30 Mar 2018 | Non categorizzato
Young people want to find “peace, love, trust, equality, freedom and justice” in the Church. They also search for security, the capacity to listen, consideration, readiness to welcome the contribution of others. These are young people from every corner of the globe, belonging to different faiths, having different beliefs, coming from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds. Even young people who “do not follow traditional religions or say they are religious” but who are “open to spirituality” and want to work for others and for the common good are looking for a guide to provide direction and meaning in life. The young people themselves shared these ideas at a meeting that took place in Rome from March 19th -24th: this meeting was a preparation for the XV Ordinary Synod of Bishops on “Young people, the faith and vocational discernment” that will take place in October 2018. It was Pope Francis himself who wanted this Synod. The 300 young people present for the preparatory meeting and another 15 thousand linked up by web told the Church – gathered to listen in this way for the first time ever – all about their hopes and challenges and what they would like to find in those who are God’s ministers. They also spoke of what they are looking for in society as a whole. They shared their experiences and offered their suggestions to help ensure that the message of the gospel reaches an increasing number of young people, that it is expressed in the right way and with an attitude that is humble and open to dialogue. At the invitation of Pope Francis who asked the young people to speak openly and to be “cheeky” enough to ask difficult questions, they said very clearly that they wanted “attractive role models who are genuine and who do what they say”, “real witnesses who speak the gospel with their lives”, “men and women who can speak with passion about their faith and their relationship with Jesus and encourage others to draw close to him.” They want the Church to be welcoming, merciful, humble, human, inclusive, coherent, believable, “able to empathise with all the young people in the world” and show “tenderness” towards people to “don’t believe in following certain standards.” They are looking for “rational, critical responses to complex questions” such as sexuality, “addiction, marital and family breakdown” and to “the big social problems such as organised crime, human trafficking, violence, corruption, exploitation, murder of women and destruction of the natural environment.” They admit to not having a single, unified vision about complex issues such as migration and welcoming refugees even though there is “a universal duty to care for the dignity of every human being.” They also feel that there is little agreement among young people – neither within the Church nor in the broader world – about controversial issues such as “contraception, abortion, homosexuality, living together, marriage and even how the priesthood is understood.” Nonetheless, even the young people who do not share in the Church’s teaching still “want to be part of it.” Furthermore, they are shocked by the current “political, social and economic instability” and ask the Church to be “solid and with a preference for those who are struggling on the margins of society.” They want a sure guide because “simple answers are not enough.” They also expect the Church to acknowledge the mistakes it has made, all that it has failed to do and even its most painful wounds. This is the only way they can believe and trust the Church. Young people ask to be more involved in decision making, to be given responsibility and leadership roles in a broader context such as parish groups. They also feel that women should be involved more, that there should be more possibility for them to use their talents. They want the Church to be present and to search for them in the social and virtual worlds that they inhabit – in the bar, on the sports field and in social media. They also want to know more about the sacraments and to attend both large-scale events such as the World Youth Day as well as small ones in the diocese and parish. They want to be included, to be part of a group – “even a small local group where we can ask questions and share our Christian life is so important in nurturing and preserving our faith.” In conclusion, they are young people looking for their vocation in the world and for the meaning of life. They care for and cultivate their own spirituality – and almost always – see the Church as a great partner. Now it is up to the Church, as it has said itself, to take notice of what they are saying. The next appointment is in October at the Synod Assembly but, in the meantime, the Pope has said, “You will be taken seriously.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Document
29 Mar 2018 | Non categorizzato
“I’ve recently written a book about him called “The Cry”. I dedicated it to him with the intention of writing it also on your behalf, on behalf of the whole Movement “as – and this is the dedication – a love letter to Jesus forsaken”. In it, I speak of him who, in the one life given to us by God, one day, a particular day that was different for each of us, called us to follow him and give ourselves to him. It’s clear then – and I say this in the book – that what I want to say in those pages cannot be considered as a talk, albeit one that is personal, familiar in tone and deeply felt. Instead it wants to be a song, a hymn of joy and especially of gratitude to him. “He had given everything: the life he lived with Mary, in obedience and in the difficulties of daily life. He had given three years of preaching and three hours on the cross, from which he forgave his executioners, promised Paradise to the good thief, and gave his Mother to us. Only his divinity remained. “His union with the Father, his sweet and ineffable union with God, had made him powerful on earth as the Son of God and majestic on the cross. Yet there, the awareness of God’s presence had to sink into the deepest recesses of his soul so as not to be felt any longer. It had to separate him in some way from the One with whom he had said he was one”, and make him cry out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46).″ Source: Chiara Lubich during a telephone link up. Castel Gandolfo, Rome, 20th April 2000.
28 Mar 2018 | Non categorizzato
Today, then, the word is Love. Holy Thursday is the day on which, over the years, we have often experienced the sweetness of a special union with God. It reminds us of the abundance of love that heaven poured out over the earth. This Love, first of all, is in the Eucharist given to us on this day. This Love is in the priesthood, which is a service of love and enables us to have the Eucharist. This Love is in unity, which is the effect of love and for which Jesus implored the Father: “That they may all be one, as you … and I” (cf. Jn. 17:21). This Love is in the new commandment which he revealed on this day before dying. “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (Jn. 13:34-35). This commandment enables our life here on earth to be modelled on that of the Holy Trinity. Source: Chiara Lubich during a telephone link up. Castel Gandolfo, Romea, 20th April 2000.
