December 2010
When Mary asked the angel at the annunciation, "How can this be?" the answer she heard was, "Nothing will be impossible for God," and to confirm it, she was given the example of Elizabeth who in her old age had conceived a son. Mary believed and she became the Mother of the Lord. God is all powerful and is frequently called by this name in the Scriptures, especially when expressing the power he has of blessing, of judging, of directing the course of events, and of achieving his plans.
There is only one limit to the omnipotence of God: the freedom he gave human beings who can either oppose his will and thus become powerless, or choose what they are called to: to share God's own power.
"Nothing will be impossible for God."
These words open us up to an unlimited confidence in the love of God the Father, because if God exists and his being is Love, what logically follows is that we can have complete trust in him. In his power are all graces: temporal and spiritual, possible and impossible. And he gives them to those who ask and also to those who do not ask because, as the Gospel says, the Father “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good” (Mt 5:45). What he does ask of all of us is to act the way he does, to have the same universal love, supported by the faith that:
“Nothing will be impossible for God.”
How should we put these words into practice? At one time or another we all face difficult, painful situations both in our personal lives and in our relationships with others. We sometimes feel helpless because we realize we have attachments to things and to people that enslave us and from whose chains we would like to be freed. Often too we find ourselves up against walls of indifference and selfishness and we feel discouraged in the face of events that seem to be more than we can handle.
In these moments, the Word of Life can pick us up. Jesus lets us experience our own limitations, not to discourage us, but to help us understand more deeply that “Nothing will be impossible for God,” and to prepare us to experience the extraordinary power of his grace, which is manifested precisely when we see that we cannot manage on our own.
"Nothing will be impossible for God."
If we remind ourselves of this word of God in the most critical moments, we will experience its energy, for it brings us to participate, in a certain way, in the very omnipotence of God. There is, however, one condition: we must align ourselves with God's will and try to show to others the love that has been put into our hearts. By doing so, we will be in unison with God's all-powerful love for everyone. This will contribute to fulfilling his plans for every person and for all of humanity.
There is a special moment that enables us to live this Word of Life and to experience all its effectiveness. It is in prayer.
Jesus said that he will grant us whatever we ask the Father in his name. Let’s try then to ask him for what is most important to us now, firmly believing that for him nothing is impossible: solutions to desperate cases, peace in the world, cures to grave illnesses, peace and unity in family and social conflicts.
Moreover, if we ask united with others, in the full accord of mutual love, then it is Jesus himself in our midst who prays to the Father and, according to his promise, we will obtain what we ask for. One day, with this faith in the omnipotence of God and in his love, we prayed for a friend who had an x-ray that revealed a tumor. We asked that the tumor would not be there when the x-ray was taken again. And that’s exactly what happened. A boundless trust that makes us feel we are in the arms of a Father for whom everything is possible, should be our constant virtue. This doesn’t mean that we will always obtain what we ask for. God’s omnipotence is that of a Father and he always uses it only for the good of his children, whether they realize it or not. What’s important is that we remain aware that nothing is impossible for God. Then we will experience a peace we have never known before.
Chiara Lubich
The Umbria, Veneto and Sicily regions of Italy hosted the second edition prize-winners of the Chiara Lubich Fraternity Award. Their gaze extended over the whole world with an international award given to the city of Catamarca and its fight against crime, with a special mention of the town of Pollica.
Daniela Ropelato, professor of Social Sciences at Sophia Institute and representative of the international Mppu, gave an important presentation on “Participation, city, fraternity”. Very timely topics, but difficult to actualize. Ideas included such things as: listening to the demands of young people; finding a balance between individual rights and the common good, participatory management of the territory; the responsibility of politicians and citizens.
The “Volunteers” are the main animators of the New Humanity Movement (a social expression of the Focolare in society). They are men and women who are on the front lines in living the words of the Gospel into the most diverse social, cultural, economic and political environments, offering answers to the practical challenges posed by modern society.
“I’m 34 years old, Brazilian and married with two children. I work for the very poor by helping them to defend their basic rights.” This is how Anisio Caixeta Junior, a young adherent of the Focolare Movement and public defender introduces himself – as one of those workers foreseen by Brazilian law to ensure that those who do not have the financial means will also able to have a public defence. One quickly realizes that aside from carrying out his task with professionalism, Anisio is also animated by high ideals: “From when I was a child I’ve always been an ardent adherent of Chiara Lubich’s ideal of unity and I’ve always tried to offer help to my neighbours freely, and I found it fulfilled me.” Now I continue doing the same thing in my professional career. Chiara’s ideal of unity helps me to remember before each hearing that there before me is not so much a bureaucratic proceeding, but a human person to be respected and loved. And it’s not only a question of moral conviction: “Anisio points out that in law history, in addition to the primary basic rights of life and property, there are also other rights, such as liberty and equality which emerged from the French Revolution. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights highlighted again another stronghold: the spirit of fraternity, which is therefore not merely help for the needy, but a stronghold which the very Constitution explicitly promotes and protects. Therefore, when I am driven to act by this ideal of fraternity, I am really applying a fundamental rule of my Constitution! » Anisio has many experiences each day by “simply applying the law”. He especially enjoys sharing this one: «One day, standing by a traffic light with one of my colleagues, a boy came up to us asking for some money. But imagine his surprise when we responded: “But we can do much more than just give you a bit of change! If you don’t have a family we can help you into a social programme just for that, even if you’re living on the streets without money. These are basic rights that the State must provide since they’re guaranteed by our Constitution. And it’s my job to help people into these programmes!”» Are public defenders heroes? Anisio is of a different opinion: “I certainly don’t think that I’m changing the world with the work I do. But at the same time, I’m very fascinated by the idea that even a glass of water is not given in vain and I’m convinced that such a simple gesture as this can contribute to creating that new world, dedicated to fraternity, which can certainly be supported by the law, but must begin with ourselves!”