21 Apr 2006 | Non categorizzato
“Jesus crucified and forsaken is the model priest!”
22/04/2006
Joy for having “experienced the family spirit,” “shared even our difficulties,” “prayed in profound unity” and “for having participated in a great moment of Church life”: these were some of the impressions gathered there and then, from priests, permanent deacons and seminarians as their conference entitled “The Church today: the spirituality of communion and dialogue,” ended. It was held at Castel Gandolfo (Rome) from April 19 to 21, attended by 1,000 participants coming from 52 different countries. Among the participants were also members of other Churches.
The conference started with an in-depth reflection on “The portrait of the priest and the deacon today: actual experience and challenges.” Experiences from different parts of the world and the talks offered by experts during this first part of the conference highlighted the challenges faced by the Church today and, consequently, by priests as well – such as the credibility crisis and lack of impact, social and cultural fragmentation, individualism and overwork. Furthermore, there is also the struggle against poverty, conflicts and injustice. However, it was observed that right in the midst of these difficulties, signs of hope can be gleaned, such as a widespread “thirst for God” which must be responded to with adequate preparation, the flourishing of small ecclesial communities and the contribution of the new charisms.
The key idea of the Conference was put into light by Chiara Lubich’s message: “Jesus crucified and forsaken is the One who opened up the way for humanity towards universal brotherhood… And since men and women, because of Jesus crucified and forsaken, were able to establish their rapport with God again, He is the bond of unity also among people… This is why we speak of him: he is the model priest! My wish, accompanied with my prayers, is that each of you may find your model in him, so that the Church today may be enriched by priests-Christ, priests-victims for humanity; authentically Christ, ready to give their lives for everyone.”
The second part of the conference dealt with the theme on the Church as communion and the absolute need for a spirituality of communion. Giuseppe Maria Zanghì, co-director of the Focolare Movement’s Center of Studies spoke about the “epochal transition from a prevalently individual vision of the human person to one which opens up the individual’s interior life towards communion with every person.” Fr. Silvano Cola, director of the Focolare’s Priests Movement, recounted his meeting with the spirituality of unity, underscoring three fundamental dimensions for the life of Christians and priests today: “discovering that God is Love means ‘everything’ to the Christian experience; being able to see all men and women as children of God; putting at the center of one’s life Jesus Crucified, who, even at the moment when he felt himself separated from the Father, entrusted himself to the Father out of love.”
The evening prayer of the first day was accompanied by the hymn Akathistos dedicated to Our Lady, offered by a choir of Orthodox priests and seminarians.
The morning session of the second day, April 20, constituted the nucleus of the conference. Unity, communion and reciprocity – it was said – are but a utopia if they are not rooted in a love whose measure is Jesus’ radical giving of Himself on the cross. Among the speakers were two parish priests whose efforts proved to be very fruitful in environments that were not very open to church life, and an Italian priest who has dedicated his life to the “meninos da rua” (streetchildren).
The concelebrated Mass was presided over by Bishop Gian Carlo Bregantini of Locri (region of Calabria, Italy), who is a living witness of evangelical courage in the struggle against organized crime. In the afternoon, Msgr. Aldo Giordano, Secretary-General of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, proposed stimulating points for reflection with his theme: “For a pastoral work characterized by communion.”
Some experiences shared offered examples of pastoral work animated by the missionary spirit. Included among these experiences was that of priests and lay people from the St. John of the Cross Parish in Rome, where the vitality and methods used by the new ecclesial Movements harmoniously blend with parish structures. Another experience was that of aid work in favor of Bosnia, being carried out by a youth center in Germany – an endeavour which has turned out to be an experience of evangelization, with positive effects felt in 45 countries. Lastly, there was also the experience of a young Brasilian priest who was able to develop over 2,000 small communities which have revitalized Church and social life in Ponta Grossa with the evangelical art of loving.
The morning session of April 21 was dedicated to the theme of culture and dialogue, with the reflection offered by Fr. Pasquale Foresi, first priest focolarino on “A new school of thinking,” followed by Vera Araùjo and Carlos Clarià, members of the Focolare Movement’s General Council, on “Soul of the world: new horizons for mission today.”
The culminating point of the Conference was an intense moment of prayer, during which the participants took upon themselves the commitment (as re-proposed on behalf of Chiara Lubich by Natalia Dallapiccola, her first companion) – to conform their lives to Jesus crucified to be able to face the many ‘countenances’ of suffering in the world today and “drink deep of the waters of tribulation from many hearts that are nearby and … from many far away.” Giving the final greeting, Fr. Silvano Cola – one of the promoters of the conference – said: “As Jesus did 2000 years ago, he seems to be telling us today, “Go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel put into life”!
For further information: chiesaoggi.focolare.org
20 Apr 2006 | Non categorizzato
“Dear A., as you can see, in our own small way, we are trying to help our companions who are in greater difficulty than we are. What we do is little, but it gives us the strength to go ahead on the road where there is the light. We sleep feeling free and with our consciences at peace. I always try to establish a dialogue with my companions; sometimes I hope I’m offering a useful word or two, at other times it is enough just to be there, at other times we say a prayer together that the Lord might help us overcome these dark moments.”
