20 Oct 2018 | Non categorizzato
If we are united, Jesus is among us. And this has value. It is worth more than any other treasure that our heart may possess; more than mother, father, brothers, sisters and children. It is worth more than our house, our work, or our property; more than the works of art in a great city like Rome; more than our business deals; more than nature which surrounds us with flowers and fields, the sea and the stars; more than our own soul. It is He who, inspiring his saints with his eternal truths, leaves his mark upon every age. This too is His hour. Not so much the hour of a saint but of Him, of Him among us, of Him living in us as we build up — in the unity of love — his Mystical Body and the Christian community. But we must expand Christ, make him grow in other members, become bearers of Fire like Him, (that dissolves the human side of us into the divine which is Charity lived out). Make one of all and in all the One. It is then that we live the life that He gives us, moment by moment, in charity. The basic commandment is brotherly love (see 1Pt 4:8). Everything is of value if it expresses sincere fraternal charity. Nothing we do is of value if there is no feeling of love for our brothers and sisters in it. For God is a Father and in his heart he has always and only his children. Source: Centro Chiara Lubich
20 Oct 2018 | Non categorizzato
Dates: Plymouth:
6-7-8 November: Workshop with young people 9: Concert 10: Feedback with young people
Welwyn Garden City:
16-17-18 November: workshop with young people
Birmingham: 20, 21 and 22 November: workshop with young people November 23rd: concert November 24rd: Feedback GenVerde Tours
18 Oct 2018 | Non categorizzato
Rome: Partecipation in the event “Quando la Carità ti chiama”, (When Charity calls you), promoted by the Vincentian Family as part of the “Finding Vince 400” (FV400), International Film Festival. Auditorium Conciliazione. GenVerde Tours
17 Oct 2018 | Non categorizzato
Conversations in different languages could be heard amid the tastefully and simply set tables. For three evenings, the young people of the Focolare acted as hosts in a hall, close to where the works of the Synod will carry on up to 28 October. After a warm welcome, the three dinners revealed to be the right occasions for the exchange of ideas, informal sharing and mutual interaction. During dessert, there was a presentation of the recent international Genfest held in Manila and some experiences, and stories of commitment and coherence to boost closer contact with the synodal Fathers, in line with a meeting held a day earlier, where they express queries, uncertainties, choices, in the hope that the Synod would propose some answers. In the second soiree, František from Czechia took the floor. His words highlighted a genuine passion for politics and concrete commitment in view of the next European Parliament elections emerged with the request, “Please support me with your prayers, so that I may always be faithful to the choice of serving my people, without any personal interest.” A similar story came from Nicola. She is 33 and a pediatric therapist in a university hospital. “I engage in rare pathologies and pediatric insurgence, and therefore I am always in contact with situations often at the brink of death. The difficulty at times lies in communicating to the relatives, the prognosis and life expectancies of the child. In these moments, I entrust myself to God, so that he may help me find the right words and attitude. Cynical detachment is a due form of survival, but we mustn’t lose the human dimension. Every day for me is like a gym in which to love and serve God.” Then it was Nicola’s turn. “Practicing this profession – he explained – means living at the limit between faith and reason; in these years I have learned what suffering is, and what it means to live immobile on a bed, attached to the mechanical lung for breathing. At times my faith is harshly put to the test, but then I have no time to reflect, being ’forced’ to see to the people I have before me, and loving them. This is really a countenance of Jesus Forsaken. If I manage to welcome him poor and miserable as he is, this fills up the void. I have to face many situations. 
The families of the eastern countries are at times the most desperate since they do not have adequate healthcare systems, both from the economic and clinical standpoints that can help them. This is why they undertake hope journeys to our hospitals in search of treatments, which in some cases imply great expenses, given that these are issued only to Italian citizens. These situations lead us to reflect that at times, being born in one part of the world is just a matter of luck. It is in these cases that God reveals his grandeur and asks you to do the impossible. We certainly must not break the laws but we can try to help in other ways, for example, proposing strategies to limit at best the deformity of the joints, or trying to stand by and be of help.” Time had flown. It seemed like the guests did not wish to leave. The challenge of a deep and reciprocal listening between generations, the reason for the Synod itself, had also taken the form and consistency even in a dinner. And the dinner ended with the words of the song dedicated to Mary, the silent response of utmost love. By Chiara Favotti and Gustavo Clariá
15 Oct 2018 | Non categorizzato
Argentina, Mariapolis Lia. 800 young people learning how to take lead roles, not only in drama but in real life. In the Argentine Pampas, the Focolare town Mariapolis Lia – named after Lia Brunet, a pioneer of the Focolare Movement in South America – is not slowing down after celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foundation in July. It launched an invitation over a spring weekend in September for young people to take the lead in their own lives “right to the last moment”. «This expression – explained a Mariapolis Lia resident – is inspired by Guillermo Curti, a Focolarino priest who died suddenly early in the year and who was for us a model of faithfulness and of love right to his last moment». The weekend of 22nd-23rd September saw the arrival of 800 young people from Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. «On the first day, we worked together in groups according to our countries of origin in order to prepare stands across the whole little town which showcased our own cultures and helped us all to get to know each other on a personal level. In the evening we put on a wonderful show of dance and performances reflecting our different folkloristic traditions. All of us young people found ourselves taking the lead in the preparation of the second day, Sunday, when more young people arrived from different regions of Argentina». For Sunday’s programme, the Mariapolis was transformed into a cinema set, ready to start filming various movies set in five different eras (the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s), in a range of genres, ranging from horror to musical, drama to science fiction. «The five decades represented the fiftieth anniversary of the Mariapolis town – they explained. Each film explored, through experiences and life stories, at least one of the challenges faced by young people today: forms of dependency, consumerism, life choices, social and mass media». To conclude, an award ceremony along with speeches in front of a live audience in the Mariapolis town, with another 200 groups following on a live link and thousands more viewing online over the following days. «What emerged as the weekend came to a close was an all pervasive sense of joy. Together we had faced up to many difficulties and shared a deep experience of unity which changed us. We experienced it as the presence of Jesus among us». As hundreds of young people travelled home in many directions, for those who remained in the Mariapolis Lia, the celebration continued with a shared supper and more singing and dancing, to express their joy at such an inspiring experience lived together.
14 Oct 2018 | Non categorizzato
The theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Our actions are our future.” The event is held every year on October 16 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The day involves international organisations along with civil institutes, schools, businesses, media, research organisations and institutions in a rich program of events and public demonstrations to sensitize public opinion on topics such as poverty, hunger and malnutrition in favour of arriving at Zero Hunger, which is included among the objectives for the United Nations 2030 agenda. The teenagers of the Focolare Movement included it as one of the central points of their training and action during the whole year. Last June, a delegation of teenagers took part in a discussion at the International Headquarters of the FAO of Rome, Italy and received a “Zero Hunger Citizen” passport. The held projects around the world to raise awareness among peers and adults and dedicated the 2/2018 edition of the bi-monthly magazine “Teens” (Citta Nuova).
