Violence – even verbal violence – seems to be increasingly characteristic of our age. On social media, divisions go viral and create even more hatred, accentuate polarization and shut the door on dialogue. It is not easy to break out of this cycle. Phil lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Laura is from Boston. Politically, they are on opposite sides, but they share the charism of unity and a commitment to living the Gospel every day. Here they recount how they have experienced that not only words, but also sincere listening can open gaps in the walls of the most stubborn convictions.
François-Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân was born in Huê (Vietnam) on 17th April 1928 into a deeply Catholic family. Ordained a priest in 1953, he zealously dedicated himself to the formation of seminarians, distinguishing himself as a professor, rector and spiritual guide. Appointed Bishop of Nha Trang in 1967, he promoted a missionary ministry, close to the poor and attentive to the apostolate of the laity.
In 1975 Saint Paul VI chose him as Coadjutor Archbishop of Saigon, but only a few months later he was arrested by the communist regime. He spent thirteen years in prison, nine of them in solitary confinement. During that trial he knew how to unite himself intimately to the crucified Christ, transforming suffering into an offering and solitude into communion with the Church. During those years his “Thoughts of Hope” were born, which became a real spiritual testament, capable of illuminating the faith of millions of people around the world.
A decisive moment in his life was, towards the mid-1970s, when he met Chiara Lubich and the spirituality of the Focolare Movement, whose charism of unity and focus on Jesus Forsaken – Jesus who experienced the abandonment of the Father on the cross, the maximum expression of love – became a source of strength for him, even in the darkest moments.
Released in 1988 and exiled, he settled in Rome, where Saint John Paul II called him to serve the universal Church as Vice-President (1994) and then President (1998) of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. In this role he tirelessly proclaimed the Gospel of peace and justice, traveling throughout the world.
In 2000 he was invited by St. John Paul II to preach the spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia. Created Cardinal in 2001, he lived his final period marked by illness, with serenity and total abandonment to God. He died in Rome on 16th September 2002, leaving behind a spiritual legacy of unshakable faith, luminous hope and merciful love.
Today his figure continues to speak to the Church and the world: his life, shaped by the cross and hope, testifies that the love of Christ can transform every night into dawn.
Hope Thoughts of François-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan written during the first months of imprisonment (*)
979. You want to bring about a revolution: to renew the world. You will be able to carry out this precious mission that God has entrusted to you, only with “the power of the Holy Spirit”. Every day, wherever you live, prepare a new Pentecost. 980. Commit to a campaign that aims to make everyone happy. Sacrifice yourself continually, with Jesus, to bring peace to souls, development and prosperity to peoples. 981. Remain faithful to the apostle’s ideal: “to lay down one’s life for one’s brothers”. Indeed, “no one has a greater love than this” (Jn 15:13). 982. Proclaim only one slogan: “All one”, that is: unity among Catholics, unity among Christians and unity among nations. “As the Father and the Son are one” (cf. Jn 17:22 -23). 985. Stick firmly to a single guiding principle: prayer. No one is stronger than the person who prays. 986. Follow one rule: the Gospel … It is not as difficult, coFmplicated or legalistic as others: on the contrary, it is dynamic, gentle and inspiring. 994. For your apostolate use the only effective method: personal contact. With it you enter into the lives of others, understand them and love them. Personal relationships are more effective than sermons and books.
(*) From: The Road of Hope. Witnessing the joy of belonging to Christ, Città Nuova, 6th ed., Rome 2004.
Just a few words. Nothing more. But it’s enough to guide the whole day. They are published at midnight and by dawn they arrive via WhatsApp or email and “light up” the whole day. They express a thought from the Gospel or a universal value and motivate people to act, to engage, to look beyond their own occupations or worries.
A brilliant idea, simple and easy to share, conceived by Chiara Lubich in December 2001 to help those working with her at the Focolare International Centre to live the present moment. But as often happens, seeing how positive the idea and its effects were, it spread like ripples on water when a stone is thrown in, crossing borders, languages, cultures and languages.
In the years that followed, the founder of the Focolare often referred to this “password” and to the experiences it sparked in those who put it into practice. She would sometimes encourage people to keep going or offer a deeper meaning, like when she suggested silently adding to the daily thought the intention of living it “especially in contact with your brothers and sisters”. This marked a profound shift, not only in striving for personal perfection, but in constantly relating to those next to us, entering into their needs and making them recipients of our concrete love.
