30 Sep 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
“Perseverance.” This is a translation of a Greek word that is pregnant with implications, including patience, constancy, resistence, trust.
Perseverance is necessary and indispensable when we suffer, when we are tempted, when we are inclined to be discouraged, when we are drawn to the seductions of the world, when we suffer persecution.
I think that you too have found yourself in at least one of these situations and have experienced that, without perseverance, you would have given in. Perhaps at times you did give in. Maybe now, at this very moment, you find yourself immersed in one of these painful situations.
What will you do? What should you do? Start again, and… persevere. Otherwise the name “Christian” does not suit you.
You know that whoever wants to follow Christ must take up his cross each day, must love it, at least with his will. The Christian vocation is a call to perseverance.
The apostle Paul demonstrated his perseverance before the Christian community as a sign of Christian authenticity. And he did not hesitate to put it on the same level as miracles.
If you love the cross and persevere to the very end, you will follow Christ, who is in Heaven, and therefore be saved.
“By your perseverance you will secure your lives”
It is possible to distinguish two categories of people: those who hear the invitation to be true Christians, but the invitation lands in their souls like a seed on rocky ground. There is a burst of fleeting enthusiasm, but afterward nothing remains. Then there are those who welcome the invitation, just as good soil receives the seed. And Christian life sprouts, grows, overcomes difficulties, and resists storms.
Christians have perseverance, and… “by your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Naturally, if you want to persevere, it is not enough to rely only on your own strength. You must have God’s help. Paul calls God “the God of perseverance” (Rm 15:5).
You must ask him for it, and he will give it to you. If you are a Christian, you will never be content with merely being baptized or doing some acts of worship or charity every now and then. You must grow as a Christian, and every growth in spiritual life can only come about in the midst of trials, obstacles, and battles.
Those who really know how to persevere are those who love. Love is never hindered by obstacles. It does not count difficulties or sacrifices. And perseverance is love that has been put to the test.
You should look to Mary, for she is the woman of perseverance.
Ask God to enkindle love for him in your heart, and then perseverance, in all the difficulties of life, will come to you as a consequence, and with it the salvation of your soul.
“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
And there is more. Perseverance is contagious. The person who perseveres encourages others to do the same.…
Let us set our sights high. We have only one life, and it is brief at that. Let us clench our teeth and stand firm from day to day; let us face one difficulty after another in order to follow Christ… and we shall persevere and our lives will be secure.
By Chiara Lubich
The Word of Life, taken from Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily living. From the Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich wrote her commentaries on each Word of Life, and after her death last year, her early writings are now being featured once again. This commentary, addressed to a primarily Christian audience, was originally published in June 1979.
20 Sep 2009 | Non categorizzato
Three hundred and sixty-five texts drawn from the Fathers of the Church, saints, theologians, the Magisterium, and other spiritual authors provide daily nourishment for the year of priests, and an invitation to become rooted in what is essential. The booklets cover four fundamental aspects of priestly life: being, doing, the challenges and the opportunities. The first booklet focuses on “the perennial Source of the sap of life: God, who has looked upon us and loved us, to whom we have given ourselves with a “radical” choice”, while the second looks at the implications of how this way of “being” is translated into action. The editors, Hubertus Blaumeiser and Tonino Gandolfo, have involved a team of experts from many countries in this work. Being and doing is also the subject of the first thought, by Pope Benedict XVI, taken from his address to the priests of the diocese of Aosta in 2005. It is relevant to all Christians. An expression of what we are “It is not what you do that is so important but what you are in our priestly commitment. Without a doubt, we must do many things and not succumb to laziness, but all our work will only bear fruit if it is an expression of what we are. If what we do shows that we are deeply united to Christ, that we are instruments of Christ, a mouthpiece through which Christ speaks, a hand through which Christ acts: we should be convinced and act with conviction only to the extent that this is truly the result and expression of what we are.” Benedict XVI
19 Sep 2009 | Non categorizzato
14 Sep 2009 | Non categorizzato
Love in Truth Fraternity and economic development are among the central themes of the new encyclical of Benedict XVI Caritas in Veritate published July 7. We report on the matter a thought of Chiara Lubich of the 70s, very timely: “Christians underdeveloped ” and the remarks of Professor Bruni, to the Encyclical. Prof. Bruni is an economist, international coordinator of the project Economy of Communion. press review Indiana firm can claim a papal thumbs-up from new social encyclical – By John L Allen Jr, National Catholic Reporter, Created Jul 07, 2009 Encyclical breaks new ground on social issues, commentators say – By Nancy Frazier O’Brien, Catholic News Service, Jul 08, 2009 A gut check for American catholicism – By John L Allen Jr, National Catholic Reporter, on Jul. 17, 2009 in the column All Things Catholic Benedict XVI and the Economy of Communion (Part 1) – Interview with Business Owner John Mundell – By Genevieve Pollock, SEPT. 8, 2009 (Zenit.org) Benedict XVI and the Economy of Communion (Part 2) – Interview with Business Owner John Mundell – By Genevieve Pollock, SEPT. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org)
31 Aug 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Seek first
The whole Gospel is revolutionary. The words of Christ are not like those of any other person. Listen to this: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [the necessities of life] will be given you besides” (Mt 6:33).
