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19 Jul 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
“It was beautiful to see our generation working and sweating for an ideal of love and solidarity without receiving anything in return . . . And I hope this helps to change the common opinion that teenagers are just lazy and uncaring. Because we’re the living proof that even if we’re young, with love and a bit of will we can accomplish something that’s great, entertaining as well as significant by putting ourselves in the game!”
These were words shared by one of the 120 youths and teenagers (8-17 years of age) from several regions of Lombardy, Italy. On June 15, 2013 he and his peers performed in the Musical “Rays of Light.” The show was thought up and desired by these young members of the Focolare to be a musical rendition, through word and song, of the extraordinary life of Blessed Chiara Luce Badano who was a youth and teenager like them. They wanted the underlying message of her life to be conveyed to as many hearts as possible. The workshop gathered together 70 youths from northern Italy on June 26-30 at Sassello, the city where Chiara Luce was born.
These are some examples of the kaleidoscope of activities that Teens for Unity have been promoting throughout Italy as they take on the most diverse, demanding and also very current issues. There is always one common denominator: to build bridges in the midst of their cities that lead to a more united world. In Tuscany 45 youths between the ages of 9 and 12 “exercised.” They began gradually, first setting in place columns of friendship and true values. . . Then they did the rest. It was a different approach, yes, but often it produced a wealth of unexpected results.
Their impressions express the intensity of the moments they shared: “During a period of much doubting, this experience has been like a trampoline for me to begin again loving and to rediscover the joy there is in loving others freely.” Another says: “Some of my friends were competing with each other to see who could be first at supper. But one boy was exhausted and just couldn’t keep up with everyone else. So I thought of our motto and went back to keep him company.”
In Umbria, Italy, 65 youths went “in search of happiness” with the help of some experts from the field of psychology who explained to them how it has been scientifically proven that loving makes you happy. Longs nature walks, workshops, sporting matches and musical sessions were opportunities to build and share deep friendships.
“Big Bang, an explosion that unites” was the title of another meeting in Calabria, Italy. It involved 150 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16 from Calabria and Sicily. Some of the distinguished guest speakers included the D’Agostino’s, parents of the police officer who was murdered by the mafia.The D’Agostino’s helped raise awareness among the teenagers, of the importance of legality. Meanwhile, on the other side of the peninsula, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, another workshop gathered fifty teenagers beneath a banner containing five slogans: “Always joyful,” “Stay on the ray,” “Love always,” “Begin again,” and “Live the present moment.”
There was “Stop’n Go 3,” the third Teens for Unity Camp in Lazio, Italy, on July 17-21, 2013. Daily activities alternated with moments for solidarity – like visiting a rest home or working on ecological projects – and moments for reflection provided by experts in the field of feelings and emotions, and in the field of dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
Not the usual holiday vacations, then, but 100% love!”affirmed one of the young protagonists. And from Austria to Brazil more new projects and activities are planned or already under way.
Until the next time!
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17 Jul 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
In June, in two cities of Slovakia, a book was presented about the life of deceased French entrepreneur of the Economy of Communion (EoC), Francois Neveux.
The first presentation took place on June 12, 2013 in Kosice in the Hall of the Panta Rhei Library, which was not able to contain the large crowd. People came not only from nearby cities but also from Poland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. The participants had the most varied professional experiences as well. The audience included entrepreneurs and students, the unemployed and public workers. Also present were the local coordinators of the EoC in France,along with the wife of Francoise. In their presentation of him, they described Francois an “entrepreneur of relationships.”
Their testimony, in which they shared great and small experiences from his life, was especially appreciated, because “theories” can be argued and discussed, and different opinions emerge, but a life like that of Francois leaves no room for discussion.
On June 13, 2013 the presentationwas held in the capital city of Bratislava. It was attended by several political leaders who were interested in the EoC. A lively dialogue followed the presentations. One politician remarked: “The philosophy that lies beneath the EoC can help us to write innovative laws, and policies that are new. The EoC is the way.” The event was also covered by the Lux Catholic TV network in Slovakia, which helped in spreading the spirit behind the project.
In the capital of Slovakia there is also an historic business company that has adhered to the EoC. It is called In Vivo. For years it has produced ceramics and is widely known and appreciated for its originality. In Vivo began in 1991 just after the EoC began, based on the inspiration of Chiara Lubich in Brazil that same year.
“The relationships that were built certainly didn’t end with the presentation of a book,” writes Slovak Maja Calfova, “on the contrary, new relationships have begun and old ones have been strengthened,” bringing new energy also to the local EoC commission. One of its members stated: “We feel inside that we can’t rest until the EoC is incarnated in our land and in those around us.”
