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30 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato
“Arriving in the Holy Land at the end of July when the broadcasts on TV were full of dramatic events, was described by many as just plain crazy! This project of a “temporary Focolare,” that is, a one-month Focolare in Palestine, was supposed to be undertaken in spring, when all was calm. But then weeks before our departure, the situation plunged: “What shall we do?” we wondered. And the answer was: “This is the right time to go, on the other hand, to bear witness to love that overcomes fear.” Surely the Focolare’s ten-year presence in that region was our warranty. And so, on 30 July we settled in a small apartment in Bethlehem. Waking up in the city of Jesus’ birth was really very impressive. “Is this a dream?” we wondered. Soon we started visiting the families, priests, and the youth: all were surprised and happy to see two men focolarini from Italy, and a third who came from Jerusalem to stay with them. As in the Mariapolis in Nazareth, there had also been strong encounters with a big number of participants (despite the situation), where we received a letter with photos from the members of the community residing in Gaza, who could not physically attend. Then on 8 August, right in the midst of the battles, we held an interreligious meeting in Jerusalem with Christian Arabs and Jewish friends together with Muslims: the objective was to pray for peace. It turned out to be a really poignant moment of “intense light” in the black night of the war. A Rabbi surprised us all with his really moving prayer for the children of Gaza. There were 80 participants in all, a tiny miracle, given the situation. 
We felt the deep change in three aspects: pain, love and prayer. The first, the pain for the stories we heard, aspirations to be a State, and for a true and lasting peace, water freedom of movement a better future for our children and above all, the aspiration to live in harmony and peace with all our neighbours. The second element was love: we have received so much love in these three weeks! Much more than what we gave. And the third, prayer: long moments, at times entire days passed in silence, praying for all those dying and those shooting; a there was also prayer for the arrival of mutual forgiveness in this blood-soaked land. The characteristic of the whole experience was life in the midst of the population lost in the crowd. Not being in a comfortable apartment in the big city, we learned to ration water which was scarce, for example. This is practically part of the life of the Palestinians. We wanted to and are still experiencing what it is like to pass through the check-points, what it means to smile and greet a soldier with a machine gun on his shoulder; or to be nice to an old lady, trying to sell her mint plants under the burning sun. In all these things we felt God’s presence. And you could feel God in the Holy Land walking at your side once again, down these roads. We lived this experience with all those who are here to contribute to making Jesus’ dream come true: ‘that all may be one’ (John 17,21). That prayer which Chiara Lubich gave her life for. The day will come when the united world will dawn on the Holy Land: it will be the world of mutual forgiveness, the true water that will quench this thirst for peace. And on that day, all of us together will have to be here to continue loving.”
Luigi Butori (Italy)
29 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato, Word of
‘Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.’
Paul’s words remind us of one of the most moving aspects of Jesus’ love. It is the love that, during his life on earth, led Jesus always to welcome everyone, especially the most marginalized, those most in need, the furthest away. It is the love that led Jesus to offer his trust, confidence, friendship to everyone, breaking down, one by one, the barriers that human pride and selfishness had built in the society of his time. Jesus was the manifestation of the Father’s totally welcoming love for each one of us, which we, in our turn, ought to have for one another. This is the first thing God wills from us. For this reason we can give the Father no greater glory than by trying to welcome each other in the same way that Jesus welcomed us.
‘Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.’
How can we live the Word of Life this month? It draws our attention to one of our commonest forms of selfishness and, let’s face it, one of the most difficult to overcome: the tendency to isolate ourselves, to discriminate, to marginalize, to exclude the other because he or she is different and could disturb our tranquillity. Let’s try to live this Word of Life first of all inside our families, associations, communities, groups at work, by ridding ourselves of our judgements, discrimination, prejudice, resentment, intolerance towards one neighbour or another. These things come so easily and so often, chilling and spoiling human relations. Like a pall of ill will, they block mutual love. And then in society in general, let’s resolve to witness to the welcoming love of Jesus to any neighbour the Lord puts next to us, especially those social selfishness most easily tends to exclude or marginalize. Welcoming the other, the one different from us, lies at the basis of Christian love. It is the starting point, the first step to building the civilization of love, the culture of communion, that Jesus is calling us to above all today.
