Jun 21, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Before each daily action we can discover which face of Jesus Forsaken we can love through it. This is what Chiara Lubich suggests so as to carry out well and perfectly all that we have to do To love Jesus Forsaken. It is this name that touches upon so many aspects of our individual and collective life, that I would also like to expound on a bit today. To be more precise, I would like to tell you something about a particular way of loving Jesus Forsaken, who is the gateway and road to our holiness. (…) Wherever we look, we have the marvellous opportunity to love Him, to comfort Him, to find solutions to specific problems which are all expressions of Him. And this is a great grace. Through our work, we are always in contact with Him, with Jesus Forsaken, and by loving Him we can become saints. However, there are different ways to love Him. We can love Him greatly, or we can love Him a little. And this means that with our love for Him we can contribute towards our holiness in a great way or in a little way. Saints have searched for and are searching for that love which renders the most benefit for the glory of God. Are we writing our personal life story in order to share our experience? Let’s do it well, very well, listening with great love to the voice inside of us which sheds light on our past and present, a light which others would appreciate hearing about because it is attractive. Let’s pay close attention to what that voice suggests to us and to what corrections it makes. Let’s pour our greatest efforts into everything we do. Let’s continue to correct our work until that voice has no more to tell us. We must never mistreat the Work of God. We must never carry out imperfect works. Therefore, let’s do everything well, very well. (…) for every work that we carry out , let’s try to discover which countenance of Jesus Forsaken we can love in doing so, and then accomplish it perfectly. Therefore, perfect actions out of love for Jesus Forsaken. This is the way to build our holiness, our great holiness.
Chiara Lubich
(In a conference call, Loppiano February 20th,1986)
Jun 17, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Interview with the President of the Focolare on the decree of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life on the turnover of leaders governing lay associations. Encourage leadership turnover. On June 3 a Decree approved by Pope Francis was promulgated by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life that regulates the length of mandates of leadership roles within international associations. A single mandate can last at most five years up to a maximum of ten consecutive years. This is the indicated norm (with relative specific insights, including possible dispensations for founders), while a detailed explanatory note helps to understand the spirit of the measures: to foster greater ecclesial communion, broader synodality, an authentic spirit of service, to avoid personalism, abuses of power, and to increase missionary enthusiasm and a genuine gospel lifestyle. We discussed the decree with the President of the Focolare, Margaret Karram. Did the decree of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life concerning the turnover of leadership roles in lay associations come as a surprise to you? We weren’t expecting a decree of this nature at this time, but the content didn’t surprise us. A process has been under way for a number of years in the Focolare Movement that takes into account the turnover in roles of government. This applies at the international centre and in the countries where we are present, putting limits to the length of mandates. The Decree showed us once again that the Church is a mother. In taking care of associations like ours, the Church accompanies and helps every reality to find organizational forms that allow it to remain faithful to its own charism and mission, in keeping with the journey of the Church in today’s world. For this reason, we fully welcome the spirit of the Decree and all it has determined, which also chimes with the open reflection in the Movement on representativeness in the governing bodies that we have already shared with the Dicastery. The opening paragraph of the Decree states that: “The international associations of the faithful and their internal government have been the object of particular reflection and a consequent discernment by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life”. Do you perceive therefore some concern about movements in general? And towards the Focolare Movement? I would say that the Dicastery is certainly paying particular attention to the Movements, and we can witness to this, bearing in mind that it is its particular task. Then, as they are such a varied reality, the Dicastery is sure to have some concerns. The Decree itself emphasises the “flourishing” of these associations and recognizes the fact that they have brought “an abundance of graces and apostolic fruits for the Church and the world of today”. It is not the Church’s intention to curb the charismatic drive of the movements, their innovative strength and their missionary impact. It wants to help them achieve their specific aims which are always directed towards the good of people, of the Church and of society. The Decree offers structural elements that can help reduce some of the dangers by limiting the time a person can hold positions of government. However, I do not see in these interventions a particular focus on the Focolare Movement, also because a turnover in leadership roles is already included in our Statutes . In his address to the participants in the III World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities in November 2014, Pope Francis pointed out a method for reaching the ecclesial maturity also hoped for by his two predecessors: “Do not forget, … that to reach this goal, conversion must be missionary: the strength to overcome temptations and insufficiencies comes from the profound joy of proclaiming the Gospel, which is the foundation of your charisms”. What do you think about this? I agree fully! What the Pope has called for requires a twofold commitment: it is necessary always to return to the Gospel, to the Word of God and to be aware that the charism of