Focolare Worldwide – Page 214 – Movimento dei Focolari

Costa Rica: “Cultural Alterity”

May 8, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“The Technological Institute of Costa Rica is the only university in our country that specializes in the teaching of technology. In 2003 I was asked to prepare a course for training our students in the liberal arts. I entitled the course: “Cultural Alterity: A Hope For Today’s World”.

The methodology used in this course envisions education as a process of transformation in the way we live together with one another. Alterity produces freedom, which opens the possibility of always beginning again. It gives a sense of life, of inter-relatedness and of solidarity. It is based on the ability of a human being to develop an “intelligence of love” that helps to understand and promote concrete actions in favour of others: taking care of someone, tenderness, sympathy, understanding, service.

This objective is achieved through the use of traditional techniques such as lecture, theatre, film clubs, and guided reading groups where students can carry out positive actions in favour of others.

To achieve this we use traditional techniques such as lecture, theatre, film clubs, guided reading group, where young people reflect on current and how they can make positive actions for others. The course consists of 4 modules of 3 hours per week. The course is comprised of four three-hour long modules each week. More than a thousand students have already attended. Outside the classroom, the students put into practice what they are learning and, at during the next class they share report how it went.

One student began to practice a culture of alterity by dedicating time to her younger sister who has been affected by Down Syndrome: they spoke, went to the cinema together, to a dance, to eat at a restaurant; and she found her sister to be an intelligent person, whose tastes were similar to her own, someone who it was nice to be with.

Another reports: “I was on the bus, sitting, when a woman mounted the bus, carring many bundles. At first I didn’t want to give her my seat because I was tired, but then I recalled that I had decided to put into practice what I had learned in class, and I let her have my seat. We dismounted the bus at the same place and, since it was raining, I accompanied her home with my umbrella, helping her with her bags. I was happy and so was she, even inviting me in and offering me a cup of coffee. From then on, we have been friends.”

One group went to a hospice. There was one boy who had this to say one week after the experience: “I didn’t want to go because I feel uncomfortable around the elderly, but I went in order to accept the challenge of living a culture of alterity, there where it cost me the most. At first it was difficult, but watching my classmates gave me courage. It was so beautiful and I felt a fullness and happiness that was so great that the same day I didn’t need to take any drugs to get high, as I sometimes do.”

This educational proposal also seeks to give an answer to the many dimensions of the current crisis that our country is passing through: economic, political, social, cultural and environmental. And so we are examining the Economy of Communion Project, the experience of Politics of Unity, Art in Communion and the protection of the environment.”

(Testimony given at an international Symposium on Fraternity, 4 April 2012, at l’Università Manuela Beltrán di Bogotá. Giancarlo Faletti , co-president of the Focolare Movement, was present).

Paulina Segura graduated in Anthropology and has a doctorate degree in Pedagogical Mediation. She is trained in different areas of tourism and Education, has done many projects in Social Research. She teaches at the Catholic diocesan seminaries and in other universities in Costa Rica.

From Russia with love

May 6, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Sweet-smelling bread and salt are what Russians give to those who arrive in this seemingly endless country stretching all the way from Europe to Asia, from the Arctic’s frozen seas to the Pacific Ocean. The wounds left by the history of the Soviet republic still sting: vivid memories of a socialism that attempted to cancel God, memories of the blood spilt by Christians faithful to their convictions. And yet, despite the apparently impenetrable and dark curtain surrounding this land, tourism by several focolarini, the arrival of a Hungarian family and meeting some priests in the West, helped Chiara Lubich’s spirituality spread silently through it. Today communities set alive by the spirituality exist beyond the Urals, in Siberia, at Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Divnogorsk and Krasnoyarsk.

Going again over the steps of this story, starting from the first contacts in the 70s of focolarini present in Eastern Germany with people from the then Soviet Union, we come to recent times. In May 2011, the whole of the community of the Movement gathered together from every corner of the land to welcome for the first time Focolare President Voce and Co-President Faletti to Moscow. There were 200 at the meeting. They came from places as far apart as St Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk, some even having travelled by train for 42 hours though 3,500 km of steppe and forest like those who came from Chelyabinsk.

‘When I arrived in Russia I found myself immersed in a deeper union with God and I remembered the expression “Holy Russia” that I heard when studying Russian literature. I felt carried along by this life of holiness that is in the air here in Russia as well as in its history of Christianity. And I understood that Russia’s gift to me and to the whole of humanity can be this holiness – thanks also to its martyrs of all denominations.”

What happened to the pioneers fascinates us even today. There were intriguing details to be learnt about secret rendezvous, but also memories of persecution. They were recounted by Oleg, a follower of Father Alexander Men. Men, who was assassinated by the regime in 1990, had founded a small Bible study communities that had tremendous ecumenical openness. They came into contact with the Focolare. At the meeting with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, others spoke of their discovery of a Gospel-based spirituality that goes beyond difference and diffidence between churches. Father Vladimir, a Russian Orthodox priest from St Petersburg, recalled how his ‘prejudices about Catholicism were cancelled by the beauty to be found in the spiritual life of the Focolare which knows no denominational boundaries and which incarnates Christianity and love for one another in daily life.’

