2 Oct 2018 | Non categorizzato
Economy is a Greek word that directly refers to the home (oikos nomos, rules for running a house), on the family. But the modern economy, especially contemporary economy, is governed by other principles, distinct and in many ways opposed to the ones that govern a family. A founding principle of the family, perhaps the primary one that underpins all the others is gratuitousness, which is the farthest from a capitalistic economy that is more familar with the surrogates of gratuitousness (discounts, philanthropy, sales). These serve the purpose of immunizing the markets against true gratuitousness. The family, in fact, is the main place where we learn from childhood on and for the rest of our lives, what Pavel Florensky calls the “art of gratuitousness”. It is especially in the family that we learn as children to work, and that no work can be done well without gratuitousness. But our culture associates gratuitousness with “for free,” the discount, the half-hour of overtime without pay, the zero price ( Saint Francis instead told us that gratuitousness is an infinite price: it can’t be sold or bought, because it’s unpayable). Gratuitousness means giving freely; it is a type of behaviour and a lifestyle that consists in approaching others, oneself, nature, God and things – not to use them in a utilitarian way for one’s own advantage, but to acknowledge their “otherness” and in their mystery, to respect them and serve them. To say gratuitousness means, therefore, to recognize that a certain way of acting done because it is good, and not because of recompense or sanction. […] If the family wishes to cultivate the art of gratuitousness as it should, it should be careful not to import into the home the logic of incentive which is rampant in today’s world. […] One of the tasks of the family is the formation of a person’s work ethic, which is precisely the result of gratuitiousness. If, instead, you begin to practice the logic and culture of incentives, and money becomes the reason for doing things, children will not be good workers when they become adults, because the work well done of tomorrow will always depend on the gratuitousness that is learned especially during the first years of life and especially in the home. The absence of gratuity in the economy also depends a lot on the absence of a feminine gaze. […] Women look at the home and at the economy and first see the connections of human relationships that that are happening. The first goods they see are the relational ones and the communal goods, and within these they also see the economic goods. It is certainly not by chance that the Economy of Communion was the result of the vision of a woman (Chiara Lubich), nor that the first theoritician of the common goods was Katherine Coman (1911), or that Elinor Ostrom was the only woman so far to receive a Nobel Prize in ecomony because of her work on common goods. And there are two women at the root of the theory on relational goods: Martha Nussbaum and Caroll Uhlaner. When the feminine gaze is missing from the economy, the only relations that can be seen are instrumental ones where it is not the relation that is the good, but where relationships with people and with nature are seen as the means used for obtaining goods. If the feminine gaze and genius of the home (oikos), had perhaps been present in the theoretical foundation of modern economy, we would have had an economy that was more attentive to the relationships, to the redistribution of revenue, to the environment and perhaps to communion. Communion is the great word that the family has to pass on to the economy. The prophetic role of the family in today’s world, to be believed, must take on the form of the children and the form of the economy and, therefore, of sharing, welcoming and communion. Because the children and the economy are nothing more than the ordinary life of each and of all, which is the only place where prophecy is nourished and grows. Source: www.avvenire.it, “Così lo sguardo femminile può cambiare l’economia”, 23 August 2018.
30 Sep 2018 | Non categorizzato
“You who have gone through so many seasons are the living testimony of constancy in adversity, but also of the gift of prophecy that reminds the young generations that the care and protection of the ones who preceded them are gratifying and appreciated by God, and that they cry out to God when they are disregarded.” When Pope Francis spoke these words last September 24th, he was speaking to the elderly audience in front of him in the Cathedral of Saint James in Riga (Republic of Latvia). But he was also speaking to the elderly of the whole world, in view of the international day dedicated to them on October 1st. “You that have spent yourselves, body and soul, that have given your life in the pursuit of freedom for your country, are now often left feeling that you have been forgotten. Although it sounds paradoxical in today’s world, in the name of freedom, free people subject the elderly to solitude, ostracism, lack of resources, esclusion and even misery. […] You that have gone through many seasons, never forget that you are the roots of a people.”
