Oct 6, 2020 | Non categorizzato
What does the young woman , declared blessed by the church, have to say today to young people and to all of us who are living in these uncertain times generated by the pandemic? We asked Chicca Coriasco, Chiara Luce’s famous best friend, 10 years after her beatification and 30 years after her death. Ten years ago on September 25th there were twenty-five thousand of us inside and outside the Roman Shrine Divino Amore to celebrate Chiara Badano’s beatification. On that day, holiness became something closer and more accessible for many young people (and not only) from all over the world, who saw in this nineteen year old Italian girl, someone cheerful and deep, able to live and die for God, an attainable and imitable model. Today, thirty years after her death on October 7th 1990, it is impossible to calculate how many people have “met” Chiara Luce, just think that exactly one year ago – and before the pandemic and lockdown forced on us alternative forms of encounter and communication – Maria Teresa Badano, Chiara’s mother and Chicca Coriasco her best friend, were in Argentina. For 13 days they travelled more than two thousand kilometres, crossing four regions, enabling more than 8,000 people to meet Chiara Luce Badano. We ask some questions to Chicca. 30 years after her death, Chiara Luce continues to be present and loved… How do you explain this following by so many young people that does not diminish but grows with time? Chiara knew how to bring out the best in those around her, and with me she always succeeded, as she always did with her parents. I think that this phenomenon continues to happen with everyone who comes into contact with her, even today. She never made many speeches nor do extraordinary things, but that Yes said to God moment by moment, one step at a time, in simplicity, was extraordinary: it is what then as now continues to win over and fascinate many, especially young people. Can you tell us what was the most important moment you lived with her? The pact we made on August 22nd 1990. We told each other that the first one who left for heaven would help the other one to get there, while the one who stayed would try to fill the void left by the other. Thirty years later I can say that there was probably a design that was revealed in circumstances that were unimaginable at the time and which have acquired meaning and fulfilment that continue to this day. What does Chiara Luce have to say to young people today? Every now and then I have tried to imagine Chiara living in these times… Probably the same way she lived her own life, that is, without ever turning in on herself, looking ahead with courage and determination, focusing on the beauty that is still there today, in the new occasions that this uncertain circumstances make us discover. Chiara Lubich told us that in addition to Jesus’ suffering on the cross, ours was also needed to cooperate in building a more united world: she told us “Living by half measures is too little: God proposes something great to you, it is up to you to accept it”. This was the experience that Chiara Luce and we, her friends, had. More than ever, these words of Chiara Lubich’s are very relevant and practicable today. Who is Chiara Luce TODAY for you? She is always present in all aspects of my life. I don’t know if she is satisfied with me, but I feel close to her, and I hope she will continue to help me to be faithful to my ideals, which were her own. In the new book published a year ago and edited by the Foundation, “Nel mio stare il vostro andare“, (In your staying ,our going-our translation) where many direct witnesses tell of their friendship with Chiara Luce, I turned directly to her and wrote: “Dear Chiara I would love to hug you again and share with you so many challenges, suspensions and intimate discoveries. But to tell you the truth, it has already been a bit like that all these years (…) Continue to accompany us, as you know how to do, with your ‘caresses’ and your silent presence, that there is and always has been, I’m counting on it! LOL Chicca”. What are the events that the Chiara Badano Foundation is planning in the near future? This year, due to the health restrictions imposed by the pandemic, it is not possible to visit Chiara’s bedroom. To mark the 10th anniversary of her Beatification, we have posted on the official website (www.chiarabadano.org) a video that retraces those unforgettable moments. Instead, for the 30 years since her “departure”, we have produced another video that allows us to relive, through the voice of witnesses, something of Chiara’s last days. The video is available on the site from October 7th 2020 after 4.10 am ( the time of her departure). Finally, on October 25th , the liturgical feast of Chiara Luce, we will be together with the Bishop of the Diocese of Acqui and promotor of Chiara’s Cause of Canonization, with the celebration of Mass, the Time Out at the Cemetery at 12 noon, and the award ceremony for the winners of the Chiara Luce Badano Prize. Everything can be followed via streaming on the site. Various events are also being organised around the world: the Foundation wants to be the spokesperson and channel for this light that will shine in many places on the planet.
