29 Dec 1999 | Non categorizzato
“Each Church, in communion with the others, does not lose anything but rather gives of its own riches.” These were the words of the Rumanian Orthodox Metropolitan, Serafim, during a meeting of well-known leaders in ecumenical circles in Jerusalem, held on the afternoon of the 9th of December in the Ecumenical Institute of Tantur. This meeting was convened by the Focolare Movement and was attended by a qualified group of participants including Patriarchs and their vicars-general, Bishops, priests and lay leaders representing ten different Churches, many of whom from the Eastern Churches – 150 people in all. Also present was the group of Bishops of various Churches, friends of the Focolare Movement, who had been present at their annual meeting in Amman and who had come to the Holy Land on pilgrimage. The meeting’s rich program was followed with profound attention. It consisted of a brief presentation of the Focolare Movement followed by experiences given by Bishops of five different Churches on the fruits of the spirituality of unity in the field of ecumenism. Since Chiara Lubich was unable to be present, a video was shown of her talk on the basic aspects of an ecumenical spirituality delivered in the Lutheran Church of St Anna in Augsburg, Germany, in 1998. The meeting concluded with an intensely moving moment of prayer which was led by representatives of the various Churches present and which focussed on the reading of the testament of Jesus: “That all may be one so that the world may believe”. The broad representation and the extraordinary openness demonstrated among the participants made this meeting, according to local Church leaders, “a true blessing from heaven”, “a refreshing contribution to the progress of ecumenical relationships in the Holy Land”.
30 Nov 1999 | Non categorizzato, Word of
When Mary asked the Angel at the annunciation: “How can this be?”, the answer she heard was, “Nothing is impossible for God,” and to confirm it, she was given the example of Elizabeth who in her old age had conceived a son. Mary believed and she became the Mother of the Lord.
God is all powerful. He is frequently called by this name in the Scriptures, especially when expressing the power he has of blessing, of judging, of directing the course of events, and achieving his designs.
There is only one limit to the omnipotence of God: human freedom, which can oppose his will and thus render man powerless, whereas he was called to share the same power of God.
«Nothing is impossible for God.»
These words opportunely come to conclude the year dedicated to the Father, in the Catholic Church, before the Jubilee of 2000. They open us up to an unlimited confidence in the love of God the Father, because if God exists and his being is Love, complete trust in him is nothing but the logical consequence.
All graces are in his power: temporal and spiritual, possible and impossible. And he gives them to those who ask and also to those who do not ask because, as the Gospel says, the Father “makes the sun rise on the bad and the good” (Mt. 5:45). What he asks of all of us is to act the way he does, to have the same universal love, supported by the faith that: “Nothing is impossible for God.”
How should we live these words in our daily lives?
At one time or another we must all face difficult, painful situations both in our personal life, and in our relationships with others. And we sometimes feel helpless because we realize that we are attached to things and to people which enslave us and from whose ties we would like to be freed. Often we find ourselves up against walls of indifference and egoism and we feel discouraged in the face of events which seem to be more than we can deal with.
Well, in these moments, the Word of Life can give us a hand. Jesus lets us experience our own incapacity, certainly not to discourage us, but in order to help us understand more deeply that “Nothing is impossible for God;” in order to prepare us to experience the extraordinary power of his grace, which is manifested precisely when we see that we cannot manage on our own.
«Nothing is impossible for God.»
If we repeat this word of God in the more critical moments, it will give us the energy it contains and make us participate in some way in the very omnipotence of God. On one condition, however: that we live his will, seeking to radiate around us that love which has been put into our hearts. By doing so, we will be in unison with God’s all powerful Love for his creatures, for whom everything is possible, and this will contribute toward realizing his plans for every individual and for all of humanity.
But there is a special moment which enables us to live this Word of Life and to experience all its effectiveness: it is in prayer.
Jesus said that he will grant us whatever we ask of the Father in his name. Let’s try then to ask him for what is most important to us now, firmly believing that nothing is impossible for him: solutions to desperate cases, peace in the world, cures to grave illnesses, peace and unity in family and social conflicts.
Moreover, if we ask united with others, in the full accord of mutual love, then it is Jesus himself in our midst who prays to the Father, and according to his promise, we will obtain what we ask for.
With this faith in the omnipotence of God and in his Love, one day we too asked that a tumor seen on an X-Ray would “disappear”, almost as if it were a mistake or a phantasm. And it did.
