Jun 1, 2016 | Non categorizzato
“The most important thing I experienced during these two days with Gen Rosso was to see my dream come true: to feel strong and alive without the need to use violence.” This was the impression shared by Veronica, one of 200 teenagers that took part in a three-day workshop organized by the international band during its tour through Montevideo, Uruguay. The tour also took in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Fazenda da Esperança was the promoter of this initiative. The Gen Rosso Band members explained: “Strong Without Violence is a project geared towards teenagers and young people, offering formation in a culture of peace, legality, preventing all forms of school violence, revenge, bullying, teenage suicide, teenage issues and dropping out of school. With positive success in several other nations, this time the project gathered 200 young people from at-risk areas in the capital of Uruguay. One of these associations is the Nueva Vida Centre: “I remember when we arrived in this area on the outskirts,” recounts the director, Luis Mayobre. “We were welcomed by stones that were being launched at us by teenagers. Seeing our young people today in full action onstage, together with their peers and launching a message of non-violence has really moved me.” The novelty of the Strong Without Violence Project lies in the fact that the teenagers are actively Involved in a stage performance, with a workshop on dance, music, set design and set-up. They go onstage with the professional artists as main actors in the show. “Awesome! It was amazing,” says Inés overcome with emotion. “We did two concerts, May 21 and May 22 with the Clara Jackson Theatre (capacity1,200) completely filled, quite an uncommon thing in our parts; and you couldn’t tell the kids apart from the artists: they were completely integrated.” Laura had watched those children grow up and knew well the great work that is done at the Focolare’s Nueva Vida Centre and at other institutions in the area, to provide a positive future to the young people that is far removed from drugs and other dangers. The setting of this “Streelight” Show is Chicago in the 1960s. It tells the true story of Charles Moatz, a young Black American from the Focolare who was murdered by a gang because of his efforts to build a world that was more united. With his choice of non-violence Charles had sealed his fate. But his radical lifestyle would lead his friends to discover new and unimagined horizons for their own lives. “Phrases like: ‘If you want it, you can do it,’ ‘Love conquers all,’ ‘Love can do all things’ and ‘If you want to win over a city to love, get together with friends who think like you do’ . . .” continued Laura. “It all seemed to fall like drops of due upon the hearts of the people here. And it all came out with such a force that I was trembling. There was such great sympathy between the audience and the people on stage. I had invited a friend who, after a short while was so moved that she was sobbing. I think God has hit hard at our very doorsteps.” Uruguay press, which is strongly secular, mentioned the unusual event in a news article boastfully titled: “200 young Uruguayans prepare at an intensive workshop to go onstage with a musical performed with the international Gen Rosso Music Group” “So happy to see my son on stage!” wrote the mother of one of the boys who had become an instant artist. “I thank the Nueva Vida Centre that has always aimed to give the opportunity to him, to grow as a person.” And Patty: “That ‘If you want it, you can do it’ will remain forever burned into the hearts of each of these teenagers and of all those who were here. Thank you! You’ve charged our batteries and transmitted a very contagious energy.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5eR25VL53M&feature=youtu.be
May 31, 2016 | Non categorizzato
“I was employed as a merchandise inspector, that is, to control the quality, quantity and weight of goods, but for corporate reasons I had been fired. I lost everything: my job, family and dignity. After a few months my wife sent me a separation letter, taking with her my five-year old daughter. What’s more, after having followed the advice of my father-in-law, I was sued for swindling, bribery, and criminal conspiracy. Actually, I hadn’t done anything! I felt so much shame also for my loved ones, and infinite anger! I asked myself, where is that God who proclaims to be good and instead allows similar injustice? I was in jail for 15 days, out of which five were in isolation, enclosed in a cell of 2×2 meters, deprived of everything: the freedom to open a window, to see or speak with anyone. Then, when I got out of the isolation cell, I had to face pushers, drug addicts, rapists, and robbers. They were men. In jail I was respected by all because they were certain – even without knowing me – that I was completely innocent and that I shouldn’t have been put in that place. It was their way of restoring the dignity I had been stripped of. I learnt a lot from the convicts. When I was on parole, my relatives convinced me to