one’s founder is nothing more than a new and modern reading of the words of Jesus, illuminated by a gift of the Spirit, which enables them to be lived from a particular standpoint. We must therefore take into account that a spirituality, which is born of a charism, is a way of proclaiming the Gospel and therefore of working for the good of the Church and of humanity. Is healthy generational change and a turnover of people in leadership roles enough to ensure there is synodal government, carried out in a spirit of service and hence avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, from personalism to abuses of power? I would say that this cannot be enough if real, lasting and fruitful cultural change is to be achieved. I think we should first ask ourselves what is the purpose of leadership in an association like ours. Although generational change and avoiding past mistakes are important, these are not the aims. The main purpose of our leadership – as I think is true of every ecclesial movement – is to ensure that the movement goes forward and develops in the genuine spirit of its own charism, following the design that flows from it and fulfilling the purposes for which the Holy Spirit gave it life. The decree itself emphasizes that “government within the associations of the faithful be exercised in coherence with their ecclesial mission, as a service ordered to realising their own purposes and to the good of their members”. It is a work of continuous updating, improvement and renewal which requires above all a conversion of hearts to the Gospel and to one’s own charismatic roots. Generational change in governing bodies, through a frequent turnover in leadership roles, can enable the updating of an association, and can help to avoid – as the explanatory note from the Dicastery says – forms of appropriation of the charism, personalisation, centralisation and expressions of self-referentiality, which can easily cause serious violations of personal dignity and freedom, and even real abuses.” But a turnover in leadership roles alone does not guarantee a correct exercise of power. We need other elements that we have been implementing and continuously improving for several years, such as a path of spiritual and human formation to a coherent leadership, to a gospel lifestyle and to one’s own charism. Therefore it is a style of government that highlights community discernment, with new forms of accompaniment and synodal methodologies for the choice of candidates for positions of leadership. Specifically, in three years’ time, several of the people elected at the General Assembly last February will have to be replaced. Do you already have an idea of how to proceed, also in order to modify the current Statutes which provide for six years as the duration of office and the possibility of a second term? We are already in line with some of the points made in the new Decree, especially as regards the maximum limit of two consecutive mandates for leadership roles. What needs to be changed now is the duration, from 6 to 5 years. We had already started the process of setting up a commission for the necessary revision of various points in our Statutes, to which is now added as a priority the work of adaptation according to the Decree. It is a task that we want to do calmly and carefully, because we would like not only to accept these new norms simply as stated, but also and above all to accept their spirit and to study well how to apply them not only regarding central and international bodies, but on a large scale, also in the local governing of territorial centres. In any case, we would like to do everything in dialogue with the Dicastery, studying some specific aspects and some areas of doubt. They have specifically said that they are ready to listen to us on any issues. When Pope Francis met the participants in the General Assembly, he highlighted some issues to which particular attention should be paid: self-referentiality, the importance of crises and knowing how to manage them well, coherence and realism in living spirituality and synodality. What has been done or will be done to follow up on these points? We consider Pope Francis’ speech to the participants at the General Assembly as a programmatic document, together with the final document of the Assembly itself. With great joy we see how much the study and research of ways of applying these two documents are bearing fruit in the various geographical areas in which our Movement is present. Two central points are emerging: attentive listening to the cry of suffering humanity that surrounds us, in which we rediscover the face of Jesus crucified and forsaken, and a new family spirit in our Movement, beyond all subdivisions. This expresses the core of our spirituality: to offer the world a model of life in the style of that of a family; that is, brothers and sisters on a universal level, linked together by fraternal love for every man and woman and preferential love for those who suffer most, for those most in need. What is the style and the methods of this new leadership of the Focolare Movement? What is new in Margaret Karram’s heart? I feel it is particularly important, within the leadership of the Movement, to have an experience of “synodality”. This means conducting everything in a spirit of listening and to restore to interpersonal relationships that gospel based fraternal love, of truth and charity, that also illuminates the place that belongs to each person, that is, the central one. For example, as the General Council, we have just had the wonderful experience of listening to those responsible for the territorial areas of the Movement all over the world . They are the ones who are at the grassroots; they know the potential, the needs and the cultural and anthropological characteristics of our communities. Listening to them, what emerged was all the liveliness and creativity of “Chiara’s people”, who want to take on board the different forms of disunity and heal the wounds of humanity around them. Perhaps it is not even necessary that the International Centre should always give directives or guide the path of the Movement. What matters is that the Centre always guarantees the unity of the entire Movement and that it highlights what the Holy Spirit is gradually showing us all.