Chiara Lubich
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27 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato
The Mariapolis Centre in Castelgandolfo, Rome, will gather 494 world representatives of the Focolare Movement; they will come from different geographical regions. These are lay and consecrated persons, adults and young people, men and women, an expression of the diversity that characterizes the Movement. Another 49 participants belong to other Christian Churches. Also invited are members of other religions and persons of no religious affiliation. Focolare Communities all over the world have participated very extensively in the preparation for this event, and this resulted in a number of reflections and proposals being tabled for an assembly which is expected to give its views on key topics relating to the life of the entire Movement. The introductory part of the Movement’s General Statute states that “the norm of norms, the premise to every other rule” is mutual love, as this is the base for the action of Holy Spirit; and it is this the “logic” that guided all consultations made in preparing for this Assembly. This preparatory work has brought to the surface questions, challenges and demands that show the vitality of the life of the Focolare people. Matters that have emerged in a very particular way are loyalty towards the Movement’s charismatic identity, attention to young people, to the elderly and to families, and the need to look beyond the Movement and move towards the pains of humanity, offering privileged care to those gripped by the most diverse needs. Therefore, here is a call for further action, together with an adequate and updated spiritual formation, in line with the spirituality of communion typical of the charism of the Focolare Movement, so that Jesus himself, present among those united in His name, (cf. Mt 18, 20), may walk in the streets to meet the men and women of today. Contributions from the preparatory work have been summarized into twelve major themes. During the Assembly these will be discussed by the groups of participants and in plenary sessions so as to direct the Movement in the coming years. After a few days of spiritual retreat and some work, the Assembly will elect the President, the Co-President and the general councillors for the next six years. The participants will be received by Pope Francis at the Vatican. The General Assembly is the main governing body of the Focolare Movement and ordinarily meets every six years.
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26 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato
“The Economy of Communion is a different way of thinking, feeling and acting!” Galo Pozo, a business consultant in Ecuador, doesn’t mince his words in defining the EOC project, inviting the young participants to “risk their lives, in the best possible sense, for this project.” Galo Pozo seems to be saying these things first of all to himself: he is one of them, one of the participants at the Economy of Communion (EOC), “Summer School” which was held from 11th -15th August in “El Diamante“(“The Diamond”) , the little town of the Focolare a few kilometres from Puebla, Central Mexico. Pozo is one of them because, as Luigino Bruni, Coordinator of the International Commission of the EOC, said, “Here there are no teachers or students, but people who learn from each other in communion.” And so 60 people, including students, entrepreneurs and specialists of the Economy of Communion flocked from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador as well as from France, Switzerland and Italy, in order to deepen the different aspects of the theory and practice of this economic project. The school’s programme included plenary lectures thanks to the contributions of the aforementioned Bruni and Gozo, but also Swiss economist Luca Crivelli, Anouk Grevin from France and Brazilian entrepreneur Armando Tortelli (members of the International Commission EOC). 
There were visits to the concrete realities in the area that already operate in the spirit of the Economy of Communion, like the Santa Maria School, in the nearby town of Actipan, which gives a strong witness of what can be done: in a context of extreme poverty and degradation of all kinds, a school was established, attended today by boys and girls from different social and economic conditions, who enjoy an harmonious coexistence. Here the whole school community is actively involved, starting from the families, they all teach and each learns what is most important in life, experiencing a fullness as people in all dimensions: physical, intellectual, psychological and spiritual. A concrete application that shows how our behaviour in corporate life, characterized by creativity, innovation and a strong love for the poor, can really transform the reality that surrounds us. The moments of communion and sharing of experiences were fundamental, and helped to create networks of collaboration among all, in order to strengthen and develop each one’s business ventures, their heartfelt “dreams”. The initiatives which have emerged because of the centrality given to the communion of goods, social commitment and the centrality of the person include: digital platforms to find funding, production of clothing, art galleries, a training school for trades, online shops. 
