14 Oct 2002 | Non categorizzato
The first phase of the Assembly was dedicated to deepening the development of the Movement (now present in 182 nations) especially on the fronts of communion among new and old charisms within the Catholic Church, Christians of 350 churches and ecclesiastic communities, fraternal relations established with persons and Movements of other religions among which Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists and also with persons of other non-religious convictions, all involved in one objective, that of the Focolare Movement, to contribute to recompose the human family in unity and brotherhood. The second phase of the Assembly was dedicated to a few days of retreat and voting. Culminating moment, audience with the Pope who delivered to Chiara Lubich an awaited message. Together with Chiara there were two representatives of the General Council during the hand-kissing of the Pope. At the Assembly where present 10 men and women focolarini, observers of the Assemby, belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Church of Antioch, the Anglican Church, the Evangelic-Lutheran Church and the Reformed Church of Holland and of Switzerland. The Focolare Movement, established December 7th, 1943, begins it’s 60th year of life. Every six years the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement re-unites its directors at the central level with its 22 branches – including the world of youth and teens, families, priest and religious orders, bishops, parish and diocesan communities and of various sections of society (economy, politics, culture, communications, education, art, health) – together with the directors of 72 territorial zones of the 5 continents in which the Movement exists. The Assembly is summoned for the election of the president, of the vice co-president and of the general advisers.
30 Sep 2002 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Which of the many commandments of the Scriptures is the first? This was one of the classic themes discussed by the rabbinical schools during the times of Jesus. And Jesus, who is considered to be a teacher, does not evade the question he is asked in this regard: “Which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” He answers in an original way, joining love of God and love of neighbor. His disciples are never to separate these two loves, just as they cannot separate the roots of a tree from its foliage. In other words, the more they love God, the more they intensify their love for their brothers and sisters; the more they love their brothers and sisters, the more they deepen their love for God.
More than anyone else, Jesus knows the God we must truly love and he knows how we should love him: he is his Father and our Father, his God and our God (see Jn 20:17). He is a God who loves each one personally; he loves me, he loves you: he is my God, your God (“You shall love the Lord, your God”).
And we can love him because he loved us first: so the love he commanded us to have is a response to his love, to Love itself. We can turn to him with the same confidence and trust that Jesus had when he called him Abba, Father. We too, like Jesus, can speak with him often, we can tell him all our needs, our resolutions and plans, we can tell him over and over again of our exclusive love for him.
We too eagerly await the moment in which we can be in profound contact with him through prayer, which is dialogue, communion, a relationship of intense friendship. In those moments we can pour out our love: we can adore him beyond all creation, glorify him present everywhere in the universe, praise him in the depths of our heart or alive in the tabernacles, think of him present wherever we are, in our room, at work, in the office, while we are with others…
«You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind»
Jesus teaches us another way to love God. For Jesus, loving meant doing the will of the Father, putting at his disposal mind, heart, energies, life itself: he gave himself completely to the plan that the Father had for him. The Gospel shows him to us as being always and totally turned toward the Father (see Jn 1:18), always in the Father, always intent on saying solely what he heard from the Father, on carrying out only what the Father told him to do.
He asks the same of us: loving means doing the will of the Beloved, without half measures, with all our being: “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind”. Because love is not just a sentiment. “Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?” (Lk 6:46), Jesus asks of those who love only with words.
«You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind»
How should we live this commandment of Jesus? Certainly by cultivating a filial relationship, a relationship of friendship with God, but above all, by doing what he wants. Our attitude towards God, like that of Jesus, will be that of always being turned towards the Father, listening to him, in obedience, in order to carry out his work, that alone and nothing else.
To accomplish this, we are asked to be radical in our choices and way of life, because we cannot give less than everything to God: all our heart, all our soul, all our mind. And this means doing well, entirely whatever he asks of us.
Living his will and conforming ourselves to it will often require burning our own will, sacrificing anything we have in our heart or mind that does not concern the present moment. It could be an idea, a feeling, a thought, a desire, a memory, an object, a person….
In this way, we are all intent on doing whatever is asked of us in the present moment. Speaking, talking on the phone, listening, helping someone, studying, praying, eating, sleeping, living his will without wandering off; carrying out actions that are complete, whole, perfect, with all our heart, soul and mind; having only one motive for everything we do, love, so that we can say, in every moment of the day: “Yes, my God, in this moment, in this action, I love you with all my heart, with all my being”. This is the only way we can say that we love God, that we reciprocate his being Love towards us.
«You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind»
To live this Word of Life it will be helpful to examine ourselves from time to time to see if God is truly in the first place in our lives.
