Youth for Unity and their passionate commitment for the future

11 Dec 2014 | Non categorizzato

Observe, involve, think. But also act, evaluate, enjoy. These six actions summarise the steps to be taken in developing an action plan in the local districts involving entire communities, starting off from the children. In what way? By helping them take on a different view of their own daily growth, for example from at home, at school, and by talking about situations and facts that signal out a specific problem. And taking these situations as the starting point of an action plan that responds to the social and fraternal indicators, to imply acts that are not based on expectations of a personal profit, but aimed only to benefit the others according to their needs, and enhancing that possibility of generating a positive reciprocity.

This is only one of the action plans launched for the extensive panorama of the Youth for Unity: featuring also Run4Unity, Super Soccer, the Universal Person workshop, Let’s Colour the City, and Schoolmates’ Give Projects and still another project in the making, made possible also thanks to a network of young and adult educators. Recently, about a 100 of these educators attended a meeting in Castel Gandolfo (27-30 November), mostly from Italy, with representatives from France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Hungary and even from Guatemala, Paraguay and India.

Deep inside, all had a common desire to mould the new generation, and work with them. They spared no effort, time and energy, in the conviction that “without an adequate educational project it would be practically impossible to set up a serious and enduring project at the service of a new humanity”. Pope Francis he urged all to “educate” during the general audience with the Focolare Movement. “Chiara Lubich had also coined an expression which is still very actual today, saying – we need to mould the “global person,” men and women with hearts and souls modeled after the mentality of Jesus, and who are thus able to read and interpret the needs, uncertainties and hopes besetting each human being”.

But to be able to educate, one has to be trained: this is why a lot of time was given to refreshing and deepening Chiara Lubich’s views on education, and a psycho-pedagogical approach to target and promote “Life Skills” in the group of children. Besides peer-to-peer education which an adolescent necessarily needs, the role of the adult guide is fundamental, and this guide must imbue trust, and leave room for creativity, free initiatives, the possibility to experiment on oneself, and put oneself to the test.

In this perspective also the new initiatives came about, like the “It’s up to me” educational project (Up2me) which focuses on affection and sexuality at the developmental stage, undertaken in synergy between the teams of Children for Unity and the New Families, and addressing the pre-adolescents and adolescents. The person–relation is a referral paradigm, in the anthropological vision sparked up by the charism of unity, that is, the person in his being-in-relation with the other, in his capacity to love and be loved, to give and accept.

During an open dialogue session with the educators, Jesús Morán invited all to “recognise the signs of the times” in the digital revolution and to immerse themselves in this culture without being gullible. And Maria Voce, in relaunching, the pathway of the Children for Unity, three years after the birth in the Focolare Movement’s children’s branch, advised all to pay “greater attention to the poverty and sobriety of life” by walking alongside the children to ward off the constant risk of consumerism that creates situations in which, for example, the craze for the latest smartphone, makes the youth lose sight of the great material poverty around us.

Justice: an ongoing exercise

10 Dec 2014 | Non categorizzato

“I’ve been working in the criminal justice system of Santa Fe for twenty years. It’s not a good business card to be holding these days in Argentina, where officials and institutions are the subject of constant suspicion, whether justified or not.

Ever since my first experience in the Focolare with the Gen, the spirituality of unity has given meaning to my presence in the environment where crime, violence and non-love are more evident than love, which is the fulfillment of the law, as St Paul says. During these years of constant challenge I tried to gear professional training, ethics, career and social relationships towards serving people, and certain difficult steps made in this direction have turned out to be decisive for me on my journey.

When my wife and I decided to adopt a little boy, we didn’t profit from the knowledge of people who could have helped us to complete the adoption process more speedily by going ahead of other couples who were perhaps living in solitude and suspension. Finally we were called: the official on duty, who knew me, was quite surprised by our attitude during during all the years of waiting. With the arrival of our adopted daughter, it was confirmed for us that God’s plans are perfect and can be realized when we do His will.

One time I had to take care of a case in which the defendant was ready to take justice into his own hands if he didn’t receive a favourable verdict. Meanwhile I continued to receive alarming anonymous messages regarding the dangerousness of the defendant and his close links with local authorities. In spite of it all, I stayed faithful to the juridical process and more than once had to give serious warnings to the defendant regarding his obligations in the procedural process. In the end, the verdict was not in his favour, but I gained the trust of his lawyer which continues until today. When I finished the case, that person came to greet me. He confided in me concerning his violent tendencies, and how in future situations in which he felt the urge to become violent, he would turn over to his son that problem which seemed unsolvable to him.

Since trials are recorded in writing, the whole process produces a mountain of paper work that makes consultation quite difficult, and often defendants and their families suffer helplessly. It is precisely in these situations that creating a space for sharing allows for bringing into evidence the individual dignity of each person, which is a first step towards hope for a better life.

At times, the mere fact of listening to someone with the heart and mind, can give us a light that goes beyond procedural practices for formal interrogation of a detainee, so that the person can explain his dramatic situation, and the justice official can have an adequate knowledge of the facts for making a truly humane decision. This has happened to me many times, like when I decided on a psychiatric visit for a detainee whom I had deeply listened to. There was a real danger that might attempt suicide, and this decision restored some balance to his situation.

“You know better than I do. What always makes the difference everywhere is: love, even in the exercise of justice.

