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Aug 4, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Dad’s bread
The separation from my husband had left me with very little self-confidence, in addition to giving me a serious feeling of guilt. I had lost all my points of reference. Then, with the help of my family and friends, I found again a little strength to live. I learned how to detach myself from my own ideas, to respect my husband in his life choices, and not to judge him. It wasn’t always easy, in fact the opposite is true … In addition, these steps are not made once and for all, we must begin again each day. But I was able to make some painful choices in peace: for example, to stay on living in the house that reminded me of my life as a couple. Speaking with my three oldest children, I realized it was better that way in order to enable them to continue living in their own environment. On the day of my youngest son Gael’s confirmation, my husband came and started to make some bread. I tried to make everyone feel at home: forgiveness prevailed. It was a wonderful day that reached its climax when we shared together the bread that Dad had made. B.G. – Mauritius The guitar
Judy and Tom, a couple who lived on the edge of the abyss between drugs and alcohol. As a result of our friendship, Judy decided to stop taking drugs, while Tom remained hostile. One evening we went to visit them, and seeing a guitar in the corner, I asked Tom to play something. He did and slowly began to open up: a first step towards the big decision to return to work and leave the drugs. With other friends we helped him in every way. On the tenth anniversary of their wedding, Judy expressed the desire to renew their wedding vows, “now that God has entered our lives.” So we organized a big party for them. G.L.O. – USA A Pact I was having big problems in my relationship with my father, so I was thinking of leaving home, even though I was only 16. After talking it over with friends from the parish, I understand that I had to try to love him better, without expecting anything from him. A few days after this decision, I stayed at home to work with him. Hours of silence. When we had finished working, he confided in me: he had noticed that for some time I interacted with him in a different way from my brothers. “I understand that you may have wanted a more affectionate father, but I ask you to accept me as I am.” For me it was as if we had made a pact. M.T. – Belgium Source: The Gospel of the day (Supplement to no. 11/2014 of the magazine Citta’ Nuova)
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Aug 2, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
«The youth of today will be the leaders of the tomorrow. From the questions and often impetuous desires of young people, from their opinions and sometimes impatient and exaggerated demands, we can understand something of what is going on in the minds of people in any given epoch. Those who are very much in contact with today’s young people, come up against two tendencies which seem to be contradictory: on one hand young people want closeness, equality and spontaneity, so that whoever is distant or too high is neither accepted nor understood. They want people who have something to say, not to be too different from them but to have an inside-knowledge of their situation. In short, they don’t want these people to feel that they are above everyone else in some way, with their answers come down from somewhere on high. At the same time, however – and this is the other tendency – we discover in young people a great thirst for originality, the need for a model they can hold up in front of them, an Ideal they can follow which is convincing and a way of life. Young people want to draw their lives from depths they themselves are not able to reach, from a source they feel cut off from. They are looking for someone who is very close to them and at the same time someone “who comes from the land of distant waters” to make them drink. They are looking for someone who is both like them and at the same time completely different. They are looking for someone who is small and at the same time someone who possesses a greatness without which life is dull, frivolous and empty. In a sense broader than that of a specifically religious or Christian context, we could say: young people, indeed, humanity today, is attracted both by: action and a mystical dimension, nearness and authority, brotherhood and mandate. Couldn’t this be nostalgia for Jesus Christ? For the Son of God who comes to us as the Son of Mary, for the Messiah who belongs to the carpenter’s family? Yes. And this nostalgia for Jesus Christ is also a nostalgia for the priest: for that priest, whose message becomes credible by means of his personal life, and who gives witness to this message through his own experience, by what he says and what he brings, even though his ultimate authority comes from Jesus Christ Himself. The priest in himself is a man like any other; he must never elevate himself as if he were somehow higher or better. But it is also true that Jesus Christ has imprinted Himself upon the priest. Jesus chose the priest and sent him out to bring His presence near to men and women, to witness to Him and transmit His life, and message. There is something different in the priest, but this difference can be justified only because of Jesus Christ and for Him. Thus, courage is needed, courage to differentiate oneself and courage to be near; courage to live in contemplation and courage to serve with simplicity and humility; courage to climb Mt Tabor and courage to wash the feet of one’s neighbour: this is the figure of the priest today. And this figure meets the desire of our times, the nostalgia for Jesus Christ who comes from the Father in Heaven and at the same time, lives the everyday life of ordinary people. To live Christ, to live his mission, to live his authority close to Mary, the Handmaid of the Lord – this is what it means to be priests today. In a word: the priest, the response of God to our times; the priest – the man of our times […]». (To be continued) Klaus Hemmerle: The Priest Today (1) Forthcoming event
19 August 2014 – 22 August 2014
A meeting promoted by the Focolare Movement for young priests, deacons, seminarians and young people attracted to the priesthood.
