“Just as the Father sent me, I send you”
read the daily thought Just as the Father sent me… Among the divine words Jesus uttered, there is one that makes us dizzy when we think it was pronounced by God, and helps us to understand the privilege of election. It is a paradoxical comparison, while at the same time true and deeply mysterious. Christ directs these words to those who over the centuries were to be his priests: “Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” Who then, is a priest? A person chosen by Christ to continue his presence in time. Unfortunately priests are often not like this. But if on the other hand, they are not Christ, they are very little indeed. Their sermons are empty words and their churches are deserted. For the word that Christ gave was He himself. If the priest first of all lives what he preaches and then speaks, his word will be Christ and he too will be another Christ. His talks will attract the crowds and the churches will be full to the brim.What makes a priest is not knowledge, but the charism brought to life with love. Chiara Lubich, Il celibato sacerdotale, Città Nuova 14 (1970/3), 9 Traslation from: Come il Padre ha amato me… 365 pensieri per l’anno sacerdotale, Città nuova 2009 http://editrice.cittanuova.it/notizia.asp
July 2009
The inexhaustible treasure
The Word of Life, a sentence of Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily life. 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 March 1979.
Are you young, aspiring to a life that has an ideal, that is totally committing and calls for a complete change in you? Then listen to Jesus, because no one else in the world will ask as much of you. You are being given an opportunity to prove your faith, your generosity, and your heroism.
Are you an adult, longing for a sound way of life that is serious and committed and will not disappoint you? Or are you an older person who wants to dedicate the golden years of your life to someone who will not deceive you, to live without worries that exhaust you? These words of Jesus are also for you.
They conclude a series of exhortations in which Jesus asks you not to worry over what you will eat or what you will wear but, rather, to act as the birds of the air that do not sow, and the lilies of the field that do not weave. Banish, therefore, from your heart all anxieties over the things of this earth. The Father, who loves you more than the birds and the flowers, will take care of you himself.
This is why Jesus tells you,
“Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.”
In its entirety, and in every word it contains, the Gospel demands everything from you–everything you are and everything you possess.
Prior to Christ's coming into the world, God had never made such radical demands. In the Old Testament, earthly riches were seen as good, as a blessing from God. Giving alms to the needy was demanded, but as a means to obtain the benevolence of the Almighty.
Later on, the idea of a reward in the next life became more commonly accepted among members of the Jewish faith. A king, who had been reprimanded for having given away his possessions, replied, “My ancestors accumulated treasures for this life, but I have accumulated treasures for the next one.”
“Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.” (Lk 12:33)
The words of Jesus are original because he demands a total gift. He asks everything from you. He doesn't want you to be overly concerned about the things of this world. He wants you to rely on him alone.
He knows that earthly wealth is a tremendous obstacle for you because it can occupy your heart, whereas he wants to possess your heart for himself.
This is why he urges you:
“Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. “
If you cannot physically rid yourself of your possessions, because of family ties or other responsibilities, or if your position in life demands that you live in a certain way, still you should detach yourself from them spiritually, being no more than their administrator. In this way, while dealing with wealth you can love others, and by administering it on their behalf, you can accumulate a treasure that moths cannot destroy, nor thieves carry off.
How can you be certain about what you should keep and what you should dispose of? Listen to the voice of God within you; and if you cannot decide on your own, seek someone's advice. Then you will discover how many superfluous things there are among your possessions. Do not keep them. Give them away. Give to those who have not. Put into practice these words of Jesus, “Sell… and give.” If you do this, you will fill up bags that do not wear out.
Since you live in the world, it is only logical that you should be concerned with money and other material things. However, God does not want you to be preoccupied with them. So be concerned with securing only that amount which is indispensable for you to live according to your needs. As for the rest:
“Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.”
Pope Paul VI was truly poor. The way he wanted to be buried (“in a plain coffin in the bare earth”) proved this. Shortly before dying he told his brother, “My suitcases for that all-important trip have been ready for some time.”
This is what you should do, too: prepare your suitcases.