30 Sep 2018 | Non categorizzato
Hope I never would have thought that our parents would separate. But when it happened, and we were faced with an uncertain future that was completely unknown and the fact that life would never be the same again, I began having many sad and confused thoughts. We three brothers stayed with our Mum,“Our super-Mum,” as we called her. But everything was different. Even though we never had problems at school before, now we were beginning to have them. As soon as we noticed it, we began trying to give her some joy. Living with Papa wasn’t easy, but ever since we were small, our parents and grandparents had taught us not to judge. One of our nicest times together is when we gather to pray, asking God to accomplish his plan for each one of us. J. P. L. – Colombia Difficult Student Many years ago a particularly difficult student arrived in my class, because of some family problem. Since he had violent outbursts, some of the other parents protested with the director. Faced with the possibility that he might be expelled, I obtained permiission to take him into my personal care, advising my colleagues of the situation and receiving help from the students.Simultaneously, a family of friends made contact with his parents to help them until their situation was worked out. A long time later I returned to that city, which I hadn’t been to in many years. I saw my student again, now all grown and turned into the proud father of a family. T. M. – Italy Cake One of our neighbors was opposed to the restructuring work we were doing on our little house, expressing objections that were obviously unjustified. Tired of receiving his letters and protestations, my husband consulted a lawyer with the thought of bringing a case against him. But then, as we talked abou it, we decided on another path which seemed to be suggested by our heart. We would try to create a bridge between us and him. I baked a cake and we went to see him. He asked: “How did you ever know that today was our daughter’s birthday?” The expected clash had been transformed into an encounter. A few days later they visited us and now we have some new friends. M. – Spain The Wall Seven years of marriage had not led to the desired union of our hearts. Sand and discouraged, we thought that the reason was immaturity and incomptability of character. In this atmosphere we were led to judge and the wall of non-communication between us had grown higher and higher. Moreover, we were also burdened with feelings of guilt for not having been able to convey to our children the love that a husband and wife should give witness to. When we had already given up, some friends sho live the Gospel helped us to break down that wall. Also, there were signals coming from my wife that made me very hopeful. We learned to accept one another, to say sorry when we failed, to see look upon each other as a gift and to consider our failures as an opportunity to begin again. Helped by the friendship and prayers of others, we could feel that God loved us and had kept our family going. L. – Italy
28 Sep 2018 | Non categorizzato
“Whatever you did to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me” (Mt 26:40). This sentence from the Gospel is the most definitive word on what a human being is. This definition is no less scandalous than Jesus declaring himself Son of God. In the name of their personal freedom, identity and uniqueness, human beings think that they have a right to contest the fact that they are so identified with Jesus Christ. Human beings want to be loved for themselves, for who they are, and not to be degraded as some sort of mask for Jesus. Human beings fear that the “bit more” of love that they receive out of love for Jesus might not take them into account, might rob them of the love they need and desire for themselves. But who could neglect their neighbours while trying to love Jesus in them (and in this way also neglect Jesus)? And who could claim that acknowledging the presence of Jesus in others means diminishing their human dignity; in that case they have not understood the presence of Jesus in their neighbours. Since Jesus has identified himself with humankind – God himself who is Love – he has also identified himself with every individual human being. But love is never an affirmation of oneself that consumes and annihilates others. It’s something that gives of itself, and, in its self-giving, provides others with the freedom to be themselves. Jesus never leaves me alone. He is on my side, he accepts me just as I am, and whatever concerns me, also concerns Him. I remain myself. Indeed, I become my fullest self precisely because I never remain alone. The mystery of Christ is the mystery of every human being. What does this mean for the people I meet, and what does it mean for me and my life? For what regards other people, it means that I am never dealing merely with a link in the chain, a cog in the wheel, or just a number in the huge numbers of people that exist. Each time I look upon a human face, I meet God in his unconditioned state, I encounter that voice that still declares over the face of every human being, what was said of Jesus during the Transfiguration on that mountaintop: “This is my beloved son!” (Mk 9:7). There are no exceptions… A human cannot rob itself of its ultimate reality. Whether he is a criminal or a scoundrel, I can never again write him off as a lost case. I encounter Christ in every person not because the person is good or deserving, not even because he or she draws upon the divine light in their personal lives, but because God has irrevocably adopted them as his own sons and daughters. Certainly the human being is immense because of the Divine life that he and she have let into their souls because of their personal choice to believe, which took place in baptism in the name of Jesus. Belonging to Jesus is something “automatic.” When a person is born, Christ has already assumed into himself that person’s living and dying, fault and self-inflicted wounds: everything is assumed into the life and death of Christ who gave his life for each one of us. This is why we encounter Jesus in every human being. And we encounter him in a particular way in the least, in those who seem to be farthest from Him, in the people in whom his face seems to be most overshadowed. Why? Because on the cross, during his abandonment by God, even becoming sin (2 Cor 5:21), Jesus identified himself with what is farthest from God, what seems most opposed to God. [It is only by] discovering Christ in our neighbours and giving to each of them that human love with which you turn towards every neighbour, with an indivisible love that is therefore directed to Christ himself, that will enable every neighbour to discover his and her own identity with Jesus, their own nearness to Jesus, being completely assumed by Him.” (From “Offene Weltformel”, by Klaus Hemmerle, Neue Stadt, 1970)
27 Sep 2018 | Non categorizzato
Dates: 27, 28 and 29 October: workshop with young people 30 october: Concert From the Inside Outside – Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg 31 october: Feedback GenVerde Tours
![Politics as a vocation]()
26 Sep 2018 | Non categorizzato
The event saw the participation of members of the Italian parliament and the European Parliament, ambassadors, teachers, academics and many people who knew Giordani also through his writings. Promoted by the Focolare Movement with the Chiara Lubich Center, Igino Giordani Center and the political Movement for unity, for years now universities of the five continents, associations and local entities, have been supporting and sharing the fundaments of the cultural, social and political project, which are based on the vital encounter between Chiara Lubich and Giordani. We can thus say that the meeting in Rome was the expression of a long partnership and synergy amongst many. Upon opening the convention, Donato Falmi, Co-Director of the Focolare in Rome, read the greeting and message of the President of the Italian Republic to the Focolare President, Maria Voce: “…in expressing my appreciation for this initiative, aimed at nurturing the example of men and women who worked to promote the universal values of peace, brotherhood and solidarity, President Mattarella is conveying to you and the entire Focolare Movement, his best regards and greetings.” “I had the fortune of meeting Igino Giordani because in my youth,” affirmed Steni Di Piazza, Senator of Palermo. “I met the young people of the Focolare, and attended educational congresses with them. In July 1979, I met Igino Giordani and he told me that when he met Chiara, he felt something new. After many years I understood that with that phrase, Giordani was referring to politics in the fraternal cooperation and dignity of all the members. And maybe the vocation to politics began to grow in me after that meeting with Igino.” “This is a good moment to discuss and commemorate that 18 September of 70 years ago, in order to try to highlight those values that marked such an occasion,” underlined Stefano Fassina, Congressman of Rome. “Politics as a vocation should be felt and lived by every citizen, since every citizen is called to be responsible for the public good.” 