So then, to conclude, what should we do this month? Renew our choice of God as our only ideal, as the all of our life, putting him back in the first place, living with perfection his will in the present moment. We want be able to say with sincerity: “My God and my all”, “I love you”, “I am all yours”, “You are God, you are my God, our God of infinite love!”.
Chiara Lubich
![Facing Strife and Winning]()
4 Sep 2002 | Non categorizzato
The largest television network in the Philippines gave live coverage to a ceremony in which The Council for Philippine Affairs awarded the “Bukas Palad” center “for its political determination in facing great strife. Its experimental programs consider the human person in his/her entirety and have proven successful in serving the poorest among the poor”. Accepting the award at the Center was one the first members of the Focolare Movement in the Philippines, Irene De Los Angeles, recognized as “a people’s hero … for the humanitarian service and development of the community that is exemplified and incarnated in nearly 20 years of programs and activities at the center”. Rising in one of Manila’s poorest neighborhoods, the Center has brought about a profound social transformation. The motivation for the award recognizes the roots for such social involvement in an “unyielding spirit, faith in God and unconditional love for all brothers and sisters in the infinite possibility of serving the poorest among the poor”. During the ceremony, Irene De Los Angeles accepted the award in the name of the Focolare Movement, especially the numerous families of “Bukas Palad”, whom she called the true protagonists. She said the spirituality of communion, which began by discovering that God is Love, is the interior force driving their work towards unity between the rich and poor. The Council of Philippine Affairs was founded in 1998 by a few people united in their desire to encourage the building of a society in which everyone has access to fundamental rights. The Council promotes quality in public service as well as moral responsibility with professional competence and transparency in government and society. Therefore, it gives recognition to individuals and groups which promote both democratic participation as well as communitarian heroism.
![Facing Strife and Winning]()
4 Sep 2002 | Non categorizzato
Also in Tagaytay, Cebu e Davao “Bukas Palad” is a center in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Manila and focuses on the integral development of the person, the family and the society. Similar centers have begun in Tagaytay, near the Peace Citadel, as well as in the heart of the Philippine Archipelago in Cebu, and the far south in Davao where there is a large Muslim population. 23 Assistance programs reaching more than 6000 families: more than 3,200 children and teens are taught in the schools and colleges; more than 7,000 people receive care in the ambulatories; food and milk are distributed daily to more than 2,000 children; 1,872 children are sustained in adoption-from-afar programs; the TB prevention programs have been awarded for their efficiency; loans to begin small businesses have been given to 1,600 families; 259 families have had their houses repaired while 285 have been hooked up to running water and sewage systems; while numerous courses on family planning using natural methods are offered. Local Production: tailoring, carpentry, ice cream, bread and other food shops create their own merchandise and sell them at low prices to more than 4,500 families. Some News: a computer school for youth; a summer workshop for youth and couples. 50 lower-.income homes have been built for our poor families. In the four centers in which “Bukas Palad” is subdivided, 60 persons are working full time along side 330 volunteers. Many of these have adhered to the life and spirit of the Movement over the years. A Place to Meet Persons of Other Religions: From the beginning, “Bukas Palad” has been a place to encounter Buddhists from Japan, Taoists from Cebu and Muslims from Davao. People of different convictions have worked at the center and discovered the beauty of the Christian community. The Awakening of a Social Consciousness: “Bukas Palad” has cut deeply into the Philippine social fabric awakening a social consciousness that the country has often lacked. Embassies, banks, schools, hospitals and various NGOs, therefore, have begun helping and now hundreds of people are involved. The Beginning: A group of young people began the center in 1983, calling it “Bukas Palad” which means “with open hands”. They took as their motto the words “Freely you have received, freely you shall give” (Mt 10,8). They began with very little – 2,000 pesos (around $150) from the sale of used clothes. With that sum they began a small ambulatory. It was a miserable area along a canal: a long row of make-shift houses without plumbing or electricity, but full of illness, criminality and desperation. As soon as the word spread that such a center had begun, young people from all directions began coming to offer their assistance. They understood that God wanted more from them. A doctor here and there was not enough, neither was the good will of a few nurses. Various members of the Movement began offering their service.
31 Aug 2002 | Non categorizzato, Word of
This Word of Life is taken from one of the books of the Hebrew Testament written between 180 and 170 B.C. by Ben Sira, a sage and scribe who carried out his office as teacher in Jerusalem. He taught a subject which was dear to the whole tradition of biblical wisdom: God is merciful toward sinners and we should imitate his way of acting. The Lord forgives all our faults because “he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness” (Ps 103:3,8). He overlooks our sins (see Wis 11:23), he forgets them, casting them behind his back (see Is 38:17). In fact, Ben Sira goes on to say that aware of how small and poor we are, he “increases his forgiveness”. God forgives because, like any father or mother, he loves his children and so he always and untiringly excuses them, covers their mistakes, instills confidence and encourages them.