In the time of Jesus they may have been called “money bags” but the meaning is the same. Prepare them day by day. Fill them with things that might be useful to others. For you truly possess what you give away. Think of how much hunger there is in the world, how much suffering, how many needs.
Put every act of love and every deed done for your neighbor into your suitcase as well.
Do everything for God, telling him in your heart, “This is for You.” Perform every action well, perfectly, because it is destined for heaven where it will remain for eternity.
By Chiara Lubich
You can find a complete version of Chiara’s commentary in Words to Live By (New City Press, 1980).
Giordani dreamt, during the 1920’s, of a united Europe
The extracts that follow appeared in “Parte Guelfa” – a journal founded by Giordani during his busy writing career – and in “Il Quotidiano”, while he was its director
There will be no United States of Europe while Europe is permeated by nationalistic movements. The United States of Europe and nationalism are two mutually exclusive concepts.” (Parte Guelfa, 1925)
Unity will be the inevitable effect of economic conditions, when no country will be self sufficient and the life of each one is intimately bound to the others, it will be effect of a universally felt need for peace; it will be made real by the fulfilment of Christianity, whose values emerge when it is clear how much they are needed.” (Parte Guelfa,1925)
The love of one’s own country does not imply hate for that of another: love for one’s family is foolish if it implies hatred for the families that live in the same apartment block” (Parte Guelfa,1925)
Europe will be saved from economic failure and the threat of future wars (…) only if it feels organically one and united as a continent, gathering together all its resources together to face common dangers, instead of being engulfed by internal strife. (Parte Guelfa,1925)
This outpouring of peoples, this manifold expansion beyond national boundaries, responds to a need for freedom. On the positive side, it is an enrichment of life, and where it happens in a rational way, it is an expression of Christianity (…) Right from the start Christianity taught Christians catholicity, universality. The universal society of the Church considers souls, rather than bodily appearance. It promotes a universal fraternity, something not encouraged, and even blocked and often dissected with bloody incisions by territorial, linguistic, national and class boundaries. (Il Quotidiano, 1945)
june 2009
Imagine a branch cut off from the vine. It has no future, no hope; it is unproductive and there is nothing for it to do but dry up and be burned.
Think of the spiritual death we are destined for as Christians if we do not stay united to Christ. It is a frightening thought! It is complete sterility–even if we work hard from morning till night, even if we think we are doing good things for humanity, even if our friends applaud us, even if our earthly goods increase, even if we make considerable sacrifices. All this may mean something to us here on earth, but it has no meaning for Christ and for eternity, and that is the life that really matters.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
How can we remain in Christ and Christ remain in us? How can we be green and vigorous branches that are fully united to the vine? We should, first of all, believe in Christ. But that is not enough. Our faith should influence how we live our lives. We should, in other words, live in conformity with this faith by putting the words of Jesus into practice.
Thus we cannot neglect the divine means (such as the sacraments) that Christ has left us, the means that make it possible for us to reach unity with him, and to regain it if we have lost it.
Moreover, Christ will not feel that we are solidly united to him unless we make the effort to be part of our ecclesial community, our local church.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
“Whoever remains in me and I in him.”
Do you see how Jesus speaks not only of our unity with him but also of his unity with us? If you are united to him, he is in you. He is present in the innermost part of your heart. And from this comes a rapport, a dialogue of mutual love, a relationship of cooperation between Jesus and you, his disciple. And this is the result: you will bear much fruit, just as the branch that is solidly united to the vine bears grapes in abundance.
“Bears much fruit” means that your life will be a fruitful witness to others. You will be blessed with the ability to open the eyes of many to the unique, revolutionary words of Christ, and to give them the strength to follow these words. It also means that in accordance with the gifts God has given you, you will be able to foster and even initiate projects to alleviate some of the sufferings of humanity.
“Bears much fruit” means fruit in abundance, and this could mean that you will be able to create among those around you an atmosphere of goodness, of mutual love, of true communion.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
But “bears much fruit” does not only mean the spiritual and material wellbeing of others, but your own as well. Your spiritual growth, as well as your personal sanctification depend on your being united to Christ.
