Jun 20, 2022 | Non categorizzato
Jesus affirmed that we are already made clean by virtue of the Word He proclaimed to us. Therefore, it is not so much rituals that purify the soul, but His Word insofar as we are able to put it into practice. It leads us to have our hearts always set on God alone. The Word of Jesus is not like human words. Christ is present in his Word, as he is present, although in another way, in the Eucharist. Through his Word Christ enters within us and, provided we allow him to act, he makes us free from sin and therefore, pure of heart. Thus, purity is the fruit of living the Word, all the Words of Jesus which free us from the so-called attachments, into which we inevitably fall if our heart is not in God and in his teachings. These could be attachments to things, people, ourselves. But if our heart is set on God alone, all the rest falls away. To achieve this, it can be useful to repeat throughout the day, to Jesus, to God, the invocation of a Psalm which says: “You, Lord, are my only good” (cf. Psalm 16:2) [1] Let us try to repeat it often, especially when the various attachments seek to pull our heart towards those images, feelings and passions which can blur the vision of good and take away our freedom. Are we inclined to look at certain advertising posters, to watch certain television programs? No, let’s repeat to him: “You, Lord, are my only good”. Re-declaring our love for God will be the first step towards going out of ourselves. And by doing so we will have gained in purity. Do we sometimes feel that a person or an activity is coming between us and God, like an obstacle that mars our relationship with him? It is the moment to repeat: “You, Lord, are my only good.” This will help us to purify our intentions and regain inner freedom. Living the Word makes us free and pure because it is love. The divine fire of love purifies our intentions and all our inner self, because the Bible considers the “heart” to be the deepest seat of intelligence and will. But there is one love which Jesus commands us to practice and which enables us to live this beatitude. It is mutual love, being ready to give our life for others, following the example of Jesus. It creates a current, an exchange, an atmosphere whose dominant note is precisely that of transparency, purity, because of the presence of God, who alone can make us pure of heart.[2] It is by living mutual love that the Word produces its effects of purification and sanctification. As isolated individuals we are incapable of resisting at length the solicitations of the world. Instead, mutual love provides a healthy environment capable of protecting the whole of our authentic Christian existence, and in particular, our purity.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, in Parole di Vita, [Words of Life] Città Nuova, 2017, pp. 616-618) [1] Cf. Psalm 16,2 [2] Cf. Psalm 50, 12
Jun 17, 2022 | Non categorizzato
Put God at the centre of life and be assured that you will not waver. We can experience a deep sense of consolation by living what is expressed in the words of this psalm – a sense of feeing guided in our actions and knowing, deep in our hearts, that only He makes all things good. Seeds of Peace In our apartment block there was a growing attitude of discontent relating to the administration, repairs and noise. One day I was reflecting on the words of a priest: he had said that peace begins within us, in our conscience where we find the seed of truth that is God. This is a seed that germinates and grows when charity is put into practice in everyday life. I talked about the situation with my family and we came up with the idea of making some small improvements in the building every day, without telling other people what we were doing. For example, we decided to remove the dead leaves from the plants at the entrance and water them and we cleaned the glass and frames of the paintings in the foyer, which had perhaps never been dusted since they had been hung on the wall. Of course, these were the tasks that the people paid for cleaning should have carried out but at the following tenants’ meeting, the administrator pointed out that for a while, everyone had begun to feel that the environment was more welcoming and people began to share ideas about painting the staircase. When I reported this to the children, they were enthusiastic. A contribution to improving the world can start in even in one’s own apartment building. (C. – Croatia) The “bundle” to share From the very beginning of our marriage, we shared everything with one another. One day, my wife and I sat around a small table, trying to set up the family economy. Beyond the figures in themselves, the income and expenditure marked a growth in the quality of the relationship between us. We also involved our children. From then on, it became normal for a little used a pair of shoes, for example, to be seen as useful to someone else or for our indispensable outgoings to include a sum of money for a neighbour in need. A further step was the so-called ‘bundle’ to share with others: the focus of this was to give away what was not really needed. Only later did we realise the importance of what we had done. We felt that we had begun to relate to people who could need anything. Even a pencil, a book or a blanket became a sign of caring for others. This attitude renewed our lives. (L.R. – Holland) Trust I had lost my job, but I was confident that God’s Providence would help me find another one: had I not experienced many times that my efforts to put Gospel love into practice would be answered by “give and it will be given to you” (Lk 6:38) ? That very day, in the parish, I had to meet with a group of people and recount my experience as a Christian. At the end, I also mentioned that I was looking for a job. A girl who was present at that meeting told me that they were looking for an employee in her father’s company. That is how, by trusting, I found work. (F.I. – Italy)
Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta
(Taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VIII, no.2, May-June 2022)
Jun 16, 2022 | Non categorizzato