The above quote is from a letter written by a detainee to A., who every Thursday morning visits the new Rebibbia Prison compound in Rome, where his prisoner-friends are expecting him. For some years now he has been spending his day off there, taking upon himself the problems and hopes of people who, often, have touched bottom.
A. had obtained permission to meet the detainees of every sector of the prison. He is in personal contact with about 50 people and through those who are more open, he reaches out to yet others. He also helps them through the monthly Word of life and the Città Nuova magazine. Many of his friends say that they draw spiritual nourishment from these publications, as well as a different outlook, as expressed in a poem written by one of them:
“The silence of the night is like a warm welcoming bed/ (…). It is the voice of our conscience./(…) Can prisoners mend their ways / can the blind behold sunsets / can the tramps dream of a warm hearth / Can the powerful become humble and wise / and the sick smile again./ The silence of the night / is the bed on which everybody / reckons with the Truth.”
Sometimes the relationship continues even when a detainee has served his sentence or is transferred to another prison, like the author of the poem who wrote from another prison: “I’ve been in prison since 1996. Troubles, deaths in the family and then back into prison… It’s a good thing that I have learned how to love and to believe, because otherwise I don’t know how I would have ended up. I want you to know that I continue praying and that I try to bring this life of love to those who need it most. It will not be easy on the outside either: we have to reckon with our past, accept it, and humbly say: I need help. I cannot deny that in some moments I have experienced what Jesus himself experienced: abandonment, persecution, the indifference of many people… But then I tell myself: I am at fault while He was innocent. He sacrificed his life to redeem us, to make us understand to what extent we have to love. How can we help but love and adore Him?”
The experiences collected so far are a moving witness. Here are some excerpts:
“A young man in the cell across from me was desperate because he lost the ring his wife had given him as a gift. I dismantled the pipes in the sink of his cell and we found it. You wouldn’t believe how happy he was…later on I wrote a letter for an illiterate prisoner… I readily gave away a pack of 10 cigarettes even if I was left with none.”
“I worked for two months to make a boat out of toothpicks. I wanted to sell it and earn some money, but my friend had no gift to give his wife so I decided to give him my boat.”
These are glimpses of new life which make us better understand how to be a “neighbor,” like Jesus on the cross, to those who pass by us in life by “being one” with them, perhaps by taking upon ourselves a situation of disunity, sharing a suffering, or solving a problem, with a concrete love made up of service.
(cf. Città Nuova magazine no. 5/2006)
20 Apr 2006 | Non categorizzato
19 Apr 2006 | Non categorizzato
Dear everyone,
I am very happy to welcome each participant at this Congress and I especially greet our Christian brothers, ministers of other Churches, who are present.
You have come together from many nations the world over to deepen the spirituality of communion and dialogue in the Church today.
I was asked to share a message with you.
I saw that in your dense program a special place was given to the theme on: “The abandonment of Jesus.” Why is this?
Because the cardinal points of our spirituality are, on one side, Jesus Crucified who cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and on the other, unity.
Jesus crucified and forsaken is the One who opened up the way for humanity towards universal brotherhood. It was in that moment that he became the mediator between humankind and God. It was there on the cross that he presented himself to the Father as priest and victim for all of humanity. And since men and women, because of Jesus crucified and forsaken, were able to establish their rapport with God again, they were also able to be in relation with one another: Jesus forsaken is the bond of unity also among people. And unity is the fruit of dialogue: it is dialogue which has been totally consummated.
This is why we speak of him: he is the priest par excellence!
My wish, accompanied with my prayers, is that each of you may find your model in him, so that the Church today may be enriched by priests-Christ, priests-victims for humanity; authentically Christ, ready to give their lives for everyone.
Easter, which we have just celebrated, reminds us that the suffering of the Passion was followed by the great joy of the Resurrection.
