Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, repeatedly spoke in her speeches about closeness as God’s way of being near to humanity. As reflected in the title of this book, Closeness is the style of God which, through His life, Jesus revealed to us. It is also the main way to bring God to men and women today. To gain a deeper understanding of the book’s content, we interviewed the authors: Judith Povilus and Lida Ciccarelli.
Lida, Judith, what is the book about?
Lida: “It is a collection of Chiara Lubich’s ideas on the theme of love for others from the perspective of proximity. This is a topic dear to Pope Francis, who has often urged people to take care of the world around them and to be close to our brothers and sisters in the style of God: closeness.”
Judith: “For the English edition, we wondered how to translate the title. The solution could be the answer to your question: Learning Closeness from God—learning from God how to be close, recognizing how He has drawn near to us, so that we, in turn, may be close to those around us.”
Judith Povilus, PhD in Fundamental Theology, is Emeritus Professor of Logic and Foundations of Mathematics at Sophia University Institute (Loppiano, Florence). She is the author of: The Presence of Jesus Among His Own in Today’s Theology (1977); Jesus in Our Midst in the Writings of Chiara Lubich (1981); Numbers and Light: On the Sapiential Meaning of Mathematics (2013); and co-editor of Unity: A Glimpse from Chiara Lubich’s ‘Paradise ’49’ (2021). (2021).
How can we bring God into today’s world, where there is so much loneliness, indifference, war, and division?
Lida: “If we look around us, there are reasons to be pessimistic. Yet, as Christians, we are always called to witness God’s love. For me, the way forward is the path of Jesus: society back then was no better than today’s, yet Jesus always brought the life of heaven. We must do the same, where there is no love, let us bring love; where there is loneliness, let us become companions in life; where there is division, let us be instruments of reconciliation and unity.”
Who is the ‘neighbour’ to whom we bring God?
Judith: “The encyclical Fratelli tutti recalls the Parable of the Good Samaritan, where the Scribe asks Jesus, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Jesus turns the question around, showing that everyone is a candidate to be my neighbour. There are no limits—it is up to me to draw near to others. Being a neighbour is a transformative act. Your question is beautiful: finding God is what every human being most deeply longs for, even if they are unaware of it. Let us allow God to live in us, so that through our love, He may touch hearts.”
Cultural, social, and political differences often lead to fragmentation and polarization, increasing fear of others. Chiara Lubich’s ideal of unity challenges this trend.
Lida: “That’s absolutely true. Chiara was countercultural. She embedded in us a simple yet revolutionary idea: we are all brothers and sisters because we are all children of the Father in heaven. It is a simple idea, yet it makes us free and breaks down walls of division. If we put it into practice, it changes our lives. The other person, whether young or old, whether they share my views or not, whether rich or poor, a foreigner or someone from my own country, should be seen with new eyes. Everyone is a child of the Father and everyone, absolutely everyone, is loved by the Father just as I am.”
Lida Ciccarelli, with degrees in Philosophy and Moral Theology, is a professor of Church History and Spiritual Theology at the Mystici Corporis International Institute (Loppiano, Italy). A former member of the Spirituality Commission at the General Secretariat of the Synod, she is currently a Postulator at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Proximity is a key concept both in Christian Churches and in other religious traditions. Is it the path to universal fraternity?
Lida: “That’s exactly what we experienced recently with a group of young Shiite Muslims, students of Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali, Director of the International Institute for Islamic Studies in Qum, Iran. They came to Sophia University, in the little town of Loppiano, for a short course on Christianity. We did not so much speak about fraternity—we lived it.”
Judith “I was responsible for several lessons on the spirituality of unity. While speaking about God as Love, I told them the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I asked: ‘Is anyone here a father? Can you understand the depth of this mercy-filled love?’ Seven of them were young fathers. During a break, they joyfully and emotionally showed me photos of their children. In this atmosphere, their spontaneous questions about spirituality allowed them to understand the charism of unity more deeply. With joy, we discovered common ground or clarified aspects of Christianity that had previously been unclear. I realized that closeness, with all its human nuances and the willingness to share in the life of others, is truly the path to sharing the gift of the charism, which is for everyone, non-Christians too. Together, we can be builders of a more fraternal world.”
What advice would you give to readers? How should they view others?
Lida: “If the reader is already familiar with Chiara’s writings, I would suggest approaching them as if for the first time. Then, pause whenever something strikes you and listen to Wisdom knocking at the door of your heart.”
