![Klaus Hemmerle: The Priest Today (1)]()
Jul 26, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“If you are looking for a seismograph that can register the vibrations of our world today, can know the positive and negative developments of the consciousness of our times with its imminent dangers and new experiences, look at the priest. In a certain sense he is the heart of Our Lord, placed by God Himself in the heart of humanity with this calling to be completely available to the Lord and sensitive to all people, with whom he is called to make himself one and be close to; but this availability also involves a great vulnerability. Whoever deals with a theme such as The Priest Today – an essential question for the life of the Church in our times – finds himself faced with countless theories, experiments and projects. The documents of the Second Vatican Council and the 1971 Synod of Bishops, the talks and letters of recent Popes, especially our present Holy Father, John Paul II all offer support and mark out the way. But they do not dispense us from making the personal effort of carrying them over into our own lives so that they may be comprehensible for others and express a shining witness for all people, both within the Church and outside of it. With the directives of the Church in my heart and keeping my eyes fixed on the experiences and problems of humanity, I sought an image that could shed light on the figure of the priest today – who is he? How does he appear to us? In my search I came across a text that can provide that answer to the question about the priest’s identity today, even though it does not mention the priesthood at all. This is the great attraction of modern times: to penetrate to the highest contemplation while mingling with everyone, one person alongside others. I would say even more: to lose oneself in the crowd in order to fill it with the divine, like a piece of bread dipped in wine. I would say even more: made sharers in God’s plans for humanity, to embroider patterns of light on the crowd, and at the same time to share with our neighbour shame, hunger, troubles, brief joys. Because the attraction of our times, as of all times, is the highest conceivable expression of the human and the divine, Jesus and Mary: the Word of God, a carpenter’s son; the Seat of Wisdom, a mother at home.[1] This text of Chiara Lubich speaks to me of our times and highlights the priest as God’s answer to our world today. This text speaks to me of Jesus Christ and makes me understand the priest from this point of departure: Christ. This text speaks to me of being a Christian – and reveals to me the life of the priest from this point of departure: the life of an ordinary Christian. This text speaks to me of the Church – and shows me the place and meaning of the priest within the Church.” (To be continued)
[1]. Chiara Lubich,
Essential Writings, New City Press, New York and New City, London (English translation), 2007, p. 169. Forthcoming events:
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.
![Klaus Hemmerle: The Priest Today (1)]()
Jul 25, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Despondency prevails among the people of Gaza. The only thing that helps are the words of the Pope and the support of prayers from around the world, as a young woman from the Focolare Movement recounts. She lives in the Gaza Strip and for safety reasons will remain anonymous. R. “There is no respite to the conflict, we only sees death, destruction and refugees on the road. It seems so inconceivable, you can’t believe it. Near to us there’s a UN school for refugees, some seventy people live there in 50 square metres, taking cover under the trees. How can you find peace in this situation? D. – How has your life changed since the conflict began? R. –Sincerely, we’re already a bit dead. Before and after this war nothing has changed. There’s no electricity, water or work. The young are psychologically dying. You speak with them and it’s like talking to a seventy-year-old who has no more expectations or hope in life. The only ambition is to have at least a bit of electricity for a couple of hours a day and to find a bit of fuel. D. –Until now both Hamas and Israel authorities have been saying that it cannot stop, that they must finish what has been begun. Do you also think so? R. –We don’t have any expectations. All we have is prayer. We turn to God and entrust ourselves to Him, because there is no government that can help us, neither Arab nor foreign, not even the UN can do anything. D. – Then how can this situation be changed? R. –If things were to change it would only be because those with the power and responsibility had remembered that God sees everything they are doing. Only God can make the difference, only God can change the hearts that are full of hate, only God can change this reality of death and suffering. D. – Is news getting to you about how the Pope is praying and making appeals for you? Does that news offer you some support? R. –We’ve been receiving all the messages and appeals by the Pope. We know that he is near to us and asking God for our safety with the intercession of Mary. And then all the Christian communities around us call us every day so we don’t feel alone, and they support us with their prayers. All of this helps us. D. – You belong to the Focolare Movement and therefore live a spirituality of unity that is built with mutual love, as the Gospel says. How do you put that into practice now? R. –Every day, in the morning and evening, I try to make contact with my relatives and friends to know how they’re doing. So many of them no longer have houses, because they’ve been destroyed by the bombings and we’re putting up two refugee families in our home right now. Just yesterday I was saying to them: ‘don’t think about the house, about material things. The important thing is that we’re alive and together. The important thing is that we’re here for each other’. Then, every day I give praise to God for the grace of another day to live. This is already a lot: we still exist and can still get busy doing something for each other. D. – If you could launch your own appeal, what would it be? R. –I’d like to speak to the whole world on behalf of my people, asking that everyone would return to God and remember that Muslims and Christians are a single people in Gaza, a single life and we’re all undergoing the same suffering and pain. Thanks.” Source: Vatican Radio Online 
![Klaus Hemmerle: The Priest Today (1)]()