(M.M. – Argentina)

Get married? Why?

9 Dec 2014 | Non categorizzato

Is he or she the right person? Does the precariousness of one’s situation make a long-term programme possible? Why does marriage seem so frightening? Whoever is thinking about building a future together today often find themselves having to face choices, difficulties, doubts. A journey of growth and the sharing with other couples can help in living one’s own choice with responsibility. There are many young people who feel the need for a preparation. Ines a young Spanish girl, works in the field of fashion, although she has just been recently laid off; she and Alejandro, a business consultant, are planning to get married next July. They are from Madrid and came to know about the course from others who have already attended it: “To invest in our future is what counts the most, and so we did all we could to be here”. A couple from Brazil, because of the high cost of the airfare, requested that it be their advanced wedding gift. They were days of reflection and discussion on the various topics through experiences, reports of experts, workshops that were about life as a couple and family life, from budgeting to work, simplicity and moderation, communication, feelings and emotions and being parents. “Ideas such as these form us as a future family – continued Ines – and help us to ge to know each other more. Is “this” really what we want?”   More that 200 engaged couples met at Castelgandolfo (20-23 November 2014), with simultaneous translation in ten languages, during the annual course of the New Families,, which is bringing ahead the formation of engaged couples also on the local and regional levels. Modern culture which is centered on personal well-being, does not encourage marriage which implies a bond sworn to before society and which requires a committment and also some sacrifices. But the social and family network give solidity to the relationship and in the communion among families, each family unit is a resource for the others. “For me the legal recognition is important”, said Adolfo who has been with Antonella for ten years, and they have been living together for five years: in April they will get married in a mixed rite ceremony since he is a non-believer and she is Catholic. “I asked myself whether this difference in our convictions would have brought with it some problems among us, but then in learning to accept each other, the diversity of the other has served as a stimulus. Last year I got sick – she continued. This trial strengthened our relationship and guided us in the step towards marriage”. “From a financial point of view, our situation is quite uncertain because I have an employment contract only up to February, then I don’t know what happens next – Ana of Belgrade explains – while Alexander, her fiancee, plays the violin in an orchestra. “We understood that there may be small financial solutions and we have to see what is really necessary”. From Serbia, also 3 other mixed couples came together with them, one of the two is Catholic and the other is Orthodox. “Our desire is to understand together how to live better the differences among us so that they become an enrichment and not an obstacle”. This “forever” can also be frightening – said one of the families of the staff organizing the Convention – “but this is not synonymous to perfection. Rather, perfection consists in this starting again every time that there is a setback or a difficulty in the relationship”. “A marriage is not successful just because it lasts, but what is important is its quality. Staying together and knowing how to love one another forever is the challenge that Christian spouses face” Pope Francis said to the engaged couples on the occasion of the celebration of Valentine’s Day 2014”. “In marriage, the spouses don’t give each other anything, but they give themselves in a continuous game of unity and distinction – said Chiara Lubich in Lucerne in 1999 – and their future is enclosed within this dynamics, a future that will bring them beyond themselves, and in particular through the generating of new life; and from this wider communion the family becomes the generator of society”.

[:de]7. Dezember: Ein “Ja” von 1943 bis heute[:es]7 de dicembre: un “Sì” desde 1943 hasta hoy [:fr]7 décembre : un “Oui” depuis 1943 jusqu’aujourd’hui[:pt]7 de dezembro: um “Sim” de 1943 até hoje

7 Dec 2014 | Non categorizzato

7th December: A “yes” lasting from 1943 till today

7 Dec 2014 | Non categorizzato

Living the Gospel: Congo – A Surprise Visit

1 Dec 2014 | Non categorizzato

“Sunday, November 22. It is afternoon. The doorbell rings in the focolare of Kinshasa. There is a big car at the door,” Edi writes. “We see a lady getting out of the car who is involved in one of the most important political parties of the Congolese government. The woman is accompanied by her bodyguard and carries a large package. We are happy to see that it is Georgine, a former Member of Parliament, who is still engaged in politics and now takes care of indigent mothers. We only came into contact with her recently. The heavy pack that she is carrying is full of Congolese panie, a local fabric from which traditional clothing for both women and men is made. “I wanted to come and see you – she says – because I heard that you had lost a suitcase … Here, with these panie you can make some new clothes.” The woman gives us panie that are worth quite a lot, corresponding to at least two monthly salaries, sufficient for us and for others. A few days ago one of us, returning from a conference in Rome, had lost her hand luggage on the plane. The suitcase contained not only her clothes, but also the “communion of goods” that she had gathered in Italy for the poor; a fact that had caused us much pain. We are amazed and spontaneously start to dance around the lady! But why this kindness from a person who only recently got to know us?” What happened was this: at Mass that morning, the lady had noticed that one of us, rather than just remove the dust from her own bench, had dusted all the others as well without being asked. She was curious and wanted to know about the lives of these young people and was very impressed. “After having danced around her, to thank her – they write – Georgine explains the reason for her gift: “I wanted to give thanks to our God for you and share the joy in my heart because you are here! The One you have followed does not forget his daughters. In this dark world where evil forces reign, you live like lambs among wolves. It is not easy to live in the midst of the world and be totally given to Him. But take heart, you are a light for the world.” We went, then, together to our small chapel to thank the Lord.” From the Focolare of Kinshasa