Jun 8, 2021 | Non categorizzato
A competition for young people 10 – 35 who can use artistic skills to present the inspiration derived from their encounter with Chiara Luce Badano. Closing date – 30 June 2021. This year, once again entries can be made for the Chiara “Luce” Badano Award promoted by the Chiara Badano Foundation. This competition began four years ago in recognition of Chiara Badano, a young member of the Focolare Movement from the Sassello community in Italy who was beatified on 25 September 2010. The competition aims to promote artistic works inspired by the example and the story of her life. Its aim is to spread knowledge about Chiara Badono and propose her as a role model for young people. When she was 17, Chiara discovered she had a bone tumour. She realised the seriousness of the disease but her infinite love for God was stronger. Her offer was decisive: “For you Jesus. If you want it, I want it too!” She had a close and profound relationship with Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, who wrote to her: “God loves you immensely and wants to penetrate the depths of your soul and make you experience drops of heaven. “Chiara Luce’ is the name I thought you could have; do you like it? It is the light of the Ideal that conquers the world…” Chiara Badano left for heaven on 7 October 1990 at the age of 19. Her life was short but, when seen in terms of her relationship with God Love, it is an example for thousands of young people all over the world. The Chiara “Luce” Badano Award is open to all young people between the ages of 10 and 35 years. Its purpose is to reward those who are most successful in expressing in an artistic manner whatever their encounter with Chiara Badano has inspired in them. There will be two categories for entrants:10 to 16 years and 17 to 35 years. Individuals or groups of young people can take part. Only one entry per participant. The date of registration for the award will be taken as proof of age. Entrants can use their favourite form of artistic expression: drawing, poetry, story writing, song, dance, mime, cartoon, video clip or other. Entries must be received no later than 30 June 2021. For full details refer to www.chiarabadano.org. Entries for each age group will be judged by a team of experts led by Maria Theresa Badano, Chiara’s mother. Awards will be announced in Sassello on 29 October, Chiara Luce’s feast day. Winners will receive a glass plaque of Chiara and the prize winning works will be exhibited or performed.
Lorenzo Russo
Jun 7, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Charity, which is a sharing in the divine life, cannot be improvised by us, we must draw it from God and from his Spirit. Then, in listening and obeying his voice, God’s plan unfolds magnificently and majestically. (…) To be perfect in love. To reach this goal — as we know — each day we must become more perfect, because “the one who does not go forward, goes backwards”. Love for the person we encounter must always be more refined, more exquisite. But what is the best means to achieve such an objective? I don’t see any other means than to direct our heart, mind and strength towards Jesus Forsaken with a constant desire to renew our love for Him; to love Him in the inevitable sufferings of each day. (…) It is this love – as we say—this always going beyond the wound in each moment, that allows the Risen One to live in us, full of light, that allows his Spirit to break every entrapment of our ego. And if the Spirit is freed within us, He will be able to increase the charity that He Himself has infused in our hearts. During these last few days, I have been experiencing that in trying to live with the Risen One in my heart, the voice of God grows louder within me and it is this voice that guides me in all the relationships that I must establish, with whomever I meet, those of the Church and of the Movement. (…) Yes, charity, which is a sharing in the divine life cannot be improvised, we must take it from God and from His Spirit. Therefore, when we listen to and obey His voice, the plan of God unfolds in a magnificent and majestic way. And as this happens, unity among grows deeper. (…) Dearest all, we have an ideal that is both extraordinary and divine (…) We truly do not know what we have. Rather, we do know: we have Jesus, the Son of God in and among us who lives and reigns where charity is queen. Therefore, so that this may always be so, (…), let’s make a renewed effort to love Jesus Forsaken in order that the Risen One may radiate within our hearts. The voice of His Spirit will grow louder within us and we will be able to be always more perfect in love, always more pleasing to God and to Mary, and then always more ready to serve the Church. Let’s keep this trinomial in mind: Jesus Forsaken, the Risen One, and to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. If we do this, we will be an expression of God’s love for everyone.
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, November 21st 1985)
Jun 6, 2021 | Non categorizzato
We reached the Focolare community of Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo) who, like the rest of the people, are living in a state of danger following the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano and subsequent seismic tremors. 