Because God is mother and father, he is not satisfied with just loving and forgiving his sons and daughters. He ardently desires that they treat one another as brothers and sisters, that they get along with one another, that they love one another. This is God’s great plan for humanity: universal brotherhood. A brotherhood that is stronger than the inevitable divisions, tensions, hard feelings that so easily creep into relationships due to misunderstandings and mistakes.
Often families break up because people don’t know how to forgive. Past hatreds are handed down only to perpetuate divisions between relatives, social groups, peoples. At times people even teach others not to forget the wrongs suffered, to cultivate sentiments of revenge…. And deaf resentment can only poison the soul and corrupt the heart.
Someone might think that forgiveness is a sign of weakness. No, it’s an expression of great courage, it’s authentic love, the most genuine, because the most selfless. If you love those who love you, what recompense will you have – says Jesus – everyone knows how to do that. Love your enemies (See Mt 5:42-47).
We are asked to learn from him and to have the love of a father, of a mother, a merciful love towards all those who come our way, especially towards those who do something wrong. Moreover, to those who are called to live a spirituality of communion, that is, the Christian spirituality, the New Testament asks for something more: “Forgive one another” (Col 3:13). We could almost say that mutual love requires that we make a pact with one another: to be ready to forgive one another always. This is the only way we can contribute towards universal brotherhood.
«Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven»
These words not only invite us to forgive, but they remind us that forgiving others is the necessary condition for receiving forgiveness. God listens to us and forgives us in the measure in which we forgive others. Jesus himself warns us: “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you” (Mt 7:2) “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7). Actually, a heart hardened by hatred is not even capable of recognizing and accepting the merciful love of God.
How can we live this Word of Life? First of all, by immediately forgiving anyone with whom we have not yet been reconciled. But this is not enough. We need to search the innermost recesses of our heart and eliminate even a feeling of indifference, a lack of kindness, an attitude of superiority, of negligence towards anyone we meet.
Furthermore, we need to take some precautionary measures. So every morning I look at the people around me, at home, at school, at work, in the store, ready to overlook anything that I don’t like about their way of doing things, not judging them, but trusting them, always hoping, always believing. I approach every person with this total amnesty in my heart, with this universal pardon. I do not remember their faults at all, I cover everything with love. And throughout the day I try to make up for having been unkind, for a fit of impatience, by apologizing or by some gesture of friendship. I replace an instinctive rejection towards someone with an attitude of total acceptance, of boundless mercy, of complete forgiveness, of sharing, of being attentive to his or her needs.
Then when I pray to the Father, especially when I ask him to forgive my mistakes, I am confident that my prayer will be granted. I’ll be able to say with total trust: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Mt 6:12).
Chiara Lubich
10 Aug 2002 | Non categorizzato
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Clare of Assisi 2002, which has always been commemorated from the beginning of our Movement, not only at the Center, but wherever the Movement is present around the world. Today, as in other years, we remember St. Clare and we’ll compare a detail of her journey towards God with our journey.
To look at Jesus as in a mirror in order to imitate him
One concept that regards this saint, and that we have not yet emphasized, is one we could express in this manner: “The mirror, the mirrors.” It is the image of the mirror which calls to mind precisely what St. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: “All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory” (2 Cor 3:18).
In her letters to Agnes of Prague, which are part of several writings in which she speaks of her own need to be radically faithful to the Gospel, Clare invites the sisters to look at Jesus as if they were looking in a mirror, a mirror that in its humanity reflects back divinity. She wrote: “Fix your eyes on the mirror of eternity, (Jesus) … and be totally transformed in the image of his divinity.” (FF 2888) “And since this vision of him is … a spotless mirror, bring your soul to this mirror every day and constantly search out your own face there so that you may be adorned … with all the virtues as it should be for you as daughter and beloved spouse of the high King.” (FF2902) Saint Clare was inviting Agnes to look to the Spouse and also to imitate him, making the same choices he made, his same actions, his same gestures. “If you suffer with him,” she continues, “with him you will reign; if you weep with him, with him you will rejoice; if you die on the cross of tribulation in his company, with him you will possess … for all eternity, the glory of the heavenly kingdom …; you will participate in the eternal goods … and you will live for all ages to come.” (FF2880) By imitating him Agnes becomes that Jesus in the mirror. But then, having become such, she can in turn be a mirror for the sisters.
