Worldwide Linkup 15 September
The Focolare: “Fontem’s backbone”
In the letter addressed to “the highly esteemed President Maria Voce”, Asabaton Fontem Njifua, the highest traditional authority of the place where the Focolare town is located (southeast of Cameroon), wrote: “I’ve nothing particular to say – he said in the letter sent on 28 August from Palias d’Azi – if not to express my deepest and sincere gratitude to the members of the Focolare Movement, especially those working in Fontem.” “You must have already been informed of the socio-political crisis rocking our country, especially in the Anglophone regions. Fontem is one of the villages that have been strongly hit by the crisis.” Recalling that one of his predecessors had named Chiara Lubich in 2000, as the “queen sent by God,” the Fon used bitter words to describe the current situation: “As human beings, we have tried in several ways to restore the peace that once existed and to bring the people to live the life which Mama Chiara – Mafua Ndem taught us. But the most part, if not all of our efforts, have been useless. Many of my people and even members of the Movement have been victims of the crisis. I think of the people who brought life, hope, love, togetherness and the light of God to Fontem, and who are now being subjected to inhuman treatment. My heart bleeds when I think of the development efforts and the infrastructure brought by the Focolare Movement, that are being destroyed. This and many other things push me to express my sincere gratitude to all the members of the Movement living in Fontem, who have stood the test and have remained committed to the cause of unity, peace and love.” 
“In the current crisis – the king explained – thousands of people have fled their homes to find refuge in the Mariapolis Center of Fontem. My gratitude is way beyond bounds because the focolarini choose to be with my people, despite the fact that many have run away from the country. The reward awaits each and every one of them in heaven. In the midst of this, I have learned a great lesson from them – that of LIVING TOGETHER AS A FAMILY. They are indeed a true, trustworthy family. They haven’t given up on us and I pray they do not do so. The Focolare Movement is like the backbone of Fontem, without which we are nothing.” After urging us to pray to the Father for his people, and that peace return to Cameroon, the Fon concluded: “Our greatest desire is to live the words of Mama Chiara ’THAT ALL MAY BE ONE.’ Remember us in your prays because prayers are all we need now. Man has failed but God cannot fail.” See letter of HM Fon of Fontem
Worldwide Linkup on 15 September 2018
Replay streaming event
I am free to love
“The year was 1975. I was at high school in Sicily. Learning about Cicero’s denunciation of Cataline in ancient Rome sparked a lively discussion among me and my schoolmates about the hot topic of freedom. Our class teacher wisely channeled our increasingly heated argument into a formal debate between the supporters of Cicero, expressed by one of my companions, and those of Cataline, for whom I was the spokesperson. My passionate defense of freedom became so ardent that they all applauded me. And from that day, the idea of freedom has characterized my whole life. But what is freedom? And am I free?” Francesco is Italian; he is 59 and is married to Paola. The progressive nature of his illness means he can no longer move his body or speak. But he can move his eyes. Last year he started a blog, at the suggestion of a journalist who contacted him for a brief interview. At first Francesco used his thumbs and later began using an eye-gaze device, which may be slow but allows him to communicate the strength and dynamism he is finding within himself even as his body is becoming less active. His blog is entitled: “SLA: io Sono Libero d’Amare”. SLA = Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica translates as “ALS. I am Free to Love”. “I’m no author. But a voice within suggests what words to put down. I’ve found I’m watching a film of my life that I never knew of before. This is my strength and I’ve been able to start communicating in this way. I receive messages that are deeply moving. I’ve simply expressed some of my thoughts and I receive back so much love. People communicate their emotions, sufferings, joys and most of all, life!” 
“In my life, I’ve always tried every day to find time for a personal and intimate moment with God. It’s not always been possible, but every time I passed a church, I’d say “Ciao” to Jesus present in the tabernacle. Often I would actually go inside the church just to dedicate a little bit of my time to God. I’d try to silence myself so that He could speak to me. And before leaving I’d entrust the difficulties of the day to Him, sometimes joking ‘Jesus, this one is yours because I certainly can’t solve it on my own’. And I have to say, He’s never let me down.” “How often, no matter how full our life may be, do we detect a feeling of emptiness or apathy inside us which covers our life with a veil of unhappiness?” “One man brought me a glimmer of light: Augustine of Hippo. Reading his Confessions prepared me for an event in August 1976 which changed my life: my meeting with God who is Love and who loves me immensely. How can I correspond to this infinite love? It was the Gospel, which I’d read but not actually lived, that gave me the answer: how can you love the God you do not see, if you don’t love the neighbour you do see? This was my Copernican revolution. I found myself among a group of friends living this experience: we would read the Gospel together and try to put it into practice. My heart practically exploded with joy, and I began to appreciate that even suffering can be life!” 
“I can still remember the smell of the sea, even if my illness has left me with no sense of smell, (…) I can feel the sensation of water on my skin, even if I’ve not been able to swim for the past three years. But this is not nostalgia. I’m not suffering over what I used to be or what I’ve become. I close my eyes and my body is floating. It’s not a dream or fantasy; it’s my Lord who continues to say to me ‘Do not fear’.” “This disease – ALS – was written in my heart from when I was born, but I didn’t know it until a few years ago. My tax code actually starts with ALS, and I don’t think it’s just coincidence! I don’t believe in fate, but I trust in one who has chosen me as her son and has never abandoned me. Mary, the mother of Jesus is my safety net, like the one a trapeze artist has (…).” “It is an experience that keeps on repeating itself, every time I’m assailed by doubt and I feel my hope sinking. Mary is always there, so I can’t be afraid! (…) Mary has marked out the way for me, and Chiara Lubich has taught me every day to point my interior compass on Jesus Forsaken on the cross. He is the secret to finding the Truth.” “Living the present moment perfectly brings us into God eternally. That’s what Chiara has taught me. And in the present moment I can cry out loud, maybe not with my voice but with my heart: I am FREE TO LOVE!” (In Italian = “SONO LIBERO di AMARE!” SLA – Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica). Extracts from Francesco’s blog (in Italian)