Aurora Nicosia
Source: Città Nuova
Jun 17, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Stefano Zamagni, economist and President of the Pontifical Athenaeum for Social Sciences, recently spoke in Loppiano, Italy at the event marking the 30th anniversary of the Economy of Communion. We present an excerpt from his address in which he underlined the contribution of the Economy of Communion to the evolution of economic thought. ‘(…) I must confess that when, exactly 30 years ago, I listened to Chiara Lubich’s speech in Brazil when she launched the Economy of Communion project, I was very impressed but also shocked. Economy as a science uses many words such as wealth, income, efficiency, productivity and equity, but it does not use the word communion. I asked myself: “How could someone like Chiara whose cultural background did not include an economic element have launched an intellectual challenge of that kind?” There had to be a special charism at work and we know today that there was. This positively disturbed me. I began to reflect and asked myself: “Why, in the long history of economic thought, has this concept never been addressed?” A few years later I came across the work of Antonio Genovesi, the founder of civil economy, and I understood a whole series of connections between the Economy of Communion and civil economy. Obviously, at the beginning, there were many difficulties for the Economy of Communion. I remember that in 1994 in Ostuni in Puglia, Italy, the MEIC (Eccelsial Movement of Cultural Commitment) organised a series of cultural seminars during the summer. In a presentation chaired by a famous Italian economist, two newly graduated focolarine had the audacity to present the Economy of Communion project. This professor began to say: “This is nonsense, because it does not satisfy the criterion of rationality.” I was present and asked him: “But do you think that the gesture of the Good Samaritan satisfies the criterion of rationality? You see,” I continued, “you are a slave to a paradigm, to a way of thinking that you have sucked out of your studies without addressing the problem, because the rationality you think of is instrumental rationality, but there is also expressive rationality. Who said that instrumental rationality is superior to expressive rationality? Don’t you know that the Economy of Communion is part of the model of expressive rationality? In this case, expressive means that a charism is expressed – because charisms must be expressed and translated into historical reality.” The Economy of Communion has made it possible to recover that tradition of thought regarding civil economy that began in Naples in 1753. For example, think of the economy and the school of civil economy over which Luigino Bruni presides. In addition, the recent big “Economy of Francis” event which was really a mixture of civil economy – a paradigm, which is view of reality that is embodied in models, projects and different theories – and the economy of communion. This event took place recently, but I am sure its impact will soon become apparent. To close, I would like to use a word that has, unfortunately disappeared from use for at least a century: this word is “conation”. It was coined by Aristotle 2400 years ago. It derives from the combination of knowledge and action and means that knowledge must be put at the service of action, and action cannot be exercised and bear fruit unless it is based on knowledge. I say this because the challenge of the next 30 years, and even more, for the Economy of Communion is to strengthen the knowledge component. Up to now, priority has rightly been given to action, to achievements. But we must be aware that if action is not continually nourished by knowledge, it risks disintegrating. Chiara Lubich had a capacity for intuition and understanding, and therefore for foresight, even on subjects in which she was not a specialist. Indeed, the contribution of the Economy of Communion to the evolution of economic thought as a science has been remarkable. Luigino Bruni directs a research doctorate programme in the economy of communion and civil economy at the Lumsa (Libera Università Maria Assunta) in Rome, Italy; here in Loppiano there is the Sophia University Institute and in other universities too it is no longer forbidden to speak of Economy of Communion. I think this is a great, great outcome. (…)’ To review the live broadcast from Loppiano for the 30th anniversary of the Economy of Communion, click here
Lorenzo Russo
Jun 14, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Living charity, which is the source of every virtue, brings out the figure of Christ in us, because by loving we are another Him. In spite of our love for our brothers and sisters, we still carry with us certain faults that take away something of the beauty of Christ in us. … You know how in acquiring [virtues] and in combatting their opposing vices, we, who are called by God to find our “fortune” in our neighbour, discover that it is truly by loving Him that we deny ourselves. And you know that, to improve ourselves, we do not usually aim directly at removing one fault after another. Instead, we go around the obstacles, or “change room,” as we say, by “living the others”. In this way, we place ourselves on the path of charity which is the source of every virtue. … Besides, Jesus Forsaken, to whom we have given our lives, is for us the model of all virtues. We have always said that we want to love Him not only in suffering but also in