Gradually it grew and developed. Currently, the “password” recalls some aspect of the monthly Word of life or refers to the readings of the liturgy. It is translated into 23 languages. Some, when they forward it or publish it on social networks, add a personal reflection a suggestion for putting it into practice. Others illustrate it with an image or create a short video for YouTube. And there are even those who compose a short song every day. All means of communication and all social networks are useful for sharing it with friends and acquaintances, always gently asking first if they are interested in receiving it.
These are not empty words. On the contrary, they stimulate and motivate us to action, especially in our relationships with the environment and with the people we meet every day, as Marisa from Brazil said: “Today I was going to lecture at the university, even though at this time I don’t really feel like continuing that job. I am old enough to retire, but I missed out on some promotions and for the moment I have to work because my daughters still need my financial help. So I renew my ‘For You, Jesus’ every time I go to the university. Today’s thought is precisely: ‘fulfil our duties’”.
From Senegal, Don Christian wrote: “Thank you for the password. It helps me to nourish my spiritual life and to enlighten my relationship with God and with my brothers and sisters every day.” For Maria Teresa, from Argentina, receiving it every day is a response from God: “I work in the pastoral care of migrants and yesterday I accompanied one of them to the presentation of a book he wrote on “neuroconduction”. I felt it was important to be with him in these moments when he could share and help him develop his talents. It was a new and beautiful experience of unity with him and with the people who came and welcomed his lecture as a gift he had to offer. ”
These are just a few glimpses of the life that is generated in hundreds of people, or maybe even more, who, with or without a religious belief, wake up every morning with the commitment to live the few words of the “password”.
In my younger years, in disagreement with my parish priest whom I considered too authoritarian and rigid, I gradually drifted away from religious practice. Then the witness of a group of Christians who were living out Jesus’ new commandment (Jn. 13:34 -35) made me rethink things and the change of lifestyle that followed led me first of all to seek reconciliation with those I had judged. I apologized to the priest and we cleared things up. Behind certain discouraging attitudes, I discovered a heart capable of understanding. A few years later, having made a radical choice of God, I went to share it with the parish priest who by then had become a friend. He wasn’t expecting it and knowing my artistic skills, he asked me to decorate a noticeboard on which he usually posted the announcements of the pilgrimages he organized for the parishioners. It was a modest gesture, but for him it was significant and sealed the new harmony established between us.
(F. Italy)
Michel and his boys
Michel was responsible for the human and spiritual formation of a group of teenagers. During the Easter holidays he took them for a sort of retreat in a boarding school that had been left empty by the students who had gone home. There were about 30 boys, all very lively. The first night, spent playing games went well. The hard part was bedtime, when one could expect some mischief. So, once they went to bed and turned off all the lights, Michel waited. Silence. After 10 pm, he heard some bedroom doors opening softly. He let them all slip out and then suddenly stepped out himself turning on the lights in the hallway. The boys froze, expecting a scolding. Instead Michel exclaimed: “And now… let’s all go into town to eat frites” (French fries made in Belgium with a special technique: a local specialty). The boys didn’t expect it. Happy, they went out and each one had a cone of frites. Then, satisfied, they returned to their accommodation quietly. Won over by Michel, the retreat was very successful.
(G.F. Belgium)
My at risk students
Before discovering the Gospel as a code for life, as a teenager I thought that following Jesus meant giving up many things: now I know that the only thing you have to give up is your own selfishness. Everything else is a gain. After that change of direction, I felt more and more strongly the need to deepen, through theological studies, my knowledge of the God who changed my life. For me now, teaching religion in classes where there is no shortage of students at risk is a mission that stems from the duty to share the gift I have received. It is not easy: in general, because of their social background, poverty and perhaps also the lack of role models, they are a blank slate when it comes to religion. They see the Church with its precepts as distant and outdated. The first step then, is to make friends with them, to get to know their interests. In everyone, there is always something positive to highlight and then, by building on that, it is easier for them to open up and welcome the Christian message.
My mother-in-law was dissatisfied with the work carried out by the worker her son had organised for her. When we pointed out that she was never happy with anything, she reacted strongly. Later, at dinner, she was still sulking, and when I tried to downplay the incident, she flew off the handle, reproaching me for things I really didn’t feel guilty about at all.
She even got up from the table and went to take refuge in her room. Ah, if only everyone had stayed at home! But inside me, the voice of charity which covers faults and weaknesses like a cloak, prompted me to go to her. I found her in tears. When I asked for forgiveness, she also blamed her son. I felt I had no choice but to leave. I felt I had done enough… but then the same voice as before suggested I try again. After clearing the table, I went back to her to convince her that I was truly sorry, and I hugged her as I would have hugged my own mother. I only left her once the tension had eased and I saw her doze off. I thanked God, and the next day my greeting with a smile removed all trace of embarrassment from my mother-in-law’s face.
