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Jun 17, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The feast of Pentecost is past, once again bringing the gift of unity that is felt even among different charisms, such as those developed through the centuries by many Christian churches. In order to emphasize the spirit of Pentecost, which unites Christians, the churches in the southern hemisphere celebrate at this time of year the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In Porto Alegre, for example, conferences have given way to art: a musical evening called “An Ecumenical Musical Evening” brought together various groups in the city, both as audience and as musicians. Intense correspondence over a two-month period meant that all those who in previous years had participated in ecumenical initiatives were invited. And finally the much-expected date arrived: June 4, 2014. There were approximately 300 people, to listen to a performance of violins, with children from different schools, the choir of Porto Alegre, with people from all over the city, not belonging to any particular church, and other artistic pieces. The recitation of the Lord’s Prayer was an important moment, to seal real relationships as brothers and sisters who seek to bear witness to the one faith in Christ. How to live this witness? Joan Patricia Back (Centro Uno of the Focolare Movement), in a reflection during the Week of Prayer in the northern hemisphere (January 2014) in Modena, Italy had said, “The exhortation to unity is contradicted by the actual situation: for centuries Christians have been divided, and the divisions are the anomaly with which they present themselves to the world that does not know Christ. But Jesus said that the world would recognize him by the unity of those who follow him: how can we live today so that the world may see Christ in us? We are called to live a life of communion in Christ, which is the foundation of unity: if we base our lives on Him, we live as he taught us, we are his people, then we will be one. And he invites us to love one another as he has loved us, because from this people will recognize us as disciples. And we can love each other even though we belong to different churches.”
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Jun 16, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“After a year of intense collaboration and mutual understanding with our Muslim friends of the mosque in Harlem – some members of the Focolare community in New York write – on 29th May last, we held a meeting called: ‘Our Journey towards the Excellence of the Human Family’.” Before telling the 200 participants about the journey travelled together all these years, the young Muslims and members of the Focolare Movement recited the covenant of respect, brotherhood and mutual love, which is the basis of this walking together. “It was very powerful – Lumi tells us – to see the conviction of these young people who took the assignment to build universal brotherhood with responsibility and seriousness, referring to the pact made by Chiara Lubich and WD Mohammed.” In fact, a new page in relations between Christians and Muslims was opened in May 1997 in the United States. Chiara Lubich, a Christian woman, had been invited by Imam WD Mohammed, the charismatic leader of African-American Muslims, to address her message to the faithful gathered in the Historic Malcolm Shabazz Mosque, in Harlem. At the end of that special day, the Imam said: “Today, here in Harlem, New York, a page of history has been written.” That was when the two leaders had made that pact of fraternity. 
Watching the images showing the history of the path followed up to today, for someone it was like “reliving the power of that extraordinary meeting of ’97 in my mosque; my hope is that together we can keep this flame burning and give light to many … “. For many, on the other hand, it was a discovery to get to know the origins, but also the development of this unique experience of fraternity among African-American Muslims and American Christians. The comments of the participants speak for themselves: “I was struck by the atmosphere of family and reconciliation among some Muslims of different communities.” “We must continue to work together, because this is not a superficial relationship and leads to hope.” “We had the distinct impression that the words of Chiara and the Imam were more alive than ever, the prophecy of a miracle that continues!” Father McWeeney, Director of Interreligious Dialogue of the Archdiocese of New York, bringing the greeting of Cardinal Dolan pointed out that Chiara and the Imam WD had made that covenant “forever”, inviting us to pass on this experience to young people. Today in the U.S., there are more than 40 mosques and Focolare communities involved holding regular meetings of Christian and Muslim communities, whites and blacks, which aim to build fraternity; a spirit of brotherhood that has a practical expression in various initiatives for the benefit of their own cities and neighbourhoods.