An uninterrupted chain of mirrors from Jesus to the world: the Franciscan Movement
St. Clare says that this is how one creates an uninterrupted chain of mirrors from Jesus to the world. Jesus is the mirror of Francis. Jesus and Francis are the mirror of Clare. Jesus, Francis and Clare are the mirror of Agnes. Jesus, Francis, Clare and Agnes are the mirror for the first sisters who, in turn, become mirrors for the future ones. The future sisters, looking at the first sisters, become the mirrors for those who live in the world. Those who live in the world become mirrors of Jesus for everyone.
Thus by perfectly reflecting Christ, Francis and Clare, the first friars and the first sisters, have given birth to the Franciscan Movement: one of those ecclesial realities that from time to time bring back into the Church the Gospel in its radicality, to give it new life, to renew it, to reform it.
The demands of the charism of unity: to live unity in order to live Jesus
For us too, even though we are small and unworthy, we too have been invested with a similar task: to give life, to develop, to spread in the world a charismatic reality. It has happened to us too to perform a duty which is to live and help others to integrally and radically live the Gospel, looking at Jesus as if in a mirror. The very first notes we have about our Ideal of life at its onset, affirm: “We need to be another Jesus.” Therefore we are asked to mirror ourselves in him. To achieve this we see that Saint Francis and Saint Clare were given a charism, that of poverty by the Holy Spirit. We have been given the charism of unity. And it is precisely through unity that we can be another Jesus, be Jesus. Remember the definition of unity given in a letter written back in 1947: “Oh, unity, unity, what divine beauty! We have no words to describe it: it is Jesus.” Yes, it is Jesus. So then we began to understand that by loving one another, we would accomplish unity and Jesus would be in our midst… and in each one of us. To live unity was and is synonymous with living Jesus, and in this way the whole Gospel.
Unity: soul and aim of the Gospel
One day a small but significant light along our journey clarified this new aspect for us. The words of the Gospel seemed like newly sprouted plants on a large plot of land. We realized that each plant’s little root was set deeply in Jesus’ last will and testament, in the unity which lay beneath the whole plot of land. And the root received life from it. It was a 3D image of how we should consider Jesus’ last will and testament and its relationship with the other words of the Gospel, and how to live one word, unity, and all the others. We better understood that unity is not a particular virtue. In fact, it’s not listed among the virtues. It is not only Jesus’ highest word. It’s not just the fundamental theme of his testament. Unity is the soul of the whole Gospel, of the whole Scripture. It is aim that the whole Gospel tends toward. And, because it is the effect of charity, we could also say that it’s the summary, the synthesis of the Gospel.
We saw that we needed to live the words in view of unity. Yes, because it is not evangelically correct to live poverty for the sake of poverty, but for the love that leads to unity, or obedience for the sake of obedience, but everything needs to be in view of unity. The same could be said for every beatitude, as well as for the ten commandments, and for that which the first Testament requires, the Testament Jesus said he had come not to abolish but to complete. And now we understand why the Holy Spirit urged us to put into practice each month a different sentence of the Gospel so that in time we would make it to live them all. They open up unity like a fan. And we can mirror ourselves in them so as to become like Jesus, another Jesus, and in this way reflect him to others. We could ask ourselves today: are we in some way a mirror of Jesus? Do we mirror Jesus for the others?
To mirror ourselves in the Gospel in order to become a mirror of Jesus
In this regard I’d like to mention one of our dreams from the early days. We used to say: “If, for some absurd hypothesis, all the Gospels were destroyed, we would like to live in such a way that people, seeing our actions, seeing Jesus in us, could re-write the Gospel: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mt 19:19); ‘Give and gifts will be given to you’ (Lk 6:38); “Do not judge’ (Mt 7:1); ‘Love your enemies’ (Mt 5:44); ‘Love one another’ (Jn 15:12); ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Mt 18:20).”
Well lately we realized, with gratitude to God, that if we haven’t yet reached this goal at least we are on our way. I could tell this was true, when we were working on collecting the so-called fioretti for the book the St. Pauls Press asked us to prepare, to present some evangelical episodes of the life of the Movement. They reveal the effort we have made to align ourselves, to look at ourselves, we could say, in the mirror of the Gospel, and how the Lord consequently intervened just as he promised. Now, since we’re celebrating, let’s read some of them so as to give praise to God and thank those who, by living them, used the Gospel, Jesus, as their mirror and now, through the fioretti, can become a reflection of him for many. May Jesus make us all mirrors of him and of the Gospel so as to be a mirror for many others.