Stefania Tanesini
Oct 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On 3rd October, during the CH Link up – the bimonthly video conference that connects the Focolare communities around the world – Maria Voce made an appeal to everyone, asking for a significant new commitment: to live relationships on the model of “Trinitarian” ones, where each person brings out the other, finding in this way “his or her deepest identity” and thus laying the foundations for a fraternal society. The video call took place a few hours after the signing in Assisi of “Fratelli tutti”, Pope Francis’ latest encyclical. It was therefore impossible not to feel called personally. Below is a summary of the Focolare president’s speech. Question: Today, Pope Francis has been to Assisi and signed the new Encyclical with this beautiful title: “Fratelli tutti”. In a tweet he wrote: “The effort to build a more just society implies the capacity of fraternity, a spirit of human communion”. Were you surprised by the Pope’s choice of this topic? Maria Voce: Not at all! Because this is the greatest need of humanity today. The Pope was able to make it resound and with this encyclical he wants to bring us all together to seek the answer, to find an answer to this need of humanity. So it seemed to me that he became the voice of this bewildered world, that he has been able to take up this pain of humanity and present it to us. So we naturally ask ourselves: “What can we do? At this point, I would like to speak in particular to all those who feel called by God to do something, to respond, and to do it by giving themselves completely, giving themselves without measure, without fear, without interruption, giving themselves completely. All those who feel they have found in the charism of unity, in Chiara’s charism, something that helped them see that it is possible, that made them have a concrete, true, and deep experience of unity on this earth. I would like to say to them all: let’s do it together, let’s do it together! Yes, we have received a gift that has allowed us to experience it. But this calling to fraternity, which for us is the call to “That they may all be one”, (Jn 17:21) is the call to unity. This calling would want people to live on earth as in heaven, as – allow me to say this – in the Trinity, where unity and distinction coexist, where each person respects the other, each person makes room for the other, each person tries to bring out the other, each tries in a certain way to lose their own self completely so that the others can express themselves completely. In doing this they do not cancel themselves out; on the contrary they manifest their true and deepest identity. A unity as great as that has only one example: Jesus who was able to completely lose his being God in order to become man and to share on the cross – in the moment of his forsakenness – all forsakenness, all pain, all anguish, all suffering, all the extremisms, all the victimizations, the wounds that people of all times, and in all circumstances, have experienced and still experience. Jesus made them his own with this love that was so great that he managed to remake, to rebuild the unity that had been broken between God and humankind, among all people and also with all creation. If we manage to have such a great love, we can witness to the world that this unity exists, that this unity is possible, and that this unity has already begun. I would like, with all those who are listening to me now, that all of us together be a first response to the Pope, one that has already begun and that we could console him and give him hope, because something has already begun. That all together, we could, we who are just a small group inspired by the charism received from Chiara Lubich, be a start, a tiny but effective particle of that leaven that can spread through humanity and can transform it into a new world. I would like to make this commitment together with all of you. I’m for it; I want to give it my all, and I invite everyone to do the same, all those who want to! Here is the CH link up.
Oct 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On May 8, 2004 in Stuttgart, Germany, Chiara had about 9000 people in front of her at the first “Together for Europe” event. It was a historic moment, in which she offered the key to build peace in the mosaic continent that is Europe and in the whole world: to build pieces of universal brotherhood. Universal fraternity is and has been one of humankind’s deepest aspirations, and has been present in many great souls. Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed, “I have a dream that one day people (…) will come to see that they are made to live together as brothers and sisters (…) and brotherhood will be (…) the first order of business on every legislative agenda.”[1] And Mahatma Gandhi, said of himself: “My mission is not merely the brotherhood of Indian humanity (…) but through achieving India’s freedom I hope to achieve and progress the mission of the brotherhood of man.”[2] Universal fraternity has also been the aim of people whose motives were not inspired by religion. The motto of the French Revolution was: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” Although many countries have formed democratic governments and have been able to establish, at least in part, freedom and equality, they have not yet achieved fraternity, which is more talked about than lived. The person who proclaimed universal fraternity and showed us how to bring it about was Jesus. By revealing God as our Father he broke down the walls separating people who are the “same” from those who are “different”, the walls separating friends from enemies. He freed every person from a thousand types of exploitation and slavery and from every unjust relationship, bringing about an authentic revolution, one that is existential, cultural and political. Many currents of spirituality down through the centuries have sought to carry out this revolution. A truly brotherly and sisterly life became, for example, the bold and tenacious dream of St. Francis of Assisi and his first companions[3]. His life