31 Dec 2002 | Non categorizzato, Word of
The Christians of Corinth used to compare the apostle Paul with other contemporary preachers who spoke with greater eloquence and scholarship. They liked to hear nice talks, philosophical speculations, whereas Paul, physically weak and tested, presented himself with simplicity, without using the big words suggested by human wisdom . And yet Jesus had fully revealed himself to Paul on the way to Damascus, and ever since then God had continued to inundate his heart with the light of his Son and had invited him to bring that light to everyone. However, Paul was the first to realize the disproportion between the inestimable preciousness of the mission entrusted to him and the inadequacy of his person: a treasure in a poor clay jar.
How often we too are aware of our poverty, our limitations and inadequacy before the tasks entrusted to us, our incapacity to respond fully to the demands of our vocation, the sense of powerlessness in the face of situations that surpass our strength. Moreover, we feel inclined and attracted more easily towards evil rather than good, and we find it difficult to resist due to the weakness of our will. We too, like Paul, feel like vases of clay.
And it’s not hard to find the same weakness and fragility in the people around us, in our families, communities or groups.
How can we not be mindful of these words of Paul during this month in which we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity? In spite of the treasure God has given us, we Christians have not been able to live in unity.
«We hold this treasure in earthen vessels»
If we were to look only at the earthen vessels that we are, we would really become discouraged. Instead, what matters, and what we must focus on, is the treasure that we bear within us! Paul knew that his earthen vessel was inhabited by the light of Christ: it was Christ himself who lived in him and this gave him the courage to venture everything for the spreading of God’s Kingdom.
As Christians, we too can experience the infinite treasure that we bear within us: it is the Most Holy Trinity. I look within myself and I discover depths of love, an abyss, an immensity, like a divine sun dwelling within me.
I look around me and learn to discern this indwelling treasure also in the others. Their vases of clay might be evident, but I don’t stop at outward appearances. John Paul II reminds us that we must see the light of the Trinity dwelling in us also “on the face of the brothers and sisters around us”.
«We hold this treasure in earthen vessels»
How should we live this Word of Life?
It is addressed to us. An us that doesn’t exclude anyone. “Christians must make known together this treasure that shines in glory on the face of the resurrected one.” However, in order to become fully aware of the treasure we have, we will need to enter into communion with it. Yes, we can learn to live with the Most Holy Trinity to the point of losing ourselves in it. We can have a personal relationship with each of the three divine Persons, with the Father and with the Son and with the Holy Spirit, so that God himself lives and acts in us.
We have the Father. In our vases of clay the Father is present. We can cast our worries upon him, all our concerns, as the apostle Peter suggests. Because this is what you do with a father: you entrust yourself to him, in everything and for everything, with total confidence. A father gives support and security, and the child, carefree and trusting, throws himself into his father’s arms.
«We hold this treasure in earthen vessels»
Also the Son dwells within us: the Word Incarnate, Jesus. Jesus is within us. We have learned to love him deeply wherever he is present: in the Eucharist, in his word, when we are united in his name, in the poor, in the authority that represents him… in the depths of our heart. We can even learn to love him in our shortcomings, weaknesses, failures, because he took upon himself our weaknesses and fragility even though he was not a sinner. Having shared all that we are, Jesus, the Incarnate Word, can support us in every trial of life. He can help us to overcome it and give back to us light, peace and strength.
And the Holy Spirit, that Spirit in whom we trustingly confide as though to other ourselves, who always answers when we invoke him and suggests words of wisdom, who comforts and sustains us, who loves us as a true friend and gives us light.
What more do we want? Only one Love has taken up residence in our heart: it is our treasure. The earthen vessel, ours and that of others, will no longer be an obstacle, it will no longer discourage us. It will simply remind us that the light and life that God wants to release within us and around us is not so much the fruit of our human capacities, but the effect of him at work in us, of his presence acknowledged and loved. Then, like Paul, we will be able to risk everything for the Kingdom of God and with greater strength strive towards the full and visible communion among Christians. Like him we can repeat: “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us” (2 Cor 4:7).
Chiara Lubich
30 Nov 2002 | Non categorizzato, Word of
These words mark the beginning of Mary’s divine adventure. The angel had just revealed God’s plans for her: to be the mother of the Messiah. Before consenting she wanted to make sure that this was truly the will of God, and once she understood that this is what he wanted she did not hesitate a moment to adhere to it wholeheartedly. From then on, Mary abandoned herself completely to God’s will, even during the most painful and tragic moments.