Just over a week ago the Nyiragongo volcano erupted. Located in the Democratic Republic of Congo it is described as one of the most active volcanos in the world. According to the National Geographic, “Mount Nyiragongo is rarely calm and is one of the few places in the world to have a real lava lake in its subsoil bubbling up to the top of its crater”. Late in the evening of Saturday 22 May, things suddenly began to intensify: large fractures opened up in the rocky flanks, spewing out the fast-moving lava towards Goma, a metropolis of over 1.5 million people located about ten kilometres from the volcano. “Fear and despair have become part of daily life”, says Asu-Oma Tabe Takang, a Cameroonian focolarina who lives in Goma and whom we manage to contact, “a nightmare that, unfortunately, this city’s inhabitants know all too well.” Because of the risk of a further eruption, the provincial government has asked the inhabitants of 10 districts of the city to leave their homes. UNICEF has warned that two hundred and eighty thousand children are among the four hundred thousand people expected to be displaced and in need of protection or support. “The situation is still not stable”, Asu-Oma continues, “and there are still fears of a new eruption. We live in a neighbourhood that is defined as ‘not at risk’, so we are calmer. There are people who have here come to seek refuge.” How are you dealing with the situation? From the very first moments of this tragedy, we set ourselves the challenge: to make an effort to live the “here and now”, that is to be aware and attentive to what is happening around us, and not to let ourselves be distracted by worry and fear so as to be able to help those in greatest need. How have you reacted to this tragedy? We still can’t leave the house as freely we did before, there’s still a lot of fear, even though life is slowly getting back on track. But through the media we have been in contact with friends, family and all the members of the Focolare in the region. The initial moments of this tragedy were difficult for everyone, we were in turmoil, in a state of uncertainty. At a certain point, someone posted a message on one of our forums, recalling Chiara Lubich’s experience with her first companions during the war. “For Chiara it was also a time of war but they had made a discovery that changed their lives, that God is love. These messages came like sparks that infused courage in people, transforming also our attitude towards the sufferings, the discomforts, but also towards the people around us, especially those suffering the most. Our mobile phones were full of messages and experiences. It was a real chain of solidarity. In what sense? A chain of solidarity is made up of small acts of attention, kindness, tenderness and charity practised anywhere and by anyone: by those who have had to leave their homes, as well as by those who were able to stay. It was thanks to this support that our hearts, but also our homes, became places of welcome. One morning we received messages from some friends and acquaintances who were worried about us, advising us to leave the city. We received a phone call from a person who had to evacuate because her neighbourhood was at high risk. She was getting ready to leave but had no idea where to go. At that moment I had a thought: “I’m safe and I’m thinking of leaving, but this person who has to leave her home has nowhere to go?” I shared this reflection with the focolarine, and we decided to remain in the city for all those who would need us. So we called this person, offering hospitality in the focolare to her and her children. These simple gestures of care are generating relationships of reciprocity between people, even between strangers, making us experience peace and serenity. At one point there was no more light or water in the city, and our doorman, who had confided in us how impressed he was that we had decided to stay, did everything he could to ensure we had some water. So he went to a neighbour and said: “they can’t stay without water” and they did everything they could to make sure we had plenty of water! The disaster also affected 17 villages… Hundreds of houses, schools, health centres and even an aqueduct have been destroyed. There have been 37 confirmed casualties, a number that may increase in the coming days; some people burnt to death, others killed in road accidents during the chaotic evacuation. Throughout this time we have tried to stay close and pray with and for all the families who have lost everything or their loved ones, as happened to three families from our Focolare community who lost everything under the lava. We asked ourselves what we could do to alleviate at least some of their pain. So someone from the community offered her land to build a temporary home for each of these families, to ensure that they could live together and be close to each other. We are also witnessing moments of great generosity.
Edited by Lily Mugombozi and Ghislane Kahambu
Jun 5, 2021 | Non categorizzato
On Tuesday 8th June 2021 at 1 pm local time let’s stop to pray for peace in the Holy Land, Myanmar and for the whole world, each according to their own tradition. “With ONE MINUTE FOR PEACE 2021, on 8th June at 13.00 (local time) we invite everyone: Catholics, Christians of different denominations, believers of the many religions, men and women of good will, to get together to pray and work for peace all over the world, especially in Jerusalem, between Israelis and Palestinians and in Myanmar”. This is the appeal launched by the International Forum of Catholic Action (IFCA) together with the Catholic Action of Italy and of Argentina, the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO) and other associations. The Focolare Movement adheres to this initiative and invites everyone to spiritually unite with this special moment. It is a very significant date: 8th June, 2014 was the occasion of the “Invocation for peace” meeting, promoted by Pope Francis, together with the President of Israel Simon Peres and the President of the Palestinian Authority Maḥ mūd ʿ Abbās – Abu Mazen, with the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I . Margaret Karram , current President of the Focolare, was also present and recited St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer for peace. Karram recalled the occasion in an interview with the Italian newspaper, “Avvenire”: “I believe in the power of prayer because I have seen it in action many times, for example on 8th June, 2014, when Pope Francis wanted that extraordinary moment which was “the invocation for peace” in the Holy Land – (…) I had the privilege of reading the prayer for peace of St. Francis of Assisi. It was a very strong experience. One might ask: ‘But what was this prayer for?’ It was a bright point that we can continue to look at, because prayer – as the Guardian of the Holy Land said at the time – is not something that produces something, prayer generates. So we must continue to generate peace within our hearts first of all and with everyone else”. Since that historic date, every year on 8th June, the International Catholic Action Forum holds the “One Minute for Peace” to implore together, throughout the planet, for the end of every conflict. It’s up to us. Let’s get involved and spread this initiative to count more and more MINUTES FOR PEACE all over the world.