Among the pioneers, there have been others who came from other lands to spend their strength, enthusiasm and intelligence here – like Eduardo Guedes, a Portuguese focolarino who passed away in January 2011. He was remembered by many with great affection. He was someone who, without preaching, gave humble witness to a God who does not abandon us or forget us, but who always welcomes both the disadvantaged and the powerful and who, in ‘Holy Russia’, deepens the desire for a modern kind of holiness, open to everyone. Regina Betz, a German focolarina, who lived in Moscow from 1990 until 2008, was also remembered tenderly for establishing true and lasting relationships with many people.

After the fall of the Soviet Regime, Russian society was in search of an identity. In this journey, the Movement’s way of acting was always appreciated, especially in the relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. At times, official representatives of the Patriarchate of Moscow took part in Focolare gatherings. Focolare co-president Giancarlo Faletti’s presence at the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill, in February 2009 was significant for the community of the Movement. Some members of Orthodox associations watched the ‘Together for Europe’ project with great interest, and have attended the event since 2004.

The majority of the Movement’s members in Moscow are Orthodox. There are many families, in a society where the institution of the family has suffered a great deal, and many young people, who know how to put their lives on the line for sake of the Gospel. One of them, Nina Vyazovetskaya, spoke in Rome, at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, at the celebration commemorating the third anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s death. She said: ‘I come from Moscow, and I belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. I am a doctor and I trained at the Moscow Hospital. I grew up in a family of unbelievers, as many people are in Russia. In 1990 they baptized me a bit “by accident” because, with the fall of Communism, there came a time of change and everyone was searching for something new. But after that day, I never went to church. Meeting the Focolare Movement was a turning point in my life. I met God and my life changed. In order to get to know Him, I turned to the focolarine, who are Catholics, and they brought me to my Orthodox church. This was how I began to discover the beauty and richness of the church, of the Christian life, of living for God. And now I have decided to follow God along the way of Chiara in the focolare.’

Visita the page dedicated to Russia in Focolare Worldwide

Africa: 120 Children Discovering the Gospel

May 5, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

It happened in Kenya, at Mariapolis Piero in Nairobi during the Easter holidays. It was the first international congress for the children of the Focolare, the Gen 4 girls who came from Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

How was it possible to bring children together from countries which, just a short time earlier, were at war with one another? How would it be possible to overcome the great physical distances where there were no connections? How would they find the money to pay for the expenses?

There was only one great motivation that enabled them to overcome all the obstacles: the discovery that these children had made of the Gospel, their desire to get together and share their experiences of putting it into practice and the joy that it brings.

For the little ones -> click to expand

“The Gospel is the nicest book. . .” was the main focus of the congress that was based on the experience already had before arriving at the meeting. The Gen4 are already in the habit of living the “art of loving” that can be found in all the sentences of the Scriptures that speak about love: Love your neighbor as you love yourself, love one another, love even your enemy. . .

Many of the young girls wrote personal letters to Jesus: “It was all a great success!”; “I’m very happy because of this congress. Jesus, help me to know what you want from me now”; “Dear Jesus, thank you for all that you did for me”; “I give you all my acts of love. I want to be like you, so help me to do as you do”; Dear Jesus, I’ve learned that we should love others as we love ourselves, that we should share our things with those who have not”; “I helped my sister to fold her clothes. Then my Kenyan friend helped me to fold my clothes. So, I thank you”; “Thanks for giving us life. I love you as I have never loved anyone before. . .”

This Holy Week immersed in such intense mutual love was truly an encounter with Jesus, from Good Friday when they tried to have an attitude of consoling those who are suffer, the poor, the marginalized. . . until Easter when they held a great feast, together with the citizens of Mariapolis Piero and some of the parents from Nairobi. In a glowing atmosphere of joy, the Gen4 expressed through their songs and dances, the immense happiness that the presence of the Risen Lord in their midst had brought to all.

Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement had written to them: “These will certainly be very beautiful days during which you will be able to know Jesus better, along with some important moments in His life. Open your hearts to Him, Gen4, and say to him: ‘I love you, Jesus. Thank you for all that you do for me and for everyone. Teach me to always love more and more, like You do.’ He’ll certainly help you and you’ll return home happy and ready to take his love and his joy everywhere.” And so they did.

A Light in the Illness

May 4, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

«When, about four years ago, Fernando was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) a shiver went down my spine.- Maria said – I was overwhelmed and full of fear. He guessed what I was feeling and whispered to me: “I’m up for it. You’ll see God’ll give us the grace for this really important moment.” I felt myself reborn. I too wanted to stick to God’s plan of love for us. Like this we began the adventure we’re on.