On Sunday, 19th June, 2022, the new website of the Igino Giordani Centre will go online. The site is dedicated to this writer and politician, co-founder of the Focolare. Alberto Lo Presti told us that it is a completely revamped space, where you can meet “Foco” and get to the heart of his life. “Once someone said that if, by chance, all the Gospels disappeared from the earth, Christians should be such that, just by looking at their lives, the Gospel could be rewritten. Igino Giordani was that kind of Christian.” The words of Chiara Lubich, in describing the extraordinary figure of Igino Giordani (to whom she gave the name of Foco), allow us to grasp the beauty that lies behind the adventure of one who is considered a co-founder of the Focolare Movement. Hero of the last century, engaged on various fronts, from political, to social, to cultural, Giordani is still relevant today. The Igino Giordani Centre, founded by Chiara Lubich, will launch its new website on 19th June 2022 to showcase and protect his legacy. Alberto Lo Presti, at the helm of the Centre, told us about it. Prof. Lo Presti, where did the idea of creating a new site dedicated to Igino Giordani come from and what is new about it? We live in a challenging era from many points of view: peace and war, justice and inequalities, migration and welcome, work and unemployment… and since Igino Giordani has dealt with these issues with wisdom and inspiration, there are many people searching through his speeches, writings and testimonies, to find a light that might guide them in their current choices. This is why we decided to improve the website, completely renewing it, adapting it with the latest graphics and functionality. In this way we will give access, to those who are interested, to the main sources that illustrate his thought and life. How can the person of Foco make his way into the present day and be an inspiration also for the new generations? At the venerable age of 70+, Igino Giordani was considered a “myth” by many young people and teenagers who frequented the gardens of the International Centre of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa (Italy), and came across him, sitting on a bench. They loved to spend time with him, to talk about serious matters or simply to share what they were living. Today, young people still need myths and heroes and often look for them in the most unlikely places (sports, cinema, video games, social media, influencers). To get to know Igino today, means getting to know the story of a real hero, who really had to go to war, who really chose peace, who really challenged the people in power to remain consistent with their ideals. Usually it is thought that youth is the time of ideals, which then with adulthood, are destined to collapse. Igino remained young to the last because, as he loved to say, “You never get old in the spirit”. Exploring his experience means listening to his teaching: living for the ideal of unity was the most exciting thing that happened to him. And alongside the improved functionality of the site and its new graphic layout, there is also a new Instagram page, already online, the first official channel entirely dedicated to Igino Giordani (Igino_giordani_official), to facilitate access to him, a citizen of the world and a real influencer of our time.
Maria Grazia Berretta
Jun 15, 2022 | Non categorizzato
It’s not something you can learn from books – the art of supporting each other. But helping someone with their studies and devoting time to them can be the right opportunity to discover wonders and reap unexpected rewards, even in a place like prison. That’s what happened to Marta Veracini, giving her a new look on life. Laughing out loud while a voice in the distance whispers not to disturb; exchanging ideas and opinions, attempting to concentrate and stay in the books. This scene repeats daily in study halls of universities, between coffee breaks and on the way to a new class. All this and much more happens to Marta Veracini, a young woman from Tuscany, Italy, every time she hears the armoured doors close behind her at Dogaia, the prison in Prato (near Florence). A law graduate with a master’s degree in criminology, Marta joined the University of Florence’s organised civil service project in 2019. In it volunteers assist inmates preparing for university exams. Since then, even after the year ended, she continued her service – there in a place that anyone would have a hard time calling ‘beautiful’. Yet in surprising and unexpected ways, it has become a space dedicated to care and mutual trust, a place where relationships are a ‘welcoming home’, and where everyone, inmate or not, can finally be themselves. ‘I am always asked how it feels to bring comfort and help in a place like prison,’ says Marta. ‘The truth is that no one really understands how much you can receive, even in that context. ‘Volunteering in prison changed my life. It allowed me to break down the barriers of my shyness, my insecurities and allows me today to show off a smile that I used to hide. It is I who have to thank the people I have met for all they have done for me and continue to do. ‘I am truly free with them.’ It is a real achievement. There are so many cells that can imprison us, in fact, that can hold back our dreams, our thoughts, our hopes. Marta’s experience, together with those of the inmates she has had the good fortune to meet and help with their studies over the years, are an example of how together it is still possible to take flight, to feel that you are worth something and – why not – think about the future. ‘The university path is definitely tiring for everyone,’ Marta says, ‘but they work so hard, and it is good to see their grit and joy in passing an exam. These are great little milestones, where they face tough subjects. ‘Many, for example, are studying law, and some have already graduated. There are young people as well as adults from various regions of Italy, or foreigners. It is good to see how they set no limits, spur each other on and become examples for each other. ‘For those with long sentences, it means investing strength and time to achieve something that makes them proud, and makes their families outside proud. Those who are released have the opportunity to use what they have studied to be able to start over.’ Hers is a look of hope that embraces and allows itself to be embraced. The stories of daily life within the walls of Dogaia, captured in the book Marta wrote during the pandemic, My guardian angel has a life sentence, are a small drop in a great sea of indifference that divides the inside from the outside. Yet they are a testimony to how it is possible to break down barriers by generating beauty and putting unconditional love for one’s neighbour at the centre. ‘I have never wanted to know why each of them is in prison,’ Marta continues, ‘but one thing is certain: I have never looked at them as “monsters” – just people who, although with mistakes behind them, have the same needs, feelings and hope as others do to relate and share. ‘They are people who have dignity like everyone else, and thanks to them, I also found mine. In short, true friends.’