The major preoccupation people usually have is searching for what will make their lives more secure. Perhaps this applies to you as well. If so, Jesus lays out before you his own way of looking at things and presents you with his plan of action. He requires from you a behavior totally different from what society would expect, and not only once, but always. It is this: “seek first the kingdom of God.”
When you redirect your whole being toward God and do everything for his kingdom within yourself and in others (that is, ordering your whole life with his laws), the Father will give you what you need day after day.
If, on the other hand, you are preoccupied with yourself, you will end up caring mainly for the things of this world and fall victim to them. You will end up seeing the goods of this world as your real business, the goal of all your efforts. And therein arises the serious temptation of relying solely on your own strength and less on God …
Jesus changes the situation. If living for him is your first concern, “these things” will no longer be the main business of your life; rather, they will be given to you “in addition” to other things or as a “surplus.”
Is this utopia? Are his words difficult for you as a modern person living in an industrialized world that is highly competitive and often in economic crises? I wish to remind you that at the time Jesus uttered these words, the concrete difficulties of life among the Galileans were no less serious than our own.
We are not talking about whether it is a utopia or not. Jesus places this fundamental choice before you: to live your life for yourself or to live it for God.
Let us try to understand well these words:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.”
Jesus does not propose that you become “passive” or do nothing with regard to your everyday or temporal needs, nor that you be irresponsible or superficial at work. Rather, he wishes you to re-order your priorities in life and, by so doing, rid yourself of anxiety, fear and restlessness.
In fact he says, “Seek first the kingdom.” “First” means “above all else.” The search for God's kingdom should be given priority and does not exclude the concern that a Christian must have for the necessities of life.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” also means living in conformity with God's desires as revealed by Jesus in his Gospel. Only when Christians actively seek the kingdom of God will they experience the wonderful power of the Father working in their favor.
Let me share a story with you. It took place quite some time ago, but I find it relevant to this Word of Life. In fact I am aware of many other young people who now live as this young woman did.
Her name is Elvira, and at that time she was a high school student. She was poor, and she could continue her studies only if she maintained high grades. She had a strong faith. Her philosophy professor was an atheist and he often presented the truths of her faith in a confused and distorted manner. On such occasions, Elvira felt a strong reaction rising up inside her, not for herself but for the love she had for God, for truth and for her classmates.
She knew that if she contradicted the professor she stood a chance of getting a failing grade. In spite of this, however, she would raise her hand and beg to speak, saying, “Professor, that's not true.” At times she did not have all the elements to present her arguments, but her words “that's not true” embodied her entire faith, which was a gift of truth and made people question what the professor was saying.
Her classmates loved her and tried to persuade her to stop contradicting this professor, because they feared the consequences for her, but they did not succeed.
A few months later, when the grade cards were distributed, Elvira was trembling, but then her heart leapt for joy: she got an A in philosophy! The highest grade!
She had sought, first of all, that God and his truth would reign, and then the rest was given to her.
If you seek the kingdom of the Father, you will experience that God is providence for all the needs of your life. You will discover how normal the extraordinary ways of the Gospel can be.