Going back to 18 September 1948, Giordani recounts the meeting with Chiara in his Memoirs: “I felt something new in the first words of that young lady. There was a note of deep and secure conviction which arose from a supernatural sentiment. So suddenly my curiosity was aroused and a fire inside me started to burn…” In that encounter Chiara brought with her the Ideal of unity. “She simply spoke about the divine adventure that had started a few years earlier in Trent, which already triggered the birth of a new Christian community,” Maria Voce affirmed in her speech. “From the beginning, the first focolare women and then the men, nurtured themselves on the Light of this Ideal, as also Igino Giordani, who Chiara spiritually fed through a prolific correspondence.” In the era of Catholic politics, Giordani was a leader. He not only worked in the Parliament but also in the Vatican. But the meeting with Chiara transformed him deeply. “He discovered unity in a new way, as the principle and value of human relationships, especially in politics,” stated the political scientist, Alberto Lo Presti. “That is, he understood that all the partial truths he had believed were decisive in doing good politics, were fulfilled in unity. (…) Unity is the banner of his political vocation.” Rocco Pezzimenti, Professor of the History of political doctrines in the Lumsa University of Rome reminds us of Giordani’s two publications: the first, published in 1949 entitled Dehumanism and the second, published in the 1960s, entitled The Two Cities, both of rare and also prophetic depth. Giordani clearly says that from St. Augustine, he acquired a fundamental characteristic: politics is not an improvised event. What occurs in politics is first developed interiorly.” “If there is a theme we should reflect on today, starting from that encounter between Igino and Chiara,” recalled Marina Sereni, former vice president of the House of Representatives – “it is precisely unity in politics today. And politics is a vocation if it centers on the Common Good, with those values which are not the property of one party, but which target unity.” Her words were shared by Beatrice Lorenzin, former Minister for Health, who affirmed how “Igino and Chiara were two masters in the history of the Italian Republic and who initiated something extraordinary. We need these reference points to help us make a dynamic and not hypocritical analysis.” Lastly, four testimonials. “The first time I heard about Giordani was in the summer of 1946,”recalls Congresswoman, Rosa Russo Iervolino, “when my parents were elected in the constituent assembly. Giordani’s interventions in the chamber were always respectful of the others but at the same time harsh in making the truth emerge. Giordani was so humble that his humility almost hid his intelligence which was dynamic and always popped up in other ways.” 
The following intervention was by Patience Lobe, first Cameroon woman to have been appointed in the Ministry as the Director of Public Works: “From the Focolare spirituality I learned coherence between life and words, and the importance of loving and serving the others. Having Chiara, a woman, as a model, gave me strength and courage, without ever making compromises. Chiara has opened my soul and intelligence to the Gospel.” To conclude, Luca Basile, President of the Town Council of Arzano in the province of Naples: “Thanks to the Focolare, I was able to live important experiences like cultural exchange and using it as a stimulus to my political commitment in the territory. My two predecessors resigned because the town council was dissolved due to mafia infiltration. You can fully understand how difficult it is to operate in such a territory, but we cannot lose hope when we have Chiara and Igino as our models.” “To implement what was generated from the encounter between Chiara Lubich and Giordani, we need to take upon us what the Country and humanity are going through,” affirmed Letizia De Torre, international coordinator of the Movement for Unity in Politics (MPPU). “May our commitment, imbued with the charism of Chiara Lubich, offer in a complex world, amazing possibilities for unity.” Lorenzo Russo
