3 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
“The Holy Spirit can do incredible things! Just look at the Apostles! Jesus had founded the Church on the cross, yet they were bewildered, hesitant and scared, hiding behind locked doors. Then the Holy Spirit came down upon them, and filled them with courage. They went out into the streets and squares, and spoke with such fire, that people thought they were drunk. Later, they bravely faced persecution and set out to bring the Good News to the whole world. This is just one important example of what the Holy Spirit can do – not to mention all that he has done in the Church throughout her twenty centuries of life: miraculous outpourings of light, grace, transformation, and renewal. Think of the Councils, and of the various spiritual movements he raised up, always at just the right moment…. Look at the Focolare. Even in our own small way, didn’t something of this sort happen to us, because of the fact that the Holy Spirit bestowed one of his charisms on us? Before this happened to change our lives, weren’t we just like all those people who don’t see beyond their own neighbourhood, whose thoughts and affections are limited almost exclusively to the small circle of their family? … If, to a greater or lesser degree, things around us have changed for the better, this is the work of the Holy Spirit, who renews the face of the earth. Yes, for his task is to instil drive and motivation; to enable grace – the divine life Jesus has obtained for us – to be at work in our lives; to give us strength and courage. Since we owe him so much, he should hold a much more prominent place in our spiritual lives. … May this thought shed light on our path in the days ahead: Let’s honour the Holy Spirit, by loving, respecting, and serving every neighbour. (15/9/1983) «Is the Holy Spirit in us? Does he speak to our heart? Let’s become attentive and assiduous pupils of this great Teacher. Let’s pay great attention to his mysterious and very delicate signs. Let’s not let any of what might be his inspirations come in vain … Let’s remember that the ideas that come to the mind of a person who has set out to love are often inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Why does he give us them? For our good and for the good of the world through us, so that we can take forward our revolution of love. Pay attention then, every idea, especially if we think it could be an inspiration, let’s feel that it is a responsibility, to take hold of and act upon. By doing this we will have found the best way of loving, honouring and thanking the Holy Spirit. (1/9/1983) Chiara Lubich, da LA VITA UN VIAGGIO – Città Nuova, 1984, pagg. 125-128
2 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
The last stop on my visit to Jordan was to a women’s jail on the outskirts of Amman. At the visitors security entrance, Omar, the friend who was accompanying me, was asked to remove his watch and sunglasses. Mine were also likely to be taken away, but I let them try them on and the young guard realized that without them I could hardly see. We reached the first waiting room on the other side of a long courtyard. The day was already summery. We got through the umpteenth security checkpoint and submitted the paper with the name of the person we wanted to meet. Two young women were waiting for someone in the waiting room. Who are you waiting for, a sister…or a mother? There was also a man in his fifties with Arab features. He was fixing his ragged shoes as he also waited. My friend went to sit down, but the chair broke. Any other time and in any other place, everyone would have burst out laughing at such a sight. But there in that waiting room no one dared. They were all taken by their pain. The climate in that room was like the one you feel when you’re about to get some news from a doctor about a very sick friend. The scratchy voice over the loudspeaker and the way the old man jumped to his feet, made me realize that it was his turn. Soon after it was ours. There was a narrow corridor. All the cells had a small window on the side with those classic old-fashioned telephones on each side of the pane. Our friend was unexpectedly joyful, gesticulating and quite excited to see us. She spoke into the receiver and let us know that we could ask to meet in another room, face-to-face. It was Easter Day and Christians were allowed to receive visitors. We exited the facility and re-entered through the official entrance. We had to show our passports again, answer questions and the name of the person we wanted to see. We waited in a hall, helping out the employees to stuff documents in numbered files. It was a long wait. Perhaps for her it was also a long road, made of opening and closing doors. She finally arrived. She could have been around forty years old, South American and quite jovial. “My cellmates will be so jealous!” She was a sweet person. She acknowledged she had made some mistakes. She would be released in a few months and was counting down the days on a calendar she had constructed. During her two years in jail, she had become a grandmother and hadn’t yet met her grandson. Her two oldest children have left school to work, and she doesn’t have a husband. “When I go back they’ll blame me, and it’s only right that they should be angry with me. I manage to hear from them on the phone once in a while. My wish was to open an orphanage for street children. Life is hard in here, at times I thought about ending to it all. You become bad. But I can’t; when they become angry or beat me, I stay calm. I just can’t bring myself to react. I have friends in here, some for many years. Fernanda’s been here for eight years, but she’ll be let out soon. She’s 29 years old and dying with a serious illness. She came in very young, for a more stupid offense than mine. She went and swallowed a few rolls of that junk. I thank God, in spite of it all. I feel He is close to me, and that’s why I feel privileged.” We said goodbye with a hug, and it’s difficult to describe what I experienced at that moment. I wanted it to be a small way of taking on some of her suffering and pain. Perhaps on such a sunny day, at least a ray of His Love had shone through the prison bars and gray walls. It’s a special Easter morning and I can’t but thank God for what he made me live: resurrection and true freedom. I met a free woman in jail, because she was so aware of God’s love for her. (Ago Spolti, Italy)
1 Jun 2017 | Non categorizzato