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Jun 14, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
www.focolare.org/collegamentoch
https://vimeo.com/96706325
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Jun 10, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Margaret is an Arab Christian born in Israel. She received the Mount Zion 2013 prize, together with Yisca Harani, a Jew, for “the important contribution to the development of dialogue amongst religions and cultures in the Holy Land and to understanding between Jews, Christians and Muslims”. Margaret Karram, former member of the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of the Holy Land and collaborator with the directorate of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI), is now at the International Centre of the Focolare Movement and it was she who read the prayer of St Francis in the Christian section of the invocation for peace instigated by the Bishop of Rome with Shimon Peres and Abu Mazen, with the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew 1 also present. We report parts of the interview she gave to Victoria Gomez of Citta Nuova. What are your impressions of this meeting? “The first was that of finding myself in an oasis of peace. I am very aware of the differences which prevent it, and yet in those two hours spent together praying, it seemed to me that while we were asking God for the gift of peace, he was given the way to see ‘from above’, so to speak, the result of human efforts. The design is obviously not yet complete, but it seemed to me like the embroidery of a rug: on the back the knots that we must untie, but the one looking at the embroidery was God and he could see the pattern. While one prayer followed the other in Hebrew and in Arabic I thought to myself: ‘God knows these prayers and understands them. He knows how to act in history.’ I could see the power of prayer and I understood that only God is capable of changing man’s heart. Our part is to have the patience of the skilled artisan. Your story is like a passport that prepared you to participate in this event … Since I was young I have always dreamed of peace. As children we asked ourselves: ‘Which is my country, where is my place, who am I?’ Now, at 50, I can’t see that dream of a fatherland any closer, but we have sown the seed and lots of them! We must continue doing so. It’s our duty to the future generations. We must pass on the certainty of a possible future, without losing hope or giving up because of the fatigue. Then yesterday was also the feast of Pentecost and the action of the Holy Spirit ‘waters that which is dry, heals that which is wounded and bends that which is inflexible …’. You were representing the Focolare Movement with a personal invitation from Pope Francis … 
Many people, from the President Maria Voce to my friends in Bethlehem and Jerusalem assured me of their support. I heard many joyful words from several Christian, Jewish and Muslim dignitaries whom I met in the Vatican Gardens. I had the impression that the Pope gave us a new encouragement to commit ourselves to peace with greater courage. I felt it also directed to us as members of the Focolare Movement: to be more present, more active, more courageous actors in undoing the ‘knots’ that we find everywhere. The Pope’s personal greeting confirmed this for me, as did other authorities I met. You were the only woman to read a prayer. How did that feel? I tried to read that prayer as a representative of humanity that believes, suffers and hopes. As women we have an important role to play for peace. One of the participants said to me: ‘It is so important that you are here. I know the rich contribution a woman can make!’ As we listened to those beautiful prayers and music I recalled the words of the Pope at the Angelus, just a few hours before: the Mother Church and the Mother Mary are ‘both mothers, both women’. And in the certainly not always harmonious emotions that vibrated in those present, you could feel the need of a mother. How do you feel the people you know in the Holy Land saw all of this? There were great expectations and now there is great hope. Obviously there will always be sceptics. Both Palestinians and Israelis say that this meeting marked a turning point that we can look to from now on and continue to do so in the future. As well as that, it was a strong sign that the Church takes on board the sufferings and hopes of all peoples. And it was a demonstration that the Holy Land has not been forgotten and that the Pope does not leave these two peoples by themselves and will walk alongside them. The event must be seen in the long term. In the meantime we must continue to weave, untying the knots committing ourselves at all levels possible, with courage and tactfulness. Many think of a long road, but we really don’t know how God acts in history. There is always hope.” Source: Città Nuova online
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Jun 9, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
In synthesis this is the aim of Centro Rincon de Luz, now into its third year, managed by the local Association of Unisol, in collaboration with AMU (Azione Mondo Unito) and AFN (Azione per Famiglie Nuove). To see how the project is going and to plan new developments, Anna Marenchino, from AMU’s Project section, visited Cochabamba in Bolivia. The new Principal of the centre, Mari Cruz, is one of the many people she met during the trip. Mari Cruz attended the centre herself when she was young, though it wasn’t as developed or as welcoming as it is today. She managed to finish her studies thanks to the support of ‘Help at a Distance’, a project organised by the New Families Movement. Seeing her in charge of all the studies today is a real encouragement to all the children and their families to believe that a better life is possible. “I’ve had to suffer a lot in my life,” Mari Cruz explains, “When I was small my father drank a lot and seeing him like that upset me very much. He wasn’t violent with us but he was very severe. I remember one of his punishments was to walk around the outside of the house from four in the morning until seven when it was time to go to school. The Centre was a reference point for me. They helped me with the subjects I was struggling with at school, and it happened once, would you believe it, that I was one of the best in the class! They also helped me financially to stay on at school and finish my studies. A few years later we moved house and were far from the Centre. My father was a bit better, and every weekend we would all work together with him to fix up the house. It was hard at first because we had nothing: except for light, water and a bathroom. But we didn’t complain. We would look at our father and in a reassuring tone say: ‘Don’t worry, just go to work so that tomorrow we can eat chicken!’ 
