Philippines: When Everything Crumbled

11 Nov 2013 | Non categorizzato

“Seeing the devastating effects of the earthquake that struck the Philippines on October 15, 2013 – with a magnitude of 7.2 on some islands – we immediately began doing something for the victims. We especially wanted to make them feel God’s love, even in such moments when it seems all hope is lost.

At first we were frightened by the aftershocks, which continued on, but we soon realised that this was just a small thing compared to the suffering of the families who had lost everything: houses and dear ones.

With the support of the local Focolare community, we went to Bohol (the region that had been hit by the earthquake). There were 15 of us Youth for a United World (YUW) and several adults from Manila and Cebu. We prepared 200 sacks containing what they seemed most in need of (sleeping mats, blankets and material for making tents) and we set out on the long journey to our destination: Sandigan Island where it was difficult for help to arrive. We brought 200 litres of water with us, the 200 sacks which had been prepared the night before, biscuits and other general necessities.

One difficult moment was when we had to pass through a narrow steep path in the mountain, removing from the camions all the bundles and carrying them to the boats that were to bring us to the island. It took several hours, all the way until midnight; and then we had to push the boats because of the low tide.

But our decision to help these people – thinking of doing it for Jesus who identifies himself with those who are suffering and in most need – made us overcome the obstacles.

We went 6 km inland of Brgy Canigaan. There was no water supply because the water pipes had been destroyed by the earthquake along with the houses. The majority of the population was sleeping in the open, under tents, for fear of aftershocks. It was a painful sight. We reminded each other that we were there to support and help them, and so we began distributing water and the packages we had prepared. And the atmosphere became festive. We created a space in which the children could talk about their traumatic experiences during the earthquake, and we played with them, along with their mothers. And they were able to forget, at least for a bit of time, the painful tragedy they were undergoing.

One elderly man shared how he was living through the tragedy. He had been out fishing when the earthquake hit. He was terrified as he watched his city trembling because of the violent shocks. He was alone; the sea became rough with whirlpools and large waves. He also saw a tiny island popping up and down in the midst of the sea . . . He thanked God for the miracle of surviving, although his house was completely destroyed. We offered him a soft pillow: such a small gesture, but it moved him to tears.

We had given up our vacation holiday and had to overcome the language barrier and other difficulties, but we feel that it was more than worth it! The road back to normality will be long, but seeing these people smile showed us that God remains even when everything else is taken away.”

