28 Feb 2007 | Non categorizzato, Word of
This Word of Life is taken from a psalm that sings about God’s decisive and powerful intervention. He is a God who frees his people from their exile in Babylon and who continues to intervene throughout their history, every time he sees them downtrodden, discouraged, tempted by evil.
This is the history of each one of us, condensed in a striking image. On the one hand, there are the uncertainty and the trepidation of the farmer who entrusts his seeds to the earth but worries: Will this season be a good one? Will my wheat grow? On the other hand, there are the joy of the harvest and the long-awaited fruits.
«Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy»
When we think of our life, Chiara Lubich once wrote, we often imagine it as all in harmony, as “a series of days that we propose to make each more perfect than the other, with a job well done, and study, and rest, and time spent with family, with gatherings and meetings, sports and recreation, all carried out in order and in peace. … There is always a hope in the human heart that things will go this way and this way only.
“In reality, our holy journey turns out differently, because God wants it different. And he himself takes care of getting other factors introduced into the program, wished or permitted by him so that our existence will acquire true meaning and arrive to the end for which it was created. Here belong the physical and spiritual pains, here the sicknesses, here the thousands and thousands of sufferings which speak more of death than life.
“Why? Because maybe God wants death? No, on the contrary, God loves life, but such a full life, so fertile as we could never have imagined, however great our tension toward the good, the positive, and to peace.”
And here we have the image of the farmer who sows the seed that is destined to die, almost as a sign of our effort and suffering, and the image of the one who harvests, who gathers the fruit of the grain of wheat which blossomed from that death: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12:24).
Chiara says that “God wills us to experience a kind of death in the course of our life – or many kinds of deaths sometimes; that is because for him what the holy journey means is the producing of fruit, of works worthy of him and not just of us simple humans. This is for him the meaning of our life, a life rich, full, superabundant, a life that can be a reflection of his.”
«Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy»
How can we live this Word of Life? Chiara again suggests how, as she guides us in living out the Word of God: we need to “value pain, great or small, consider it important… particularly value hard work, and the sacrifice entailed by love of neighbor since it is our typical duty” (Journey, p.101). It is suffering that generates life!
And we should do this without ever giving up, even when we do not see the results of our efforts, fully aware that “one sows and another reaps” (Jn 4:37). What does the future hold for the children we are trying so hard to educate well? Who will notice the effect my work has had in the social and political arena? “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest” (Gal 6:9). The fruits will come, perhaps much later, perhaps somewhere else, but they will come.
A hope, a certainty, a sure goal is in front of us in our life’s journey. The difficulties, the trials, the adversities, which at times can wear us down, are necessary for the passage that open us up to the beatitudes and to joy.
“Let’s go forward,” Chiara says, “looking beyond every pain. Keep going, rather than stop at that dilemma, that grief, that sickness, that trial. Let us look forward to the harvest that we will receive” (Journey, p. 84).
«Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy»
Patricia, a 22-year-old law student in Paraguay, had been the assistant to the director of her department for some time. “Right from the beginning,” she recalled, “I always tried to improve in my work and to nurture relationships with my colleagues that would make each one of them feel valued.”
Often it was a matter of going against the current in order to defend her own principles, cost what it may. One time, she said, “An important person in my department, one who enjoyed certain privileges, clearly was being dishonest in his actions. I had the duty to tell him so.”
Patricia acted on her convictions, but in doing so she lost her job. “I suffered terribly, but I was also peaceful about it, because I knew that I had done the right thing.” She did not despair because she was deeply aware of having a Father who can do all things and who loved her without measure.
Although it seemed almost impossible, given the economic conditions in Paraguay, that very evening she received two job offers. And then the new job she took turned out to be even better than her previous one and more directly connected with her field of studies.