Because she carried out not her own will but the will of God, because she trusted unconditionally in what God was asking of her, all generations call her blessed (see Lk 1:48). She fulfilled herself completely, to the point of becoming the Woman par excellence.
This is the fruit of doing God’s will: we attain self-fulfillment, we acquire total freedom, and we reach our true being. God has always thought of us, he has loved us from all eternity; we have always had a place in his heart. God wants to reveal to each one of us, as he did to Mary, our true identity. “Would you like me to make a masterpiece of you and your life?”, he seems to ask us. “Then follow the way I indicate and you will become who you always are in my heart. I have thought of you and loved you from all eternity; I called you by name. By telling you my will I am revealing your true self.”
So then his will is not an imposition forced on us, but the expression of his love for us, of his project for us; and it is sublime as God himself, deeply fascinating and beautiful as is his face: it is God giving himself to us. The will of God is like a golden thread, a divine theme that runs through the whole of our earthly life and beyond; it goes from eternity to eternity: first in the mind of God, then on this earth, and finally, in heaven.
But for God’s design to be fulfilled completely, he asks for my consent, for your consent, as he asked it of Mary. This is the only way that the word he pronounced for me and for you can be fulfilled. So then we too, like Mary, are called to say:
«Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word»
Of course God’s will is not always clear to us. Like Mary we too will have to ask for the light to understand what he wants. We need to listen attentively and sincerely to his voice within us, seeking advice if needed from someone who can help us. But once we have understood his will, we want to say “yes” at once. Actually, if we have understood that his will is the greatest, most beautiful reality in our life, we won’t be resigned to “having” to do the will of God, but we will be happy to “be able” to do the will of God, to be able to follow his plans, so that what he wants for us will be fulfilled. It’s the best thing we can do, the most intelligent thing we can do.
The words of Mary, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord”, are therefore our response of love to the love of God. They keep us turned toward him, always listening and obeying, with only one desire in our heart, that of carrying out his will in order to be as he wants us to be.
Nevertheless, at times what he asks of us can seem to be absurd. We would do things differently, we would like to decide for ourselves. We would almost want to give advice to God, to tell him what to do and what not to do. But if I believe that God is Love and I trust him, I know that whatever he plans for me and for those close to me is for my good, for their good. So I entrust myself to him, I abandon myself with total trust in his will and I want it with all my heart, to the point of being one with it, knowing that accepting his will is accepting him, embracing him, nourishing myself with him.
We must believe that nothing happens by chance. No event, whether it be joyful, indifferent or painful, no encounter, no situation in the family, at work, or at school, no condition of physical or moral health is without meaning. On the contrary, every event, situation and person bears a message from God, everything contributes towards the fulfillment of God’s design which we will discover little by little, day by day, doing the will of God as Mary did.
«Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word»
How should we live this Word of Life? Practically speaking, our “yes” to the word of God means doing well and completely all that he asks us to do in every present moment. We should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever we are doing, putting aside everything else, letting go of any other thought, desire, memory or action.
As we carry out each will of God, whether it be painful, joyful or indifferent, we can repeat: “May it be done to me according to your word”, or, as Jesus taught us in the “Our Father”, “Your will be done”. Let’s say it before every action: “May it be done” “Your will be done”. By doing so, we will accomplish one moment at a time, one piece at a time the wonderful, unique and unrepeatable mosaic of our life which the Lord has always had in mind for each one of us.
Chiara Lubich
2 Nov 2002 | Non categorizzato
31 Oct 2002 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Jesus has just come out of the temple. The disciples proudly point out to him the grandeur and beauty of the buildings. He says to them in reply: “You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down” (Mt 24:2). Then he goes up to the Mount of Olives, he sits down and, looking over Jerusalem, he begins to speak of the destruction of the city and of the end of the world.
How will the end of the world come about? – the disciples ask him – and when will it be? It’s a question that subsequent generations of Christians have continued to ask, a question that every human being asks. The future is indeed mysterious and it often frightens us. Today too people ask fortune tellers and look up their horoscopes to know what will happen in the future….