Judith: “Yes, indeed, Chiara’s writings in the anthology section are profound, diverse in genre and content. They cannot be read all at once. Personally, every time I meditate on one writing or another, I discover new insights or new steps to take.”
Lida: “So, in conclusion, how should we view other people? As Jesus looked at the rich young man: ‘He looked at him and loved him.’ What must that gaze have been like? A gaze of love, freely given, that reaches deep within and says: You are important to me, I love you just as you are.”
On the 24th of January 1944, Chiara Lubich discovered what would become a key point in the spirituality of unity: Jesus who experienced the abandonment of the Father on the cross, the utmost expression of suffering, the greatest expression of love.
Jesus Forsaken was precisely the focus of an artistic moment during Genfest 2024, the international appointment of the young people of the Focolare Movement. Here, we offer you a few extracts of it.
For several days, dramatic images of wildfires devastating an immense area and destroying everything from animals to vegetation have circulated around the world,. Thousands of buildings have been reduced to ashes and so far, 25 people have lost their lives. Many families have lost everything and 26 people remain missing. It is heart breaking to see these images of suffering still today. And the emergency is not over yet. We contacted the Focolare community there to find out how they are coping with this situation.
Carlos Santos, from the Focolare community in Los Angeles, told us, “The wildfires in various parts of our region are causing great anxiety because due to strong winds it’s impossible to fully extinguish the flames. The forecast is that they will continue for several more days. Many people have been evacuated and many have lost everything. However, we are also witnessing an enormous response from people who have brought food, clothing, money and other donations to those affected by the wildfires. The response has been so overwhelming that in some places TV stations have been used to ask people to stop donating because there is no more space for the items being delivered. Indeed, Providence has arrived in abundance and beyond what is needed.
The fires have not reached the homes of any members of the local Focolare community. However, some have had to move because they live in areas at risk of wildfires.
The Women’s Focolare, hosted a family for three days until authorities confirmed it was safe for them to return home. Our Men’s Focolare is also available to welcome anyone in need of shelter. This has brought more peace of mind to the community, as several areas in Los Angeles County could face evacuation orders if the winds change direction and move the fires toward them. Through their work, some focolarini have directly witnessed the suffering of many people and families who have lost everything. We want to accompany these people, offer comfort, and help them find stable solutions.” Carlos concluded thanking everyone for the many messages of solidarity and prayers during this time of great suffering.
You can read about the “miracle of the tabernacle” at Corpus Christi Church in the Pacific Palisades community of California on this link from the Focolare Media website, the communication platform for the Focolare Movement in North America,.
…We must be convinced that for the civilization of love to become a reality, we have to storm the world with a current of love. Otherwise, everything will remain like a dream, destined to die. … Love! Teaching to love! The person who truly knows how to love, is the person who knows that he or she is sincerely loved. This is a human observation, but it is no less valid in the supernatural field. To know that we are loved! By whom? By the One who is Love. We must open the eyes of as many brothers and sisters as possible so that they might see and discover the treasure they possess, often without realizing it. They are not alone on this earth. There is Love. They have a Father who does not abandon his sons and daughters to their own destiny. He wants to accompany them, watch over them, help them. He is a Father who does not load burdens that are too heavy onto others’ shoulders. He is the first to carry them. In our case, he does not leave the renewal of society only to human initiative. But He is the first to be concerned with it. People should know this and turn to him, aware of the fact that nothing is impossible for him. We must believe, therefore, that we are loved by God so that we can throw ourselves with greater faith into the adventure of love, and work together with him for a New Humanity. Then we must focus our interests on the human person and share with them misfortunes and successes, spiritual goods and material goods. And, to love well, we must not see the difficulties, corruption and sufferings of the world merely as social evils to be resolved. Rather, we must recognize in these the countenance of Christ, who did not disdain to hide himself beneath all human poverty. Because of him – especially for those of us who are Christian – our greatest energies are channeled for the good of others. But since the love we are talking about is certainly not only philanthropy, or friendship or purely human solidarity, but is primarily a gift from Above, we must place ourselves in the best possible attitude to receive it, by nourishing ourselves on and living on the Word of God. … Every person in their large or small world of daily activities – in the family, office, factory, trade union, immersed as they may be in local and general problems, in public institutions, all the way to the United Nations – can truly be a builder of peace, a witness to love, an instrument of unity.
You strive and work for a united world (a world of peace and fraternity).