By Fabio Ciardi and Gabriella Fallacara
![New responses to today’s challenges in medical etiquette]()
28 Feb 2007 | Non categorizzato
The central focus of the congress was one of today’s key issues: “Communication and relationships in medicine”. What became evident during this 1st international congress, were the many new challenges for this aspect of medical practice. The congress took place from February 16 to 17 last at the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in Rome, with simultaneous links to 54 places from Japan to Siberia, from Tanzania to the United States. In the battle against Aids, a new cultural model was presented, already in operation in some African countries. And the results of North – South collaboration were exemplified by the project linking the University of Florence and the Region of Tuscany, with the hospital of Fontem in the forests of Cameroon. These were instances of “good practice” that demonstrated, with scientific evidence, the effects of better relationships. The profound changes happening in the medical world, particularly in the doctor-patient relationship, were the subject of these intense working days: there were 46 presentations from 17 different countries, covering many disciplines in the different fields of medicine. “We could define relationships as the model for medicine in the XXI century”. This was affirmed right from the first moments of the Congress, almost as a challenge, an ongoing project. New ideas emerged for training and development, including new subjects for study in universities and specialised schools, and new models to be applied. The congress also provided an answer to the message of Pope Benedict XVI, who had invited the more than 600 participants to “discover new ways for greater authenticity in relationships in the medical world”, and to Chiara Lubich, whose wish for the congress was “to be a stimulus and a renewed commitment to build true relationships of fraternity, so that our cultural commitment may be sustained by an authentic experience of communitarian life”.
The congress was not without the contribution of the civil and political world. Livia Turco, Minister of Health, sent a message, and Ignazio Marino, president of the Senate Commission on Health and Hygiene was present, alongside many representatives of the academic world. The messages are available on the site www.mdc-net.org
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18 Feb 2007 | Non categorizzato
On Saturday 17th February, “the Father has called Father Silvano Cola to himself”. He died suddenly of cardiac arrest at the priests’ Centre in Grottaferrata (Rome), where he lived with other priests. He was responsible of the diocesan-priest branch which started from the 1950’s in the newly born Focolare Movement. Father Silvano was among the first priests, who in contact with the Focolare, found a new impulse in their priestly ministry, in that unity that springs forth from the reciprocity of evangelical love, at the very heart of the Focolare spirituality. In communicating the news of Father Silvano’s death, Chiara Lubich highlighted in a particular way the “untiring generosity” with which he carried out his work at the service of the priests: “After having loved them, he loved them till the end”.
In recent years, Father Cola shared with one of the first focolarinas, Valeria Ronchetti, the responsibility of the secretariat instituted by the foundress of the Focolare Movement to promote communion among ecclesial movements and new communities, in response to Pope John Paul II’s wish, after the great meeting in St. Peter’s square on the eve of Pentecost 1998. Father Silvano was born in Camerino (Macerata – Italy) on 22 January 1928 and he was ordained priest in Turin on 27 June, 1950. In 1964, with the consent of his archbishop, he moved to Focolare Movement’s centre, at Rocca di Papa (Rome). In 1990, he took part in the synod of bishops in priestly formation. He was a member of the movement’s general council. His funeral will be held on Tuesday at the Mariapolis Centre of Castelgandolfo (Rome) – St. John Baptist de la Salle Street.
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8 Feb 2007 | Non categorizzato
«From the communion between Bishops and Movements we can expect the emergence of a valid impulse toward the renewed committment of the Church to the proclamation and testimony of the Gospel, of hope and charity, in all corners of the world». This is one of the salient points of Pope Benedict’s discourse addressed to almost 200 Bishops, received in private audience, on Thursday morning, 8th February: Bishops friends of the Focolare Movement gathered in those days in Castelgandolfo and Bishops friends of the Community of Saint Egidio meeting in Rome for the anniversary of its foundation. Here below the whole discourse of the Holy Father: «Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate! I am delighted to welcome you to this special Audience and I cordially greet all of you, coming from various parts of the world. I address a special thought to those who belong to other Christian Churches that are here with us. Some of you are taking part in the annual appointment of Bishops friends of the Focolare Movement, which has for its theme, “The Crucified and abandoned Christ, light in the cultural night”. I take this opportunity to send Chiara Lubich my best wishes and blessing, which I extend to all the members of the movement that she founded. Others are taking part in the IX Meeting of Bishops Friends of the Community of Saint Egidio, which is exploring a very pressing topic, “The globalisation of love”. I greet Mons. Vincenzo Paglia, and with him Professor Andrea Riccardi and the whole Community, who on the anniversary of its foundation, will meet tonight at the Basilica of St John Lateran for a solemn Eucharistic celebration.