Jul 24, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“Don’t forget us!” We cannot. As Christians and as men and women of this planet we cannot remain passive in front of the grave situations that are unfolding in many parts of the world. Therefore, let us unite ourselves to the heartfelt prayer of Pope Francis asking for peace especially in the land of Jesus. Let us ask that every possible path will be taken that excludes the use of arms so that the innocent deaths of so many innocent people may be avoided. We wish to assure our Christian brothers and sisters, but also those of other faiths, that we have not forgotten them. That we assume the daily commitment of offering and praying to the Almighty that the violence may stop and dialogue begin between the parties, and that they may have the courage needed for peace. For those wishing to help: Associazione “Azione per un Mondo Unito – Onlus” Via Frascati, 342 – 00040 Rocca di Papa (Roma, Italy) c/c bancario n. 120434 Banca Popolare Etica – Filiale di Roma codice IBAN: IT16 G050 1803 2000 0000 0120 434 codice SWIFT/BIC: CCRTIT2184D Reason: Emergency Middle East For European donors there is a possibility of deduction / tax deductibility. For those wishing to help the Christians of Iraq: IBAN JO09 ARAB 1110 0000 0011 1210 9985 98 Account: 0111 210998 0 598 Swiftcode: ARABJOAX100 Reason: Help Christians in Iraq ARAB Bank – Amman branch Amman – Jordan
![Klaus Hemmerle: The Priest Today (1)]()
Jul 23, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The Teens for Unity from southern Italy have held their annual “Big Bang” meeting in the extreme peripheries of Sicily (July 1, 2014 – July 6, 2014). This was the fifth such event and, once again, it was rich in content, full of emotion and generous commitment. The preparations were carried out by the teenagers themselves, who not only decided on the content, but also the dynamics and timing of the event. They reviewed the last five years and examined the current situation. The teenage editors of the Teens for Unity in Calabria and Sicily (GRAFOTEENS) had already highlighted some issues for adolescents such as the difficult relationship with their own bodies, with the growing number of cases of anorexia and boulemia. The teenagers wanted to change the approach to the problem. They dealt with it in a newspaper article and then staged an open-ended “psychodrama” that they left to be continued in the various work groups. Another burning issue was the relationship between teenagers and parents, which was presented by psychiatrist Ezio Aceti. He focused on communication and the strong feelings that can unfold in friendships, love and even education. The tragic deaths of 45 mirgrants who perished in the hold of a ship caused an interruption in the summer camp. The boat carrying the corpses arrived at the Port of Pozzallo a few kilometres away from the site of the camp, so the Teens for Unity decided to cancel the concluding festivities on Saturday and attend the prayer vigil that was going to be held to commemerate the dead and comfort the living. This decision brought them to the heart of the tragedy of immigration, meeting with Caritas workers and learning what prompts thousands of people to flee their own war-torn lands in search of peace and employment. The local diocese asked the Teens for Unity to be involved in the Vigil.They decided to bring both their “roots” and their “wings”. Their “roots” was the journey they share as members of the Focolare Movement. They read a passage by Igino Giordani from 1926: Come, my exiled brother, let us embrace, in which Giordani discusses the duty towards others and the least. The “wings” was represented by a letter to the 45 deceased refugees, written by a 14 year old girl, Enrica, who asked forgiveness for othe world’s indifference and lack of sensitivity. At the conclusion of the prayer vigil the Teens for Unity were greeted and thanked by the vicar general of the diocese, and some of the refugees and minors who had escaped death just a few days earlier. A dialogue was begun in broken English and Italian, and the youths from the Focolare invited the young refugees to attend some upcoming appointments that could help them to become inserted in the local environment. Perhaps the real “Big Bang” was the new beginning offered at this refugee landing and represented by the Chiara Luce Badano Award that was bestowed on the Sicilian Communities of Ispica and Rosolini for their warm welcome and acceptance of the refugees, especially minors in search of a better future. Source: Città Nuova online
Jul 22, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The Focolare’s United World Project (AMU) and its partner in Burundi, Cadre Associatif des Solidaires (CASOBU), are quite a winning team! This is thanks also to co-financing by several Italian state entities with whom they were able to conclude several microcredit projects on the peripheries of Bujumbura and in the Province of Ruyigi, Burundi. In all, 80 microcredit groups have been established. The savings accumulated within each group has allowed 406 people to take part in the first project; and 722 people in the second project to begin a production business that enables them to support their families. Sandrine who is one of the project animators recounts: “At first it wasn’t easy to introduce the project, because the people didn’t respect the schedule of programmes. . . this often required me to go beyond simply executing the tasks that had been entrusted to me.” Jerome works in the projects department at CASOBU. He is motivated by the desire to come to the aid of his people: “Each time I try to work alongside them, to respect their personality and dignity, to help everyone to put the accent on the human person and to strengthen the social bonds. In one group a person wasn’t able to repay the credit within the set deadline. Another member of the group, seeing what that other group member had done, lost his own records. Knowing that I was in Ruyigi, the previous debtor looked for me in order to report on his situation. I took the opportunity to stress the importance of brotherhood in the group and how it was the most important value for us, which comes before everything else. Meanwhile, we managed to find the second party who, as it turns out, had gone off to search for money to repay his debt. I learned how important it is that the beneficiaries find the ability to solve their own problems, remaining faithful to the rules, but being enlightened by the spirit of brotherhood. This self-confidence also shows them what they’re able to do.” “In other words,” Sandrine continues, “we at CASOBU would like this Gospel love which guides us as the animators, to also inspire relations within the group, including the decision-making.” One of many experiences: “One woman, a mother with two children and expecting the third, had taken on a debt so that she could begin a small business, but she had never attended the group meetings. It seemed that she had moved elsewhere. They finally found her. As she recounted her story, they realised she had terrible problems. Her husband had abandoned her and her small children, she wasn’t able to pay the rent and was threatened with being thrown out on the street. The group members found a family who took in her children, and they unanimously agreed to grant her an additonal loan so that she could restart her small business. The woman was then able to pay her debts before the deadline. And the other group members felt pride in having brought this situation to a happy conclusion.”
Jul 19, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
http://live.focolare.org/rpu/ See also:
