3 May 2018 | Non categorizzato
On May 5, at Tor Vergata (Rome), Pope Francis will meet the members of the Neocatechumenal Way gathered for their international meeting. The occasion will mark 50 years of the presence of the Way in Rome. 150 thousand participants from 134 nations are expected to attend. The Pope will send out 36 new “missio ad gentes” groups that will take the Gospel into secularized areas or in regions with Christian minorities. Francis will also bless the 20 communities, that are part of parishes of Rome, which have already concluded this form of Christian initiation. The meeting, which will end with the singing of the “Te Deum”, will be led by the international core group of the Neocatechumenal Way, composed of Kiko Argüello, Fr Mario Pezzi and Ascensión Romero.
3 May 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
“The path of a prophecy”. On the tenth anniversary of the death of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, a conference was held on 3rd May promoted by the Italian Embassy to the Holy See in conjunction with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and in collaboration with the Focolare. It was an opportunity for a reflection on the economy in the light of the charism of unity. Mgr. Giovanni Angelo Becciu, the Vatican Deputy Secretary of State, Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, Luigino Bruni, professor of Economics at the LUMSA University of Rome, Leonardo Becchetti, professor of Economics at the University took part of Rome Tor Vergata, and Simona Rizzi, president of the Tassano Servizi Territoriali Consortium. In her speech, Maria Voce said that the Focolare Movement “would not achieve its vocation if it did not implement the first page of the Christian social doctrine, the prayer of the Magnificat in which among other things it says: “He filled the hungry with good things and sent back the rich empty-handed“. The Economy of Communion, born from an inspiration of Chiara Lubich, has given life to a social action model, in dialogue with contemporary culture, particularly in the field of economy, both locally and internationally.
2 May 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
“La Maison des enfants” in Damascus, © Zéna.
1 May 2018 | Non categorizzato
Chocolate Factory During the summer I travelled with a friend to Germany, to work in a well-known chocolate factory but we were given a very cold welcome by the 400 employees. One woman in particular was particularly grumpy towards me. One day, she made a big mistake that could have been very costly for her. When the section manager arrived, without even hesitating, I took the blame for the mistake. I was severely reprimanded and told that it could cost me my job if it happened again. But I was happy: I had done it to Jesus in my colleague. That gesture impressed my co-workers. From then on the atmosphere changed; we began to treat each other more cordially and, when the time came to leave, it felt like leaving a real family behind. Krisztina – Romania The Great Novelty During a meeting at the parish I remained quite struck by the joy and simplicity of one group of guys who were more or less the same age as me. For someone like me who only ran to God in times of trouble, hearing people talk about God as Love was a novelty. Without reasoning it out too much, I decided to do as they were doing. First, I started helping around the house and keeping an eye on my little sister. One Sunday, I even skipped football match in order to help my Dad put up a roof. At school, instead of studying alone as I usually did, I helped some friends with their studies. Daniel – Argentina At the Supermarket I went to the usual supermarket to pick up some things for a supper with thirty boys at our house and, since I would be busy at a meeting for a few days, I thought I would do one big shopping that I could leave at home. As I was placing the groceries onto the check-out counter, I noticed the woman behind me with only a few items. Behind her was an elderly woman with ten tissue boxes. I asked her if she wanted to go ahead of me. She told me that her husband had gone to get a case of water. When her husband came, I let him go ahead of me as well. Then, I began filling up my many shopping bags. In the end, the cashier pulled out the receipt and said to me: “Today you don’t have to pay anything!” I thought it was a joke. The cashier asked me my name. “Chiu”, I said. I heard over the loud-speaker: “Today, Miss Chiu has won 107 Euros!” I never imaged this would happen to me when I loved my neighbour behind me in the queue ! Chiu – Hong Kong Grocery Stores I run a grocery store and so I’m used to the commercial world where profit comes first – not the customer. I met several Christians who try to put Jesus’s commandment of love into practice. I thought: if they can do it, why can’t I? The next morning I thought: I don’t want to go on weighing the goods with two heavy pieces of cardboard; from now on, I’ll only use light piece of paper. I felt such a great sense of joy and freedom, I discovered that loving opened new horizons to me. Beppino – Italy
30 Apr 2018 | Non categorizzato
Labour Day was instituted on May 1st to commemorate the struggle of workers, which took place across all geographical and social barriers in order to safeguard their rights and improve their work conditions. “Eight hours of work, eight hours of leisure, eight hours of sleep” was the slogan coined in Australia in 1855, and shared by most of the early twentieth century trade union movements. It was above all the workers’ movements in the United States that fought the cause for the eight-hour day. The State of Illinois, in 1866, passed a law that introduced this time limit. The law came into force on 1 May 1867, and on that day a huge demonstration was organized in Chicago, with the participation of ten thousand workers, the largest protest ever seen on the streets of the American city. The manifestation was violently repressed. Much has changed since then, but still today, in many parts of the world, workers do not enjoy the same rights and dignity. For Christians, there is a profound connection between work and the identity of the human person. Jesus himself spent most of his life working as a carpenter in his father’s workshop.