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, I would like to tell you first of all that your closeness to these two movements, highlights the vitality of new groupings of the faithful, and expresses the communion between charisms that constitutes a typical ‘sign of the times’. The post-synodal exhortation “Pastoris gregis” recalls that “the relationships of exchange between Bishops go well beyond their institutional meetings”. (n.59) That is what happens in meeting like yours, in which you experience an Episcopal fraternity that from the sharing of ideals promoted by the movements, stimulates you to have a more intense communion of hearts, give one another stronger mutual support, and have a greater shared commitment to showing that the church is a place of prayer and charity, a house of mercy and peace. My venerated predecessor, Pope John Paul II, presented these movements and new communities, which have emerged in recent years, as a providential gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church in order to respond in an effective way to the challenges of our time. And you know too that I have often underlined the value of their charismatic dimension. How can we forget, for example, last year’s extraordinary Pentecost Vigil, which saw the harmonious participation of many movements and ecclesial associations? The emotion I experienced on participating in St. Peter’s Square in that intense spiritual experience is still alive in me. I repeat to you what I said on that occasion to the faithful who had come from all over the world. The Holy Spirit wants the manifold nature of the movements to be at the service of the one Body of Christ, that is precisely the Church. And he accomplishes this through the ministry of those he has placed to govern the Church of God, namely, the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter. The unity and multiplicity that is in the People of God, is manifest here today, too, by the meeting here with the Pope of many Bishops who are close to two different Ecclesial Movements, marked with a strong missionary dimension. In the wealthy Western world where, although cultural relativism does exist, there is no lack of a widespread desire for spirituality, your movements testify to the joy of the faith and the beauty of being Christian. In the vast deprived areas of the earth, they communicate the message of solidarity and stand alongside the poor and weak with that love, human and divine, that I sought to bring to everyone’s attention with my Encyclical ‘Deus caritas est’. From the communion between Bishops and Movements we can expect the emergence of a valid impulse toward the renewed commitment of the Church to the proclamation and testimony of the Gospel, of hope and charity, in all corners of the world. The Focolare movement, drawing on the heart of its spirituality, that is Jesus Crucified and Abandoned, highlights the charism and service of unity, which it puts into effect in various social and cultural fields, for example the world of economics with “the economy of communion”, and through ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. The Saint Egidio Community, placing prayer and liturgy at the core of its own existence, wishes to be close to those suffering distress and social marginalisation. For a Christian, a person, thought distant, is never a stranger. Together we can face with greater fortitude the challenges we are presented with in such a pressing way at the start of the third millennium: I am thinking primarily of the search for justice and peace, and the urgent need to construct a more fraternal and united world, starting with the countries from which a number of you come, wracked by bloody conflicts. I make a special mention of Africa, a continent that I carry in my heart and that I hope may finally see a period of stable peace and real development. The forthcoming synod of African bishops will surely be an appropriate moment to show the great love that God reserves for the beloved people of Africa. Dear friends, the innovative fraternity that exists between you and the movements with whom you are friends, urges you to carry together “the burdens of one another” (Gal 6:2), as the Apostle recommends, above all in everything that concerns evangelisation, love for the poor, and the cause of peace. May the Lord make your spiritual and apostolic endeavours ever more fruitful. I am with you in prayer and willingly impart an Apostolic Blessing to you here present, to the Focolare Movement and to the Community of St Egidio, and to all the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care».
2 Feb 2007 | Non categorizzato
Eighty-five bishops from all five continents – from Lebanon on the brink of war, from Sudan and the tragedy of Darfur, from Pakistan and the fight against terror – are coming to take part in the 31st meeting of Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement. Benedict XVI will receive the Bishops in a special audience on the morning of February 8. On the same morning, they will meet journalists and speak of their commitment, and that of their local churches, in some of the most troubled areas of the world (at 1300 in the Augustinium Hall, Via Paolo VI, 25) The title of the meeting is “The crucified and forsaken Christ, a light in the cultural night”. Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, moderator of the meeting, explains: “There are particular challenges today to the life of humanity and the journey of the church, in a period that John Paul II had no hesitation in calling an epochal “dark night”. The situation poses not only risks, but also, as Pope Benedict XVI has said, the opportunity of a new beginning, a new and efficacious proclamation of God as Love, that can lead to a new vision of humanity based on the gift of self and sharing. A key contribution to the this debate has been prepared by Chiara Lubich. Another important theme is the collaboration of Movements and Communities of the various Churches in a common witness. This will be highlighted on May 12 at the second day meeting “Together for Europe” to held in Stuttgart, and simultaneously in many other European Cities.