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16 Jul 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
A book written with the heart. The testimony of one of the first young women from the city of Trent, Italy, who followed Chiara Lubich in a spiritual adventure that has gathered in millions of people. Vittoria Salizzoni (Aletta) was one those first companions along with Dori Zamboni, Graziella De Luca, Silvana Veronesi, Bruna Tomasi, Palmira Frizzera, Gisella and Ginetta Calliari, Natalia Dallapiccola, Giosi Guella, Valeria Ronchetti, Lia Brunet and Marilen Holzauser.
Aletta, as she was popularly known, lived with Chiara at the dawn of the Focolare. Her recollections – some published here for the first time – along with excerpts from talks and presentations, describe the exceptional adventure she lived; also her share for over twenty five years in building the Focolare Movement in the lands of the Middle East.
She shares her memories in a language that is simple and spontaneous not with the intention of sketching a history of the Movement, but with the desire of conveying the courage and vitality that accompanied the events. Now, at the age of 87 when asked how she feels, she responds: “I feel rich. . .”
We publish one excerpt from the book, Aletta racconta. . . una trentina con Chiara Lubich, Citta Nuova’s Per Series, in which she tells of her years in Lebanon during the war (1975-1990).
“In the midst of the hatred and the bombs we believed in the Gospel. In the midst of wounded and dead there was an oasis of people striving to live mutual love and communion of goods not only among themselves, but also with others, with Muslims as well.
There was so much mutual support, a veritable competition in offering flats, for example, and dwelling places to people with nowhere to stay. Many families opened their homes to those who were living in the most dangerous regions. Then there were some who had houses in the mountains or in secure locations, who offered hospitality to the ones who were left homeless.
When food supplies were scarce those who had bread distributed to those who had none; the same with water. The ones who went to collect water for themselves said to the others: “Give us your water containers and we’ll fetch some water for you.” And this meant standing for many hours at a fountain, always fearful that a bombardment could happen at any moment.
There were certainly experiences of loss, but our spiritual support for one another seemed to lead to material assistance as well. Everything grew from there and not like a mutual aid society but as a society in which the Gospel was being lived out.
We were all living in the same conditions, and so the only thing we could do was love, and the war could never prevent us from doing that – on the contrary! You could even say that it was forming us. We felt the continual support of the Focolare and the nearness of Chiara Lubich who followed us from afar, during those very difficult and troubling situations in Lebanon.”
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13 Jul 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Members and friends of the Focolare representing various denominations were present alongside local clergy and ecumenical officers.
“The ecumenical legacy of the Vatican Council” was the cardinal’s theme, which he delivered not so much as a formal lecture, but as a personal account of his insights into ecumenism.
I
The cardinal began by recognising the contribution of the Focolare spirituality of unity and its ecumenical work, which pre-dated the Council. He spoke of Chiara Lubich as “one of the bright luminaries of our century, of the centuries” and considered her “numbered among the blessed in heaven.”
Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor recalled the Council decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, and its bold proclamation that “there is no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart … without inner conversion, newness of attitude and unstinted love.”
He cited suspicion, inertia and impatience as the three enemies of ecumenism. Drawing on his own experience both in his time as a priest and later bishop of Arundel and Brighton, and in latter years as archbishop of Westminster, the cardinal summed up the ecumenical endeavour as something that begins locally from a relationship with those around us believing that “ecumenism is blessed where people are.”
Among the milestones since Vatican II, the cardinal highlighted Pope John Paul II’s visit to Canterbury Cathedral in 1982, which he described as “a beginning of new life, new hope.” The cardinal also cited the importance of Pope Francis’ recent meeting with Archbishop Justin Welby.
The Cardinal concluded his lecture by recalling Pope Francis’ recent address where he urged that bishops might be ‘shepherds for the flock … to tend hope and have sun and light in their hearts’. In recalling the Pope’s words, Cardinal Cormac communicated an optimism reminiscent of the Vatican Council. This was not simply a looking back with nostalgia at the good old days but a looking forward conscious that ‘the work of ecumenism is God’s work’ and our joint task is ‘to communicate God’s love to his people with that same sun and light in our lives’.
Following a question and answer session, Bishop Robin Smith, retired Anglican Bishop of Hertford, offered a vote of thanks reiterating the Cardinal’s affirmation of personal relationships in ecumenism and underlined that it is on these that the future of the Church, not least the unity of the Church, depends.
Source: Zenit
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/cardinal-murphy-o-connor-speaks-of-vatican-ii-focolare-and-ecumenism
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12 Jul 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
They come from the most varied backgrounds, lands and cultures: Albania, Ukraine, Georgia, Morocco, Senegal, Romania, Nigeria and Belarus. Like many of their fellow countrymen and women they are leaving behind dramatic situations, as well as their loved ones in the hope of finding work and a better future for their lives.
