…We must be convinced that for the civilization of love to become a reality, we have to storm the world with a current of love. Otherwise, everything will remain like a dream, destined to die. … Love! Teaching to love! The person who truly knows how to love, is the person who knows that he or she is sincerely loved. This is a human observation, but it is no less valid in the supernatural field. To know that we are loved! By whom? By the One who is Love. We must open the eyes of as many brothers and sisters as possible so that they might see and discover the treasure they possess, often without realizing it. They are not alone on this earth. There is Love. They have a Father who does not abandon his sons and daughters to their own destiny. He wants to accompany them, watch over them, help them. He is a Father who does not load burdens that are too heavy onto others’ shoulders. He is the first to carry them. In our case, he does not leave the renewal of society only to human initiative. But He is the first to be concerned with it. People should know this and turn to him, aware of the fact that nothing is impossible for him. We must believe, therefore, that we are loved by God so that we can throw ourselves with greater faith into the adventure of love, and work together with him for a New Humanity. Then we must focus our interests on the human person and share with them misfortunes and successes, spiritual goods and material goods. And, to love well, we must not see the difficulties, corruption and sufferings of the world merely as social evils to be resolved. Rather, we must recognize in these the countenance of Christ, who did not disdain to hide himself beneath all human poverty. Because of him – especially for those of us who are Christian – our greatest energies are channeled for the good of others. But since the love we are talking about is certainly not only philanthropy, or friendship or purely human solidarity, but is primarily a gift from Above, we must place ourselves in the best possible attitude to receive it, by nourishing ourselves on and living on the Word of God. … Every person in their large or small world of daily activities – in the family, office, factory, trade union, immersed as they may be in local and general problems, in public institutions, all the way to the United Nations – can truly be a builder of peace, a witness to love, an instrument of unity.
(…) Looking back today, we can understand what we can learn from December 7th, the day the Movement began decades ago. It affirms that a charism of the Holy Spirit, a new light, came down on earth during those days, a light which, in the mind of God, was destined to quench the burning thirst of this world with the water of wisdom, to warm it with divine love and thus give life to a new people nourished by the Gospel. This is what it tells us, above all.
And because God acts concretely, he immediately provided the first brick for the building that would serve his purposes, the building that is our Movement. He decided to call me, a girl like many others, and this led to my consecration to him, my “yes” to God, soon followed by the “yes” of many other young women and men.
That day speaks of light, then, and of the total gift of ourselves to God, so as to be instruments in his hands to achieve his goals.
“Light” and “giving oneself to God” are two realities that were extremely useful at that time when there was general confusion, reciprocal hatred, war. It was a time of darkness, when God seemed to be absent from the world, absent with his love, his peace, his joy, his guidance. It was a time when no one seemed interested in him.
“Light” and “giving oneself to God” are two realities that heaven wants to repeat to us today, too, when many wars continue to rage on our planet. (…)
“Light” means the Word, the Gospel, which is still too little known and, above all, too little lived. (…)
“The competition has been and remains a unique way to introduce Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, to younger generations and to an audience that engages with her work on a cultural level,” says Giuliano Ruzzier, a teacher and collaborator of the Chiara Lubich Centre.
Promoted by the Ministry of Education and Merit, New Humanity and the Historical Museum Foundation of Trentino, this year’s theme is peace. Participants are encouraged to explore the meaning of peace in light of Chiara Lubich’s contributions. Ruzzier explains, “From her extensive legacy, particularly where she explicitly addressed this theme, we have identified four perspectives from which to reflect on peace.”
These perspectives include constructive dialogue among people of different religions and cultures, overcoming economic disparities, fostering personal commitment to fraternity through relationships of proximity and spreading a culture of peace. Prof. Giuseppe Ruzzier continues, “Chiara Lubich viewed humanity as a whole. She is well-known for her call to ‘love others’ countries as our own. Her emphasis on everyday relationships is particularly distinctive. As she said, our days can be filled with practical, humble, intelligent acts of service, expressions of our love. Every little gesture has an effect on society.”
The contest is open to primary, middle and high school students. “As in past years, we especially hope for broad participation from Italian schools abroad, given the clear international scope of this year’s theme.”
When asked how he would encourage his colleagues to promote this initiative, Ruzzier replies: “This contest offers students the chance to reflect independently and creatively on a highly relevant and important topic like peace. It also provides an opportunity to engage with the significant thoughts of a woman who profoundly shaped and experienced the 20th century and expressed herself in many ways.”
You strive and work for a united world (a world of peace and fraternity).
What are you doing to reach this goal? You are involved in activities that might appear to be small and, although meaningful, out of proportion with your proposed objective. When you are older, perhaps some of you will be more directly involved in the various organizations aimed at building a united world.
I believe that, although all that you do will be very helpful, it is not one activity or another that will play a decisive role towards this goal.
Instead, the deciding factor is that of offering a soul to the world. And this soul is love. …
Today we must “be love”, we must feel what the other person is feeling, live the other, the others, and aim at achieving unity … all over the globe. …
Therefore, we must build relationships of unity, solidarity, which are rooted in love.
You must live out this love first of all among yourselves.