living the virtues. Charity, in fact, brings out the figure of Christ in us because when we love we are another Christ. But by loving Jesus Forsaken in living the virtues, we have the impression of chiselling that figure of Christ in us, of refining it. We notice, in fact, that despite our love for our brothers and sisters, for years we’ve still been carrying around little or larger faults, that are sometimes trivial, but which take something away from the beauty of Christ in us. … What are these faults? Everyone has their own. At times we spoil what we are doing by rushing, or we don’t do the will of God perfectly. We are distracted in prayer; we dwell on foolish things that the world enjoys; we don’t know how to moderate our appetite. We are often overcome by curiosity, or we fall into vainglory. We speak out of turn or unnecessarily. We are attached to little things, a bit dependent on television. We let our brothers and sisters serve us; we are inconsistent, and so on. What should we do? When it is a question of things that are not good, Jesus invites us to act decisively when he affirms, “ If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out” (cf. Mt 5:29). We too, therefore, out of love for Jesus Forsaken, while continuing on the path of love, must not waver and must remain who we are, but root out our vices one by one. … I am convinced that this is even more possible on our spiritual path. Love, in fact, helps us. Love is self-denial and burns away these things too. Nonetheless, it isn’t a bad idea to focus on some of our faults and get into the habit of practising their opposite virtues. … Let’s take courage then and get to work!
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa 21st June 1984)
Jun 11, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Almost two years after a powerful earthquake, the Focolare community thanks all those who donated money to support their country in a moment of enormous difficulty. And the communion of goods continues: surplus funds have been sent to others who have had to face their own emergency. At 3.54 a.m. on 26 November 2019, a powerful earthquake struck the central northern part of the Republic of Albania. Fifty-two people lost their lives and over 2,000 were injured; numerous buildings collapsed creating substantial damage. More than 4,000 people had to leave their homes. The Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination Team responded immediately to meet the country’s needs. During the preliminary operations, six families were identified as being most in need. Their homes had suffered substantial damage and were therefore included in the reconstruction project. Because of the pandemic, the work had to slow down considerably but all the families were able to get through the winter season in suitable housing. So far five houses have been rebuilt. The only family whose house still needs to be repaired is waiting for the necessary permits from the local council. 
Upon receiving news of the earthquake, many members of the Focolare worldwide took action to respond to the needs of the Albanian community. A large communion of goods was organised through AMU (Action for a United World) and AFN (Action for New Families) with donations being received from many countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Australia. Francesco Tortorella of AMU stressed how “the effects multiply when we move together, not as individual organisations or individual expressions of the Focolare Movement but as a single reality.” A total of €53,000 was collected, €14,000 of which has been or will be used for reconstruction projects in Albania including work on the last house which will begin once the permits have been obtained. The remaining funds were donated to the indigenous peoples of Honduras whose farmland and stilt houses were destroyed by two typhoons in 2020. “The experience of reciprocity has involved everyone on the project,” explains Francesco Tortorella, “everyone agreed that the money left over should be donated for this new emergency”. Another part of the funds was used to set up a course on emotional wellbeing for young people. After the earthquake and the pandemic, there was a great need, especially among young people, for support in managing stress and anxiety. Twenty-five young people between the ages of 14 and 24 are currently taking part on the course. Elsa Cara, a member of the Focolare and an accountant in Tirana, the capital of Albania, said: “I lost seven cousins in the earthquake. It was really hard but I wanted to do something. Thanks to donations received from the Focolare, I was able to go to Thumane, one of the places most affected by the quakes. Being an area that is predominantly Muslim, the Catholic community is very small. I decided to go there every week, to be close to the children, and offered them a catechism course. Initially everyone was suffering from shock. Now they are a united group which is happy to be on this journey. Many of them have now been baptised. All this was the result of a collaboration between the Focolare, the local Church and Caritas.” Alfred Matoshi, a lawyer in Tirana and someone who has been heavily involved in the reconstruction project, thanked all those who donated, on behalf of the whole Focolare community in Albania: “Thank you. Because of them we have been able to help families in difficulty, children on the streets without a home, people who were crying from fright. Thank you, don’t stop giving, wherever there is a need.”