participate in a Mariapolis, saying that we were going for a four-day holiday. I met a grandma with very white hair who spoke about God who is Love, precisely to me who had strongly doubted that good God. A new and immense world lit up before me, as if I already had met it, but had never experienced it before. I realized that to be able to walk along the path of love, we cannot forego what I then called suffering and which I now identified with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross. When we live in deepest pain, we are more prepared to listen to God who gives us a greater and fuller life. Today I no longer hold any grudge against my ex-wife, father-in-law and daughter who never wanted to see me I was fully absolved of the charges, because three years later they discovered that I had absolutely nothing to do in the lawsuits filed against me. I could not keep to myself what life had taught me and felt the great desire to share it with others, especially the youth. I started with five boys aged 11/12 who knew nothing about faith, or their parents. I started by playing soccer for hours, and then upon accompanying them home, asked them if they wanted to do a simple act of love towards the family. Today these young boys have grown up and some have entered the employment world, but above all, also they wanted to donate in turn to others what they have received, bringing the certainty of God’s love to many. I will never stop thanking God for having given me the chance to love without prejudice, and meeting Him who is Love, and who loves each one of us personally, and that we, his children, are all equal.” (Erasmus – Italy)
May 29, 2016 | Non categorizzato
“Here in Africa we got the news at one o’clock this morning, May 20th, the feast day of Corpus Domini. He had more than once expressed his desire to join Chiara Lubich in Heaven. We rejoice with him and pray for him.” Maria Voce wrote these words to all the members of the Focolare Movement, while on a visit to Kenya where she has been since May 14th. Giorgio Fede Marchetti was born in Padua, Italy, on October 16, 1929 where he was amongst the first people to become involved in the adventure of unity, as Chiara Lubich called it. But he also continued to accompany the growth and development of the Focolare around the world. The director of Città Nuova, Michele Zanzucchi, writes: “Many of us will remember his staunch loyalty to Chiara Lubich as he followed the path traced out by the charism of unity during the first months of the Focolare town of Loppiano in Tuscany, Italy, surrounded by mud but also genuine enthusiasm. He’ll be remembered in Brazil where he came face to face with the hard reality of the shanty towns. We’ll remember how he supported the Movement, always on the frontlines, always looking forward.” Ángel Bartol, who was with him in his last moments: “Fede continued to give of himself, body and soul, to the very end. He was a doctor, psychologist and theologian who had trained and accompanied hundreds of young men on the path of the focolarini. Intelligence and generosity were his main traits. Much more could be written about him, and much more will be in the coming days. For now we simply say: Thank you, Fede, for your life that was centered on the unity of the human family! A funeral will be held at the Mariapolis Centre of Castelgandolfo on Tuesday, June 1st at 11:00 am.
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May 28, 2016 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Listen to the Word of Life
How welcome, in the midst of the conflicts that harm humanity in many parts of the world, is this invitation by Jesus to peace! It keeps hope alive when we realize that that he himself is peace and that he has promised to give us his peace. Mark’s gospel places these words of Jesus at the end of a series of things said to his disciples, meeting at home in Capernaum, where he explains how they should live as his community. The conclusion is clear: everything must lead to peace, which contains every good. It is a peace we are called to experience in our daily lives: in our families, at work, with those who have other ideas politically. It is a peace that is not afraid to face contrary opinions, which we need to speak about openly if we want a unity that is always more true and deep. It is a peace that, at the same time, demands that we should take care that our relationship of love never dwindles, because the other person is more valuable than any differences that may exist between us. ‘Wherever unity and mutual love come to be,’ Chiara Lubich once said, ‘there is peace, indeed, true peace. Because where there is mutual love, there is a certain presence of Jesus among us, and he truly is peace, peace par excellence.’1 Chiara’s ‘ideal of unity’ was born during World War II and it immediately looked like the antidote to hatred and ruptures in society. From then on, when faced with any conflict, Chiara persistently continued putting forward the Gospel logic of love. When, for example, war exploded in Iraq in 1990, she expressed bitter surprise at hearing ‘words that we thought had been buried, such as: “the enemy”, “our enemies”, “hostilities are beginning”, and the war bulletins, prisoners, defeats.