“Peace between peoples, the care of the planet, economics and politics that put the person, justice and dignity at the centre. At the Genfest we will work, discuss and plan for this at a worldwide level”. This is what the youth of the Focolare Movement say, explaining the gathering of thousands of young people for this international event from the 12th to the 24th of July. The event “Juntos para cuidar” aims, as the title suggests, to promote care together at a worldwide level for the most vulnerable and distressed individuals and sectors of humanity, regardless of cultural, ethnic or religious differences.
In this period of change, a new cultural paradigm is needed, no longer based on the individual, but on social relationships open to all in a culture of universal fraternity. In this perspective complexities are valued rather than eliminated, in a deeper understanding of the story of humanity and its peoples.
Genfest 2024will have three phases: voluntary work, a main event, and the creation of groupings (‘communities’) according to academic or professional interest, which will remain connected and work for the furthering of a more united world in countries of origin. It aims to be an immersive experience, where the leaders and thinkers are the youth themselves. Dialogue and collaboration between generations will be the essential components for the changes to be proposed to international institutions. Some parts of the event will be streamed onthe Genfest 2024 Youtube channel.
As a conclusion, the new steps and existing or nascent projects which aim to build a more united and peaceful world will be brought together in a document to be presented to the United Nations Summit of the Future(22-23 September 2024). It will contain projects and practical ideas for a more just and fraternal world, as a contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda.
Those who cannot participate in the main event in Brazil can find an event nearer to home. There will be 44 local Genfests: in South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Pakistan, Vietnam, Jordan, Egypt, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, DRC, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Hungary, Serbia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Italy.
Juntos para cuidar: the programme
Experience – The first week of Genfest, from the 12th to the 18th of July, is an “immersive” experience of voluntary work in one of 40 projects and organisations offering opportunities in various countries of Latin America and elsewhere. These activities are the result of collaboration with UNIRedes, which brings together more than 50 organisations, projects and social movements in 12 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting transformation in various spheres (art and culture, the environment, democratic government, education, work, etc.) through the active commitment of all those involved.
Celebrate – From the 18th to the 21st of July the youth will come together for the main event at the National Shrine Arena in Aparecida. They will hear experiences and share strategies for peace and fraternity also through artistic and musical presentations. The event will be streamed to more than 120 different countries. It will be a wide-ranging festival of ideas and initiatives and inspire thousands of young people of many different cultures, ethnic groups and religions to live for a united world.
Learning and sharing – The third phase is from 21st to the 24th of July. The young people will come together in eight groupings called ‘communities’, according to their fields of interest: economics and work, interculturality and dialogue, spirituality and human rights, health and ecology, art and social commitment, education and research, communication and media, active citizenship and politics.
In these spaces the young people will learn, discuss, and formulate new ways of shared commitment to spread the culture of fraternity, through local projects in a global perspective. Returning to their countries of origin, they will work locally in their preferred sector, growing in a culture marked by fraternity and relationality.
An international team of academics, professionals, social and political activists and leaders – young and old – will assist the participants in their discussions and group work.
Among those who have confirmed their presence: Luigino Bruni, economist (Italy), Choie Funk, architect and social activist (Philippines), Jander Manauara, rapper and activist (Brazil), Carlos Palma, coordinator of Living Peace (Uruguay), Myrian Vasques, Indigenous advisor (Brazil), Silvina Chemen, director of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue at the Rabbinic Seminary (Argentina), John Mundell, director of the Vatican Laudato Si Action Platform (USA), Nicolas Maggi Berrueta, violinist, Peace Ambassador (Uruguay), Israa Safieddine, education consultant and specialist in the teaching of Islam (USA).
The Gen Rosso international band recently visited Madagascar, performing eight shows in seven cities. They travelled extensively across this beautiful island to spread a message of peace and fraternity through music and dance.
The 950 kms journey from the capital, Antananarivo, to Toliara in the extreme south took two days.
Valerio Gentile, spokesperson for the band, told us, “The community of the Focolare Movement in Tolear welcomed us with a big celebration, gifting us traditional headgear and necklaces and expressing their joy through traditional dances and songs. We performed with a local group, the Choeur des Jeunes de Saint Benjamin, at a well-known restaurant in the city; that was the beginning of our tour in Madagascar”.
The next day Gen Rosso held workshops at the Don Bosco School, which culminated in a concert in the amphitheatre. One girl, moved to tears, said, “It was the best day of my life,”. And a young teacher added: “You have brought out real values for us to live by; I feel that I have to live my life according to the aims expressed in your songs and that we shared with you during the workshops.”
