharist, becomes the life of Jesus. It is, therefore, a life capable of giving love, the life of God to others. ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ By using the metaphor of bread, Jesus teaches us the most genuine, the most ‘Christian’ way to love our neighbour. What, in fact, does loving really mean? Loving means ‘making ourselves one’ with everyone, making ourselves one in all the others want, in the least and most insignificant things and in those that perhaps might be of little interest to us but are important to them. And Jesus gave us an amazing example of this way of loving by making himself ‘bread’ for us. He makes himself ‘bread’ in order to enter into everyone, to make himself edible, to make himself one with everyone, to serve, to love everyone. May we too make ourselves one to the point of allowing ourselves to be ‘eaten’. This is love, to make ourselves one in a way that makes others feel nourished by our love, comforted, uplifted, understood.
Chiara Lubich
![The soul of Ethiopia]()
28 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato
Photo: Antonio Oddi
