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Apr 2, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Nel volumeIn his new book “Communione, le parole nuove dell’economia” (Communion, the new words of the economy), economist Luigino Bruni presents the Economy of Communion (EoC) with the help of a few keywords, such as “gratuity”, “work”, “business”, “cooperation”, “happiness”, “reciprocity”, “fraternity” and “poverty”. Taken together all these words suggest communion. They are age-old words that in the experience of the EoC take on different meaning. In the introduction of the book the author states: “Communion is the deep tension of the economy and the basis of the Economy of Communion project that seeks to give rise to businesses that are run according to a new culture, the culture of giving.” The EoC is an economic project that now involves hundreds of businesses, but it is also something more. In fact, the Economy of Communion also incorporates a humanism of sorts. Companies associated with the EoC are private enterprises, fully integrated into the market that, while retaining private ownership of property, put the profits in common. In the premise to his book, Bruni writes that he intends to state the significance of living communion in the economy today, but also to testify to the evolution of his understanding of the EoC as it was extricated in the early years of its existence. “I travelled in several countries and have had the opportunity of entering into the various dimensions of the project, which – it is always necessary to remember – was born of a spirituality and is therefore always finds itself between ‘heaven and earth’; that is, between prophecy and history. The chapters of this book are therefore like the stages on a journey, each distinct but all linked with each other. It is a personal and collective journey that still continues. It particularly gives witness to a new understanding of the dimensions of a business, the market and, above all, of poverty, a reality that gradually opened itself to me as I searched for it in several regions of the world.” 
According to the author, “communion” is the new name for peace. In the 1960’s much was said about development and it was hoped that by spreading development to those countries that up until then had been marginalized would have resolved the reasons for war at their roots. Now, after decades of strong economic development we have to admit that this on its own is not enough for assuring peace. Economic growth can come at the expense of other important values for civil society, such as the environment, justice and solidarity. For this reason the author is convinced that the prophetic words of Paul VI his the Encyclical Letter Popolorum Progressio: “Development is the new name for peace,” could be articulated today as: “Communion is the new name for peace.” The fact is that without communion there is no real and sustainable development, not for the individual, not for the peoples and not for the planet. By Gina Perkov Source: EdC online
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Mar 23, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
“Ever since she was very young, Sandra showed a great openness towards others. We, her parents, had taught her to act so, but one day when she asked if we could welcome one of her friends into our home we were a bit taken aback. Her friend was going through some problems in her life.
But Sandra was so strongly determined that we couldn’t say no to her request. So it was that we decided to put our prejudgements aside and welcome her friend as our own daughter. Little by little, as the girl felt our love, she began to reveal some of the problems in her family. She stayed with us a few days and then, as she was leaving, thanked us very much. In reality it was we who were grateful to our daughter for having given us the opportunity to open our hearts and to create such a deep relationship with her friend. Later, along with our daughter she helped to organize projects for the victims of earthquakes, gathering a large collection of clothing, toys and Easter eggs.
One day we were all surprised by our son, Massimo, when he opened the door of our home to a poor man and his young son. Massimo ran to his bedroom and returned with a small model car, his favourite, which he gave to the child. When he grew older Massimo seemed to distance himself from us, to be indifferent to what we said to him, intolerant of our willingness to help others. We knew as parents that this was no time to assail him with sermons but we were sure that God would continue to show him the correct path. Last year, as he was about to board a plane that would take him to another country for his studies, he handed us a letter for his friends. He told us we could also read it. It was his way of revealing the treasures in his soul, that we weren’t able to see. It was such an unexpected gift and it filled the void in our hearts.
We had always tried to transmit to our children a sense of openness towards everyone. This was how the story with Joe began. The doorbell rang. When we opened the door, we were met by a young Nigerian man who wanted to sell us some household goods. Like many of his countrymen, he supported himself as a travelling salesman. We bought a few things, a kitchen mop, a small kitchen tool. But its seemed little. We invited him inside, we exchanged telephone numbers and promised to invite him to one of our gatherings in the parish.
