20 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
With a radio transmission emceed by Alessandro De Carolis, Radio Vatican journalist, the author dialogued with Fr. Julián Carrón (president of the Communion and Liberation Fraternity) and Maria Grazia Vergari (vice president of the Adult Section of the Catholic Action). Here are some excerpts of the interview that Giorgia Bresciani, journalist of “InBlu Radio,” held with Jesús Morán on 30 May: G. B.–The presentation of your book was the occasion to experience a moment of dialogue and fraternity between the ecclesiastic movements. In the Pentecost of 1998, John Paul II and at that time, Cardinal Ratzinger initiated a joint pathway of communion between all movements. What do you think happened that day and what point of that journey have we reached? J.M.–I think that 29 May was really blessed by the Holy Spirit, and was a grace for us. I remember that Feast of the Pentecost of 1988 vividly, and it was one of the most beautiful days of my life. It seemed as if the first Pentecost had become a concrete reality, due to the presence of many people, and an unforgettable day! I had arrived from Chile where I was living. It was effectively a historic moment, an ecclesial event because for the first time, the new movements had gathered in St. Peter’s Square all together. It was a fundamental encounter between the charism of Peter and the charisms created by the Holy Spirit in our epoch. It was like going public, giving visibility to the ecclesial charisms, and an “acknowledgement” of this fact. Since then the journey has progressed with ups and downs. This experience extended also to ecumenical levels and saw the creation of “Together for Europe.” We thus committed ourselves to the unity of all Christians. Then there were other joint encounters between the movements. Over the years, however, some of the founders passed away, and obviously this slowed things down: the deaths of Fr. Giussani, Chiara Lubich and other leaders, had an impact because this reality of unity and communion of the movements had been decisively their idea. An occasion like that of 29 May is a push to continue their work. We are now in a post-founding phase and have to restart from that “prophecy.”And the presentation of my book is oriented in that direction. G.B.–You mentioned the death of some founders. Precisely you, Maria Voce, and Fr.Carrón, are in that “post-founding period,” the “second phase” which is a tricky one: you have a complex and exciting task. In the light of your position, what do you think an ecclesial movement needs most in this phase? J.M.–I believe that the “post-founding” phase isalso a charismatic one.There are different types of graces from those bound to the founding moment, and lies in the perspective of the incarnation: the great challenge is that the charism, following the trail of the founder, increasingly becomes “history.” It is thus a phase of service to the Church and to humanity. This calls for a different kind of maturity. We have to work together, bringing to light personal and community talents, because when the founder is present, the light of the charism is very strong, and the founder “incarnates”it almost by herself. Now God wants us to start up our charismatic intelligence and our forces. And we have to do it together! This is the great challenge. This is what I tried to say with this concept (already used by John Paul II) of “creative fidelity”: faithfulness to the charism, and at the same time, capacity for innovation and creativity, always a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and greater insertion into the Church and society.
18 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
“A piece of bread, transformed by Jesus to satisfy the hunger of every heart: this is Jesus’s story reduced to the bare bones. It’s ours: the little path for his love, love strong in weakness.” (From an article, May 1980) “Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, what takes place is not only a pleasant communion with others in the spirit of Jesus as a mere idea or feeling. No, every time we celebrate the Eucharist the most radical wall of existence is brought down, the wall of death; what happens to us is pure gift, gift that is truly conferred to us. It’s proximity, proximity within which the mutual distances – both interior and exterior – are obliterated. In the Eucharist, not only do we become one body with each other, but we become His body for the world. For anybody who is truly permeated by the Eucharist this world and this society can no longer remain indifferent. They now have this dynamic in them, dynamics of God who offers himself, who gives himself, who carries with humanity as something of his very own and intimate to him, all that humanity carries, all that it does.” (Conference, August 31, 1977) “What’s important is not only that we have the Eucharist here in our community. We retain the spirit of Jesus only if and when we concretely love the other’s community as our own, if and when our communities open beyond the barriers that separate them and if in the midst of the communities lives the Lord.” (From an article, May 1979) Source: La luce dentro le cose, Klaus Hemmerle (Rome: Città Nuova, 1998), 190, 186, 187, 192.