Lorenzo Russo
Info: International Catholic Action Forum
Jun 2, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Since 2019 the South American country has been experiencing protests against the choices of the current government. Daniel, a young man from the Focolare Movement, tells us about their commitment to peaceful solutions to tensions. What is happening in Colombia? The country is experiencing strong tensions between the forces of order and its citizens. There are protests against the choices of the current government which – according to the protesters – is implementing policies that increase inequality. To understand what is happening, we interviewed Daniel Osorio, one of the Focolare Movement’s Youth for a United World in Colombia. What is the current situation in your country? Since 2019 there have been mass protests in Colombia that question the work of the government. They are mainly provoked by dissent over government policies and the need for free public education, but not only that. Among the reasons for the protests is the excessive use of force by the authorities against civilians, at times a matter of massacres. The protesters are calling for the intervention of the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights to verify the many cases of alleged violations. There have been many injuries and victims in recent years, some statistics: from 2016 to 2020, 971 murders of human rights defenders and leaders were recorded. In particular, in May 2021, tensions increased because of the tax reform bill that would hit the fragile middle class and the weakest social strata who suffered most from the economic impact of the pandemic. The protests resulted in a nationwide strike involving over 5 million people. And while most of the protests were peaceful and cultural, there were also some acts of vandalism and a violent repression by the state that resulted in casualties. What role do social media play in making the world aware of what you are experiencing? Thanks to the influence of social media, the ease of generating audio visual content and the large amount of information circulating, people can be aware of what is happening in our country. However, sometimes it is difficult to be sure of the reliability and truthfulness of the content replicated in digital spaces. On the other hand, the widespread use of social networks facilitates the dissemination of content that alerts everyone to the demands of protesters, but also to reports of human rights violations, helping to have an increasingly complete and real picture of what is happening. What are the Focolare community and Youth for a United World doing in this situation? When the protests began, as Youth for a United World, we felt a great helplessness in the face of the actual episodes of violence and at the same time we felt a strong desire to be able to do something concrete. We started immediately with three actions:
- On a local level, we created a virtual space where everyone could express what they felt, intended as a means of sharing and receiving new proposals and ideas.
- We launched a video on our social networks to make visible and encourage peaceful and cultural protests, certain that this is the way, and not violence, to change the situation in the country.
- We are creating infographics – disseminating through social networks – to reach as many people as possible in Colombia and around the world, explaining the background to the protests, the current situation in our country, but also sending a message of hope, communicating the importance of being united as a country, as a people, as a society and as a world.
How do you see your future and that of Colombia? In spite of the difficult situation, I feel that there is hope, because the reason why we are protesting and talking is precisely this: we believe that Colombia and the world, with more justice, equity and unity, can be better places to live.
Lorenzo Russo
Jun 1, 2021 | Non categorizzato
After yet another tragic shipwreck of migrants in the Mediterranean, Gen Verde wrote a song in 2013 inspired by the true story of a little girl who was among the victims. Today issues related to migration remain dramatically topical, and the group has just released a new video for the song. “When someone suffers, it’s our business,” affirm the international music group Gen Verde. “Never allow indifference to take over – have the courage to cry in the face of pain and the ability to take care of others.” On 9 May they released this message along with their new video for their song “Who cries for you?” It’s based on a true story of a child migrant who died in one of the many shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea. On 3 October 2013, her body lay in a hangar on the island of Lampedusa, Italy. Together with her, 368 migrants lost their lives. It was one of many tragedies in the Mediterranean Sea that have been occurring for too many years now. It was not unlike the one 21–22 April, where 130 migrants in a shabby dinghy, in waves more than six meters high, were fleeing from the horror they had experienced in Libya. And there, off the coast of Libya, screaming for help through an alarm phone for two days, they found no help. These 130 people were left to drown – yet another tragedy in this graveyard of the Mediterranean. “We have fallen into the globalization of indifference,” said Pope Francis after the October 2013 shipwreck. “We have become accustomed to others’ suffering; it does not concern us; it is none of our business!” “After composing the song ‘Who cries for you?’”, explain Gen Verde, “we realized that for so many it helped change their perspective and awaken that flame of tenderness and solidarity that we all carry inside. That’s why, by popular demand, we are releasing it yet again with a brand-new video clip that we hope will help us step in the shoes of those who suffer. “Because if we awaken the consciousness that those who are at the mercy of the waves are really our brothers and sisters to be taken care of, our way of thinking and acting will also change. This way there will no longer be ‘others’, but only an ever-growing ‘we’ that will come to include everyone.”
Lorenzo Russo
https://youtu.be/8iaemHN4r1c