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Aug 1, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
This year most specialisations at the graduate summer session of Sophia Univeristy Institute (IUS) came from the Department of Political Studies. Ramy Boulos from Egypt with the thesis on Monitoring and Evaluation Systems: Rethinking, Recovering and Reconciling Current Practices; Vanessa Breidy from Lebanon with Pluralisme et Conflicts Culturels Au Liban. Entre Communitarisme Et Conscociativisme Perspectives Pour le Futur (on prospectives of institutional reform in the country); Melchior Nsavyimana from Burundi with Le Soudan du Sud e la Communaute est Africane (on the integration process of Sudan in East South Africa; Vilmar Dal Bo Maccaria from Brazil with O concieto de social segundo o paradigma fraterno a partir do pensamento de Giuseppe Maria Zanghi (on social life and fraternity, with a particular reference to the thought of Zanghi). Choosing a topic for a thesis is always very demanding. What was your approach? “There was a big question that was returning to me for some time: What defines the identity of a people? Why does identity still appear as such an irreconcilable contrast? What relationship is there between identity and democracy? The Middle East is still in the midst of a very critical phase that will long determine its appearance. Only three years ago there was talk of an Arab spring, whereas now we are much more cautious about using this term: the line between Arab spring and Arab wars is not as clear as we observe the return of several non-democratic military regimes. Prolonged oppression of minorities, persecutions against those who think differently, rigidity and fundamentalism, vicissitudes that are deeply rooted in history . . . what we see emerging from a combination of confused and at the same time dramatic factors seems to me to be a sad inability to ‘under-stand’ the cultural, ethnic, political and religious diversity that is found in different countries. The theory of democracy is struggling with these unanswered questions, and I think we have to recognise that we still have a long road ahead of us.” What is the message that comes from your own country of Lebanon? “John Paul II said that Lebanon was more than a country – that it was a message. And yet, until now the Lebanese have not managed to secure harmonious coexistence amongst the ethnic groups, religious groups and different faces of its inhabitants. The search continues amidst challenges and disappointments. Lebanon has several interesting features that should not be undervalued; but a critical analysis should be allowed to also identify what is lacking so that the values, upon which our coexistence can be built, can be highlighted.” From where should we begin again? The high vision of politics that I studied at IUS has given me much hope. I learnt that it is always necessary to choose dialogue, accepting even our fears and ambitions, while aiming for the truth. Each one of us, in our deepest being, is formed by the Other: by the identity of others. In politics, dialogue becomes the true art of understanding and learning. With this in mind I placed the accent on the question of Good more than Justice, an idea that seems to be making strong headway throughout the Middle East: why not continue following this line after for so long asking what is just has proven to be so unfruitful? I am convinced that, following this path, the Lebanese will also rediscover the fruitfulness of their own message – the peaceful coexistence of different religions and cultures, but especially the dialogue among them, for a new blossoming of service to the Middle East and beyond.
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Jul 31, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Jerusalem, July 30, 2014. “The situation in Gaza is dramatically deteriorating. Following the total destruction of the electrical plant, which was only partially operating, the people are now completely without electricity. Yesterday, G., a Christian woman, informed us that water has also become scarce. Two hours ago she telephoned saying that shortly there would be no telephone line, but she wanted to inform us that everyone was still alive. Three families are staying with her, because their homes have been completely or partially destroyed. They say that the love among them strongly unites them, and they wish to stay together even if it means dying together. The home of H., which was already seriously damaged a week earlier, was completely blown up last night by four missiles. In their last telephone call they begged: “Pray for us not a little, but a lot!” 
