9 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
In the man Jesus there is participation in the very life of the Trinity, in the social life of God. This supernatural social life, which the life of grace brings to man, never destroys his natural life. There is instead a marvelous interweaving of the two. The supernatural social life, which is grace, will give origin to and allow for a social life that is naturally perfect, sincne Chrtist will found a visible Church. […] But what is the crossing point between Christ and the Church? How do move from the spiritual presence of the humanity of Christ to the presence of Christ in humanity? In order to understand it we must contemplate the human nature of Jesus before his death and after his Resurrection. We must meditate on his own flesh and blood which, after his exaltation, becomes life-giving. […] Before the crucifixion, the range of action of Christ’s humanity is circumscribed by the limits of his mortal body that is liable to death; with his death and Resurrection, it becomes life-giving spirit. […] Therefore, on the glorious Easter Sunday, when the Spirit penetrates and illumines every part of Jesus’s body, the Church also receives the Holy Spirit: it becomes the Body of Christ. You could say that Christ planted a particular body and raised up [a] Mystical Body, the Church. And so the mystery of human social life re-flowers also in these marvelous events. Since Christ wished to become a member of the human community, he became its Head. To this end, by suffering on the cross, he redeems the human race, since it it spiritually enclosed in him, and also his own flesh through which he wished to work the redemption; and so it acquires certain infinite dimensions. It is spiritualized and becomes the very image of the new humanity. That body which for the man a limiting principle, for Jesus after his Resurrection, is a universalizing principle of life. […] The term “Mystical Body of Christ” and its more precise and determining meaning, refers to the Church that continues the very work of Jesus here on earth. […] Christ, the Son of God, was a true man, he was perfect man; likewise, the Mystical Body is fully human, perfectly human, besides divine. The Incarnation is daily continuing its work, until the end of the ages, in the visible Church. Pasquale Foresi From: Pasquale Foresi, Teologia della Socialità, (Rome: Città Nuova, 1963), 85.
6 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
254 dead, including 62 minors, more than 400 wounded and just as many lost. These are the dramatic numbers from the strong floods that have caused a veritable catastrophe in the city of Mocoa, 500 kilometres south of Bogotà in south Colombia. The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, visited the site of the disaster, which was reduced to a mud heap, and said that the number of the missing is not yet known. The army is working around the clock searching for survivors and delivering humanitarian aid. A state of emergency has been declared in the entire region of the disaster, in order to hasten the recovery of victims. “It is difficult to describe not only the gravity of what took place, but also what the people are going through, including those of our own community in that region,” writes Alejandra from the focolare in Bogotà. “Seventeen quarters have been destroyed in the city of Mocoa with its 36,000 inhabitants. The train station has been fenced off. 
We tried to regain contact with each person, but the situation is bad for everyone. In the zone that is already burdened by poverty and the guerilla, there are many priests from the Movement. Don Luis Fernando presided at a collective funeral, and Father Oscar Geovanny is still searching for his family members. Father Jorge has sent us some photos of his parishioners as they help and support people who have lost everything. Father Oscar Claros reports that of the 17 quarters that were complete wiped away, 5 of them were in his parish: entire families who lived the Word of Life have disappeared. He is personally involved in the work of distributing aid and supporting his parishioners.” “The Focolare community throughout the country is stepping up, gathering funds that can be sent to the site of the disaster, through priests of the Movement. The focolarini in Bogotà have activated a speedy channel of communication with people from the area, and are trying to support them and give them hope in these difficult moments. This morning we talked with Father Oscar Claros: “The situation is still chaotic, the zone without water and electricity, with the real threat of an epidemic.”
5 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
“Our world is torn by blind violence, a violence that has also struck the heart of your beloved land. Our world needs peace, love and mercy.” See VIDEO MESSAGE
5 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
For about a year the Focolare communities around Rome, together with other associations, have organized various fundraising initiatives to support the “Chance for Tomorrow” project in Egypt which is aimed at helping children and women at risk in one of the poorest districts of Cairo. In order to express the closeness to this people recently hit by severe attacks, an information evening will be held in Grottaferrata on 22 April, where the project will be presented through life experiences and an immersion into the Egyptian culture; an account of what has been achieved so far, along with future prospects will also be presented.
5 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
A journey in the name of peace. That is how the Pope’s visit to Egypt is being described. The two-day visit will take place on April 28th and 29th. Patriarch Bartholemew has also accepted the invitation of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib. The schedule includes a courtesy visit to President of the Republic Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, to the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and to the Coptic Pope Tawadros II. This will be followed by an address to the International Conference on Peace. On Saturday, April 29th, he will have lunch with Egyptian Catholic bishops, followed by a prayer service with clergy, religious and seminarians, and a farewell ceremony.
