March 2011
Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Certainly, his will is not always clear to us. Like Mary we too will need to ask for light to understand what God wants. With great sincerity we must listen well to his voice within us and, if need be, ask advice from those who can help. But once we have understood his will, we want to say ‘yes’ to him straightaway. If, indeed, we have understood that his will is the greatest and most beautiful thing that could happen in our life, we will not resign ourselves to ‘having to do’ the will of God. Instead we will be glad to ‘be able’ to do the will of God, to be able to follow his plan, so that his idea for us might come about. It is the best and most intelligent thing we can do. Mary’s words ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord’, therefore, become our loving response to God’s love. They keep us always turned towards him, in an attitude of listening and of obedience, wanting only to do his will, to be as he wants us to be. Sometimes, nonetheless, what he asks of us can seem absurd. It would seem better to us to do something different; we would like to decide for ourselves. We might almost want even to advise God and tell him what to do and not do. But if I believe that God is love and trust him, I know that what he sets up for my life and for the lives of those close to me is for my good and theirs too. So I put myself in his hands, I abandon myself to his will with full trust, and I want it with the whole of myself, to the point of being one with it, knowing that to welcome his will is to welcome him, embrace him and be nourished with him. We must believe that nothing happens by chance. No event, whether it be joyful, indifferent or painful, no encounter, no situation in the family, at work or at school, no physical or moral condition, is without meaning. On the contrary, every event, situation or person bears a message from God. Everything contributes to the fulfilment of God’s design, which we will discover bit by bit, day by day, doing the will of God as Mary did. Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. So how can we live this Word? Practically speaking our ‘yes’ to the word of God means doing well and completely all that he asks us to do in every present moment. We should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever we are doing, putting aside everything else, letting go of any thoughts, desires, memories, actions that have to do with anything else. We can say in front of every will of God, whether it be painful, joyful or indifferent, ‘Let it be with me according to your word’, or, as Jesus taught us in the ‘Our Father’: ‘Your will be done.’ Let’s tell him this before each of our actions: ‘May it be done’, ‘Your will be done.’ We will compose, moment by moment, piece by piece, the marvellous, unique and unrepeatable mosaic of our lives that the Lord has always had in mind for each one of us. Chiara Lubich (First published December 2002)
The General Council in the Holy Land
Last Sunday the members of Focolare Movement’s General Council arrived in Israel to start their scheduled pilgrimage with Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, and co-President, Giancarlo Faletti, who had just concluded their official visit to the Focolare Movement’s local community present in the Holy Land.
On their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, the members of the Council were met by representatives of the Movement’s local community who gave them a traditionally warm welcome. From there the Council members left for Domus Galilaeae on Lake Tiberias, where they spent the first days of their stay in the Holy Land. The venue was built by the Neocatechumenal Way at the turn of the millennium and was blessed by John Paul II during his historical visit to the Holy Land in 2000 when, in the valley beneath the Mountain of the Beatitudes, he celebrated Mass for thousands of pilgrims. Blessing the new facility the Pope said: “The Lord was waiting for you on this Mount”. Meaningful words that are now written at the entrance of the facility, welcoming all visitors to Domus Galilaeae.
The meeting between Maria Voce, the General Council and the Neocatechumenal Way was characterized by a warm atmosphere and the exchange of experiences. On 22nd February, feast day of the Chair of St Peter, the two communities celebrated Mass together.
Meanwhile the Focolare Movement’s Council started their retreat which lasted three and a half days. There were moments of meditation and sharing of experiences as well as the possibility to work on the challenges and prospects facing the Focolare Movement worldwide in the various ecclesiastical and social areas where it works.
The Movement’s mission of unity and communion handed on by Chiara Lubich herself was the focus of these days.