28 Mar 2018 | Non categorizzato
“September flew by. I had taken a taxi with some other people who resided in the town. We we were leaving the city that had welcomed me: Aleppo. I was among the few – perhaps the only – foreigner that had chosen this place for vacation. The taxi crossed the city, an expanse of neighbourhoods completely destroyed. How many dead were buried beneath those ruins? The driver didn’t seem to think about that as he sped along the street that led south in the direction of Homs. From there he would proceed in the direction of Beirut. After two and a half hours we were able to make out the first houses that was left standing. It was difficult to believe. I was welcomed for a month by the Focolare community. When I arrived at the door of a church, someone said to me: ‘Here you will find real Christians,’ words I had never heard spoken before. But now I understand. I saw for myself how the focolare is the place in which everything is shared: the Providence that comes from around the world, with tables full of clothes, and so forth; but mostly the joys and sorrows of daily life… Here, for years, the only support was the Word of the Gospel, the God of love. How the beginnings of the Focolare history returned to my mind, when Chiara Lubich would describe them saying those words that I heard so many times: ‘It was war time and everything crumbled!’
Bernard (centre), with Freddy (left) and Murad (right) in the Focolare centre of Aleppo.
27 Mar 2018 | Non categorizzato, Word of
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print | Audio
These words are part of a long dialogue Jesus had with the crowd around him. They had seen the sign that he had performed in the multiplication of the loaves and followed him, perhaps just wanting more material help. Starting from their immediate needs, Jesus gradually brings the conversation around to his mission: he was sent by the Father to give humanity true life, eternal life, which is the life of God himself, who is Love. As Jesus walked along the roads of Palestine, he took an interest in all the people he met, not shying away from their requests for food, water, healing and forgiveness. On the contrary, he met all their needs and gave hope to everyone. That is why he could then ask all who heard him to take a further step, to accept the life he offered, to be in relationship with him, trust him and believe in him. Commenting on this sentence of the Gospel, Chiara Lubich wrote in the magazine Città Nuova in 1991: “Here, Jesus responds to people’s deepest aspirations. They have been created for life and seek life with all their strength. But their great mistake is to look for it in other people and in things that, being limited and passing, cannot give a genuine answer to their aspirations … Only Jesus can satisfy their hunger. Only he can give life without end, for he is the Life.” “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.” Christian faith is primarily the fruit of a personal encounter with God, with Jesus, who wants nothing more than to have us share in his very own life. Faith in Jesus means following his example of not being wrapped up in ourselves, in our fears and limited plans, but rather to focus our attention on the needs of others. They may have real needs arising from poverty, illness and marginalization, and above all they need to be listened to, accepted and welcomed. In this way, through the life we are living, we will be able to share the love we have received as a gift from God with others. To strengthen us on our journey, he has also left us the great gift of the Eucharist, a sign of a self-giving love that enables others to live. “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.” Often, during the day, we place our trust in people around us. It may be the teacher who teaches our children, the taxi driver who takes us to our destination, the doctor who treats us … We cannot live without trust, and trust is increased by knowing one another, through friendship, by a relationship deepened over time. How then can we live the Word of Life this month? Continuing her commentary, Chiara invited us to renew our complete choice of Jesus: “We already know how to do this by putting his words into practice with fresh commitment. His words remind us of many specific aspects of life. For example, are we meeting a neighbor? ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mt 22:39). Are we suffering? ‘If any want to become my follower … then they should take up their cross’ (Mt 16:24), and so on. “If we do so, the words of Jesus will be a source of light, and he will come to us with his truth, his strength and his love. Our life will become more and more life with him, doing everything with him. We will no longer be afraid even of the physical death that awaits us all, because with Jesus true life has already begun in us, the life that never ends.” Letizia Magri
24 Mar 2018 | Non categorizzato
“In you, O Lord, I take refuge, I will never be put to shame” (Ps 71:1). This is how the already seriously ill bishop, Klaus Hemmerle, began his last homily at the Dome Church of Aachen, Germany. It was late 1993. “God, you hold me with your strength just as I am. God, you hold the world just as it is. God, you hold this neighbor with your strength just as he is.” To be held up by this God who descended in the kenosis, who stripped himself of everything and took on the form of a slave – this is the only way that the door of hope can be reopened in us: welcoming Him who first welcomed us, letting ourselves be carried by Him. Believing that we are held up by Him: This is the eye of the needle through which we receive the thread of hope that is slipped through it. This God can truly give us hope. This is where our Church with all its errors and weaknesses, with all its requests and its too large and too small challenges, can be something extraordinary: a community of people that believe in the fact that they have been welcomed and supported, a community of people that support one another, in which each one holds up the other.” From “Klaus Hemmerle, innamorato della Parola di Dio” – Città Nuova Ed, 290-291.