Compiled by the Manila Secreteriat of Youth For A United World

Natalia Dallapiccola: A Biography

10 Nov 2013 | Non categorizzato

“I set out to write this biography treading softly and with a healthy dose of holy fear.”With these words Matilde Cocchiaro begins her biography on Natalia Dallapiccola who was the first to follow Chiara Lubich. Natalia has had a special role in the history of the Focolare, so much so that Chiara had said that if she had not met a person like her, so prepared by God, perhaps she would never have been able to give a start to the life that was so revolutionary and based on the Gospel. Because of her relentless and unchanging love towards all, Chiara had nicknamed her Anzalon which in the Italian dialect of Trent means Big Angel. She played a determining role in the spreading of the ideal of unity among the countries of the communist bloc, beyond the Iron Curtain, as well as in the field of interreligious dialogue for which she spent energy and talent for 30 years until the last days of her life on earth. Following her death on April 1, 2008 – eighteen days after the death of Chiara – many people had words of gratitude and appreciation for Natalia: “Between me and Natalia,” says Rabbi David Rosen of Jerusalem, “there was a very strong bond. I will forever guard as a treasure her loving and noble spirit.” In the book’s preface Nichiko Niwano, president of the Japanese Buddhist Rissho Kosei-kai Movement states: “For many long years Natalia played the role of an open window which linked us with the Focolare Movement . . . lavishly pouring out the finest qualities of her heart and mind . . . An ancient saying says: “Know the past and you will find what is new.” It means: Study history, study the tradition with care and you will obtain new wisdom. That is all I wish, therefore, and I hope that Natalia’s biography becomes a precious guide for the journey into the future.” From India, Shantilal Somaiya, Kala Acharya and Lalita Namjoshi of the Somaiya Bharatya (Hindu): “With great reverence we remember her visit to our institute and her silent but always edifying way of drawing dialogue forward.” From Skopje. Azir Semani, speaks directly to Natalia in the name of the Muslim Friends of the Focolare from Macedonia: “Thank you for your hand that was always reaching out!  . . . We have totally embraced your invitation: ‘that all may be one’. God’s voice through you was a call of love and trust for which we Muslims are honoured to have been able to walk together with you towards a united world. Blessed be your love!” Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, who for many years was responsible for the Bishop Friends of the Focolare Movement, offered the following testimony: “I can truthfully say that Natalia was the mother of the ideal of unity in our lands. From her life, she transpired the light she had received from the charism of Chiara, without a lot of speeches; and she transmitted this charism to us in all of its depth. In 1968 Natalia was in the mountains of Tatre,” the Cardinal continues, “about 6 hours from the Czech Republic where she helped organize the first Mariapolis. Officially it was a holiday vacation, and to avoid a police investigation they would take long hikes. Then they would stop and Natalia would tell us things . . . The life she was presenting to us was very authentic, everyone was always struck by her simplicity that was completely Marian. Her love conquered because it was so natural and supernatural at the same time.” “Natalia never left a written narrative about herself, because she was always so accustomed to going beyond herself in giving to others” the author concludes. I have tried to reconstruct her life . . . that irreplaceable contribution of the first focolarine who together with her had lived with Chiara Lubich at the dawning of the Movement. I was also able to draw on several spiritual thoughts of Natalia, which are very precious, written by her on loose pages or sent by voice to the people who worked with her, who then wrote them down.” (Matilde Cocchiaro, “Natalia: la prima compagna  di  Chiara  Lubich”, Città Nuova Editrice, Rome, 2013. Collana Città Nuova Per).

Humanity as one family

4 Nov 2013 | Non categorizzato

After thanking for having been awarded the prestigious prize to the Focolare Movement “an instrument for bringing about unity and peace on our planet, as well as many other excellent and valuable organizations, initiatives and projects,” Chiara Lubich outlined the Spirituality of unity:

This lies in the new way of life it proposes, a new lifestyle adopted by millions of people. It is inspired by profound Christian principles, while also emphasizing parallel values present in other faiths and cultures. In actuality, it has brought to this world of ours—which needs to find or secure peace—precisely peace and unity.

I’m speaking of a new spirituality that is both timely and up-to-date: the spirituality of unity.

It is deeply rooted in certain phrases from the Gospel, phrases that are interlinked.

I will cite only a few here.

Those who share the spirituality of unity also share a profound understanding of the essence of God: God is Love, he is a Father.

In fact, how would it be possible to imagine peace and unity in the world without a vision of humanity as one family? And how can it be seen as such without the presence of one father?

There is the call to open one’s heart to God the Father who certainly does not abandon his children to their own destiny, but who wants to accompany, protect and help them. He knows the depths of every person; he follows each one in particular, counting even the hairs on one’s head. He does not place burdens on their shoulders without being the first to carry them.

He does not leave the renewal of society solely to the initiatives of men and women, but he takes care of it.

To believe in his love, this is what this new spirituality requires, to believe that we are personally and immensely loved by God.

To believe.

Believing and choosing him as the Ideal of one’s life from among the countless possibilities offered by our existence is equivalent to intelligently taking on the attitude which everyone will assume at the point of reaching the final destiny: eternity.

Clearly, it is not enough to believe in God’s love; it is not enough to have made this great choice ofhim as our Ideal. The presence and loving care of the Father of all calls each one to be a daughter or ason, loving the Father in return and living out day by day the Father’s loving plan for one’s life, that is, to carry out his will.

And we know that a father’s first desire is for the children to treat each other as brothers and sisters, to care for and to love one another. They should know and practice what can be described as the art of loving.

