Focolare Movement

An App for the Daily Password

Now, thanks to the work of the young Brazilian, Guilherme Moura, the daily password can arrive directly to your pocket through a new App that can be downloaded for free at: http://itunes.apple.com/it/app/passa-parola/id478614030?mt=8 Live the present moment without haste; Begin again to live the present moment; Don’t let the present moment slip away… or Take the will of God to heart in the present moment; Identify yourself with the will of God in the present moment; Let yourself be purified by the Word; Make an effort to live the WordThese are some examples of the Password that we have been sharing for ten years. It was 2001 when Chiara Lubich was in Austria that she shared an experience with us, the fruit of her discovery of the importance of living the “present moment,” the only moment that we hold in our hands: “the past no longer exists, and the future has yet to arrive.” And from this discovery came the daily motto, a spiritual micro-thought which encapsulated and called our attention back to the present moment and especially to concrete love for the neighbor near to us. Twitter, a social network that allows you to send brief messages – tweets – of no more than 140 characters, is characterized by brevity and – Spadaro recalls – “it has been the wisdom of religious reflection that for centuries has accompanied Western man in this need for wisdom that is essential and concise.” He mentions a few examples in his article, from Japanese haiku, to the antiphons of the psalms, all the way to the “Word of Life, thought up by Chiara Lubich and all  other similar initiatives that draw periodically on a sentence of the Gospel to concentrate the attention of Christians to the entire Gospel, but beginning with a precise point.” Is the Password a tweet ahead of its time? Perhaps, but it is certainly an approach that goes well with the new technologies. This worldwide password – it is translated into at least 14 languages – already travels via SMS, email. Thousands of people follow it each day. The new App it is now available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. The daily password is now available through a simple download, in all the languages of the world. Let’s pass on the word!

Focolare.org App available on iPhone, iPod, iPad

Focolare.org App available on iPhone, iPod, iPad

Download site: http://itunes.apple.com/it/app/youcat/id448164885?mt=8 Smartphone, iPhone, iPod, and iPad users will not be surprised by this announcement; in fact, they’ve been waiting for it. For the uninitiated, however, it can be useful to know that the frontier of new technologies, and in particular the so-called applications for mobile phones, now allow you to receive the news published on www.focolare. org on your smartphone! Glossary Smartphone (literally “smart” or “intelligent” phone) is a portable device that combines the functionality of the phone and the management of personal data. App – If you have a latest generation cell phone or iPad – as Giulio Meazzini, Citta Nuova journalist, explains in his book “Dal mare libero alle oasi protette” (From the Open Sea to Protected Oases) – the services that interest you can be accessed by using the applications”, the so-called apps on the display that appear as many coloured icons, each one different from the other. The difference is by no means trivial: every app is built by a specific provider and offers a range of quick services, which are private and exclusive, targeted to the user. How the App of Focolare.org functions The app has been developed by TeamDev for Focolare.org and it can be downloaded for free at: http://itunes.apple.com/it/app/youcat/id448164885?mt=8 It is currently only available in Italian. In weeks to come it will also be available in English and Spanish. The screen allows you to enter the home page or one of the theme channels. This is version 1.0  with successive modifications forthcoming. Happy navigating to everyone! We look forward to your feedback!

Focolare.org App available on iPhone, iPod, iPad

Road of Hope

Details

Archbishop Van Thuan’s notes from prison are extraordinary. For thirteen years, his writings were smuggled out of his cell and circulated among Christians and non-Christians alike. People shared these handwritten messages of hope in response to Van Thuan’s challenge that the Vietnamese people bring the Church into the world by their love for one another. He wrote, “It would be so wonderful if God required us only to love him. However, he has chosen also to require the difficult obligation to love our neighbor.” Van Thuan calls for a deep examination of conscience. “You proclaim that all you do is for God and for the Church. Very well. But can you stand in his presence and honestly say that you are working completely for him?” And his directives are practical. “Your time of prayer is your period of intimacy with God, who is your Father. It is a time for the heart, not the head. Do not rack your brains or scratch your head as to how you should appear before God.” These 1,001 reflections are pearls of great price. If lived out, they will change your life.

More information and pre-orders New City Press (NY)

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