They have landed in Acquaviva delle Fonti, a town of the Bari province which, like other southern Italian towns, has become the destination or crossing point for many who are dreaming of a better life. The Focolare community here has for some time felt summoned by their presence: “We had it in our hearts,” they write, “to see to it that these many foreigners/immigrants would feel welcomed in our city.” Personal relationships were established, bonds of friendship that overcame barriers and mistrust. “Three years ago,” they say, “we decided to organize a festival that we could all share during the Christmas season, so they could breathe in a bit of family atmosphere instead of the loneliness and marginalization that many unfortunately experience.” Our friendship became deeper and deeper.And now the Christmas festival has become an annual tradition. In what we call the ‘festival of the people’ our friends now feel free enough to extend the invitation to other foreign friends, and we are more than happy to welcome them.”
This year fifty people of all ages and religious backgrounds attended: “The family atmosphere that had been established in previous years was immediately renewed. Spontaneously people began sharing experiences about the journeyand arrival in Italy, putting in common both the sufferings and the joys.”
The proposal to live the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – as a basis uponwhich to build universal brotherhood and as a common point we could all share even amidst the diversity of our religious beliefs was immediately accepted by all because we had already experienced how “mutual love demolishes every distance. At the buffet which was served in the evening, alongside dishes that were prepared by the local community, there were also dishes from a variety of other countries that our friends had prepared. What gave everyone the most joy that evening was certainly the fact that we had experienced what it means to be a family.”
At the end of the evening, Abdul from Senegal invited some people from the community to take part in a prayer meeting in a neighbouring town: “Great was his joy and surprise when he saw us arriving. There were 200 Senegal Muslims there, barefoot and seated on prayer rugs, reading the Koran. Abdul introduced us to his spiritual leader and, then, two days later he was again deeply moved as he thanked us for our visit.”
Another concrete gesture was the opening of a listening booth that is carried ahead by the entire community in order to identify people’s needs and to provide expertise, offering Italian lessons to children and their parents, for example, or assistance in resolvingbureaucratic problems, finding medical treatments, and so on.
“This experience of family,” they conclude, “and the fruits that have grown from it make us certain that a united world is no utopia, but a reality already very much alive amongst us.”
11 Jul 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
A young Turkish man named Fathi, living in Basel , intoned Surah 134 of the Koran: “And Allah loves the doers of good!” With these words he took everyone right to the heart of the day’s message: love for neighour. Imam Muhammed Tas, also fromBasel, told of his weeklong ski holiday with parish priest Ruedii Beck and two others: “Together we cooked for each other. We saw where it was most comfortable for each other in the apartment, for our prayer. We were like a family where you learn from each other. Thanks to these friends I learned to ski much better. In Autumn we plan to have another holiday together, this time inTurkey.”
Abdul Jabbar Koubaisy, vice-president of the Muslim League in Poland, also expressed his admiration of the following Muslim saying: “Anyone who does not know how to thank God’s creatures will neither be able to thank their Creator.” Paul Lemarie from the Focolare Movement’s International Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue told about a Mariapolis in Macedonia with 35 Catholics, just as many Muslims and a dozen Orthodox Christians. Finally, a young Catholic woman offered her following testimony: “This gathering has deeply changed me. Up until now I only took my own faith into account and refused all the others: atheists, Muslims, even Orthodox Christians. Now I understand: God let’s his Sun rise on everyone.”
The focus of the dialogue on June 23rd in Baar was the experience of community that is already possible when there is respect for the diversity. As a way of delving into this topic Imam Mohammed Tas introduced a video recording of a talk given by Chiara Lubich in 2002 at the congress for Muslim Friends of the Focolare Movement in Castelgandolfo, Italy. “Love is quite an important thing in our religion,” Tas emphasised. “If a person doesn’t love, it means that he or she has a problem in their heart . . . Thirteenth century Muslim poet Yunus Emore, states: ‘I love you for love of the Creator!’ With these words he expresses the deepest love that can exist in a human being.”
And speaking with the words of Chiara Lubich: “What is needed is love for neighbour, that love that you find in many different religious environments, in forms of mercy, benevolence, compassion, or solidarity. Love of neighbour which, for us Christians, isn’t merely a human sentiment, but enriched by a divine spark, is called agape, love of a supernatural origin.”
There followed in the afternoon a period of prayer in different locations according to religions and then group meetings for a deep and enriching sharing on the art of loving, forgiveness and the Golden Rule. Imam Mustafa Oezturk, president of the association that groups the most mosques inSwitzerland, stated in his final remarks: “We’re learning a new grammar here. The traditional one begins with the word “me,” then comes “you” and then, lastly, “him” or “her.” But the grammar of love for neighbor begins with the word “you” and then comes “I” or “me.” And “He” or “She” possess a right that must always be respected; that you only speak well of them.”
Source: http://www.fokolar-bewegung.ch