Maria Luisa – Italy
In hospital
I was admitted to the hospital in Ribeirão Preto for a nose operation. It wasn’t the first time, because I have a rare disease and need frequent treatment. That’s why I don’t like hospitals, and I was really scared but I did everything out of love for Jesus.
For example, I drank milk with cream which I don’t like at all; on the day of the operation, I put on the hospital clothes without complaining; I didn’t eat lunch so I could have the anaesthetic; I waited with love for four hours because there was a delay with my operation and tried to love the other children who had also been admitted to hospital. After the operation, I waited several more hours for the doctor to call me for a check-up.
I was already hungry, tired and nervous, so I knocked over a chair and grumbled. But I immediately remembered what I had promised Jesus and repented. Shortly afterwards, the door opened. It was the doctor calling me.
Paulinha, 7 years old – Brazil
Reciprocity
One morning, I heard the doorbell ring: the person at the door introduced herself as B., the tenant who was living in the flat below me and has Alzheimer’s. She asked me to let her in because she had accidentally locked herself out of her flat while her husband was away. I opened the door and invited her to stay with me for a while until he returned home.
I could see she was sad and confused (sometimes she is aware of her condition). So as not to make her feel bad, I pointed out that this kind of unexpected thing can happen to anyone, through carelessness. We chatted for a while until she remembered that she was locked out and became anxious again.
Since I didn’t feel like leaving her in that state, even though I’m in a wheelchair, I went with her by lift to the floor below to calm her down.
But first, B. also showed herself to be a neighbour to me by taking the trouble to place a mat in front of my front door so that it wouldn’t close. In that way I was able to keep her company until her husband arrived.
For more than thirteen years, we have been involved in real dialogue with a group of Turkish Muslim families living in our city, Ljubljana (Slovenia). It all started quite by chance. I worked as a dentist and one of the first Turkish families to arrive in Slovenia became my patients. From that first meeting, a deep bond grew, which over time extended to other families in the same community. After the failed coup in Turkey in 2016, many people were accused of belonging to a hostile movement and were forced to flee, finding refuge in our country. Since then, the number of families with which we started interacting grew rapidly, reaching around 50 people in just a few months. We soon realized that it was not a simple cultural exchange but that this bond developed into a relationship of real mutual help: we helped them to learn our language, to handle administrative paperwork, to enrol their children in school and with all the support required for the needs of daily life. In short, a friendship that has gradually become a deep dialogue, including about values and spirituality.
Over time, we had the opportunity to introduce them to the Focolare Movement and its ideal of a united world. This led to discovering of many common points between the Focolare charism and their spirituality.
One of the most significant aspects of this journey was taking part in each other’s religious celebrations. We attended iftar dinners during Ramadan, while Muslim families showed interest in the Christian celebrations. For four consecutive years, we celebrated Christmas together. The Muslim families were initially surprised by the spiritual depth of this occasion as, influenced by Western media, they had seen it mainly as a consumer event.
Video in original language – Turn on subtitles and pick the language you want
From this desire to further deepen this dialogue, the Pop the Bubbles project was born in collaboration with the Association for Intercultural Dialogue and Social Academy, where I work. The aim was to overcome prejudices and barriers between communities, encouraging meeting between Turkish and Slovenian families. The project involved a group of families for a whole year, during which we worked together to identify common values between the two cultures. At the end of this journey, six fundamental values emerged: family, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, democracy, freedom and inclusion. To conclude the project, we organized two residential camps, one of three days and one of five, in which 73 people participated. In addition to cultural exchange meetings, the project also led to concrete solidarity initiatives, such as helping Ukrainian refugees. This has shown that working together towards a common goal can strengthen the bonds between different communities. In addition, in recent years, I started working in an NGO (Social Academy) that cares for young people and some Turkish families asked me to help look after their teenage children as well, passing on to them those common values we had discovered together. This step was very significant, because it demonstrated the trust that had been built between our communities.
At the same time, an innovative project was born: the creation of an application to promote dialogue between people with opposite opinions – hardtopics.eu. The app works by connecting two people who have responded in a divergent way to a questionnaire on polarizing issues. The system pairs them and invites them to a discussion in a prepared environment, with the aim of overcoming social polarization and promoting a culture of dialogue. This app will soon be used in high schools and universities in Ljubljana. The enthusiasm shown by young people during the testing phase confirmed the value of this initiative.
I believe it is essential to create networks of interreligious dialogue at European level. The journey we have undertaken shows that with patience and dedication it is possible to build authentic relationships based on trust, respect and the shared values.
