Let’s take a look at some scenes that are typical of today’s world. …
We can observe … in countries that have experienced recent changes, people who are rejoicing in their newfound freedom. Alongside them are people who are fearful, disappointed and depressed because they have seen their ideals collapse. …
And what if we were to see scenes of racial strife with massacres and human rights violations … Or unending conflicts like those in the Middle East, with the destruction of homes, people wounded and dying and the continuous falling of deadly bombs or other lethal weapons? … … Let us ask ourselves again: what would Jesus say in the face of such tragedies? ‘I told you to love one another. Love one another as I have loved you’.
Yes, that is what he would say looking upon these and the most dire situations of the world today.
But his words are not merely regret for what has not been done. He really and truly is repeating them to us today. For he died, but he rose again and, as he promised, he is with us every day until the end of the world.
And what he says is of immense importance. Because this sentence ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ is the true key to solve of every problem. It is the fundamental answer to overcome every human evil. … …
Jesus defined the commandment of love as ‘mine’ and ‘new’. It is typically his, having given it a unique and very new content. He said, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you.’ And he gave his life for us.
Our life is therefore at stake if we love like this. And a love ready to give our life for our brothers and sisters/neighbours is what He is also asking of us
Friendship or kindness towards others is not enough for Him; neither is philanthropy nor solidarity alone. The kind of love He asks for is not limited to non-violence.
It is something active, very active. It asks us no longer to live for ourselves, but for others. And that requires sacrifice, effort. It asks everyone to become … like little daily “heroes” who, day after day, are at the service of their brothers and sisters/neighbours, ready to give even their lives for them. …
This mutual love among you will indeed produce fruits of infinite value, because where there is love, God is there and as Jesus said: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name (that is, in his love), I am there among them’ …
Jesus himself will work with you in your countries, because in a certain way, he will return into the world, wherever you meet, and you will make him present by your mutual love, by your unity.
And he will enlighten you about all that needs to be done, he will guide you, he will support you, he will be your strength, your ardour, your joy. …
So, keep love among you and sow love in many corners of the earth among individuals, among groups, among nations, using every means, so that the invasion of love, which we often speak of, may become a reality, and so that the civilisation of love we are all longing for, may take root, thanks also to your contribution.
This is what you are called to do. And you will see great things happen.
The joy of the early Christians – which can be experienced in every century, wherever people understand and sincerely live the essential truths of Christianity – the joy of the early Christians was something totally new, a joy they had never experienced before. It had nothing to do with laughter, cheerfulness or being light-hearted. As Paul VI said – it was not merely “the exultant joy of being alive,” with “the peaceful joy of nature and silence.” … It wasn’t that. These are all wonderful examples of joy.
But the joy of the early Christians was different. It was similar to the exhilarating joy of the disciples when the Holy Spirit descended on them.
It was the joy of Jesus. For just as Jesus has his peace, he also has his joy.
The joy of the early Christians sprang forth spontaneously from the depths of their being and truly satisfied them.
They had found what people in the past, in the present and in all times are always searching for. They had found God; they had found communion with God. They were totally satisfied by him, totally fulfilled as human beings.
In fact, Christ pours love, charity, into the hearts of Christians through baptism and the other sacraments, and love can be compared to a tiny plant. The deeper its roots go down – that is, the more we love our neighbours – the higher the stem grows upwards towards heaven. In other words, the more we love our neighbours, the more our heart is filled with the love of God. And this communion, this love, is not something we believe on faith alone. We experienced it. This is true happiness, this is real happiness – to love and feel that you are loved.
This was the happiness of the early Christians. This was the joy of the early Christians, both adults and young people, like all of you. They expressed their joy in wonderful, liturgical celebrations filled with hymns of praise and thanksgiving.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”. (Mt 5,9)
Do you know who the peacemakers are that Jesus is talking about?
They are not the people that we call peaceful, the ones who prefer a quiet life and can’t stand arguments. They might seem naturally conciliatory but this can often hide the fact that they don’t want to be disturbed or have any trouble.
Peacemakers are not even those good people who, because they trust in God, do not react when they are provoked or offended. Peacemakers are people who love peace so much that they are not afraid to intervene in conflicts to obtain peace for those who disagree with one another. […]
Anyone who possesses inner peace can be a bearer of peace.
First, we need to be bearers of peace in our own behaviour, all the time, by living in harmony with God and by doing his will.
Peacemakers then strive to create bonds and establish relationships among people. They help reduce tension and break down the state of “cold war” they find in many places, such as the family, at work, at school, in sports, between nations, etc. […]
Television, the newspapers and the radio describe every day how the world is like an immense hospital and nations are often like huge patients who are in extreme need of peacemakers to heal the strained and impossible relationships that threaten to break out into war, when it is not already happening. […]
Peace is a characteristic of the kind of Christian relationships that believers try to establish with the people they are in contact with, or who they meet occasionally. They are relationships of sincere love without falsehood or deception, without any form of implicit violence or rivalry, competition or selfishness.
To work in order to establish this kind of relationships in the world is revolutionary. In fact the relationships that usually exist in society are of a completely different nature and, unfortunately, often they do not change.
Jesus knew that human coexistence was like this, and that is why he asked his disciples to always take the first step without waiting for other people to take the initiative or respond, and without expecting reciprocity: “But I say to you, love your enemies … And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?”. […]
?”. Jesus came to bring peace. His whole message and behaviour show this.