“We came here with very different ideas, professions and national realities”, write the young people in their Final Manifesto, “The Economy of Communion invites us to look at all these differences with fresh eyes and beyond borders, to perceive the multiple dimensions of poverty and to engage freely in changing the world every day. (…) Not allowing ourselves to be limited by borders, we want to find alternatives to the current economic model which does not respond to our deep desire for a just and more fraternal society, where love is the greatest instrument of transformation. We are “angels with only one wing” that in order to fly must embrace one another.”
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25 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato
Photo: S. Baldwin/UNHCR
Some would like to leave the country to be with their families who have decided to leave. Aziz told us, “There is a lot of suffering but in our hearts there is also a great desire to continue to love wherever we may live.” R. told us, “It was moving to see some families of the Movement, even though they had lost their homes and everything they owned, they wanted to participate with all members of the Focolare in the world, in the initiative of the Youth for a United World “Dialogue to Unlock.” They too, posted their photos in the social media, signifying their commitment to live for peace, even in the midst of tragedy.” R. concluded, “People from Baghdad to Basra have not suffered so much because of the current situation even if they are afraid of having the same fate if there are not major political moves at international level. In this very painful situation, together we entrust ourselves to God, asking Him to give hope and comfort to those thousands of people who have lost literally everything including the hope of a secure and peaceful future.” For those wishing to help the Christians of Iraq: IBAN JO09 ARAB 1110 0000 0011 1210 9985 98 Account: 0111 210998 0 598 Swiftcode: ARABJOAX100 Description: Help Christians in Iraq ARAB Bank – Amman branch Amman – Jordan
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24 Aug 2014 | Non categorizzato
“Words cannot express the great joy and the change that I feel.”; “These days have marked my life”. These are the spontaneous impressions of two young people, Eduardo from Abaetetuba and Leticia from Curupaiti del Parà (Northern Brazil), after an intense week spent with “Amazone Project”. Initiated by the Focolare Movement, the project hopes to be an answer to the appeal launched by the Bishops of Brazil to the different expressions of the Church for the evangelization of this vast piece of land, where Catholics are decreasing in number, the priests are few, while there is an increase in membership in the sects. Abaetetuba is one of the cities at the center of this project. Immersed in the forest, it rises on the shores of the Maratauira River. It is spread among 72 islands where half of its 150,000 inhabitants live. The majority of the population has to face many difficulties daily due to their great poverty, but these people are gifted with a joyful character and a strong fighting spirit, always ready to give to others the best that they have to offer. The 45 “missionaries” of the Focolare, coming from all over Brazil, together with the members of the Movement in that place and the parishioners of three communities, went from house to house (around 1,900 people), receiving a warm welcome wherever they went. 
“When visiting a family,” Laiane of Maranhão shared, “I met a woman who was going through a huge trial: during those days a young boy was killed, her neighbour whom she considered as her son. She took care of him since he was small and she did everything to help him to overcome his drug problem, without success. She greatly needed someone to listen to her. When we greeted each other as I was leaving, she didn’t stop thanking me: “You have been a gift from God”. “In another family I found a paralyzed elderly man. I gave him the Word of life of that month: ‘I am with you everyday, up to the end of the world’; I met his gaze: he agreed with all his heart”. “Sometimes I let myself be defeated by the difficulties, but listening to these people I was struck by by how their faith helps them to overcome very big problems”, Eduardo affirmed. 
The “Project Amazons” is not only evangelization in the spiritual sense, but concrete service. “In partnership with government agencies – Natalia (Rio de Janeiro) and Manuela (Sergipe, Northeast) shared – we have collaborated in a social action to respond to the request for documents for those seeking employment, to facilitate access to health services and the participation in social programs of the government”. This project has been going on for eight years now. There have been many fruits: revitalization of the community, a growth in the relationship with the civil authorities, a new protagonism of the population for the social and spiritual development of the city.