The apartment of N., was bombed five days ago. They are now living on the stairs, which is the most protected place they can find. They tried but were unable to restore the generator so that they could have a few hours of electricity. Nadia says it’s like living in an ongoing earthquake, and she is suffering very much. But when she telephoned she was very grateful because, at 15:00 a four-hour ceasefire was declared. Within Gaza there are some 50 people who live the spirituality of unity. They count on the prayers of the worldwide Focolare family. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem we have visited the fifteen wounded who were taken from Gaza and placed in a hospital in the city. Among them was a small child of four years, who lost her family. There was also five-year-old Yazan, thirteen-year-old Abdul Karim and twenty-year-old Musleh. One of them lost a kidney, another lost an arm and a leg. . . We wanted to kneel down in front of each one of them and ask for forgiveness. We continue praying that the hatred, mistrust and fear may melt and that peace return.” Corres Kwak and Claudio Maina – Focolare Movement in the Holy Land
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Jul 30, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Angiolino is by no means “self-centred”. This is the best description you could probably give of him. For 75 years he’s lived as someone who is “other-centred”. He’s lived in several places in Italy, then in Belgium and Argentina. For the past few years he’s been living in Rome, Italy. “When I first came to Rome, I felt a bit awkward. I knew so few people, but at the same time felt the need to do something for the people here who often seemed tired and stressed, unhappy and buried in their personal problems. Then, I simply began to acquaint myself with whomever came into view, beginning with the shop workers, the florist, the coffee shop owner, the newspaper seller. But especially the many poor people I met who were begging for money. Often when I go to church, I find them coming up to me in groups of four or five. One asks for some money, another for a pair of trousers or pieces of clothing. Even when I don’t have anything to give them, I stop to chat a bit and they feel accepted. Once in a while I stop by a Romanian who is unable to move one leg because of an accident. He’s married with a daughter who considers me a father. Then someone tells me he hasn’t had breakfast. So I invite him to a coffee shop and do a bit of shopping for him. Hasamed from Bangladesh supports his family, cleaning windshields. When he insists on buying me a cappuccino I let him pay, out of respect for his personal dignity. If someone has a need that goes beyond my possibilities, I pray to the Eternal Father, and often the answer comes. Once, not knowing how to assist a Romanian lady who was in need, I gave her the gold cross and chain I have always worn around my neck. At times, not concerned about who sees me (it’s been a while since I’ve looked for human respect), I sit with them and listen to what they have to tell me. . . I don’t solve their problems, but at least they feel there is someone who wishes them well. My way of acting is not always looked upon in a positive way. Once someone even threatened me: ‘You give too much trust to those over there, then they take advantage and come to rob you. If you continue like this, I’ll report you to the police!’ But as for me, I just continued, hoping that my example might draw others. Like that time when I was at the Vatican Museums and it began to rain. I saw a bearded old man approaching, soaked to the skin, unsteady on his feet and wearing a tattered scarf around his neck. He smelled of wine and I understood immediately! In fact, I had just received some extra money from my pension. ‘Come,’ I told him, ‘let me buy you a pair of shoes.’ As I stepped into the shop, a gentleman turned to me and said: ‘I’ll also contribute ten euros.’ I’m a bit talented at doing clown performances with a foldable metre for measuring. The monies I receive from these small performances I donate to from seminarians from outside the country, since the bishop who was assisting them has died. Then there are others in Congo who would not be able to carry on with the studies if it were not for my support. I was also able to help a married couple who were unable to afford a cesarian section: now they have a healthy baby girl. I share these little episodes with people whenever the occasion allows, and my barber – for example – has refused to let me pay for the last two haircuts, telling me to “send the money you were going to give me, to Congo.” Living like this is an investment: for example, at times I leave the house focused in on myself, a bit burdened by some personal problem, but when I spot one of my poor friends I take courage. It’s as if they say to me, come on, Angiolino, get out of yourself, give us a smile. . . And by forgetting myself, I return to being free and happy. Source: Città Nuova online
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Jul 29, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
July 21-22, 2014. An innovation for future generations of graduates in European and Italian Economics: Fifty students at the Lumsa University of Rome recite and undersign the Genovesian Oath committing themselves to exercise their profession according to a demanding ethical code. The initiative takes its name from the first professor of Economics in Italian history, Antonio Genovesi who, in 1754 was a voice for values such as trust, public happiness and mutual assistance. It is just a small parchment,” explains Professor Bruni of the department of Economic Sciences at Lumsa University, “but will have an impact on a symbolic and ritualistic level. Publicly reciting and undersigning the Genovesian Promise at such a significant moment as a doctoral hooding ceremony is not mere rhetoric or folklore.” The oath proposes an epochal challenge at a time of crisis and precarious values. In his Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis states that the present economy kills. Professor Bruni adds: “Nowadays people are dying not only because of causes linked to medicine, but also because of the omissions and mistakes committed by economists, financers and managers: nowadays people are dying as a result of decisions and the unethical behaviour of banks and businesses. For this reason a commitment to ethics in economics, an oath to abide by certain values and behaviours is not less weighty than that required of other professions that are ethically sensitive, and it can help trigger a virtuous cycle of economic and social change.” 
This could be an important step for Europe, as Rector of Lumsa University, Professor Giuseppe Dalla Torre said: “We need to pay attention to the civilian economy, its ethics, and overcome the individualistic mind-set that characterises it now.” Text of the Genovesian Oath: “In receiving this Economics Degree today I promise that I will: 1) view the market as a set of opportunities for mutual benefit without, discrimination of language, gender, race or creed, and not as a competition or battleground wherein one wins at the expense of others; 2) never treat an employee as a commodity, capital, or resource of the company; 3) first of all recognise in my professional practice that employees, partners, colleagues, suppliers and clients are human beings, and because of that human dignity I must respect, value and honour them; 4) relate with my interlocutors with kindness, trust, fairness, justice, magnanimity, morality, and respect for every person, recognising this work ethic to as the best path to a good and sustainable economy; 5) see my career as the terrain for my personal growth and as a contribution to the common good.
