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31 Dec 2012 | Non categorizzato
“War is wide-scale murder”.
“Just as the plague spreads the plague, and hunger can lead to starvation, so does war serve to kill”.
“If you want peace, prepare for it”.
“Only crazy people, or the incurable wish for death, and war is death”.
“I believe no head of State has ever admitted he was waging war for motives of plunder; everyone held that it was being fought for the most noble of reasons, for altruistic and idealistic purposes, of course. And – just to show how childish hatred can get – greed is a characteristic of the enemy while a friend shows idealism”.
“Enemies are to be loved: if only the politics of charity were to take root, we would discover that it coincides with the most enlightened rationality and, in the economic and social sense, it would prove to be a real bargain”.
“For Christians to be worthy of being called ‘children of God’ they have to work for peace”.
“We must organize peace as others have organized war”.
“The work of building peace starts from you and from me”.
Igino Giordani, L’inutilità della guerra, published by Città Nuova, Roma 2003
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28 Dec 2012 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce launched the Time Out to the 350 Focolare youth who had gathered from several countries at Castel Gandolfo, Rome, to become the bearers of peace in the world. Encouraged by the news that was arriving from several members of the Focolare in the Middle East, Maria Voce told the audience of her idea.
In the face of “these absurd wars it is only God who can meet the longing for peace that is found in humankind. It would take a truly strong and powerful prayer,” “with a renewed faith that God could do it, that if we were to ask Him in unity, God would come to meet us in our need.”
The proposal: “Why not re-establish the midday Time Out? Chiara Lubich had launched this prayer,” Maria Voce went on to explain, “during the Gulf War in 1991 and, back then God listened to that prayer that came from everyone.”
Let us again take up the practice of the Time Out, with young people on the front lines. “Jesus is called the Prince of Peace,” Maria Voce concluded as she asked Him to give to humankind “that true peace, which would allow everyone – from whatever faith, social condition or country, to live their lives in serenity; that they would share this gift of Peace with all people.”
Young people have already begun to spread the news through the social networks, and have created the Time Out for Peace page on Facebook.
The appointment is for noontime, in each of our cities, asking in unity for the gift of peace.
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23 Dec 2012 | Non categorizzato
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It’s Christmas!
The Word became a human being and set love alight on earth.
It’s Christmas!
And we would never wish the sun to set on this day.
Teach us, O Lord, how to preserve your presence among us.
It’s Christmas!
Let your love, set alight on earth, burn our hearts and let us love one another as you desire!
Then you will be there among us.
And every day, if we love one another, can be Christmas.
Chiara Lubich
(Taken from Christmas Joy, New City, London 1998, p.59)
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22 Dec 2012 | Non categorizzato
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‘It seems to me that God is offering us this coming year as a jubilee year, which does not only mean joy but means a year where we start again, we forgive all that others owe us. We want to start from scratch, with a pact of mercy that is concrete, true, deep.
‘It is a year where we offer forgiveness and ask forgiveness. And we declare officially that we will do all we can to make our relationships better. We are sustained in this by the commitment to live love for our brothers and sisters with renewed intensity.
‘With a mercy that hopes all, covers all, gives trust, believes, we will experience a complete amnesty in our hearts, a universal mutual forgiveness.
‘Merry Christmas to everyone! Living as children of God (John 1:12), just as Jesus gives us the power to be.’
Maria Voce
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21 Dec 2012 | Non categorizzato
Chiara Lubich – Christmas 1955
«He, who entered history two thousand years ago, wants to enter our lives, but the road in us is cluttered by obstacles. We need to flatten the hills, remove the blocks. What are the obstacles that can obstruct the road for Jesus?
They are all the desires not in conformity with God’s will that well up in our soul; they are the attachments that cling to it.
Minuscule desires to speak or keep silent, when we ought to do the opposite; desires for affirmation, for respect, for affection; desires for things, for health, for life… when God does not want them.
The more evil desires, of rebellion, judgement, revenge…
They all well up in our soul and invade it completely. We have to extinguish these desires decisively, remove these obstacles, put ourselves back in God’s will and so prepare the way of the Lord.
We must, the Word says, make his paths straight.
To make them straight: exactly that. Our desires lead us off the path. If we extinguish them, we put ourselves back on the ray of God’s will and we find our road again.
But there is a method of being sure of walking on a straight way, which takes us with certainty to our goal: to God.
It has an obligatory route; it is called our neighbour.
This Christmas, let us throw ourselves once again into loving every person we meet during the day.
Let us light up in our hearts that most ardent and praiseworthy desire which God most certainly wants: the desire to love every neighbour, making ourselves one with him or her in everything, with a love that is without self-interest and without limits.
Love will revive relationships and persons and will not allow selfish desire to spring up. In fact, it is the best antidote to selfishness.
We could prepare for Christmas like this, as a gift for Jesus who comes, giving him this as our fruit: rich and succulent; and our hearts: inflamed, consumed by love».
Chiara Lubich
[Source: Christmas Joy, New City, London 1998, p.55-56]
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15 Dec 2012 | Non categorizzato
‘In Syria’s situation – torn by conflict fuelled by ignorance, division and religious sectarianism – as a father and husband I had to decide whether to stay in the country I love or emigrate for the good of my family.
‘Several months ago I bought plane tickets and I began sorting things out for our departure, but, in my heart of hearts, I was not at peace, even though I had the chance of a job in Beirut. I felt I had a to do something for my people and my country.
‘In that moment things in Aleppo, the town where I live, weren’t so bad but everyone thought they would get worse. And, indeed, the situation quickly went down hill.
‘To begin with, I thought that my wife and children should go to Beirut and I would stay on my own in Aleppo. But my wife didn’t agree: “Either we all go together or we all stay!” In this way instead of leaving the country to be safe from chaos and death, together as a family we chose to stay.
‘I’m not the kind of person who prays much, but in that moment I felt God was asking something of me. I went to Church and I handed over my life and the life of my family to him: “Our future is in your hands.” I was filled with a tremendous inner peace despite the tension I felt.
‘Together with some Christian friends we tried to understand the needs of our community and we attempted to do what we could, even in little ways. One day, while I was doing some repairs on the Church, I found myself talking to the parish priest about the difficult circumstances many families were living in and the problems they had finding milk for their children. Straight away we started looking for this basic foodstuff, but there was none left in the markets. In the end we managed to get hold of four cartons. How could we ensure there was milk for the children of those middle class families who were now without income? Without any particular plan in mind we started making a record of the needs. To begin with, we had as many as 300 families on our list! We immediately asked for donations, and got only 300 Syrian pounds (equal to 4 US dollars). It was impossible to do anything with such a derisory sum, but it was at that very moment when someone, who had found out about the situation, stepped in to cover all the immediate needs through Caritas Syria!
One day I got together a food hamper. I did it as if it were for my own family. Then I took it to someone who, full of surprise, refused it. But when I said, ‘I prepared this hamper for myself and what is mine is yours,’ the person was deeply moved and accepted what I offered.
‘In the meantime, the needy families were on the increase, going from 300 to 1,500, so that we could no longer be certain of getting things even just to supply their primary needs. We thought, then, of asking for aid from the ‘Red Crescent’. When they asked whether we help people of all religious groups, by chance a person was present who knew the Centre for Deaf and Dumb Children that my wife and I run and this person knew that we care equally for Muslims and for Christians. That same person made a sign of acceptance to the one in charge of the Association who then gave us permission to have access to their warehouses. We’ve been incredibly surprised by the huge amount of help we’ve received!’
Jean – Aleppo
Source: Città Nuova online