Valerio elaborated on the workshops, highlighting an innovative percussion session using recycled plastic bottles and yellow barrels, commonly used in Africa as water and oil containers. These became improvised musical instruments, turning the session into an environmental action promoting planet protection.
Another significant event took place at the École Père Barré School, where 300 high school students joined Gen Rosso on stage. In the introduction, the participants were invited to live out a saying during the workshop: “make space for love”.
Adelson of Gen Rosso began by saying, “We are not here to put on a show for you, but with you for the whole city”.
The final concert at the Jardin de la Mer came all too soon. It was opened by the Choeur des Jeunes de Saint Benjamin. However, an unexpected power cut interrupted the performance. When the power returned, Gen Rosso resumed, and the young audience participated enthusiastically.
A second blackout occurred at sunset, plunging the area into darkness.
Valerio explained, “We decided to improvise with torches. Several youth groups from the workshops performed, showcasing creativity and joy. The young people of Toliara were the true stars of the show!”
One participant remarked, “Thanks to Gen Rosso, we discovered our resilience,” echoing sentiments about uncovering life’s authentic values, talents, and the right direction to take.
Valerio shared, “These words encouraged us for our final event in Antananarivo at the Fanovozantsoa School. In just a few hours, the young people were ready to sing, dance—hip-hop and Latin American—and perform percussion. The concert on May 18th was a resounding success, filled with applause, hugs, and selfies. It was an unforgettable moment etched in everyone’s hearts.”
he tour concluded with a Mass for Pentecost in Akamasoa, near the City of Friendship, a community established 30 years ago by Argentine missionary Father Pedro to help the poor through job opportunities, education, and health services.
Valerio reflected, “We celebrated with a colourful Mass in the morning and a joyful show in the afternoon in the outdoor amphitheatre. The concert brought together families, young people, the elderly, and children, delivering a message of hope to build a new society based on love.”
On behalf of the band, Valerio concluded, “Thank you, Madagascar, for your millions of hearts beating every day with solidarity, resilience, simplicity, serenity, lightness, humility, joy, and peace. From now on, you ‘travel’ with us as a gift to take to the world!”
Our daily lives are never free from problems and challenges – health, family, work, unforeseen difficulties, etc. In addition, we are aware of the immense suffering experienced today by so many of our brothers and sisters due to war, the consequences of climate change, migration and violence. We may often feel overwhelmed by these situations.
It is normal to feel concern and to want to find security. We may not find a solution to the problem but the closeness of true friends comforts us and gives us strength. Facing difficulties together is a daily reminder to continue believing in those values of fraternity, reciprocity and solidarity that make the journey through life possible. Fraternal relationships help us experience the same security that children feel when they trust in the love of their parents. This helps them live with a sense of freedom and drive.
For Chiara Lubich and for so many who followed and follow her vision of life, this security comes from the faith of having a Father. Chiara said: “…the person knows he or she is loved and believes with all their being in this love….. abandons themselves to it trustingly and wants to follow it. The events that make up our lives, whether sad or joyful, are enlightened by the belief that everything happens because love has willed or permitted them all.” Her words can be applied to all those who have experienced true love at least once in their lives.
The characteristic of a good travelling companion is someone of service, someone who brings a personal dimension based upon knowledge and deep sharing in respect for everyone. This means living transparently, consistently, without a hidden agenda and with a pure and unconditional love that brings peace, justice and fraternity.
When this happens, it produces a new type of leadership that is so necessary nowadays. This leadership fosters a communitarian dynamic and enables us to recognise the unique contribution of each one without losing our individual identities. On the contrary, we know that it is when we are alone we experience disorientation and lack vision.
We ourselves will only be able to be ‘guides’ for those who are living through difficult times if we, in turn, have experienced trust in others. As the Brazilian educationalist and philosopher, Paulo Freire, says: ‘No one educates anyone; no one educates his or her self; people educate each other through the mediation of the world.’ 1 In other words, in the educational community, no one teaches anyone anything, but everyone learns from everyone in a context of dialogue and critical reflection on reality.1. We ourselves will only be able to be ‘guides’ for those who are living through difficult times if we, in turn, have experienced trust in others. As the Brazilian educationalist and philosopher, Paulo Freire, says: ‘No one educates anyone; no one educates his or her self; people educate each other through the mediation of the world.’ 1 In other words, in the educational community, no one teaches anyone anything, but everyone learns from everyone in a context of dialogue and critical reflection on reality.
1 Freire, Paulo (2012)”Pedagogía del oprimido” Ed. Siglo XXI
THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is currently produced by the Focolare Movement’s “Centre for Dialogue with People of Non-religious Beliefs“. It is an initiative that began in 2014 in Uruguay to share the values found in the Word of Life with friends who do not have religious beliefs. Currently, THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 25 countries, with adaptations of the text according to different cultural sensitivities.
