Jun 13, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The apostles together with all Jesus’ disciples are sent out as “witnesses”. Each Christian when they discover through Jesus what it means to be a child of God, discovers that they too are sent. Our vocation and our identity as children of God become a reality in the mission, in reaching out towards others as brothers and sisters. The wallet I work freelance so have no fixed salary. One day, just as I was about to go to my work studio without any money, I found a wallet on the ground. I picked it up and went to work. It contained a lot of money that I could really have used, especially because I had a child who is not well. For a moment I was tempted to keep it but then decided to look for its owner. To my surprise, I discovered it belonged to a neighbour of mine. As I stood in front of his door I was once again tempted to keep the wallet but then I rang the bell. He thanked me and I went to sleep at peace. The following day, completely unexpectedly, a considerable amount of money arrived at the studio! (N. – Egypt) Alzheimer’s At first, I thought it was all just symptoms of ageing but when we received the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s I started to become really anxious. The wonderful man I had married, the invidious father of our children, had become someone to be pitied. As the disease progressed, something was destroyed in me too: it was as if everything I did for my husband disappeared in the wind. Even the children, with their families and their problems, seemed distant to me. A priest advised me not to make comparisons with the past but to start life today. Something began to stir within me and my husband seemed to become more serene which the children felt when they came to visit us. After his death, the youngest hugged me and said: “You have always been our models, but especially in the last period”. (S.Q. – Portugal) Refugees Two hundred and thirty refugees arrived in our city, some with only the clothes they were wearing. Saddened by this situation, we decided to collaborate with Caritas, investing time and energy. Little by little we made friends with them and some of the mothers started to visit our homes. One day Pasa, a Muslim, saw how worried we were about our daughter who was seriously ill and promised to pray every day to Allah for her. It all reconfirmed to us how fraternity goes beyond cultural differences and religious faith. (U.R.J. – Germany) True sociality In our country, sole-traders, pedal-operated taxi drivers, teachers and government employees, because of their low salaries, are obliged to borrow money from moneylenders at very high interest rates. One day, a group of us decided to set up a credit union to fight this economic crisis. Our house became the official headquarters. We tried to live the Gospel as our only rule, listening carefully to every member to help solve their problems. We involved very wealthy people from the surrounding area, and thanks to their help the drivers of pedal-operated taxis have been able to buy their vehicles, many young people have been able to continue their studies and sick people have been able to pay for treatment. Some families have received help to build a house, others have managed to save money to go to work abroad. The wealthiest families became aware of everyone else’s needs and the poor overcame their sense of inferiority. The Gospel really teaches us how to live as a community. (M.T. – Philippines) On the bus A group of lads were sitting on the back seats of the bus playing their rap music very loudly and bellowing at the top of their voices. The other passengers would turn and look at them disapprovingly but it only made them shout even louder. At a certain point a middle-aged woman, smiling broadly, went up to the lads and invited them to sing more clearly so that the other passengers could hear the words of the songs better. After an embarrassing silence, a choir began. The boys began to smile, the words were understood and people began to applaud. The atmosphere in the bus had completely changed. (W.K. – England)
edited by Chiara Favotti
Jun 11, 2019 | Non categorizzato
On Saturday 8 June, the President of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce, was invited to the international conference for leaders of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. It was organised by CHARIS (Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service), the new service established by the Holy See through the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life that officially began its activity on the day of Pentecost. In her talk, Maria Voce spoke about how the Holy Spirit is seen in the Focolare Movement. Here are some extracts. Dear Friends, The Holy Spirit has always had a very important role in our history. Chiara Lubich, founder and first president of the Focolare Movement, repeatedly emphasised : “He was our Teacher”, “the key player in our history”, “the giver of our charism”. The Holy Spirit has always been the one who has illuminated, guided, supported and spread what we call “the Ideal”, that is, God, discovered and rediscovered through the spirituality of unity. An “Ideal” that, through an outpouring of light, launches us every day into an ever new divine adventure, one that is unique and wonderful. Certainly, at the beginning of our history – in the 1940s and 50s – this role of the Holy Spirit was not obvious. For a number of years, there was no mention of him and of his action regarding us, because he himself wanted it this way. As Chiara herself said at a Charismatic Renewal Convention in 2003: “He took great pains to step aside. In a certain sense, he disappeared, he annulled himself, thereby giving us a wonderful lesson we will never forget: He who is Love in person taught us what love is: living for others, giving prominence to others.” Nevertheless, from the earliest times, in the various points of the