Non categorizzato - Movimento dei Focolari

April 2003

31 Mar 2003 | Non categorizzato, Word of

Jesus is in the garden of olives, a piece of land called Gethsemane. The long-awaited hour has arrived. It is the crucial moment of his existence. He falls to the ground, and with confident tenderness implores God calling him “Father”. He asks to be spared from “drinking the cup”, an expression which refers to his passion and death. Jesus prays that that hour may pass. But in the end he submits completely to the Father’s will:

«Not what I will but what you will»

Jesus knows that his passion is not a chance event, nor simply a decision taken by men, but rather, a design of God. He will be taken to trial and rejected by men, but the “cup” comes from the hands of God.
Jesus teaches us that the Father has a design of love for each one of us, that he loves us personally and, if we believe in this love and reciprocate with our love – this is the condition – he directs all things toward good. For Jesus nothing happened by chance, not even his passion and death.
And this was followed by the resurrection, whose solemn feast we are celebrating this month.
The example of the risen Jesus should be a light for our life. We should interpret all that happens to us, all that takes place, all that is around us and even all that makes us suffer as something that God wills or that he permits, because he loves us. So then everything will have meaning in life, everything will be extremely useful, even what might seem in that moment to be incomprehensible and absurd, even what might plunge us into mortal anguish, as happened to Jesus. With him we need only to repeat, with an act of total trust in the Father’s love:

«Not what I will but what you will»

His will is that we live, that we joyfully thank him for the gifts of our life. His will is not, as we might sometimes think, an objective to which we must resign ourselves, especially when we encounter suffering; nor is it a sequence of monotonous acts that we carry out in our lifetime.
It is his voice which continues to make itself heard within, inviting us. It is the way in which he expresses his love and brings us to the fullness of his life.
We could depict it with the image of the sun whose rays are like his will for each one of us. Each one walks along a ray, distinct from the ray of the person next to us, but always along a ray of the sun, that is, the will of God. So we all do only one will, that of God, but it is different for each one of us. Furthermore, the closer the rays come to the sun, the closer they come to one another. For us too, the closer we come to God, by carrying out the divine will more and more perfectly, the closer we draw to one another… until we are one.
By living in this way, everything changes in our life. Instead of associating only with people we like and loving them alone, we seek the company of whomever God wills us to be with. Instead of preferring the things that please us the most, we look after those that the will of God suggests to us and we give preference to them. Being completely intent on doing the divine will in each moment (“what you will”) will lead to our being detached from everything else, and from ourselves as well (“not what I will”). This detachment is not something deliberately sought after – we seek God alone – but in actual fact it is attained. Then our joy will be full. We need only to immerse ourselves entirely in each fleeting moment and in that instant carry out the will of God, repeating:

«Not what I will but what you will»

The past no longer exists; the future is not yet here. Just as someone traveling by train would never think of walking up and down the aisle to reach his destination sooner, but remains seated, so we should remain in the present. The train of time moves ahead on its own. We can love God only in the present moment given to us by saying our own “yes” – a vigorous, total, very active “yes” to his will.
So let us be happy to give that smile, to carry out that job, to drive that car, to prepare that meal, to organize that activity. Let us love all those who are suffering around us.
Not even trials or sufferings should frighten us if, with Jesus, we recognize God’s will in them, that is, his love for each one of us. Indeed, we could pray in this way:
“Lord, help me not to fear anything, because all that will happen will be nothing other than your will! Lord, help me not to desire anything, because nothing is more desirable than your will.
What matters in life? Doing your will matters.
Grant that nothing may anguish me or exalt me, because in everything I find your will.

Chiara Lubich

Peace on the offensive

27 Mar 2003 | Non categorizzato

The unstable world situation particularly in the Middle East and in parts of Africa are a call for a counter action or actions that aim at building peace, or better, at establishing a culture of peace.

Last October Pope John Paul II re-launched the practice of saying the rosary for world peace and in support of the family, another targeted area in our society.
On October 16, 2002 asked the members of the Focolare Movement to be among the first ones to take up this instrument of peace, entrusting Chiara Lubich with a significant mandate: “I would like to ideally hand over to the focolarini the prayer of the Holy Rosary as a preferential way of contemplating and assimilating the mystery of Christ.”
As a result, many families and young people are praying the rosary for peace. And many other peace-building initiatives are underway.

Ecumenical and Interreligious Initiatives

Norway – March 23 – A vigil for reflection on peace in the Mosque in Oslo – 600 attended: adults and children, Catholics, Lutherans and Muslims. The event received coverage in the media. Sample headlines: “No religion urges aggression.” A Christian-Muslim committee was created to follow up on further developments.
An e-mail message entitled “The Snow-Ball Effect” read: “Instead of war we want to build peace and spread the idea of reconciliation. We intend to carry out concrete actions for peace in our daily lives. For example: to welcome those being discriminated against; to forgive; not to let the sun go down without having resolved misunderstandings, between husband and wife, for example; to apologize; to avoid speaking badly about someone, and instead to highlight the positive; to collaborate better with one’s co-workers and avoid introducing elements of disharmony; to raise awareness that love is more powerful than bombs. Will you join us?”

Philippines – The decision to hold an interfaith gathering for peace with friends of different religions, Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, was warmly welcomed, especially by members of the Muslim community.

Belgium – “Drums for Peace.” This year 60,000 children were involved in an annual march for peace promoted by the Focolare and supported by UNESCO, the Minister of Education, and various local administrations. The event received widespread media coverage.
Bulgaria – Catholics and Orthodox made a pilgrimage together to an Orthodox monastery dedicated to Mary, close to the capital city, Sophia.