Jesus’ answer is very clear: the end of time coincides with his coming. He, the Lord of history, will return. He is the luminous point of our future.
And when will this encounter take place? No one knows. It can come at any moment. Our life is in his hands. He gave it to us; He can take it back, even suddenly, without any warning. In any case, he warns us: you can be ready for this event if you stay awake, if you are vigilant.
«Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour»
In saying this Jesus wants to remind us first of all that he will come. Our life on earth will end and a new life will begin, one that will never end. No one wants to talk about death today…. At times, we do all we can to distract ourselves, immerging ourselves completely in our daily occupations to the point of forgetting about the One who gave us life and who will ask to have it back in order to introduce us into the fullness of life, into communion with his Father in heaven.
Will we be ready to meet him? Will our lamps be lit, like those of the prudent virgins who were waiting for the Spouse? In other words, will we be loving? Or will our lamps be extinguished because we are so taken up with the many things to do, the fleeting joys, the possession of material goods, that we forget the one thing necessary: to love?
«Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour»
But how can we stay awake? First of all, we know that whoever loves is capable of staying awake, of waiting. For example, a wife waits for her husband who is coming home from work late or who is returning from a long trip; a mother stays awake worrying about her son who hasn’t come home yet; whoever is in love eagerly awaits the moment to see the one he or she loves…. Whoever loves is capable of waiting even when the loved one delays.
We wait for Jesus if we love him and we ardently desire to meet him.
And we wait for him by loving concretely, by serving him, for instance, in those around us or by working to build up a more just society. Jesus himself invites us to live like this by telling us the parable of the faithful servant who, waiting for the return of his master, looked after the servants and the affairs of the house; or the parable of the servants who, always waiting for their master to return home, put to good use the talents they received.
«Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour»
Precisely because we don’t know the day or the hour of his coming, we can concentrate more easily on living one day at a time, on the troubles of the day, on what Providence offers to us now.
Some time ago I spontaneously said this prayer to God. I’d like to recall it now.
Jesus,
make me speak always
as if it were the last word I say.
Make me act always
as if it were the last
action I take.
Make me suffer always
as if it were the last
suffering I have to offer you.
Make me pray always
as if it were the last opportunity
I have here on earth
to converse with you.”
Chiara Lubich
17 Oct 2002 | Non categorizzato
The theme of “spirituality for unity” affecting all domains of life and humanity is central to Chiara Lubich’s message and is of great interest as well as to the organisations hosting her visit in Geneva: “the World Council of Churches, the Protestant Church of Geneva and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute. Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, in extending the invitation to Chiara Lubich for the visit, noted her “vital contribution to the ecumenical movement”. He stated, “our numerous initiatives in the spiritual and religious area, but also in the political, economic and social sphere, demonstrate the potential of common witness and the need for efforts to restore communion. This is evidence of the importance of spirituality in today’s context, and of its extremely precious and decisive contribution not only to the unity of the churches but to that of humanity as a whole”. Her program includes a seminar for students and faculty of the Bossey Ecumenical Institute on Saturday, 26 October and worship at St. Peter’s Cathedral at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, 27 October. The program with the World Council of Churches on Monday, 28 October, will include public discussion on the theme “Spirituality and communion” as well as smaller exchanges on spirituality and socio-economic and political processes. The visit coincides, with an ecumenical gathering of bishops who are friends of the focolare Movement in Morges, convened by Cardinal Miroslav Vlk, Archbishop of Prague. Participants in the gathering will join Chiara Lubich during her visit to Geneva. This is the third visit of Chiara Lubich to the World Council of Churches. The previous visit took place in 1967 and 1982. For more information or to schedule interviews, contact WCC Media Relations, +41-22-791-6421. Schedule of Events open to the Press and the Public during Chiara Lubich’s visit to Geneva, 25-29 October 2002. The protestant Church in Geneva welcomes Chiara Lubich A noted moment during her visit to the city of Calvin will be the religious service scheduled to take place in St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva on October 27 at 10:00 a.m. with present representatives of various Christian communities. After Grossmuenster last year (historical church of Zurich, cradle of Reformed Church), St. Pierre Cathedral ranks second in importance among the Churches of Reformation Chiara Lubich has been invited to offer her experience of unity. In November 2001, numerous ecumenical encounters took place with Chiara Lubich, bishops and church leaders from different nations present. Following this, Konrad Raiser, pastor and secretary general of the WCC; pastor Joel Stroudinski, president of the protestant Church in Geneva; and Professor Ioan Sauca, director of the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, invited Chiara Lubich to Geneva for a new phase in ecumenism.