Sanctification? Perhaps, in these times of ours, to speak of sanctification may seem anachronistic, pointless, utopian. But it is not. These present times will pass and, with them, all such short-sighted and erroneous views. What will remain is the truth. Two thousand years ago, Paul the apostle said clearly that sanctification is God's will for all Christians. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church, was certain that everyone can reach the highest contemplation. And the Second Vatican Council declared that all the faithful are called to sanctity.
These are reliable voices. Work then so that you, too, may gather the “fruit” of sanctity which you can do only if you are united to Christ.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
Have you noticed how Jesus is not concerned with the fruit directly, but looks at it only as a result of our remaining united to him?
It might be that some fall into the error of many Christians who believe only in activism and more activism, projects and more projects for the good of others, without taking the time to ask themselves whether they are fully united to Christ. This is a mistake. They think they are bearing fruit, but it is far less than what Christ in them and with them could bear.
If we want to bear fruit that will last and that will have the mark of something divine, we must remain united to Christ; and the more we remain united to Christ, the more fruit we will bear.
The very verb “remains” used in this sentence gives you an idea that this bearing fruit, is not a momentary but rather a permanent condition.
If you know people who live this way, you will see, in fact, how even a smile, a word, a simple everyday gesture, an attitude in a given situation enables them to touch other people's hearts even to the point of leading them back to God.
This is the way it was with the saints. But even if we are not saints, we should not get discouraged. All Christians are capable of bearing fruit. Let me tell you a story.
You know that students today can be so highly politicized that little room is left for those who would like to be useful to humanity but have other motives.
It happened that way in Portugal. Maria do Socorro had just started college in a very tense environment. Many of the other students were involved in political disputes, each according to his or her own ideology and each trying to win over the students who had not joined any group as yet.
Maria knew what she wanted to do, even though it was not easy to explain her whole strategy to her friends. She wanted to follow Christ and to remain united to him. Her companions, however, who knew nothing of her ideas, labelled her wishy-washy, a girl without ideals. At times she felt awkward when they saw her go to church, but she went just the same because she felt she had to remain united to Jesus.
As Christmas approached, Maria learned that some of the students could not go home because they lived too far away. She suggested that the other students get together and give them presents. To her great surprise all the students agreed right away.
Later there were school elections and another big surprise awaited her: she was elected as representative of her class. Her amazement was even greater, however, when her friends told her that it was only logical that she should have been elected, since she was the only one who followed a precise line of conduct. “You know what you want,” they said, “and how to go about accomplishing it.” Now some of them want to find out more about the ideal of her life and to live it with her.
This is the fruit of Maria do Socorro's perseverance in remaining united with Jesus.
Chiara Lubich
A victory – and not only on the sportsfield!
My country has just emerged from a war that lasted many years. The political situation is now stable, there is great development, and life has returned to normal. But not for everybody. For a while now a group of youngsters, left without any family, have been gathering near the Church to beg. It became a meeting point for them, they slept and lived there. As time went by things became more and more difficult, with robberies, arguments amongst them, and drugs, and it became dangerous to be out in the evening. The priest had spoken to them and tried to find a solution, but some of them were very rebellious and refused any type of relationship. Together with some other young people we asked ourselves what we could do: we decided to try and get to know them. We introduced ourselves, and every time we went to mass we would stop to speak to them. Little by little a relationship was built with some of them and the idea came to do something together. So we organised a football match. We booked a sports field and even managed to receive a present of some fantastic football kit for both teams. On the appointed day we went to the field, taking drinks, sandwiches and cakes for the break. It was a great occasion, and our friendship grew enormously. The greatest celebration was their victory! From then on we started to invite them to our meetings. Their response was greater than any of our expectations. The relationship that was born ignited a new hope in them, the desire to speak to the priest to look for a job (and many of them found one) and to reinsert themselves into normal life. We realised that the most important thing was not to give money, but more our real interest in them. We had to give our time, our care, our friendship, and the fruits of loving in this way were much greater. (T. P. – Angola)