United States – In Chicago a benefit dinner attended also by Muslims friends of the Focolare, concluded with a moment of silence and the reading of the prayer of St. Francis for peace. At Mariapolis Luminosa, the little city of the Focolare for North America, in Hyde Park, NY, every evening the community gathers to pray together a rosary for peace.
In New York City, the Youth for a United World worked together with their friends to organize a vigil, “Seeds of Hope: Experiences of Unity in a Divided World.” In an atmosphere of hope, they reflected on the serious consequences of the war in Iraq, prayed for all who suffer from violence and war, and highlighted positive and concrete ways of building relationships of peace and unity.

Ireland – Many schools took part in the Drums for Peace initiative. In Belfast, the principal of a Catholic school invited the neighboring Protestant school to collaborate on the project. In County Cork in the south of Ireland, at the suggestion of a teenage boy, many gathered to pray the rosary at the local “Holy Well,” a traditional place to gather for prayer in times of crisis.

Italy – Of the thousands of peace marches that took place around the world, the one organized in Milan on March 22 by members of the Focolare and St. Egidio Community proposed peace as a lifestyle. The march included a rally where personal witnesses were shared by a young Muslim from Algeria, a young woman from Israel, and a Buddhist from Sri Lanka. Youth from different movements and associations in the diocese began a prayer chain.

Slovak Republic – After having prayed the rosary for peace, a group of children came up with the idea of sending a letter to the national Catholic newspaper, addressed to children everywhere. Julia, 5, wrote the title: “Let’s pray that there will not be another world war.” “Dear friends,” they wrote, “the Holy Father suffered very much when he heard that the war had begun in Iraq, and he started to pray right away. We started to pray, too, saying a part of the rosary every day, at least ten Hail Marys. We are praying that there will be no more wars. We are asking everyone not to fight: at school, at home, on the playground, on our buses, streets, and in places of government. Come and let’s pray together, as many children as possible. Hopefully our prayers will bring the war to an end quickly. Invite other children and adults to do the same, too. Thank you! Bye!”

Brazil – In Sao Paulo fliers were handed out to passersby, inviting the public to transform their daily commute into a pilgrimage for peace by reciting a simple prayer or two as they walked down the street.

Argentina – The local Catholic Church, joined by other Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities, set up a tent in the popular Plaza de Mayo where people can gather 24 hours a day to pray for peace.

To bring an end to the war: initiatives and prayers for peace Live for universal brotherhood at all costs

23 Mar 2003 | Non categorizzato

Act for peace “That which, together with the Pope, we hoped would never happen has happened: the war in Iraq.” With these words Chiara began her message to the people of the Focolare Movement inviting everyone to take action for peace: “When he was informed of the attack on Iraq the Holy Father, after having the week before explored every possible avenue to save peace, he retreated in prayer, anguished. Our knowledge of the facts and the Pope’s example urge us now in every nation where the Movement is present, to foster initiatives in favor of peace, and not just in Christian circles.” Chiara suggested in particular that the Movement’s members and supporters in particular increase the initiatives of prayer for peace “because we call on God’s help in a matter -war – where the prince of Evil is at work: prayer, therefore, pilgrimages, liturgical events, coming together to pray the rosary.” A passionate call “at all costs” for universal brotherhood In a message sent to the participants at a gathering for Muslim families of the Focolare Movement which began on March 26 in Algeria, Chiara wrote: “It is a difficult time for international relations. Such times require an extra measure of faith in the merciful love of the One God, a passionate effort at living for universal brotherhood, no matter what the cost, a more generous and more complete concentration of our life in the values of our Ideal of unity: an Ideal of mutual love, acceptance and solidarity that prepare the dawn of a united world. I know that many voices around us push us in the opposite direction, but we know and believe that justice can really live only where there is mutual love, that love that comes from God. My wish for you is that your time together may be the source of an enriching spiritual experience that will help you grow both in your love for one another and in the example of faith that you offer to your communities. A family that lives in accordance with God’s will is like a beacon of light that illuminates the pathways of humanity and its interactions. I am there with you with my whole heart.”

[:it]"La sfida di una politica autentica"

21 Mar 2003 | Non categorizzato

They could have been the last moments of my life

11 Mar 2003 | Non categorizzato

I live in Rio de Janeiro: one of most beautiful cities in the world. For some time now I have been living the Word of Life and taking it to various people with Chiara’s commentaries. One evening, I left work later that usual, yet I didn’t want to go home without consigning the last copy of the Word to a family I visit every month. So I called my mother to let her know I would be late. But in order not to be too late, I took a taxi. In the rearview mirror I saw the face of the driver who said, “You got in the wrong car, this is a stolen taxi and now you’re coming with me.” I shuddered: “A kidnapper, where will he take me?” The taxi left the city. We pulled up in front of a Motel, a house of prostitution. He made me get down and pushed me into a room. He remained in the hall and I sat on the bed and thought “what will happen to me?” It could have been the moment of my life … Then I remembered I still had the Word of Life and so I began reading it slowly. That person came in and shut the door. Sitting down beside me, with his arm over my shoulder he asked, “What are you dooing?” I told him it was a commentary on a phrase spoken by Jesus’ in the Gospel which I tried to put into practice. “Read it to me out loud!”, he said aggressively. I think I lived that moment in solemnity, reading each word with love. I hadn’t finished reading when he wripped the page out of my hand and said, “Go on go, get out, you’re too good!”. The Word saved my life. M.A.C. – Rio de Janeiro (From “I Fioretti di Chiara e dei Focolari” – San Paolo Editrice)