16 Oct 2002 | Non categorizzato
Q. – This morning at St. Peter’s Square there was a sizeable group of focolarini, of people who adhere to the Movement founded by Chiara Lubich. The Pope gave them a letter and there is no doubt that this Movement, more than any other… is founded on a precisely Marian charism. So we interviewed Chiara Lubich. Let’s listen to what she told us about the rosary and her personal experience with regard to praying to Mary. A. – I really think that the Holy Spirit present in the Pope moves at the same rate as the Holy Spirit who works in the world. One thing quite popular nowadays is the Marian profile of the Church, that is, that profile von Balthazar spoke about, which encompasses also the petrine and other profiles. And, precisely in consonance with this, the Pope launches anew this wonderful prayer which has now become a real splendour. Q. – The Pope adds five new mysteries to the rosary, the “mysteries of light”. What is the significance of this? A. – I think it’s something very important, because after the tradition we had of reciting the rosary in that particular way, now other five mysteries have emerged. But they are indeed necessary! They truly complete the other mysteries. In the rosary there was something about the period before the baptism of Jesus, but there was nothing from then on up to the beginning of his passion.The public life of Jesus was lacking, which is full of light, and in which he manifests himself as the son of God. I was really very happy. The rosary is truly a synthesis of the entire Gospel, so it is indeed – as the Pope says – a contemplative prayer. Reciting it, and thinking of each mystery, one can re-live all the life of Jesus, naturally accompanied by Mary. And this is important, because it is not just any kind of prayer, in which you say one Hail Mary after another. It is a contemplation. It is a synthesis of the truths of Christianity. And really, after that tragic attempt of 11 September, in which the Pope himself spoke of having seen also the forces of Evil with a capital E, it was necessary to go against it with the forces of Good with the capital G. Therefore not so much wars, but prayer! And also, we strongly feel the urgent need for the world’s goods to be shared in order to silence terrorism. Therefore the rosary – which is now emrging as something new – is what we truly need in this moment. Q. – Chiara, today the Pope gave you a letter in which he entrusts to the Focolare Movement the prayer of the rosary. A. – Our Movement is actually called “Work of Mary”, although it is better known as the Focolare Movement. Our norm is this: to strive to repeat Mary and to be a continuation of hers as much as it is possible. Now, this having entrusted to us … first of all, it’s a great honour, and also a commitment, it is a great joy, because – I’d like to say – it is our vocation to highlight Mary. Q. – Mary, also as someone who helps us to bring Christ into our life, who helps us to understand Christ, she is a like a way, a go-between. A. – Absolutely, absolutely! She is the white background on which He, Jesus, shines. I think that we cannot reach Christ without Mary. She is the way which the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, found to bring Christ on earth. Q. – Who is Mary for you? A. – For me, Mary is something magnificent. She is the concentrate of all the charisms, especially the charism of charisms, which is love, charity. For me, Mary is the figure of the Christian, and in a particular way, of the woman. Now that there is the tendency, I don’t know, to make woman imitate, to put her as an equal of man, perhaps looking for means we do not agree with, like making her become a priest. I think instead that the vocation of the woman is that of imitating Mary. She brings love, which is the only thing that will remain in the next life; because in the next life many things here on earth, like the heirarchy and the sacraments, will no longer exist, only love will remain. Now she is the witness of what will remain. Q. – What can you say to those people who see the rosary instead as a simple repititive prayer, people who cannot grasp the great spirituality it contains? How is it possible to really encounter Mary in the rosary? A. – I remember one time I was at Assisi. I was accompanying a group of evangelicals, and there, on a wall, we found a rosary. A pastor took this rosary and said: “But, what’s the use of it? Why do you always repeat Hail Mary, Hail Mary…?” When you love a person – I said – you would like to tell him or her a thousand times: I love you, I love you, I love you. It is not a repetition, it is a craving of the heart. So, as she is our mother, our model, she is the one who gave us the most precious thing, which is Jesus, we’ve got to tell her this a thousand times. And this is the meaning of those 150 times in which we repeat the Hail Mary every day.