This boundless trust which makes us feel that we are in the arms of a Father for whom everything is possible, should always accompany the ups and downs of our life. This doesn’t mean that we will always obtain what we ask for. His is the omnipotence of a Father and he always and only uses it for the good of his children, whether they know it or not. What is important is to cultivate the certainty that nothing is impossible for God; we will experience a peace we have never known before.
Chiara Lubich
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31 Oct 1999 | Non categorizzato
The day after the signing of the Joint Declaration, Bishop Krause welcomed Chiara to the annual meeting of the Executive Committee of the Lutheran World Federation. In her address, Chiara outlined the fundamental points of an ecumenical spirituality which has already been embraced by a number of Christians of different denominations. This ecumenical spirituality is centered on mutual love among Christians and among Churches. “Our world is in urgent need of a powerful current of love,” Chiara said. She continued: “Wherever Christians live mutual love they become more aware that they form, beyond all visible barriers of creed, the one Christian people. And this dialogue of the people is a necessary basis for ensuring that theological dialogue bears fruits.” Bishop Krause received her talk warmly, saying it “conveyed encouragement, especially in this moment of history, in this historical place, Augsburg”. He added: “I have the certainty that now the time is ripe to discover that we are gifts for one another. Yesterday’s event confirmed what you have just been emphasising. If the agreement had been reached only among theologians, without any impact on the faithful, nothing would have happened.”
31 Oct 1999 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Jesus begins his preaching with the Sermon on the Mount. On a broad low hill a few hundred yards from the Tiberias lakeside, near Capernum, Jesus sits down, as was customary for teachers, and proclaims to the crowds the person of beatitudes. The word “blessed”, that is, the exaltation of those who fulfilled the Word of the Lord in a variety of ways, resounded a number of times in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The beatitudes of Jesus were in part an echo of the ones the disciples already knew. For the first time, however, they were hearing that the pure of heart were not only worthy of going up the mountain of the Lord, as sung by the Psalm (cf. Psalm 24:4), but they could even see God. What sublime purity was this that could merit so much? Jesus would explain it several times during the course of his preaching. Let us try to follow him then so as to draw from the fount of authentic purity.
«Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.»
First of all, Jesus says that there is one supreme means of purification: “You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you” (Jn. 15:3). His Word, more than the practice of religious rites, purifies man’s inner self. The Word of Jesus is not like human words. Christ is present in his Word, as he is present, although in another way, in the Eucharist. Through his Word Christ enters within us and, provided we allow him to act, he makes us free from sin and therefore, pure of heart.
Thus, purity is the fruit of living the Word, all the Words of Jesus which free us from the so-called attachments, into which we inevitably fall if our heart is not in God and in his teachings. These could be attachments to things, people, ourselves. But if our heart is focused on God alone, all the rest falls away.
To achieve this, it can be useful to repeat throughout the day, to Jesus, to God, the invocation of a Psalm which says: “You, Lord, are my only good” (cf. Psalm 16:2)! Let us try to repeat it often, especially when the various attachments seek to pull our heart towards those images, sentiments and passions which can blur the vision of good and take away our freedom.
Are we inclined to look at certain advertising posters, to watch certain television programs? No, let’s repeat to him: “You, Lord, are my only good”. Re-declaring our love for God will be the first step towards going out of ourselves. And by doing so we will have gained in purity.
Do we sometimes feel that a person or an activity is coming between us and God, like an obstacle that mars our relationship with him? It is the moment to repeat: “You, Lord, are my only good.” This will help us to purify our intentions and regain inner freedom.
«Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.»
Living the Word makes us free and pure because it is love. The divine fire of love purifies our intentions and all our inner self, because the Bible considers the “heart” to be the deepest seat of intelligence and will.
But there is one love which Jesus commands us to practice and which enables us to live this beatitude. It is mutual love, being ready to give our life for others, following the example of Jesus. It creates a current, an exchange, an atmosphere whose dominant note is precisely that of transparency, purity, because of the presence of God, who alone can make us pure of heart. It is by living mutual love that the Word produces its effects of purification and sanctification.
As isolated individuals we are incapable of resisting at length the solicitations of the world. Instead, mutual love provides a healthy environment capable of protecting the whole of our authentic Christian existence, and in particular, our purity.
«Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.»
These then are the fruits of purity, constantly re-acquired: we can “see” God, that is, we can understand his action in our own life and in history; we can hear his voice in our heart; we can discern his presence in the poor, in the Eucharist, in his Word, in brotherly communion, in the Church.
It is a foretaste of the presence of God which already begins in this life, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7), but then “we will see face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12) for all eternity.
Chiara Lubich