So as to reach the point of living it with many, many others, wherever you go; when you meet ordinary people for example and with those who govern their future or those in public institutions, and in the smaller or bigger organizations of the world… everywhere. Only then will they fulfil the purpose for which they were established and truly work for a united world, (a world of peace).
Chiara Lubich
This thought was read by Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, during Connection on 28 September 2024. It can be seen by clicking here.
The Seminar, in its second edition after the first one held in 2017 at the Federal University of Paraiba in Joao Pessoa, presented 15 academic papers produced by researchers from six universities, around the Chiara Lubich Chair of Fraternity and Humanism at the Catholic University of Pernambuco (Unicap). The seminar comprised of two days of presentations and dialogue, introduced by a warm greeting from Vice-Rector Prof. Delmar Araújo Cardoso, and followed by live streaming to an audience of about 350 people.
The event, which was organized with the support of the Chiara Lubich Centre, was held mainly in Portuguese and was particularly appreciated for its openness to an international dimension, for the consistent and qualified contribution of the speakers, for the interdisciplinary perspective that brought together papers around the theme of language, not just in the field of linguistics, but also in the fields of law, pedagogy, communication, sociology and architecture.
What emerged, in extreme synthesis, was how a language inspired by love, of which Chiara Lubich was an effective model, can contribute to building a world of peace and fraternity.
Anna Maria Rossi
(1) The Abba School is a Centre of life and study desired and founded by Chiara Lubich in 1990. It is composed of members of the Focolare Movement, united in the name of Jesus and experts in various disciplines, whose aim is to draw out and elaborate the doctrine contained in the charism of unity.
Links to the 2nd Seminar on Linguistics, Philology and Literature:
Seventy-five years have passed since the day Chiara Lubich wrote “I have only one spouse on earth”, which we have reproduced here. It’s a writing destined from the very beginning to become a true programmatic manifesto for Chiara and for those who would follow her by adopting the spirituality of unity as their own.
The handwritten manuscript, preserved in the Chiara Lubich Archive (in GAFM) and written on the front and back of a single sheet, records the date of its composition: 20-9-49. Published, in Italian, for the first time in 1957, in an incomplete version and with some modifications, in the magazine “Città Nuova”, it was then reprinted in other publications of Chiara Lubich’s writings, until it was finally included, in its entirety, and according to the original manuscript, in The Cry (New City, London 2001). This is a book that Chiara Lubich wanted to write personally “as a love song” dedicated precisely to Jesus Forsaken.
It began as a sort of diary page, written on the spur of the moment. Considering the unique lyrical tone that permeates it, it could be defined as a “sacred hymn”. This definition seems appropriate if one considers that the term “hymn” originates from the Greek hymnos. The word, although of uncertain etymology, has nevertheless a close relationship with the ancient Hymēn, the Greek god of marriage in whose honour it was sung. Moreover, the spousal aspect in this work is more than ever present, even if – and precisely because – we are within a strongly mystical context. It really is a “song” of love to Jesus Forsaken.
The context of the writing takes us back to the summer of 1949, when Chiara, with her first companions, and the first two men focolarini, was in the mountains – in the Primiero valley, in Trentino-Alto Adige – on holiday. Also, Igino Giordani (Foco) joined the group, for a few days. He had already met Chiara in Parliament a short time before, in September 1948, and he had been fascinated by her Charism.
It was a summer that Chiara herself described as “full of light”. Since then – going back over its stages – she did not hesitate to affirm that it was precisely in that period that she had a better understanding of “many truths of the faith, particularly who Jesus Forsaken was for humanity and for creation – he who recapitulated all things in Himself. Our experience was so powerful,” she noted, “it made us think life would always be like that: light and Heaven.” (The Cry, pages 60-61). But the time had come – urged precisely by Foco – to “come down from the mountains” to meet humanity that is suffering, and to embrace Jesus Forsaken in every expression of pain, in every “abandonment”. Like Him. Only out of love.
So, she wrote: “I have only one spouse on earth: Jesus Forsaken”.
Maria Caterina Atzori
20-9-49
I have only one Spouse on earth: Jesus forsaken. I have no God but him. In him is the whole of paradise with the Trinity and the whole of the earth with humanity.
Therefore, what is his is mine, and nothing else.
And his is universal suffering, and therefore mine.
I will go through the world seeking it in every instant of my life.
What hurts me is mine.
Mine the suffering that grazes me in the present. Mine the suffering of the souls beside me (that is my Jesus). Mine all that is not peace, not joy, not beautiful, not lovable, not serene, in a word, what is not paradise. Because I too have my paradise, but it is that in my Spouse’s heart. I know no other. So it will be for the years I have left: athirst for suffering, anguish, despair, sorrow, exile, forsakenness, torment— for all that is him, and he is sin, hell.
In this way I will dry up the waters of tribulation in many hearts nearby and, through communion with my almighty Spouse, in many faraway.
I shall pass as a fire that consumes all that must fall and leaves standing only the truth.
But it is necessary to be like him: to be him in the present moment of life.
Chiara Lubich The Cry (New City, London 2001, pages 61-62)