spirituality of unity that gradually emerged, we find the living imprint of the silent but active presence of the Spirit. It is enough to think of the experience during the Second World War in a “dark cellar” where, taking refuge from the bombs, Chiara opened the Gospel and had the impression that every page was illuminated with new light. It was the Holy Spirit that made her feel that the words of Jesus spoken two thousand years earlier were living Words, that can be lived always and are suited to every time and every situation. Love for the Word of God – which we still try to live month by month, to always re-evangelise ourselves – is one of the cornerstones of our spirituality. During the summer of 1949, which was characterized by a particular mystical experience Chiara had, we find the Holy Spirit as her silent companion on that journey, the one who gave her “infinitely beautiful realities” to live every day. It was in that circumstance that she understood how the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, is “all the breath of Jesus, all his Warmth, his Life”, “the air of Heaven”, the air “with which the whole of Heaven is suffused”. During that time, the Holy Spirit also revealed to her a whole new understanding of Mary , an understanding that would then be decisive for the development of the charism and for the very constitution of the Work of God, the Movement that was later given her name. On her spiritual journey, Chiara always urged her followers to be “assiduous students of this great Teacher”; to be attentive to his mysterious and delicate touches; not to let any of his inspirations fall by the wayside . It has therefore become common practice in our lives to “listen to that voice”, that is, the voice of the Spirit that dwells in us, a “voice” that speaks loudly, that inspires, that guides us, if we place ourselves in an attitude of love with regard to God and our neighbours; a “voice” that helps bring the revolution of Gospel love into the world. Among the numerous effects brought about by the Holy Spirit, one that we continually experience in our communities, in our little towns and in our meetings, whether large or small, is the “atmosphere” that is created as the fruit of a deep unity generated by the presence of the Risen Jesus amongst us (cf. Mt 18:20). But Jesus can be in our midst only if our mutual love is measured by his (“love one another as I have loved you”). That is why we need to look to him on the cross, he who even experienced being forsaken, and recognize and love him in all the sufferings we encounter, making ourselves nothing as he did. “Jesus Forsaken is nothingness, is the point and through the point (= Love reduced to the extreme, having given everything) passes only Simplicity, that is, God: Love. Only Love penetrates…” Thus we can let the Risen One live in us, and the Risen One brings his Spirit with him. We experience that when there is Jesus in our midst, the voice of the Holy Spirit is greatly enhanced, as if through a “loudspeaker” . Furthermore, we invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit in a special way through our characteristic prayer called the consenserint, in the light of Jesus’ words: “Truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” (Mt 18.19). Through this prayer we turn to the Father entrusting every need to him and how many graces, both varied and unimagined, we have obtained in this way! We also experience that the Holy Spirit enters the life and story of each person. He renews from within not only details but every human reality, to lead all humanity to the fulfilment of God’s plan for humankind and the universe. We experience that, by placing mutual love at the basis of relationships, as a reflection of Trinitarian love, the world can truly be transformed in every field, whether political, economic, cultural, artistic, educational, and so on . “I felt – Chiara told us – that I have been created as a gift for the person next to me and the person next to me has been created by God as a gift for me. As the Father in the Trinity is all for the Son and the Son is all for the Father. And this is why the relationship between us is the Holy Spirit, the same relationship that exists between the Persons of the Trinity” . We are convinced that all of us, both old and young, can be “bearers” of the Holy Spirit: to make the divine shine out not only in the Church, but also beyond it, in the world entrusted to us. We are called to embroider “patterns of light” wherever we pass, and to make our contribution to humanity around us, to find together the true meaning of our journey. I would like to conclude with a dream of Chiara, which she completely entrusted to the Holy Spirit. A dream that is mine too and I think is also yours: “I dream that the Holy Spirit will continue to enrich the Churches and strengthen the “seeds of the Word” beyond them, so that the world may continually receive new light, life, and works which He alone can is able to give. So that ever-greater numbers of men and women may set out towards straight paths, converge on their Creator, and put their hearts and souls at his disposal.”
Jun 9, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Sponsored by Focolare, a training plan extends with courses for parents and teachers The first courses began in Italy in 2014, although by the following year they had already spread worldwide. These are training courses for safeguarding minors that are sponsored by the Focolare Movement, aimed at educators and facilitators, as well as for parents and the wider community. Their objective is to build a network in order to increase the potential for prevention. “The more we are trained and aware, the more we are able to prevent situations of abuse,” says Viviana Colonnetti, a psychologist and psychotherapist who represents Focolare on the Commission for the Wellbeing and Safeguarding of Minors and one of the course coordinators. We posed her some questions. 