15 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
At the Vigil of Pentecost at the Circus Maximus in Rome
Photo credit: © CSC Audiovisivi-Caris Mendes
14 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
The website is up in preparation for the 2018 Synod of Bishops on “Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment”. The site contains a questionnaire in five languages, to facilitate the widest participation of all the young people in the world, not only to receive information of the event, but also to interact and take part in the preparation.” “Let your shout be heard, let it resound in the communities and make it reach the pastors,” Pope Francis exhorted the young people. He went on: “Saint Benedict reccommended that abbots to consult the youngest members before any important decision because, “it is often to the youngest that the Lord reveals the best solutions.”
14 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
“A recipe for success doesn’t exist, but there is a recipe for failure. The recipe for failure is violence ‘in the name of Allah’”. With these words, the Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia Herzogovina turned to the Muslims of Europe with an appeal. He made it on the day after the bloody attacks in London and Manchester. Like Chiara Lubich before him, and presently Maria Voce, Mustafa Ceric was once the honorary president of Religions for Peace. “This is not my faith. This is not the Allah I believe in. My faith is never the knife, it’s never terror. My Allah is Loving and Merciful. […] “I confess that I have never felt so confused and so helpless in trying to explain what is happening inside and outside my community of faith. I console myself with the thought that these are the actions of extreme minorities, just a political game by great powers to gain Muslim wealth.” The Grand Mufti had been awarded the Felix Houphouet-Boigny UNESCO Peace Prize in 2003 and the Sternberg Prize of the International Council of Christians and Jews “for his outstanding contribution to the understanding of the faith.” In 2007 he received the Theodor-Heuss-Stiftung Prize for his Contribution to the Dissemination and Strengthening of Democracy and in 2008 the Eugen Biser Foundation Prize for his efforts to promote understanding and peace between Christian and Islamic thought. Mustafa Ceric used strong words: “My faith community has many problems. The biggest one is that of delegating to others the solutions of our problems. Instead, my Community of Faith, my Ummah, must solve its problems within itself before solving the problems around it.” There are those who claim that the attacks against innocent civilians in Manchester or London are more important than the ones in Palestine, in Kabul, Mosul, Sa’an and Misurata, said Ceric. “They aren’t more important, but certainly more dangerous for the Muslims in Europe, the majority of whom have escaped from Muslim countries to seek peace and safety for their children in Europe. The peace and safety they have experienced up until now are threatened. After Manchester, London – and even before that, Berlin and Zurich – “the European Muslims have to be strong and clear not only about condemning violence ‘in the name of Allah’, but also about taking concrete measures against any form of abuse of Islam. They need to have a clear voice, a united and irrevocable voice in the struggle against the violence that is supported ‘in the name of Allah’. It is no longer a matter of individual goodwill of individuals or groups that work for interreligious dialogue. It is an existential problem for Islam and for the Muslims in Europe.” The Grand Mufti therefore launched an appeal to the Muslims of Europe to “gather together immediately around a “common word” between us and our neighbours independent of their faith, race or nationality, to swear an oath to God, to themselves and to their own neighbours in Europe: an oath to love and promote peace, security and cooperation in accordance with what we are obliged to do by our culture and Islamic faith. We must swear that we will do everything that is necessary to fight together against violence towards innocent people. We present-day generations of European Muslims owe it to our descendants who have no blame.” “This is no longer the time to hesitate!” The Mufti vehemently expressed his hope and desire for a change. “There’s no room for calculation! There are no longer excuses for putting it off, nor justifications for waiting! There is no salvation in silence! There is no future for Islam nor for Muslims in Europe if not in coexistence and in tolerance with our European neighbours!”
14 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
Škofja Loka