Maria Grazia Berretta
Jun 13, 2022 | Non categorizzato
The Fifth Halki Summit, was held in Istanbul, Turkiye. Four days of talks and discussion on care for the environment for the future of the planet. At the end of the fifth Halki Summit, entitled “Sustaining the Future of the Planet Together,” we said our goodbyes in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship. The international, interdisciplinary meeting was organized jointly by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Sophia University Institute, Loppiano (Italy). It was inspired by the prophetic teaching of Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis and all agreed that it was an event of the Holy Spirit. Not by chance, the Summit was held in the week between the two dates of Pentecost in our respective Churches. The sincere communication and mutual attentiveness, as well as the open exchange of ecclesial approaches and reflections, led us to discover that we are at a decisive turning point for the future of the human family, in which each person has a responsible part to play. The challenge or opportunity to which we are called is that of developing a shared ecological ethos. As artisans of peace and fraternity, we wish to implement good practices in every sphere, whether educational or pastoral, social, economic or political. We committed ourselves to work on interdisciplinary pathways for the formation of new paradigms that can interpret and transform reality and overcome the culture of waste. It became clear that effective action can only be achieved through non-elitist education, in which the Churches are actively engaged. At the end, all participants wished to make an appeal “to the Churches and those who care about our common home”. We hope not to leave this event behind us as a beautiful memory, but instead, starting from our own conversion, nourished by evangelical wisdom, to work together for real change in the capacity to care. “Ecological culture”, Pope Francis reminds us, “Cannot be reduced to a series of urgent and partial responses to the immediate problems of pollution, environmental decay and the depletion of natural resources. There needs to be a distinctive way of looking at things, a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance to the assault of the technocratic paradigm. Otherwise, even the best ecological initiatives can find themselves caught up in the same globalized logic. To seek only a technical remedy to each environmental problem which comes up is to separate what is in reality interconnected and to mask the true and deepest problems of the global system” (Laudato Si’, no. 111).
Vincenzo Di Pilato (Photo: Alfonso Zamuner, Noemi Sanches e Nikos Papachristou)
Jun 13, 2022 | Non categorizzato
The Word of Life of June 2022, “You are my Lord, I have no good apart from you ” proposes that we recognise Jesus in all circumstances of life, especially in the most difficult moments of physical or spiritual pain. Through his abandonment, Jesus himself became our access to the Father. His part is now done. It’s up to us to take advantage of this great grace. Each one of us has to do our own small part, which requires that we approach the gate and pass through it. How? When we suffer because of a sudden disappointment, or are distressed by an unexpected misfortune or an absurd illness, we should recall that Jesus took on himself the pain of all these various trials, and a myriad of others, too. Yes, Jesus forsaken is present in everything that causes us to suffer. Every pain we experience bears his name. So let’s try to recognize Jesus forsaken in all the distressful and difficult situations of life, in all our dark times, in our personal tragedies and those of others, in the suffering of humanity that surrounds us. All these are him because he made them his own. All we have to do is to tell him, with faith, “You, Lord, are my only good.”[1] It would be enough to do something practical to lessen “his” suffering in the poor and in those who are distressed, for us to go through the gate and find beyond it a joy never experienced before, a new fullness of life.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, from the Word of Life of April 1999) [1] See Ps 16:2.