In Him risen and alive among us,
Chiara
18 Apr 2006 | Non categorizzato
International Meeting of Priests, Deacons and Seminarians
Wednesday 19 April
Priests and Deacons Today – Issues and Challenges
09.00 Welcome – Wolfgang Schneck and Andrea Caelli – Presenters
Opening Greetings: Silvano Cola, Lino D’Armi, Enrico Pepe, Hubertus Blaumeiser – Priests of the Diocesan Priests Centre of the Focolare Movement
Brief Experiences of Priests and Deacons from various Continents
CHOREOGRAPHY: “FROM INDIVIDUALISM TO COMMUNION” (SEMINARIANS FROM LOPPIANO)
10.30 Priests and Deacons Today: Challenges and Questions
Andrea Caelli, one of the presenters, interviewing: Wilfried Hagemann (Germany), Thomas Norris (Ireland), Enrique Cambón (Argentina), Léon Sirabahenda (Burundi)
Two seminarians present the results of a Research
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION – MIMO PEREZ (PHILIPPINES)
Message from Chiara Lubich
11.45 Concelebration
A Spirituality for the Church-Communion
16.00 Spirituality of Communion: From the “Interior Castle” to the “Exterior Castle” – Giuseppe Maria Zanghì, Director of the Focolare Movement’s Study Centre
Historical Perspectives: Priests and the Focolare Movement – Silvano Cola
MUSICAL INTERLUDE
Building up the Church-Communion: Experiences of Marco Tecilla and others
18.00 The Prophetic Character of the Focolare Movement’s Small Towns (Presentation of Loppiano, Incisa-Valdarno)
Being formed in Communion: Schools for Priests, Deacons and Seminarians – Lorenzo Campagnolo, co-director, and other participants of the Programme run at Loppiano’s International Centre of Spirituality for Priests and Seminarians
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION – MIMMO IERVOLINO (NAPLES)
Communion as a Way of Life (Experiences)
19.10 Prayer led by Orthodox priests (Oriental Churches Institute, Regensburg)
Thursday 20 April
Our Deepest Roots
09.00 Prayer led by Participants of Various Churches
“I give you this Crucifix” – Experience of Dante Sementilli
PIANO RECITAL – ALFONSO GUILLAMON (SPAIN)
“Put Yourself in the Other Person’s Place” – Experience of Carlo Malavasi
10.20 Jesus’ Abandonment – the Way to Unity – Natalia Dallapiccola – Chiara Lubich’s First Companion
Jesus Crucified and Forsaken in the Experience of the Focolare Movement
(Video-recording of a talk given by Chiara Lubich)
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION – PIERLUIGI GRISON (LOPPIANO)
Jesus Forsaken – Model for Priests (Experiences)
11.45 Concelebration
Evangelization and Dialogue
16.00 A Pastoral Ministry of Communion – Aldo Giordano, General Secretary of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences
The Primacy of Love (video-clip of Chiara Lubich)
MUSICAL INTERLUDE
Going out towards All (Experiences)
17.50 Testimony-Concert in Memory of Card. Van Thuan – Carlo José Seno and Priests from Milano
19.10 Prayer: “I have only one Spouse on Earth”
Friday 21 April
“May They All Be One”
09.00 A new School of Thought – Pasquale Foresi – Central Governing Body of the Focolare Movement
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION
“Soul of the World”: New Horizons of Mission Today
Vera Araújo and Carlos Clarià – International Centre of the Focolare Movement
PIANO RECITAL – CARLO JOSÉ SENO AND ALFONSO GUILLAMON
Impressions from Some Participants
Conclusion – Silvano Cola, Lino D’Armi, Enrico Pepe, Hubertus Blaumeiser
11.00 Concelebration
31 Mar 2006 | Non categorizzato, Word of
More eloquently than any treatise, these words of Jesus reveal the secret of life. A person cannot experience the joy that Jesus gives without having loved suffering. Nor can one experience resurrection without going through death. In this Word of Life, Jesus refers to himself; he explains the significance of his existence. He said this just a few days before his death. It would be a painful one and full of humiliation. Why did he die, he who proclaimed himself the Life? Why did he suffer, he who was innocent? Why was he slandered, beaten, ridiculed, and nailed to a cross, to die in the most disgraceful way? And, above all, why did he, who lived in constant union with God, feel abandoned by his own Father? Even for him death was fearful, but it had a meaning: the resurrection. He had come “to gather into one the dispersed children of God” (Jn 11:52), to break down every barrier between groups and individuals, to reconcile people who were previously divided, to bring peace, and to build unity. But he had to pay a price: in order “to draw everyone” to himself, he would have to be ”lifted up from the earth,” on the cross (Jn 12:32). In this context we find this parable, the most beautiful one in the whole Gospel:
«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»
Jesus is that grain of wheat. In this Lenten season, we contemplate him on the cross, the place of his martyrdom and his glory, as a sign of his limitless love. There he gave everything: forgiveness to sinners and heaven to the good thief; he gave his mother; he gave his own body and blood and his very life, to the point of crying out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). Back in 1944 I wrote: “Do you realize that he has given us everything? What more could a God give us, who loves us so much that he seems to forget that he is God?” And he gave us the possibility of becoming children of God. He generated a new people, a new creation. On the day of Pentecost, the grain of wheat that had fallen to the ground and had died was already blooming into a fruitful plant. Three thousand people, of every ethnicity and nation, became “one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). Then they became five thousand, and then…
«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»
This Word of Life gives meaning to our lives, to our suffering and to our death. The universal brotherhood we want to live for, the peace and unity that we want to build around us, is merely an illusion, a nice dream, if we are not ready to follow in the same footsteps as our Teacher. How did he manage to produce “much fruit”? He shared everything that is ours. He took on our sufferings. He joined himself to our darkness, our sadness, our fatigue, and our struggles. He experienced betrayal, solitude, being orphaned… In a word, he made himself “one with us,” taking upon himself all our burdens. So we who are in love with this God who becomes our “neighbor,” now have a way to tell him that we are infinitely grateful for his immense love; we can live as he lived. And then we, too, become “neighbors” to all those who come in contact with us in life, with a readiness to “be one” with them, to reconcile a division, to share in a suffering, or to resolve a problem, with a love that serves others concretely. Jesus in his abandonment gave all of himself. In this spirituality that is centered on him, the risen Jesus should shine out fully and our joy should bear witness to him.
Chiara Lubich
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