He wants us to take the initiative in loving without waiting for the other person to love us first.

This art of loving means that we love each one as ourselves, because “You and I,” Gandhi said, “are one. I cannot hurt you without wounding myself.”

He wants us to be the first to love, without expecting the other to love us back.

It means knowing how to “make ourselves one” with others, that is to identify with their burdens, their thoughts, their sufferings and their joys.

If this love for the others is lived together, it becomes mutual.

And Christ, the Father’s Son par excellence, Brother of all, has left a norm for humanity: reciprocal love. He knew how necessary it was so that there might be peace and unity in the world, so that there might be one family.

Certainly today, whoever attempts to shift the mountains of hate and violence faces a huge and heavy task. But what is beyond the strength of a million isolated and separate people appears possible to those who have made reciprocal love, mutual understanding and unity the motivating force of their lives.”

More: Centro Chiara Lubich

Those who hear God’s voice, serve others

1 Nov 2013 | Non categorizzato

Life seems to mirror theatre. The theatre is filled with pathologies: divorces, adultery, obsessions. Life is war, disasters, havoc and its protagonists, demagogues, thieves, fools… It’s like living in a theatre where inspiration has been substituted by folly. Sensitivity is needed and spiritual visibility in order to notice beyond the problems, the virtues that blossom in the darkness, the heroism that is consummated within four walls, the peaceful resistance of workers and others, scholars and teachers. Inner silence needs to be rediscovered in order to feel the flow of goodness, that current in which the grace of God flows through the goodness of men. And many have lost the notion of this and are ignorant of the experience.

When we draw from this fountain we notice how the image of the people of importance becomes blurred as they make the newscasters talk about them and fill our days with noise. The alternative would be to risk becoming impoverished and alone, helplessly facing the tragedy of this world on our own. This loneliness is lurking within each one of us, while our soul longs for solidarity with other souls; it needs its social life. The souls who love and offer support are the saints, not only the conspicuous ones on the altars and in the annals of the martyrs, but the humble, the countless humble people who suffer like us through these troubling times because of the harmful actions of others in every corner of the world. An illusion? No more than the illusion for which our thinking with a single leap passes beyond the terms this world has to offer.

We know the forces of the cosmos by their effects; we know the communion of saints by the fruits.

First of all by the energy it brings to our interior life, then by the assistance put forward in our exterior life. If so many individuals give what they do not need, to help the populations in need; if thousands of missionaries, nurses, volunteer servants of humankind run to assist peoples who have never been seen and do their utmost for them, even to the point of sacrificing their own lives; if many individuals suffer because of the sufferings of their neighbours, and spend their lives in producing advantage for the children of others, they do it because they are listening to the voice of love, which is the voice of God.

Through the spiritual gifts that flow from these gestures, a life among souls is created which is higher than political, territorial, linguistic and cast division: a communion that is at work within this fabric formed by the very substance of our souls, which came forth from the hands of God, a divine substance. We think of these lowly men and women, visiting hovels, medicating wounds, bringing bread to the hungry and hope to the troubled.

And at their backs are all those great and shining brothers and sisters who have preceded them in that giving and fatigue: the saints of the altars and those not written in the martyrologies, but who have been written in the Book of Life. And untiringly they continue to share in our experience, to support us in our patience and nourish us with strength.

Igino Giordani in: Le Feste, International Press Society, 1954.