However, this new relationship established among people is often what exposes false relationships in society and reveals their hidden violence.
People don’t want this truth to be discovered and there is a danger, in extreme cases, that they respond with hatred and violence to anyone who dares to disturb the current state of affairs and the ways they are organized.
Jesus, the bearer of peace, was killed by human violence. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”
How then will you live this word of life?
? First of all, by spreading love everywhere in the world. […] Then you will cautiously intervene when peace is threatened around you. Often, all it takes is to listen with love to those who quarrel, for as long as is needed, and a peaceful solution is found.
A very effective means of reducing tension among people is humour. A rabbinical text states: “The future kingdom belongs to those who willingly fool around because they are peacemakers among people who quarrel”.
Ancora non ti darai pace finché rapporti interrotti, spesso per un nonnulla, non siano ristabiliti.
Furthermore, you will not be at peace until relationships that were broken over the slightest thing are re-established. Perhaps you can be a peacemaker in a group or association you belong to, by setting up activities aimed at developing a greater awareness of the need for peace. […]
What matters is not to stand still, letting your few days of life go by without doing something for your neighbours, without preparing yourself properly for the life that awaits you.
Chiara Lubich
(da Parole di Vita, Opere di Chiara Lubich, Citta Nuova Editrice, Roma 2017, pp. 196-197)
On Friday, 9th May, at the Focolare Meeting Point, in the heart of Rome and through an online live broadcast, the award ceremony of the competition for schools entitled“One city is not enough. Chiara Lubich, citizen of the world” took place. ”. The competition is dedicated to the founder of the Focolare Movement, a woman who was able to combine education, politics and dialogue for peace.
The theme proposed for the fifth edition was: “Exploring the concept of peace, in relation to the thought of Chiara Lubich”. A total of 118 entries (individual and group) were submitted by 35 educational institutions from 15 Italian regions.
The competition is promoted by New Humanity, the Chiara Lubich Centre and the Trent Historical Museum Foundation, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit. It is an opportunity for teachers and students to reflect on the values of fraternity, hospitality and dialogue between cultures, central themes in the thought and action of Chiara Lubich.
Winning Entries
Upper Secondary School
1st place: “Building Infinity”, from class 5^ A Linguistic, Liceo A. Maffei – Riva del Garda (Trento). With relevant images, the students creatively presented their reflection on the theme of peace, combining it with characteristic elements of Chiara Lubich’s thought which placed great emphasis on close relationships: where there is love there is unity and where there is unity there is peace.
2nd place (tied): “Living Peace”, from class 2^ H, Liceo Classico Quinto Orazio Flacco – Bari. This written entry was particularly appreciated for emphasizing peace as a daily commitment. Significant references were drawn from Chiara Lubich’s legacy of fraternity and practical engagement for a more united world.
2nd place (tied): “Gaze”, by Elena Scandarelli 3rd AU, Liceo Maria Ausiliatrice – Riviera San Benedetto (Padua). In a simple and effective way, the image explicitly communicated the importance that Chiara Lubich placed on being able to look at the world beyond human challenges, facing them with a gaze full of hope.
Lower Secondary school
1st place: 1920-2011, by Alessia Tombacco 3^ C, IC Elisabetta “Betty” Pierazzo – Noale (Venice). The text presented offered an original reflection highlighting the relevance of Chiara Lubich’s thought today and the possibility of a meaningful encounter with her, even outside the time in which she lived. Rich in confidence in the present and hope for the future, it presented the image of the human being as a “cell”: bearer of new relationships for a world without borders.
2nd place: “Voices of Fraternity”, class 3^ D, IC Giovanni XXIII – Villa San Giovanni (Reggio Calabria). In this multimedia work, the active involvement of the students, the first witnesses of a more united and fraternal fragment of the world, was particularly appreciated. The reference to the possibility of being “peacemakers” starting from our closest relationships was viewed as most important.
Primary school
1st place: “A seed of Unity”, by Aurora Pellegrino 5^ A, IC Radice-Alighieri – Catona (Reggio Calabria). The poetic composition expressed an original reflection on the theme of peace in the light of the unique contribution of Chiara Lubich, a woman of dialogue.
2nd place: “One city is not enough”, class 4^ A, IC Antonio Gramsci – Tissi (Sassari). This multimedia entry presented, in an original and effective way, the spaces and values of an ideal world in which, with love, every form of discrimination can be overcome.
An Easter of hope but above all, an Easter to be lived together. In this year 2025, which marks 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea, Christian Churches will celebrate Easter on the same day: Sunday, 20th April.
This is a wonderful coincidence that calls all Christians to take a decisive step toward unity—a call to rediscover ourselves as united in plurality.
In an age marked by divisions on every front and especially at this time that brings us closer to the mystery of the Resurrection, we would like to share what Chiara Lubich said in Palermo in 1998 about “A Spirituality for Dialogues”, specifically an “ecumenical spirituality.”
It is a direct invitation to respond to the call of mutual love, not as individuals, but together. It is an opportunity to look upon the Jesus Forsaken on the cross as a light which, even in the ultimate sacrifice, not only leads us but becomes the sure pathway along which we can take our steps.
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