Chiara Lubich: The Resurrection of Rome

6 Feb 2023 | Non categorizzato

The Resurrection of Rome is one of Chiara Lubich’s most famous writings and was the fruit of an experience she then related in an article in ‘La Via’ magazine in 1949. The text shows both the mystical dimension of a charismatic experience, expressed in language that is particularly rich in images, and the practical application of this experience in contact with humanity. The text marks a turning point in Chiara Lubich’s experience in 1949: her return to Rome, and therefore to normal life, which was lived as bringing light and life into daily routine and bearing fruit in a renewal not only of one’s personal existence but of society. For the author, the way of looking at Rome means, in fact, a way of looking at all the cities of the world. The video we present is the result of long and patient work by Javier Garcia, with the original voice of Chiara Lubich taken from the reading of the text addressed to the Focolare leadership on 3rd October 1995. Activate English subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acrJDXY6Lig

Download the full original text

Mariapolis in the Holy Land: vocation to community  

3 Feb 2023 | Non categorizzato

Being a community is more than just being together.It means responding to a call to build: giving life to a family sustained by the Word and meeting each other. Here, in this video, is what some people who participated in the Mariapolis of the Holy Land last July told us. There is a light breeze which caresses the ancient ruins of the Church of St. George, in Taybeh, the only entirely Christian village in the Holy Land. According to Scripture, it is the place where Jesus came to rest with his followers before the Passion. And it was here, on 8^th-9^th July 2022 that adults, young people and children of the Focolare Movement gathered together to live a truly special Mariapolis, a moment of fraternity and true communion. “Mariapolis is a time for the family to get together,” says Mayra, from Bethlehem, “It usually takes place every year but due to the pandemic we couldn’t have it. This year, after three years, we could and for me it’s like taking a break from my life and recharging myself spiritually.” “To be witnesses of love” was the title of this two-day event that saw the participation of people from many regions of the country, from Haifa, Nazareth, to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Gaza. Despite the socio-political and cultural challenges of the Holy Land, the desire to enjoy beauty and to live as a community give the strength to overcome physical and often inner barriers. The community is the place where we find the values that become nourishment, where we build a present and a future which respect the dignity of all; the place where listening to and witnessing to the other in the light of the Gospel invites us to better understand the work of God in our lives and, more than anything else, it is the place where no one is alone. Marcell and Boulos, from Nazareth shared this with us: in their life-journey, they were able to experience support and family during the most painful moment of their lives, the death of their youngest son, Jack. And Khader, from Gaza, who despite the daily hardships to be faced in the context in which he lives, places his hope in God, joyfully recognizing the beauty of the vocation to which he is called: that of happiness.

Maria Grazia Berretta

Activate English subtitles https://youtu.be/cCMZ1jlYzhA

Living the Gospel: becoming instruments in the hands of God

26 Jan 2023 | Non categorizzato

One of the greatest sufferings for human beings is to feel worthless when faced with the realities of life, to accept that at times we cannot do anything. To be an instrument in God’s hands means to make ourselves available, rediscover our own value in letting someone else do something, and learn the art of entrusting ourselves to others. A bit of prudence As head of a department in my company, one day I noticed that my typically peaceful colleague had an aggressive attitude. When I invited him to talk, he confided in me his problems with his wife, who had turned out to be violent to the point of laying hands on him. She continually demanded more and more money from him. This was what was behind his working overtime. Since then, my colleague started phoning me outside work when things were going badly, certain that he would find a listening ear. However, when I realised that I had become a kind of safe haven for him, I felt the need to talk to my husband about it, out of Christian prudence. After helping me to understand that for that man I might not just be a friend, but the ideal of a woman, my husband put forth an idea that turned out to be a winner. We invited over the colleague’s family using the excuse of a birthday. After trusting in God, and thanks to the atmosphere created by our children’s games and prizes, the relationship established with the other couple gave hope for a change in their situation. (G.T., Portugal) Goodbye bicycle For some time now I have had to put my beloved bicycle, my companion on so many journeys, to rest in the garage. The fact is that, because of my bifocals, I am now forced to walk. To be honest, it has cost me a bit personally. The bike was very useful, because I could put my shopping and other things in the basket, which I now have to carry by hand. Luckily I live in a small town where everything I need is close by. That said, I have discovered an advantage of going without two wheels, beyond that of avoiding falls, which are so disastrous when one has reached a certain age. Walking gives me the opportunity to meet many people, have a chat… and there is always something sad or joyful to share. In short, everything is an expression of God’s love, if we are willing to do his will. Better to try to go to heaven without a bicycle than to go faster… and where then? (Marianna, Italy)

Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta.

From “Il Vangelo del Giorno”, Città Nuova, year IX, no.1, January–February 2023

Ecumenical dialogue: all part of the same people

25 Jan 2023 | Non categorizzato

As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity concludes, here’s an experience of synodality, dialogue and bonding with brothers from various churches in Bari, Italy. It was a step forward to get to know each other and to walk together. For some years my husband Giulio and I have been following ecumenical dialogue with other movements within our diocese and on behalf of the Focolare Movement. Some time ago we received a letter from Cardinal Kock, Prefect of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, and Cardinal Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, on the need to involve brothers and sisters of other churches at the synodal tables. These are moments in small groups, organised to articulate reflections and proposals on the way forward for our diocesan church, for the occasion of the synod launched in October 2021. I seized the opportunity and went to see Father Alfredo, our bishop’s delegate for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, inviting him to consider this proposal. Later he contacted me to invite me to participate in a course for table facilitators in the diocese, which was very interesting. The next step was to start visualising our meeting with our Christian brothers and sisters, and then gradually make it come to life. We looked for a suitable room and involved friends from other movements in the preparation. Each of them knew people from other churches, who in turn became facilitators themselves. We set the dates, and in the morning we went together with my family to prepare the room to make it welcoming. We set six tables with coloured tablecloths, posters, coloured markers, as well as chocolates, drinks, glasses, etc. We didn’t know how many people would come, so we wanted to make sure and put six chairs per table. In the early afternoon our guests arrived. In the end there were 38 people from 9 different churches, and we had to add 2 chairs. It was a wonderful experience. We entered as strangers and left as family, with the desire to get to know each other more so that we could pray together and live fraternal charity. There was great enthusiasm at the discovery of being able to be together, with the joy of being one people of God.

Rita and Giulio Seller

Great Britain: Filling up the cracks

24 Jan 2023 | Non categorizzato

Building unity beyond age-old prejudices, distrust and rifts. Generating, day after day, a dialogue that has become a way of life. This is the daily life of the Focolare community in Great Britain, whose members belong to various Christian Churches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJWtzhL2tew&list=PL9YsVtizqrYsxCVExqFc_vvuzCKyNbr43&index=2