Psalm 23 is one of the best known and most loved psalms. It is both a canticle of trust and a joyful profession of faith expressed by someone who belongs to the people of Israel. Through the prophets, the Lord has promised to be their shepherd. The psalmist expresses his personal happiness because he knows that he is protected in the Temple,[1] a place of refuge and grace, but also, drawing on his experience, he wants to encourage others to have confidence in the presence of the Lord.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
The image of the shepherd and the flock is very dear to all biblical literature. To understand it fully, we must think of the arid and rocky deserts in the Middle East. The shepherd gently guides his flock, for without him they could go astray and die. The sheep must learn to rely on him, listening to his voice. He is their constant companion.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
This psalm invites us to strengthen our intimate relationship with God by experiencing his love. Some may wonder why the author goes so far as to say that ‘I lack nothing’? Nowadays the problems and challenges of health, family, work, etc are part of everyday life. In addition, there is the immense suffering experienced by so many of our brothers and sisters due to war, the consequences of climate change, migration, violence, etc.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Perhaps the key to interpretation lies in the verse where we read “for you are with me” (Ps 23:4). It refers to certainty in the love of a God who always accompanies us and makes us live in a different way. Chiara Lubich wrote: “It is one thing to know that we can have recourse to a Being who exists, who has mercy on us, who has paid for our sins, and quite another to live and feel ourselves at the centre of God’s predilection, with the consequent banishment of all the fears that hold us back, of all loneliness, of all sense of orphanhood and all uncertainty… Men and women can know they are loved and believe in this love with all their being. They can surrender to it trustingly and follow it. Everything that happens in life, whether sad or joyful, is enlightened by knowing love has willed or permitted it all.” [2].
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Jesus brought this prophecy to fulfilment: in John’s Gospel he does not hesitate to call himself the ‘good shepherd’. Relationships with this shepherd are personal and intimate in nature. “I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (Jn. 10:14-15). He leads them to the pastures of his Word that is life, particularly the Word that contains the message enclosed in the “new commandment”, which, if lived, makes “visible” the presence of the Risen One in the community gathered in his name, in his love.[3]
Edited by Augusto Parody Reyes and the Word of Life Team
THE IDEA OF THE MONTHis currently produced by the Focolare Movement’s “Centre for Dialogue with People of Non-religious Beliefs”. It is an initiative that began in 2014 in Uruguay to share the values found in the Word of Lifeis a phrase from Scripture that members of the Movement strive to put into practice in their daily lives. Currently, THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 25 countries, with adaptations of the text according to different cultural sensitivities.
Bullying At school, during a break, I was washing my hands in the bathroom when five or six girls and two boys attacked me, pulling my hair and punching and kicking me. They also broke my glasses. They ran away quickly when, at my screams, the janitor rushed in. Why? Yet I seemed to have a good relationship with everyone. From the investigation that was later made, it turned out that on that day the group’s “game” was to attack the first blond girl they would meet. And I am blond. For days I was traumatized by the idea of going back to school. In the Catholic movement of which I am a member, one day we were telling each other how we had experienced Jesus’ invitation to forgive seventy times seven. For the first time I realized how difficult it is to forgive. I thought and thought about it for days. Then I realized that the strength to forgive is a gift from the Risen One. I would not have been able to do that. And when I went back to school, feeling free and peaceful, I felt I had taken an important step in my faith life. (M. H. – Hungary)
A ” Neighborhood Treasury” I had been struck by this definition heard during one of our community meetings, “A city is man in relationship with each other….” “So is a neighborhood,” I concluded, thinking of the one in which I live. Since then, every new day seems more interesting to me if I experience it as a chance to establish authentic relationships with neighbors, acquaintances, etc… One thus enters into the most diverse stories, shares joys and sorrows, discovers ever new ways of meeting certain needs. As in the case of the “neighborhood treasury,” born from the idea of putting something of our money in common for certain needs we learn about: we placed it in the garage provided by one of us, the door of which is not locked, so everyone can access it when needed. On the box are two inscriptions, “Give and you will be given” and “He who loves gives with joy.” The amount collected has sometimes been used to buy special shoes, clothes, for drop-off at a shelter, also for interest-free loans and even loans with no return. (A. – Italy)
Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta
(taken from The Gospel of the Day, Città Nuova, year X- no.1 May-June 2024)
![The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (Ps 23[22] [22]:1).](https://www.focolare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/flock-5077402_1920-980x653.jpg)