31 Jan 2007 | Non categorizzato, Word of
This is the most intelligent way to live: to place our lives in the hands of the One who gave life to us. Whatever may happen, we can trust in him totally because he is Love and wants the best for us.
When the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed this “blessing,” he added an image that is frequently used in biblical tradition: a tree planted on the banks of a stream of running water. It does not fear the summer heat, for its roots are well nourished, its leaves are always green and it bears abundant fruit.
On the contrary, those who put their hope outside of God—perhaps in power, in riches, or in influential friends—are likened to a bush on land that is dry and salty, on which nothing grows and nothing bears fruit.
«Blessed are those who trust in the Lord»
We turn to the Lord when we find ourselves in difficult situations, when we are desperate because of an incurable illness, a huge debt, or a close brush with death. This is all very understandable. We know, however, that what is impossible for human beings is possible for God. But if “for God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26), why don’t we turn to him in every moment of our lives?
This Word of Life invites us to live in continual union with the Lord, going beyond the many things that we have to ask of him, because we are always in need of his help. “Blessed” – that is, having the joy and fullness of life – is the one who builds a relationship of trust and intimacy with the Lord that comes from faith in his love.
He, the God who is closer and more intimate to us than we are to ourselves, walks with us and knows every beat of our hearts. We can share our joys, sufferings, worries and plans with him. We are never alone, not even in our most dark and difficult moments. We can trust in him completely. He will never disappoint us.
«Blessed are those who trust in the Lord»
Chiara Lubich tells us that a good way to express this intimate relationship is “to work as a team.”
At times we become deeply troubled because we are not able to intervene directly in situations and in people’s lives so that it is difficult to do what seems to be the will of God for us in that moment. We would like to be close to a dear person who is suffering, who is going through a moment of trial, who is ill. We would like to be able to resolve every dilemma, to go to help those peoples at war, the refugees, the hungry, and so on.
We feel so powerless! This is the moment to trust fully in God, even sometimes in a heroic way. Chiara gives some suggestions: “I can do nothing in this case…. Well then, I will do what God wants of me in this moment: study well, sweep well, pray well, take care of my children well…. And God will see to the untangling of this knot, comforting the one who is suffering, sorting out that complicated situation.”
Chiara concludes: “It is a job done in two in perfect teamwork which requires great faith on our part in God’s love for his children and that makes it possible, through our action, for God to have trust in us.
“This reciprocal confidence works miracles.
“We will see that what we could not do, Another has done, and has done far better.
“The heroic act of confidence will be rewarded; our life limited to one field only will acquire a new dimension, we will feel in contact with the infinite…. The reality that we are truly children of a God who is Father, who can do everything, will become clearer to us because we also have experienced it.” (1)
«Blessed are those who trust in the Lord»
“The telephone rang,” recounted Rina, who has been confined to her home for years, “and it was an old lady like me, to whom I have been sending the Word of Life for some time. Her brother was dying and she didn’t know what to do. It was vacation time and she didn’t know whom to call to care for him. Also in the last few years he had become homeless and was forced to live on the streets. I felt my friend’s suffering as my own; I felt totally powerless, like her. What could I do, living so far from her, restricted as I am to my chair? I wanted to share at least a few comforting words with her, but I just didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t even able to do that much! I could only tell her that I would remember to pray for her and her brother.
“That evening, when my friends came back from work, together we entrusted this situation to God and we placed all our fears and doubts in his heart.
“That night, I woke up and imagined that homeless man, alone and dying. I fell back asleep but again woke up a short time later. Each time, I turned to the Father and said: ‘He is your son; you cannot abandon him. Take care of him!’
“A few days later, I got a phone call from my friend; she told me that after having spoken to me that day, she felt a great peace. Then she said: ‘You know, we were able to bring him to the hospital! They were able to help him by giving him some medication for pain relief. He had been purified by his suffering and was ready. He died serenely, after having received Jesus in the Eucharist.’
“In my heart I had a deep sense of gratitude and a greater trust in the Lord.”
Edited by Fr. Fabio Ciardi and Gabriella Fallacara
1) Chiara Lubich, Yes Yes No No, New City London, 1977, pp. 113-114.