As the day of the gathering drew near, we remembered Joe. We were doubtful as we telephoned, but he answered with enthusiasm saying: ‘Everyone is polite at first, but then they immediately forget you.’ From then on a strong bond of friendship was formed between us. We shared in his difficulties and helped him to find a job, which wasn’t easy due to his immigration status. We found him a place to live and helped him in many things. Joe then married and had a son. When he asked us to be the godparents of the little one, we were deeply moved as we considered the long and profound friendship that had been formed between us, one of the many friendships that were born by opening the door of our home.”
(Maria Luisa and Giovanni, Italy)
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Mar 22, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Among the challenges that the Church is currently facing there is that of the decrease in priestly vocations, which makes it difficult to carry on those tasks that were traditionally performed by pastors. On the other hand, the Second Vatican Council conferred great dignity on the laity, opening doors to concrete action by the faithful in parish environments. They have worked alongside and at times taken a central role in activities that were previously carried out by priests. Here are some experiences that have emerged in a few Austrian Catholic parishes where there are members belonging to the Focolare’s Parish Movement. Brigitte belongs to a small pastoral team in charge of a parish. She deals with liturgy and ministry to the infirm. This team is entrusted with the entire running of the parish, since it is not possible for the pastor to be present as he serves five parishes. It is not an easy role because pastoral teams are new also in Austria where the Primate of Vienna, Cardinal Schonborn a few years ago launched “pastoral units” to give more responsibility to lay people. In this way the priests are freer to carry out those services that are exclusive to them as ordained ministers. Rif, a hamlet in the city of Hallein, Salzburg. It became necessary to build a new church here, since the Christian community was growing. One priest, one sister and two associate pastors care for three parishes in a “pastoral unit” where there is much harmony. One of these parishes has just begun, whereas the others hail from the age of the Salzburg high bourgeoisie. 
In Vienna Gabi is a pastoral assistant and does everything that is needed to keep the parish running. He belongs to the pastoral council and has brought a new and contagious enthusiasm by organizing sharing groups in which people may share their experiences on the Word of God. Maria Rudorg left a stable and interesting job in a shop, to be at the disposal of a community of priests. Having been with them for many years, helping them in bringing ahead the parish and now, as the priests are changing and new ones arrive from other countries, she helps them to become integrated into the European culture. People who are involved, anchors of a Christian community who make the Church come alive. Here you do not have the impression of a diminishing Church as statistics would show, but of a Church that is growing and maturing and has much more to offer to society and to the world.
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Mar 19, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
“In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church […].
How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.
How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own […] Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another […] In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!
Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened […]. Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! […] We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!
[…] In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness! […] Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. […] Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!”
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Mar 14, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“From Rome she spread her ideal of universal brotherhood all over the world.” These are the words that the municipality wished to have engraved on a plaque in the name of the city of Rome at the Viale Libia subway station which has been dedicated to Chiara Lubich.
The ceremony took place before a small crowd on March 14, 2013 on the fifth anniversary of the Focolare founder’s birth to Heaven. She had lived not far from the station in the early days of the Movement at the Italian capital. Maria Voce remarked on this in her address:
“What a beautiful choice of location (. . .) the quarter where for fifteen years Chiara lived both moments of special light as she watched the main features of a work of God begin to emerge, and moments of great suffering as the Movement was under scrutiny and study by the Church.” Speaking at the “Chiara Lubich: Charism, History, Culture” Conference Mayor Gianni Alemanno highlighted the unity between this event and the election of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires to the papacy: “Today we will perform a gesture that is simple, we will unveil a plaque.” May it be a reminder of Chiara to the countless people who will pass through this train station and be reminded of this journey of faith as a contribution to a sorely needed new humanism. The choice of a pope who comes from the southern hemisphere is a clear sign of the times. We will only emerge from the economic crisis in which we find ourselves by choosing humility and simplicity.” Later on during the unveiling ceremony, the Mayor paused to dwell on Chiara Lubich’s “deep bond with Rome where, in the heart of the Trieste quarter, she laboured, reflected, wrote and sent out her message.”