Baptism “It was almost lunchtime when a man knocked on the door of the parish to schedule a baptism. Since he wasn’t a parishioner, I had some questions. His situation was complex: his partner had given birth to his son, but his sister was the one who insisted that the child be baptized. I tried to take down his details quickly and said goodbye. As we were going out, I thought that I had treated him in too hurried a way. Having his address, and without thinking too much, I went to visit him, in an apartment that was very much in disarray. He was surprised and even alarmed: were there problems with the baptism? I reassured him that it was only to check that I had gotten down all the details. He and his partner opened up and invited me to join them for a modest lunch. So I got to know about people who are somewhat excluded, but above all it was a reminder of my only right: to be of service to others.” (K.L. – Poland) Testing ground “I manage a gift shop in a popular part of the city. For me, every person who comes into the store is more than a customer. I consider the relationship important, beyond the fact that I need to make a sale. There are some who come at times to confide their problems. I listen, and if I can, try to tell them mine. My father makes fun of me a bit, saying, ‘It seems more like a confessional than a shop.’ The fact is, for me work is a testing ground for my being Christian.” (Rachele – Italy) Superintendent “I work as the superintendent for two buildings, where people used to know each other only by their last names. Looking for chances to build relationships, I started telling a couple about life in the parish. The husband, despite not being a churchgoer, appreciated the gesture. I met someone from Thailand who thanked me by giving me chocolates. I then invited everyone to a barbecue: it was a successful evening that we repeated other times as well. Every once in a while I’d offer people returning from work a cup of coffee. These were simple gestures, but little by little some people felt they could confide in me more personal things. Like the tenant who considered prayer a waste of time. When I promised him to pray for him, he answered, ‘No one has ever spoken to me like this before now. I won’t forget it.’ An Italian couple, who were moving back to their country, before leaving invited all their neighbors to try some Italian specialties.” (Maria Rosa – Switzerland) Garbage “Coming out of school, I came across a dog on the sidewalk who was opening and destroying bags of garbage in search of food. I kept walking without thinking much of it, but something inside of me urged me to do something for others. Even though I was embarrassed, I went back and put the bags where they belonged. I had just turned the corner when I saw the garbage truck coming in the distance. I was happy because in our area it sometimes happens that the garbage collectors don’t pick everything up if they find things a mess.” (M. B. – Argentina)
31 May 2017 | Non categorizzato
From May 31st to June 4th, events will be held in various parts of Rome to mark the 50th anniversary of the Charismatic Renewal, a Catholic ecclesial movement which came to life in 1967 in the United States, during a spiritual retreat with a group of twenty students from the University Duquesne Of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Since then, the movement has spread throughout the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, India and Africa and Oceania. It has a strong presence in France and Italy, and it is growing in Eastern European countries. Through retreats, prayer meetings and “life seminars in the Spirit”, CCR spreads a Pentecostal lifestyle centred on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
30 May 2017 | Non categorizzato
The Jewish year is marked by various anniversaries that recall the events that followed the creation and history of the Jews. Shavuot begins at sunset on Tuesday, May 30th and – outside Israel – ends at dusk on June 1st. It is a most important feast that recalls the gift of the Torah on Mount Sinai, the greatest gift given by God to the Jewish People more than three thousand years ago. The name “Shavuot” means “weeks” and refers to the weeks spent in waiting before the Sinai experience, beginning with Passover, leaving Egypt and the Lord’s miracles to free the children of Israel. Shavuot is the less significant of the three Jewish pilgrimages – Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot/Tabernacles – but more important than Hanukkah or Purim.
29 May 2017 | Non categorizzato
“Yesterday’s breeze brushed the hair and faces of both kids and adults, a colorful slice of humanity saying yes to life and no to the merchants of death. After years of existing in isolation, many groups and organizations came together to start again, in the hope of a visible fraternity.” So read the press release the day after the peace march from its promoters – Focolare, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Fondazione Banca Etica, Opal Brescia, Rete Italiana per il Disarmo – with the support of Comboni missionary Alex Zanotelli. The campaign against arms dealing between Italy and war-torn countries began on March 7, 2017 in Sardinia. The initiative was also part of the worldwide event Run4Unity, promoted by the Young for Unity. Run4Unity takes place each year on the first Sunday of May throughout the globe, during World Unity Week. Arnaldo Scarpa, part of the Focolare Movement in Iglesias and spokesperson for the RWM Conversion Committee together with Cinzia Guaita, explains how the project began. “For many years, there has been a factory in the Domusnovas and Iglesias area whose original work was to produce explosives for nearby mines. Unfortunately the mines were decommissioned, and the factory was converted using public money to produce military equipment. This was then bought and transformed by RWM, a German multinational that produces weapons that are then exported to Saudi Arabia. “So from our country, Italy, arms go out to the ‘pieces of World War III.’ The laws of both countries, Italy and Germany, are quite clear: Law 185/90 in fact prohibits the Italian government to sell arms to countries at war or who do not respect human rights. Yet there has been a continual increase (59%) in Italian exports to North African and Middle Eastern countries in particular. In 2016, RWM’s production rose to almost 22,000, a jump of 1,466%.” At Domusnovas, like in many areas of the island, the main challenge is jobs. “We understood,” Arnaldo continues, “that even our consciences could fall asleep, confused by the general silence, having become groggy from the tragedy of unemployment. Those of us who are committed to living fraternity certainly support the workers, yet we also support the children, teens and adults in Yemen who are killed by what is produced here. Our project has required that we be more courageous than we had ever been in our lives, for many reasons, but it’s already encouraging that there are many people with us who have different backgrounds and ideas.” A positive outcome from the project has been the establishment of the RWM Conversion Committee, to keep the focus on the issue and block the extension of the factory. The area there has natural, environmental and archeological value. There is also the ethical dilemma: some have chosen to not accept work at this factory, even though they are unemployed, while others working inside experience serious crises of conscience. The next step is therefore to lay the foundations for common work on the project, to convert the factory and develop the area differently. Important contacts with entrepreneurs, architects, academics, legal experts, institutions, associations and employee representatives have begun. What is above all essential is that there be a specific political choice at all levels of government. To sign the petition for the Italian president, click here.