Laura Salerno
Jun 9, 2021 | Non categorizzato
An international online conference, with translations in 20 languages, promoted by the Focolare highlighted the contribution of Chiara Lubich’s spirituality to increase unity among Christians. “God’s will is mutual love, so to heal this rupture it is necessary to love one another”. With these words, on 26 May 1961, Chiara Lubich launched the Centre ‘Uno’ for Christian Unity, as a contribution in the ecumenical sphere to ‘heal’ the ‘rupture’ of the division between Christians of various Churches. Those who, from all over the globe, more than 13,000 people, participated in the international meeting for Christian unity promoted by the Focolare Movement and held online on 28-29 May entitled “Love one another as I have loved you”. (Jn 15:12), was able to see that the line indicated at that time by the founder continues to be the Movement’s line in the ecumenical sphere. In particular, two guidelines have emerged on the path towards Christian unity: “the dialogue of life” and “the sharing of spiritual gifts”. For the members of the Focolare Movement, these are based on two points of the spirituality of unity: the presence of Jesus in the midst of Christians united in His love (cf Mt 18:20) and love taken to its extreme in the cry of Jesus on the cross (cf Mk 15:34). The cry of humanity today,” said Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, in her speech, “seems to be an echo of his cry: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Mk 15:34). But Jesus, in a supreme act, gave himself completely back to the Father, thus bridging every gap, every possible disunity”. “In Him,” he continued, “we find the measure of love. When we recognise Him in all that hurts us, in our own limitations and in those of others, when it is difficult to ‘meet’ each other without hurting ourselves, it is still He who calls us to love the Church of the other as our own”. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Church of Jesus, also referred to the “two poles of the charism of unity”, unity and Jesus forsaken. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, referred to the “two poles of the charism of unity”, unity and Jesus forsaken, indicating them as the contribution of Chiara Lubich’s ecumenical spirituality to increase unity among Christians. He also said that he had “received much inspiration for my present task” from her. He conveyed the greetings of Pope Francis who “hopes that the reflection on dialogue and the exchange of spiritual gifts, as well as the sharing of the experience of communion lived in these years, will be an encouragement to realise daily the prayer of Jesus to the Father ‘That all may be one'”. Rev Ioan Sauca, acting secretary of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, said that love is “at the heart of the spirituality of unity of which Clare has always spoken; we are all embraced by the love of God in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit”. Catholic theologian Piero Coda, referring to the presence of Jesus in the midst of his followers, said: “And then it will be He, in the light and power of the Spirit, who will guide us on the path of unity”. “Jesus in the midst” is an expression coined by Lubich which, as Prof. Mervat Kelly of the Syrian Orthodox Church recalled, “has never been heard before” even though various Church Fathers have spoken of it. While the Lutheran evangelical theologian Stefan Tobler observed that “the Movement, wanting to support the journey of the Churches, can lead back to an experience that is the foundation, the nourishment of every ecumenical journey”. The conference was followed in many countries of the world: with 20 languages in simultaneous translation, the live webcast had over 13,000 individual views on the first day and 8500 on the second day. Live experiences from Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Congo, USA, Lebanon, Romania, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy and the “Together for Europe” project confirmed that the “dialogue of life” is a viable way on the path to unity. Another dimension that emerged at the conference was ‘receptive ecumenism’, that is, the exchange of spiritual gifts, the discovery of the gifts that each Church can offer and share. Mgr Juan Usma Gómez of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, an expert in dialogue with the charismatic-pentecostal reality, outlined the tensions that exist within Christianity. “I would like us to try together,” he said, “to dream of a possible path between the members of the Focolare Movement and those who belong to the Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement, identifying some essential elements to put it into action”. The session was enriched by Pastor Giovanni Traettino, founder of the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation in Italy and Pastor Joe Tosini, founder of the John 17 Movement in the United States, while the testimonies from Italy of Pentecostals and Catholics who are members of the Focolare Movement working together in solidarity projects for their cities, validated the fruitfulness of the “dialogue of life”. At the conclusion of the meeting, Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, said: “Mutual love among us Christians is the strongest and most credible witness to the world around us” and “at the present time in which humanity is living, Christian unity is an ethical imperative”. Affirming that “we do not want to evade that “effort of unity” to which Cardinal K. Koch referred in his report, he said that “we must not lose sight of the need for unity”. K. Koch referred to in his report, he concluded: “We only want to give priority to what has priority, and this is the experience of God that underpins all logic, all preaching about God. It seems to me that in these days we have had this experience, once again, as an immense gift from God.
Joan Patricia Back
Here are the links to review the live broadcasts of 28 and 29 May in different languages: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKhiBjTNojHo9Zx4JZmSokKOePyBL4Prp