What vision of children inspires the movement’s training efforts? “It’s the vision that Chiara Lubich, Focolare’s founder, passed down to us: the child at the centre of our activity is another Jesus to welcome, a person to help with their wellbeing and development. It is a vision from the Gospel that leads us to recognise the dignity of everyone and promote the holistic development of a person.” What expertise is required for adults who look after minors? “They need to be emotionally balanced people who are able to listen and show empathy, manage groups of children and any eventual conflicts that arise, work as a team, and love to play and stay with the kids.” Are legal concepts regarding relating to minors also included? “There are internal regulatory norms already within the guidelines that are valid for the entire Focolare Movement, and other legal aspects that instead need to be adapted to each specific country. These rules are translated into best practices, that is, in positive and effective behaviours to be followed. We also indicate behaviours to avoid, since situations can become risky.” 
The course also covers the subject of relating to parents. What kind of relationships should be established? “We are aiming for an education pact with parents, as Pope Francis says, to work together as a team for the good of the child. This is why when we start, we propose meeting with the parents in order to structure the programme of the year together, so that the children can receive the same messages from youth leaders and facilitators that they receive at home. In addition, we propose that parents participate in some of the activities. We try to support children and teens with their difficulties, so it is important to dialogue and work together with parents.” Is the basic course the entire training? “For people in the movement who are charged with looking after children, these educative moments are part of continual training that is wider, nourished constantly with subjects that are relevant to working with minors. In addition, we have begun to work with parents and the community, after understanding that it is this fabric that guarantees the prevention of abuse. This is because, beyond the activities, it is the community that supports its members. And we have had quite positive results.” Among the movement’s representatives are also those from other agencies, associations and parishes. Have they been given a specific role? “The book Protecting childhood emerged from the experience of courses that are open to societies, associations, parishes, sports centres and organisations interested in the type of training that we offer, with our anthropological perspective. It was published last year in Argentina by Ciudad Nueva publishing. They proposed that we collect all the course material in one volume in order to reach those institutions who are not in direct contact with the Focolare. A workshop follows each presentation, which allows us to talk to professionals, educators and other people who we would not be able to reach in any other way. The book has recently come out in Brazil and will be published in Italy this coming autumn.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Jun 7, 2019 | Non categorizzato
To live being transferred into the Other: into our neighbour, for example, who, moment by moment, is close to us: living the other’s life in all its fullness. Just as in the Trinity – and this alone is Love – the Father lives in the Son and vice versa. And their mutual Love is the Holy Spirit. When we live transferred into our brother or sister (you must lose your life to find it again), as soon as we need to return into ourselves to respond to them, we find within ourselves a Third: the Holy Spirit, who has taken the place of our emptiness. Now, we can enter into the other in various ways: pushing ourselves in like someone big who wants to get in through a small door… and this is how someone acts who does not listen to the very end (someone who does not die totally in their brother or sister who is Paradise for the self, the Kingdom for the self) and wants to give answers gathered bit by bit in his or her own head that may be inspired but are not that breath of the Holy Spirit that will give life to the other. There are those who (passionately in love with Jesus Forsaken) more willingly die than live and who listen to their brother or sister to the very end, not worried about the reply, which will be given in the end by the Holy Spirit who summarizes in few words, or in one, all the medicine for that soul.
Chiara Lubich
Jun 5, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Learning to act as a “locomotive” within a group and when organising projects is vital at a time when a sense of authority is faltering, social media is dictating the law and politics seems to be in crisis everywhere. This has happened through initiatives of the Movement for Unity in Politics, NetOne, New Humanity, Sophia, Amu, New Families, Youth for Unity and others. At the beginning of the third millennium “leadership” has become a key word. Sometimes the term is misused and we no longer know what it means in practice. There are various reasons for this including the phenomenon of globalization and the digital revolution; another is the parallel crisis in traditional models of governance both on a small scale (parishes, associations, neighbourhoods …) and on a much larger scale (businesses, governments, administrations …). And this is happening almost everywhere. Many of the Focolare’s cultural bodies and agencies are interested in this topic, obviously looking at the problem from different perspectives and initiating processes that result in a synergy of disciplines. One example is the Co-governance Congress that took place last January in Castelgandolfo, organized by New Humanity, Unity in Politics and other cultural agencies in the Movement. Its content is still making an impact in various parts of the world. The congress did not propose a model so much as a style of governance based upon the principle of the charism of unity; in other words, based upon the prefix “co” that expresses a willingness not to give in to individualism and solipsism and to understand that, in part, “sovereignty” and “power” lie in those moments of striving together for the common good. The Sophia University