What are you doing to reach this goal? You are involved in activities that might appear to be small and, although meaningful, out of proportion with your proposed objective. When you are older, perhaps some of you will be more directly involved in the various organizations aimed at building a united world.
I believe that, although all that you do will be very helpful, it is not one activity or another that will play a decisive role towards this goal.
Instead, the deciding factor is that of offering a soul to the world. And this soul is love. …
Today we must “be love”, we must feel what the other person is feeling, live the other, the others, and aim at achieving unity … all over the globe. …
Therefore, we must build relationships of unity, solidarity, which are rooted in love.
You must live out this love first of all among yourselves.
So as to reach the point of living it with many, many others, wherever you go; when you meet ordinary people for example and with those who govern their future or those in public institutions, and in the smaller or bigger organizations of the world… everywhere. Only then will they fulfil the purpose for which they were established and truly work for a united world, (a world of peace).
Chiara Lubich
This thought was read by Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, during Connection on 28 September 2024. It can be seen by clicking here.
Seventy-five years have passed since the day Chiara Lubich wrote “I have only one spouse on earth”, which we have reproduced here. It’s a writing destined from the very beginning to become a true programmatic manifesto for Chiara and for those who would follow her by adopting the spirituality of unity as their own.
The handwritten manuscript, preserved in the Chiara Lubich Archive (in GAFM) and written on the front and back of a single sheet, records the date of its composition: 20-9-49. Published, in Italian, for the first time in 1957, in an incomplete version and with some modifications, in the magazine “Città Nuova”, it was then reprinted in other publications of Chiara Lubich’s writings, until it was finally included, in its entirety, and according to the original manuscript, in The Cry (New City, London 2001). This is a book that Chiara Lubich wanted to write personally “as a love song” dedicated precisely to Jesus Forsaken.
It began as a sort of diary page, written on the spur of the moment. Considering the unique lyrical tone that permeates it, it could be defined as a “sacred hymn”. This definition seems appropriate if one considers that the term “hymn” originates from the Greek hymnos. The word, although of uncertain etymology, has nevertheless a close relationship with the ancient Hymēn, the Greek god of marriage in whose honour it was sung. Moreover, the spousal aspect in this work is more than ever present, even if – and precisely because – we are within a strongly mystical context. It really is a “song” of love to Jesus Forsaken.
The context of the writing takes us back to the summer of 1949, when Chiara, with her first companions, and the first two men focolarini, was in the mountains – in the Primiero valley, in Trentino-Alto Adige – on holiday. Also, Igino Giordani (Foco) joined the group, for a few days. He had already met Chiara in Parliament a short time before, in September 1948, and he had been fascinated by her Charism.
It was a summer that Chiara herself described as “full of light”. Since then – going back over its stages – she did not hesitate to affirm that it was precisely in that period that she had a better understanding of “many truths of the faith, particularly who Jesus Forsaken was for humanity and for creation – he who recapitulated all things in Himself. Our experience was so powerful,” she noted, “it made us think life would always be like that: light and Heaven.” (The Cry, pages 60-61). But the time had come – urged precisely by Foco – to “come down from the mountains” to meet humanity that is suffering, and to embrace Jesus Forsaken in every expression of pain, in every “abandonment”. Like Him. Only out of love.
So, she wrote: “I have only one spouse on earth: Jesus Forsaken”.
Maria Caterina Atzori
20-9-49
I have only one Spouse on earth: Jesus forsaken. I have no God but him. In him is the whole of paradise with the Trinity and the whole of the earth with humanity.
Therefore, what is his is mine, and nothing else.
And his is universal suffering, and therefore mine.
I will go through the world seeking it in every instant of my life.
What hurts me is mine.
Mine the suffering that grazes me in the present. Mine the suffering of the souls beside me (that is my Jesus). Mine all that is not peace, not joy, not beautiful, not lovable, not serene, in a word, what is not paradise. Because I too have my paradise, but it is that in my Spouse’s heart. I know no other. So it will be for the years I have left: athirst for suffering, anguish, despair, sorrow, exile, forsakenness, torment— for all that is him, and he is sin, hell.
In this way I will dry up the waters of tribulation in many hearts nearby and, through communion with my almighty Spouse, in many faraway.
I shall pass as a fire that consumes all that must fall and leaves standing only the truth.
But it is necessary to be like him: to be him in the present moment of life.
Chiara Lubich The Cry (New City, London 2001, pages 61-62)