When times were hard I found the courage to start again, thanks to some people of the Focolare Movement who, besides having helped me at the Centre, gave me great support and helped me to trust again in myself and in others. I have been teaching at the Rincon de Luz Centre for a number of years now, but I just couldn’t believe it last December when they asked me to be the Principal. Did they really mean me? I said yes immediately, because I really want to help to give these children a chance, just like I was given. And now I am very happy because everything I’ve experienced, whether beautiful or sad, has made me stronger and has helped me understand other people more deeply, because I have felt their sufferings in my heart. Now I can say to the children and their families: ‘Be brave – we can all change!’ “ Source: Amu Newsletter No.2/2014 – www.amu-it.eu
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Jun 8, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“Deep in her heart, Chiara Lubich had a dream,” said Mark Tecilla, known to history as the “first” focolarino, to an audience of several hundred people from 50 countries, representing the local communities of the Focolare Movement around the world. It was spontaneous look at the life of the city of Trent, where the charism of unity took its first steps, so as to have a light for such a gathering. “Looking from her window that overlooked the city of Trent, Chiara would have liked to solve the social problems of the city. But we weren’t strong enough for that yet. Then, in December 1947 she called everyone to the Cardinal Massaia hall to tell us something. She had noticed that within our community there were people forced to live in dire financial straits. And this was inconceivable for her. In the early Christian communities which arose in Jerusalem in the early days of the Church, – as we are told in the Acts of the Apostles – “everything was shared and there were no needy among them” because the Gospel was lived to the letter. Chiara had decided to talk about the community of goods and present all of us who formed that first community of Trent with that challenge which was both the same and different to that of the early Christians.” Did everyone have to sell all their possessions? “No. While reaching the same aim of the Christian community, each person was not asked to sell what they had and give it to the community, but to give that ‘everything’ they had and which they could do without, without harm to themselves or to their family”. 
How did this form of ‘organized’ charity work? “Each one brought any extra they had, especially in money, and pledged to donate a fixed amount established by themselves, month by month. The donor and the pledge remained secret. With the money received, Chiara asked a focolarina to help needy families in the community, monthly and secretly, guiding this delicate task with extreme charity and discretion. The aim was: to reach the point that among us there was no longer anyone in need, but everyone had enough to live on. The result of the amount donated and of the monthly pledge was totally unexpected and already in the first month was enough to help thirty families.” What did Chiara think about this? “Looking at this world of ours”, she said, “It seems impossible that nowadays it is so greedy and selfish … and yet it is so. Faced with these facts, touched and grateful, we shout out: Charity is God! And God is the Almighty. In the spirit of charity and unity (which is not mere almsgiving, but the total gift of self to the will of God) everyone could find something to give. But it is necessary, before asking people to give, to form hearts, because – unlike the early Christians – there is too much spirit of worldliness among us and disunity and indifference reign. Only a strong and deep evangelical formation can keep alive an ideal society living fraternal charity. This will certainly exist among us, because as long as we are united, Christ is in our midst, and what he builds, remains. “In fact, what was very prominent in the early days of the Focolare Movement was the importance of living the gospel.” This experience of the communion of goods did not stop at the first community of Trent, but continued over the years, both in the lifestyle choices of the members of the Focolare Movement, and in concrete actions including some in which things are circulated in a way that resembles the ancient idea of barter, with a strong dose of solidarity and social justice.