… We realized with dismay that this was a body blow to the fundamental Christian principle of Jesus’s “commandment” par excellence, his “New Commandment”.… Instead of loving one another, instead of being ready to die for one another’ here is humankind again ‘in the abyss of hatred’: contempt, torture, killing.2 How can we escape? she asked herself. ‘We must knit together, wherever possible, new relationships or a deepening of those that already exist, between those of us who are Christians and the followers of other monotheistic faiths: Muslims and Jews,’ 3 in other words, those engaged in the conflict. The same is true when faced with any kind of conflict. We must knit together among individuals and peoples relationships of listening, of love, as Chiara would also say, to the point of ‘being ready to die for one another.’ It is necessary to set aside one’s own positions in order to understand the other’s, even though we know that we will not always manage to understand them completely. The other too can do the same with me and at times neither will the other, perhaps, understand me and my positions. But we want nonetheless to stay open to the other, even when there is difference and incomprehension, before all else saving our relationship. The Gospel makes it a command: ‘Be at peace.’ Making it a command is a sign that serious and tough commitment is demanded. It is one of the most essential expressions of the love and mercy we are called to have for one another. Fabio Ciardi ___________________________________
- On Bavarian television, 16 September 1
- 28 February 1991, see Santi insieme,(Città Nuova: Rome, 1994), pp. 63-6
May 24, 2016 | Non categorizzato
Five hundred young people from around the world will meet online for a World Peace Conference For Young People The idea emerged from the synergy between Living Peace and its peace education projects for children, adolescents and young adults in 113 countries and Peace Pals International, an expression of the World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS), which is associated with the United Nations (UN). The project is supported by Fuji Declaration from Japan and several international organizations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omANVR3qIDI Inspired by the Fuji Declaration, 14 Christian and Muslim speakers from 14 countries took turns online last April 30th to make known their views in favour of peace, which they backed up with concrete experiences of acceptance and reconcilliation that give credibility to their claim that world peace is possible. Edward’s presentation about his exprience of the earthquake was particularly significant. He is a member of the Focolare from the Philippines and was linked from Ecuador where he had had been in direct contact with earthquake victims. Sherook from Syria also offered her testimony about what she was living through in her country. After telling about the situation in Syria, which is still very fragile and dangerous, she was unable to hold back her tears, which produced an enormous impression and feeling of empthy in everyone. Her tears also triggered very touching words and offers of support from two Muslim young people who were online: Omar from Egypt and Abir from Morocco. The conference was an opportunity to present United World Project and its SignUpForPeace inititiative. Jules Lamore, coordinator of Peace Pals International and member on the committee that organizes the events for World Peace Day in the United Nations, telephoned from New York to congratulate us for the online conference. Two young people were awarded scholarships at Miami University of Luxembourg. The General Coordinator of Living Peace, Carlos Palma, was invited to present the conference at the Seat of the European Parliament in Luxembourg during the World Peace Forum on May 24-25, 2016. In 2015 the Luxembourg Peace Prize had been awarded to New Humanity, an NGO of the Focolare Movement. The World Youth Conference of Young People plans on holding four Conferences a years. The next event is planned for June 25, 2016 with young people from movements and organizations that are engaged in peace work. The third edition of the Conference will be held in Florianopolis, Brazil, at the Peace Forum For Young People (September 22-25) during which Peace Pals will present a gift to the city, a peace obelisk. The fourth Conference, on prospects and commitments for the coming year, is scheduled for December 2016.
May 20, 2016 | Non categorizzato
In Slovakia (Jasná – Demänovská Dolina), 550 young people from around the world, including a group of 50 young people of the Orthodox faith – will come together in order to deepend the themes of World Youth day. Where: Grand Hotel, Demänovská dolina 72, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovacchia Arrival: 31st July (evening) Departure: 5th August (after breakfast) Participation: 180€ Age group: 16-30 years More information: postgmg2016@focolare.org