was an admirable witness to fraternity that embraces all things, not only men and women, but the entire cosmos, including Brother Sun, Sister Moon and the stars. The tool Jesus gave us to bring about a sense of family in the world is love, a great love, a new type of love that’s different from what we usually understand by that word. In fact, Jesus transplanted on earth the way love is lived in heaven. This love requires us to love everyone, and not just our family and friends; it asks us to love people we like and those we don’t, to love our fellow citizens and foreigners, Europeans and immigrants, people from our own church and those of other churches, people of our own faith and those of other religions. This kind of love asks us to love even our enemies and to forgive them if they have done us wrong. What I am talking about is, therefore, a type of love that doesn’t differentiate among people. It considers those who are physically close to us, but also those we speak or hear about, those whom we serve each day with our work, the ones we read about in the papers or see on television. Because this is how God our Father loves. He sends sun and rain on all his children – the good and the bad, the just and the unjust (Cf Mt. 5:45). A second characteristic of this love is to be the first to love. The love that Jesus brought to earth is, in fact, a disinterested love. It doesn’t expect other people to love us, but always takes the initiative, just as Jesus himself did when he gave his life for us while we were still sinners, and therefore, not loving. … The love that Jesus brought on earth is not platonic, sentimental love, or just words. It is a concrete love that calls for action. This is possible if we make ourselves all things to all people – to be sick with the sick, happy with those who are happy, and be worried, insecure, hungry or poor with others. By feeling what they feel, we then do something for them. When this love is lived by more than one person, it becomes reciprocal. This is what Jesus emphasized the most. He said, “Love one another as I have loved you” (cf. Jn. 13:34). This is the commandment he called his own and “new”. It’s not only individuals who are called to live reciprocal love, but also entire groups, movements, cities, regions and states. Our modern times demand that the disciples of Jesus acquire a Christian social conscience. It is more than ever necessary to love other countries as our own. This love, that reaches perfection when it is mutual, reveals the true power of Christianity because it brings about the very presence of Jesus among us here on earth. Didn’t Jesus say, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20)? Isn’t this promise a guarantee that fraternity can become a reality? If he, our brother par excellence, is with us, how can we not feel that we are brothers and sisters to one another? May the Holy Spirit help us all to form in the world, wherever we are, zones of universal fraternity, that grow and grow by living the love that Jesus brought down from heaven.
Chiara Lubich
[1]Cf Martin Luther King, Jr., Discorso della Vigilia di Natale 1967 [A Christmas Sermon on Peace 1967], Atlanta, cit. in Il fronte della coscienza [The trumpet of conscience], Torino 1968. [2]M.K. Gandhi, Antichi come le montagne [Ancient like the mountains], Milano 1970, p.162. [3]Cf card. R. Etchegaray, Omelia in occasione del Giubileo della Famiglia francescana [Homily on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Franciscan Family], in «L’Osservatore Romano», 12 aprile 2000, p.8. https://vimeo.com/465376766
Oct 2, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Ten years of war, an embargo and the coronavirus pandemic have imposed living conditions on the Syrian population that are on the edge of poverty, leading to the re-emergence of child labour and exploitation. “After almost a week of quarantine, I was surprised to see one of our students selling vegetables from his car.” Thanks to one of the teachers in the “Generation of Hope” afterschool programme in Homs, Syria – part of Syrian emergency efforts – attention has turned to the growing phenomenon of child labour exploitation. According to workers there, in the past there had been some cases where adolescents were employed in manual labour. Today, however, the average age of young people employed for the sale of vegetables at markets, or as workers, barbers, waiters, working in fast food or in factories, has fallen. When parents are questioned, their answers stress how child labour is almost inevitable given the economic conditions and the uncertainty about the future. Some believe today that it is more important to learn a job instead of sheltering at home from the pandemic. Or they explain how these activities are necessary to help family budgets, which are no longer sustainable when parents’ work becomes less available. During the quarantine to cope with Covid-19, afterschool workers and teachers in Homs committed to look after the children even from a distance, although it has not always been easy. Many live in crowded houses, and the availability of digital devices and the internet is not within reach for everyone. This exclusion has fuelled children’s fragility, as well as their parents’ choice to send them to work these jobs. Because of this, during the short period of recovery in July, the Homs afterschool programme organized some meetings to investigate the phenomenon. They aimed to help people understand how important it is to choose education over child labour, even during serious economic difficulties. Those meetings showed that children, even if they do not want to work, feel a responsibility to contribute to family finances. They also fear that if they refuse to work, employers could harm their parents. The afterschool centre has been closed due to coronavirus cases climbing again, but as soon as possible, workers and teachers will resume their work. They will be well aware of how it can help to combat the practice of child labour and ensure that children in Homs receive the support and the appropriate education to build their future.