This commentary addressed to a primarily Christian audience, was originally published in May 1979
By Chiara Lubich
31 Jul 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Do you know the context of this sentence in the Gospel? It is in St. John's account of the Last Supper, when Jesus is about to wash the feet of his disciples and is preparing for the Passion. During the last moments that Jesus spent with “his own,” he revealed the love he had always had for them in the highest and most explicit way.
“He loved his own in the world, and he loved them to the end.”
The words “to the end” mean to the end of his life, to his very last breath. But there is also the idea of perfection. That is, he loved them completely, totally, with the greatest intensity, to the highest degree.
When Jesus would go on to his glory, the disciples would remain in the world. They would feel alone; they would have many trials to face. It is precisely in view of those moments that Jesus wanted to make them feel sure of his love.
“He loved his own in the world, and he loved them to the end.”
In this phrase, can’t you sense Jesus’ entire lifestyle, his way of loving? He washed the feet of his disciples. His love made him stoop to this lowly service, which in those days was done only by slaves. After having his extraordinary words, his miracles, and all the other things he did, Jesus was now preparing for the tragedy of Calvary, in which he would give his very life for “his own” and for all people. He knew of their great need, the greatest need that people can have: the need to be liberated from sin, which means freed from death, and regain the possibility of entering the kingdom of heaven. Only he could give them the peace and joy of everlasting life.
And so Jesus gave himself up to death, crying out in his abandonment by the Father, until he was able at the very end to say, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30), that is, everything is completed.
“He loved his own in the world, and he loved them to the end.”
In these words we see both the tenacious love of a God and the tender affection of a brother. We Christians, since Christ is in us, can also love like this.
Now I am not proposing, however, that you imitate Jesus by actually dying for others as he did when his hour came. Nor do I put before you models like Father Kolbe, who died for a fellow prisoner, or Father Damien, who contracted leprosy from his lepers and died with them and for them.
It may be that in the course of your lifetime you will never be asked to give your physical life for your neighbors. But what God certainly does ask of you is that you love them “to the end,” to the point where you too can say, “It is finished.”
This is what an eleven-year-old Italian girl named Lisa did. She saw that her classmate and friend Georgina was extremely sad. She tried to comfort her, but it did no good. So she decided to find out what made her friend so sad. She learned that Georgina's father had died, and that her mother had left her alone with her grandmother and had gone to live with another man. As soon as she became aware of the tragedy, Lisa decided to do something about it.
Even though Lisa was only a little girl, she asked Georgina if she could talk to her mother, but Georgina begged her to go with her first to visit her father's grave. With great love Lisa went with her. There she overheard Georgina sobbing and imploring her father to take her with him.
Lisa felt heartbroken. The ruins of a little church were nearby, and the two girls went in. The only things left inside the church were a small tabernacle and a crucifix. Lisa said, “Look, in this world everything is going to be destroyed; only the crucifix and the Eucharist will always be with us.” Georgina dried her tears and replied,
“Yes, you’re right!” Then with tender love, Lisa took Georgina by the hand and accompanied her to her mother.
When they got there Lisa boldly addressed the mother with these words: “I know this is none of my business, but I must tell you that you left your daughter without the mother's love that she desperately needs. I must tell you also that you will never have peace until you repent and take your child back to live with you.”
The following day Lisa met Georgina in school and again tried to cheer her up. But something new happened that day: a car came to pick Georgina up after school. In it was her mother. From that day on, the car has kept coming regularly, because Georgina now lives with her mother, who no longer has any relationship with the man she was living with.
Looking at the small, yet great thing Lisa did, we can now say, “It is finished.” She did everything well, “to the end,” and she achieved what she set out to do.
Think about it. How many times have you started to take an interest in someone who needed help and then abandoned them, using all kinds of excuses to silence your conscience? How many things have you started with enthusiasm and then not followed through because of difficulties that you felt were beyond your strength?
The lesson Jesus is giving you today is this:
“He loved his own in the world, and he loved them to the end.”
Love to the very end. And if one day God should literally ask you for your life, you will not hesitate. You will be like the martyrs who went to their deaths singing. And your reward shall be the greatest glory, because Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).
Chiara Lubich
You can find a complete version of Chiara’s commentary in Words to Live By (New City Press, 1980).