When the Gospel is lived

1 Nov 2013 | Non categorizzato

I believe in love Distressed and disillusioned after discovering that our son Bob, with two of his friends, had stolen some alcohol, we tried to make him feel our love in spite of everything. At the courthouse, while we were waiting for his sentencing, seeing that one of the boys responsible for the robbery was abandoned by his parents, we went up to him to try to cheer him up. Seeing our actions, the judge accepted the fact that our son regretted his actions and recognizing the support that he had at home, he decided not to sentence him and the other two boys. Days later I asked Bob what he believed in if he didn’t believe in God, and I heard him say: “I believe in love, because I saw it in you and in Mum” . (A.K. – Australia). That gesture of solidarity A telephone call informs me that a relative of the lady who works with us as our maid is very ill. They ask me to go and visit her. I am tired and the weather is cold. I look at my wife and I understand that this too is an occasion to be faithful to this way of life for the others whom we are trying to bring ahead together. I go out to visit that sick person, we bring him to the hospital where the doctors immediately take charge. I went back home and it was quite late, I find my wife waiting for me to have dinner together. We don’t say much to each other but something has changed between us, our relationship has been enriched because of this gesture of solidarity.  (D. R. – Colombia). At the refugee camp I was entrusted with the social services of a refugee camp, but there were no means available, there was nothing to give them, In a group of orphans there was a seven-year old boy who became separated from his family. His mother, after days of walking, arrived in the camp and found him, but she was very weak because she had not eaten for many days. I had only 300 francs left, equivalent to about one dollar: a fortune. I needed it, but she needed it more than I did. I gave it to her and so she was able to buy some food, water and a small hut where she could be sheltered. I went back home with the certainty that God would take care of me. A few days later my elder sister arrived, who had been searching the camp for me for days.  She brought me 1000 francs. (C. E . – Rwanda). Source: The Gospel of the Day, November 2013, Città Nuova Publishing House.

Disability: the value of life

28 Oct 2013 | Non categorizzato

“Our journey in life has shaped us and led us to love everyone, especially those considered the least in society. Who would be viewed less fortunate than a severely brain-damaged child?” These are the words of Mark and his wife, Ada, in sharing their personal experience which led to a social and political commitment following the birth of their daughter Chiara. Marco is an official at the Finance Department; his duties and competence include financing plans aimed at establishing new cooperatives and enterprises as well as over-viewing the management of activities within the Public Service. Presently, he is local Counselor for the Region of Sardinia. “Ada and I come from an experience of being committed as young people in the Focolare Movement, living a life marked by the values of fraternity, mutual love and unity. Together we made the choice of living the Gospel every day. We decided to form a family that is open to others, making ourselves available to those in need and choosing the path of mutual love.” In 1987, two years into our marriage, Chiara was born. We really wanted this child and considered her as a new and important step in our married life. Shortly after her birth, the first symptoms of a neurological disorder manifested themselves. Since then Ada and Marco had to make and enact important and decisive choices: “One doctor suggested that we place her in a specialised institution so as to allow us to lead a normal life. But even though we were aware of the difficulties we would have to face, we decided to adapt to her way of life and not the other way around.” “Thanks to our daughter.” Marco says, “We got into action by creating a network among many families who lived in similar situations, up to the point of putting together an organization which is now widespread in many Italian regions. It’s called ABC: Association for Brain-Injured Children which enables thousands of struggling families to have their rights recognized. We are thus able to exert an influence towards the creation of new structures and the promotion of laws that are appropriate and innovative in terms of dealing with disability.” One example we can give is with regards to a health care legislation dating back from 1998 which supports people dealing with severe disabilities who are facing critical situations, together with their families. Marco has promoted this law and has been one of the protagonists in the struggle for its implementation. Up to now, there are almost 20,000 funded projects. Sardinia has become the first region in Italy for which such resources to be allocated. It is a model for the other Italian regions, and even abroad. “Together with other families and groups,” continues Marco, “we have become active participants in a social action promoting the implementation of human rights. We have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of people who are in critical situations, while going beyond the pietistic model and welfare approach which typically create social segregation. We are experiencing that by improving the quality of life of the so-called weaker persons, we are bringing about an improvement of society.” Ada comments: “The 26 years of Chiara’s life have given me a profound sense of the dignity of human life, because even though she cannot speak and does not have the ability to move, she continuously gives me a message of vitality. I have learned to understand her body, hands and face language. My daughter makes me understand every day the immense value of her life and physical being. In my life, there is, of course, no shortage of pain and difficulties. But as I understand its profound significance, the outcome in an experience of light, of great fullness and, why not, of satisfaction and gratification, when I think of all that came out of it.”