Institute has also worked on the topic of leadership, approaching it from a range of different areas including human and social sciences, politics and economics. In particular, it is interested in leadership within the context of the “culture of unity”, drawing together many different perspectives. This is the logical consequence, if you like, of one of the slogans which were popular at the start of the gen movement in 1967-1968, in particular among some French people including Goffinet and Garoche. They published a brochure with the striking title: “Change yourself to change the world, change the world to change yourself.” At that time, there was already a need for leadership enlightened by the Gospel, rich in the contributions of the human and social sciences, attentive to the inspirations of the charism of unity. Some students and teachers from Sophia, New Humanity and the Movement for Unity, with the collaboration of other cultural agencies in the Movement, have set up a three-year project that focuses on Africa. The first stage of this project took place in Kenya in January 2019. More than 100 young people from seven countries in the region (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo) attended a meeting about African leadership. There were contributions from UNESCO, the Kenya National Commission, Caritas and Missio. “Together4Africa”, as it is called, proposes “African leadership” in a style free from overly western models and valuing all that local cultures have generated over the centuries regarding the management of power and authority. Another initiative worth noting is “Community Leadership in the Light of the Gospel”. It was promoted by NetOne and New Humanity Lebanon, again with Sophia and the Movement for Unity in the Middle East. In the region, there is need for formation to equip men and women, especially young people, to set up and lead groups, to solve local problems and to contribute to the common good of their city, their Church and their country. They also need to be able to relate to other local communities, both civil and religious. Houses need to be rebuilt but, above all, hearts and minds need to be restored and renewed. The project which has a base in Marsat offers useful training to bring life back to many young people and many ecclesial communities in Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan and Lebanon. Obviously, different aspects of leadership are taken into account – everything from psychological, social, ecclesial, ecumenical, organisational, economic and charitable perspectives are taken into consideration. The first phase in Lebanon has been completed, the second in Aleppo, Syria is underway, while the Jordanian phase will take place between September and December 2019. The others will follow.
Michele Zanzucchi
Jun 3, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Events, that include experiences and projects, organized in various European localities. It was on 9 May 1950, when Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union and the first President of the European Parliamentary Assembly, presented the declaration that announced the plan of economic cooperation aimed at forming a future federal union. Five years earlier, on 9 May 1945, Europe finally saw the end of the deadliest war that destroyed it and brought drastic change.This date was remembered throughout Europe, and various events were organized in many cities, where many communities questioned the future that citiżens of the old continent envisage today. Thousands of citizens, members of more than 300 different religious denominations participated in conferences, seminars, moments of prayer, promoted by “Together for Europe” in cities, from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, to Prague, in countries such as Slovenia, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and many others.”Together for Europe” is an international body that brings together Communities and Movements that pursue shared goals, each contributing through its own specific charism. Important events took place in Rome, Palermo and Castel Gandolfo. The group of Movements and Communities in Rome warmly welcomed the invitation to follow the six-week ‘Prayer Journey’ for Europe, from March 25 to May 9, 2019. The communities of five important Basilicas linked to the Patron Saints of Europe, participated in this prayerful event which ended with an ecumenical prayer vigil at the Roman Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles. The two events held on May 8 and May 11 focussed mainly on the economic and cultural perspective. The first event took place at ‘Spazio Europa’, which is run by the Office of the European Parliament in Italy and the Commission’s representation in Italy. In his keynote speech Prof. Leonardo Becchetti spoke about migration, finance, work, sovereignism and euroscepticism. While not sparing criticism about sovereignty principles that lead many European countries to unfruitful isolation, this economist offered new prospects that consider the “School of Civil Economy” as a new wave of proposals, an alternative to the current economic model. During the cultural evening held at Castel Gandolfo on May 11, representatives of “Together for Europe” communities were present. Prof. Alberto Lo Presti spoke about “Europe’s plan according to the Bishops of Rome”; Prof. Dimitrios Keramidas spoke on “Europe and the Patriarchate of Constantinople” and Pál Tóth on “East and West in Europe”. On May 9, 1600 people attended the conference entitled “The European society rediscovers its Christian values”. It was held at Palermo and promoted by the various Christian communities of “Together for Europe”. During their sixth edition of this event, they also presented projects and experiences; individuals and groups spoke about initiatives set up in the city to help people in need, such as: welcoming migrants, supporting the unemployed, visiting prisoners. They also spoke about choosing the road of lawfulness, working in addiction prevention programmes, especially against gambling, promoting active citizenship in risky neighbourhoods and awareness of ecological responsibility. The next event will take place in Ottmaring and Ausburg, Germany from 7 to 9 November, when the 20th anniversary of “Together for Europe” will be celebrated.
Patrizia Mazzola