This relationship with the city of Rome had been affirmed by the conferring of Honorary Citizenship on the Focolare founder on January 22, 2000, her 80th birthday. On that occasion, Maria Voce recalls, Chiara expressed all her “passion for the Eternal City and also the precise commitment of dedicating herself more, so that Rome, a city so unique in the world, symbol of unity and universality might better correspond to its vocation.” This is a commitment as deep as it is practical for the life of every person: “In Chiara Lubich’s message,” Maria Voce continued, “we are offered paths that are drawn from the Gospel: Love is the driving force of history, but we need to know ‘how to love’ according to that demanding art of loving everyone, being the first to love, loving with facts, making yourself one with the other, being capable of forgiving… This begins from the person next to us: at home, in the condominium, in the quarter, on the street, in the places we study, at work, gathering places, even in Parliament, even in the train station that is a continuous crossroad of people but also symbol of anonymity.”
It brings to mind one of the most meaningful pages left to us by Chiara: “This is the great attraction of modern times: to penetrate into the highest contemplation and remain mixed in among the people, a person alongside others, losing oneself in the crowd in order to infuse it with the Divine Life, as you would dunk a piece of bread into wine”, “to mark the crowd with embroideries of light” “sharing with others the shame, the hunger, the beatings of life, the brief joys” “because the great attraction of our time is the same as every other time. It is the most human and divine thing that you can imagine: Jesus and Mary: the Word of God a carpenter’s son; the Seat of Wisdom, the Mother at home.”
In thanking Mayor Alemanno, the Capital Administration and all those who worked on the beautiful project, Maria Voce expressed her hope that from their efforts would emerge “an inspiration to live everywhere the fully human and fully spiritual vocation of the beloved city of Rome, and to ignite small fires of light and hope for the good of all.”
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Mar 12, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
The Brazilian version of the Strong Without Violence project that in Europe has touched the lives of more than 500,000 young people, started in January 2013 in various places in South America. The aim is to make young people strong in their opposition to violence, sidelining others, harassing them and the many kinds of subtle but painful abuse that there are. Central to the project is the musical Streetlight performed by the international band Gen Rosso. It tells the true story of Charles Moats from the Chicago ghetto. He stayed faithful to his Gospel ideals despite the difficulties and the hatred he faced. He made a decision not to follow violence and stuck to his choice even to the point of sacrificing his life. The project has four weeks of modules that lead up to the final show. In them the students study the theme of violence and its negative effects. At the same time they learn how to recognize and develop their own talents. In the final show the young people take part in the musical itself, together with Gen Rosso – both on stage and behind the scenes. To create the project Gen Rosso worked with the Starkmacher association in Mannheim, which supports them in Germany, and the Brazilian Fazendas da Esperanza. These are rehabilitation centres, generally on farms, where the young people can get together and find a way out of the world of drugs and other forms of dependency. 
To get things ready to put Strong Without Violence into the Brazilian context, a group from Starkmacher made the trip to Brazil to share their own experience. They went to Fortaleza and Guaratinguetá in the North East and South of Brazil. They met about forty young and older adults (educators of various sorts), who came from a variety of Brazilian cities, and who will be able to multiply the project all over the country. They were trained in its methodology, its educational bases and the organizational structures that support it. In four and a half days, then, they worked together to produce the Brazilian version. A tremendous influence came from various people of influence, such as Eros Biondini, Secretary for Minas Gerais State. He said he too would spread the word about the project. It seems that Strong Without Violence comes at just the right moment for Brazil. There is a passionate public debate on a new law proposing enforced therapy for drug addicts. Requests for new places in the rehabilitation centres, the ‘fazendas’, are growing hugely. Strong Without Violence, in its Brazilian version, looks like it will become an instrument that can give hope that there will be new possibilities for Brazilian young people in tough situations. By Andrea Fleming