‘After a while Fernando was taken into intensive care because of a respiratory problem, but our calm way of facing the illness and Fernando’s attitude of love for the doctors and nurses changed all the rigidly professional attitudes into something more warm and friendly.

‘The whole Focolare family and the people we’ve met throughout our lives stood by us. We found a real competition of love going on around us: I never had to use public transport, people it take in turns to get me to the hospital and to help with filling in the forms needed to access home care.

‘When we returned home I had to face the problems of daily life caring for Fernando day and night, and I learnt to use the various kinds of life-saving equipment. At night I always have an ear open and often my sleep is broken. But, although I may be a bit tense sometimes, the look of love on Fernando’s face always keeps me going.

‘In the last four years I’ve always felt God as a Father and he touches my life everyday in the most unexpected ways above all through other people. One morning a visiting doctor found me ill in bed and so, after she’d done what she’d come to do, she cooked some soup, put on a wash and fed Fernando.

‘Little things like that happen all the time. One Sunday I ran out of medical gloves and, in that very moment, a neighbour who knew nothing about it turned up with a box of a hundred. The little daily chores get done too, because things happen like someone turns up at the door and says something like: ‘Do you need any bills paying?’

‘Fernando never plays the sick person. He is 87 and what you see in him is joy and openness to everyone. He keeps himself informed and is especially interested in politics and above all in the school of the Political Movement for Unity. He was the mayor of Ghilarza (Oristano) for three terms, the director of the Sardinian Regional Statistical Study Centre, and he is concerned in a special way about young people who he encourages to get involved with politics, saying: “We need to purify our way of thinking.”

‘The illness progresses and takes away the most simple and basic abilities, but he lives this out in a heavenly way, trying to do God’s will with simplicity, just as he did when he was well, and his faith supports all of us around him. If anyone calls to see him and commiserates with him, he says to me later: “They speak about death, but I feel I’m overflowing with life!” and he doesn’t hesitate to tell believers and non-believers alike of his experience and philosophy of life: “I hand myself over completely to God as Jesus did. When I’m scared, I’m not afraid. Fear destroys life”».

In Colombia: “Project Innocence”

May 2, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

One leading initiative in Latin America called “Project Innocence” is being promoted by the Faculty of Law at the Manuela Beltran University of Bogota. The project aims at re-opening court cases of people who have been wrongfully convicted and lack the financial resources to pay for their defense. Project Innocence offers its legal services for free.

The project began in 2007. Project director, Juan Carlos Cardenas C. explains: “Most of the cases we deal with have to do with negligence or wrongful identification of the perpetrators of crimes. They are cases in which judiciary officials fail to carry out their duties because of negligence, lack of training, lack of evidence or false testimony, but also because of corruption, and they make wrong decisions that unjustly convict a person.”

Project Innocence is composed of an interdisciplinary work group, with psychologists, lawyers, detectives and, naturally, students in this field.

Divided into working groups, representatives of Project Innocence visit penitentiaries for both, men and women, twice a week. The detainees of these penitentiaries sign to be accepted into the project. Requests are often made on their behalf by relatives and friends. And claims of innocence are often submitted through electronic post via the website.

A professional lawyer, a monitor, and a student in the field of psychology or law are usually present at the interview. The project director stresses: “We never lose sight of the fact that this could be the only opportunity for this person to be heard.”

“Usually,” explains Lawyer Cardenas, “the inmates claim that there was a mistake in the trial and sentencing. For this reason it is important to have someone with deep and serious training. We start with the respect and belief that all the judgements issued by the courts are based on the principle of law and righteousness. It is even more difficult, therefore, to demonstrate to the administrator of justice that it has made a mistake, after it has made a final ruling. In principle, therefore, our efforts are not to identify the official who has made a mistake, but rather to show where and what the mistake was in the process that led to the conviction of an innocent person.”

The cases that arrive at Project Innocence include things such as kidnapping, murder, sexual offenses, extortion, money laundering, but the people behind these cases are innocent and have been unjustly accused and deprived of their liberty. Like the case of Manuel Mena, who was sentenced to seventeen years in prison for a murder he did not commit. After three and a half years in prison and the rigorous work carried out by the team at the University, analyzing the facts and evidence in the case, the Constitutional Court annulled the sentence of conviction and ordered his immediate release.

The professor concludes: “Detainees are among the most needy in the population, in need of help and solidarity; not only the innocent, but also those who are going through the process of rehabilitation and are in need of a friend’s hand, some counsel, a listening ear. The world of criminal justice is also in need of a transformation by the Gospel and by the truth. And this little project we are involved in is, for us, a tiny seed of this renewal.”

(Experience shared at the International Symposium on Fraternity, 4 April 2012, at Manuela Beltran University)

Juan Carlos Cárdenas is the director of “Project Innocence”. He teaches Law at Manuela Beltran University of Bogota, Colombia and has been actively involved in the Focolare Movement from when he was young having embraced the spirituality of Chiara Lubich.

To read more experiences in this field visit: http://comunionediritto.org/en/