From the Amu website – Action for a United World
Sep 30, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Her smile, her joie de vivre, her commitment towards justice and peace are words that come to mind when one recalls Myriam Dessaivre, 26 years old, who lost her life on Sunday, August 9 in Niger. Myriam and five other French youth were killed, together with the Nigerian driver and guide who accompanied them when they were visiting the Kouré giraffe reserve, 60 km southeast of the capital Niamey. These youth were on a humanitarian mission, with the NGO Acted, in a country that faces multiple crises and ranks at the bottom of the human development index. Myriam, a martyr for peace, obtained a first degree in communication and information at the Catholic Institute of Toulouse and then a Master’s degree in peace studies at the Paris-Dauphine University. She specialized in political conflict resolution and the title of her thesis was: “The Colombian State and the FARC: is reconciliation possible?” She furthered her studies in this field through work in Colombia, Tunisia and Chad. During a Peace Movement national council meeting held on June 18, 2016, Myriam spoke about the choice of her studies. She was then 21 years old. Today, her strong and meaningful words impress us even more. We quote what she said at the end of her talk: “I have the impression that there is a growth in the number of young people of our generation who want to promote peace. I think that social networks are contributing towards this, not only through the abandunce of bad news, but also because of the increase in some sort of “global solidarity”. Anger caused by horrible happenings, such as terrorist attacks, wars in the Middle East and famine, is transmitted instantly through social networks, and we are directly affected. We come to the point of asking ourselves: “When do I go there?” So, I’m not surprised that more young people seek professions that engage in work for peace. May be, we are simply looking for the means to live in a better world”. Myriam learnt more about building this better world through the Focolare spirituality and her commitment as a member of the Focolare Youth Movement. Her father, Jean-Marie, who died in 2014, was a volunteer. Her friend Sophie, who was very upset, said: “She was my best friend. I met her during a Mariapolis in Lourdes, when I was 13. With her, you could have a good laugh about anything”. And she continued to testify: “She had strong convictions and defended the values of peace and justice. Her work was not easy, but she was passionate about it and it fulfilled her. It warms my heart to think that however unfair, terrible and violent her death was, it was not without meaning. She gave her life for what she believed was right.” Carl, another friend of hers, described Myriam “as a radiant, humble and beautiful person who gave her life to serve life, peace and others”. Speaking about what her death meant to him, he said: “I realize that the message she composed through her life is being delivered to us thanks to her departure to heaven. In one way or another, each one of us gets a daily provision of bad deeds and/or the lack of doing something about them; this is the marytrdom of evil”. Anne-Marie, a focolarina who knew her said: “Myriam fulfilled her dream, she satisfied her passion by joining her experience to her commitment in this field”. And she continued: “For the 120 Gen representatives from all over the world, who met for an online congress from August 7 to 14, it was evident that Miriam had to be the precious guardian angel for their Project #Daretocare, aimed at promoting initiatives on active citizenship in the fields of social justice, politics and economics”. Anne-Marie remarked: “It seems as if now Myriam is telling us: ‘Move on! Don’t waste time on useless things!”
Emilie Tévané, for Nouvelle Cité
Sep 28, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The way to overcome divergences of any kind and create fellowship and unity is – as Chiara Lubich proposed – the path of dialogue. We can dialogue even when we have to think of ourselves. We are all called to reflect in our lives the Blessed Trinity, where the three divine Persons are in eternal dialogue, eternally one and eternally distinct. In practice, for all of us this means that whenever we have something to do with one or more brothers or sisters, directly or indirectly – on the phone, in writing, or because the work we do or the prayers we say are for them, we all feel we are in an never-ending dialogue, we are called to dialogue. How? By being open to each neighbour, emptying our soul to hear what they want, what they say, what worries them and what they desire. And, after having done that, we too share and give what we desire and what we feel is appropriate. And if there are times when I must think of myself (in order to eat, to rest, to get dressed, and so on), I continue to do everything in view of my brothers and sisters, keeping in mind what others expect of me. In this way and only in this way, by continually living the “spirituality of unity” or of “communion-fellowship”, can I effectively contribute to making my church “a home and a school of communion”, Together with the faithful of other churches or ecclesial communities, we can contribute to Church unity. And with people of other religions and cultures, we can create spaces of universal fraternity.
Chiara Lubich
