This morning, while shopping at the supermarket, I passed by a large trolley where a shop assistant was piling up boxes. I noticed two of them were on the ground.
Fearing that I had inadvertently dropped them, I apologised, picked up the boxes and placed them on the trolley.
The shop assistant thanked me and said not to worry, then called after me: ‘Kindness is rare!’. Another person who was passing by just at that moment confirmed: “That’s very true!” whereupon the shop assistant, by way of explanation, told her what had happened.
As for me, I was happy, not least because this little episode reminded me of a phrase I had heard some time ago which had struck me. It spoke about “sowing kindness”. It felt like a ‘caress’ from God.
G.S. – Italy (*)
Healing relationships
I have a brother, a Catholic Christian, who married a German woman from the Evangelical Church. When they settled in Italy, the relationship between my mother and sister-in-law was not easy, even though she was not against their children being educated in the Catholic Church. As for me, I tried to be a ‘mediator’ between her and my mother. My sister-in-law also suffered because of this misunderstanding, which was however healed shortly before our mother died. For some time now, I have been sharing the ‘Thought for the Day’ with her via Whatsapp which helps us to live Gospel-based love on a daily basis. One day the thought invited us to ‘be merciful’, with this short commentary sentence: “Mercy is a love that knows how to welcome every neighbour, especially the poorest and neediest. A love that does not measure, is abundant, universal, concrete”. Her response was immediate: ‘If I have made you feel bad in certain circumstances over the past years, please forgive me”. Astonished, I replied in turn: “I too apologise”. And she: “I don’t remember any incident for which need to apologise…’.
C. – Italy (*)
Called and sent
Someone very dear to me asked me to write something about my experience as a teacher for an acquaintance of hers from another country who was doing a project on values education.
I realised that it was an opportunity to transform into a testimony and ‘proclamation’ what, in some ways, has been my personal response to the ‘call’ to live according to the teachings of the Gospel as a teacher and as a mother.
The piece took many hours of writing, deleting, correcting, rewriting, remembering aspects that I could add, deleting others that seemed irrelevant and, above all, filtering each word with love. I tried to put myself in the place of the person I was writing for, because even though I did not know her, I could love Jesus in her.
I sent it to my friend, aware that it might not be exactly what she needed, and so was ready to change everything.
To my surprise, she replied: “I have already sent your letter. I really liked it”. No doubt it was not the writing itself that was liked, but the work that God had done in me which could be a little light for others by being shared.
And, of course, the other things I had to do in those days were easily taken care of, as there had been some changes in the rota that left me with more free time.
A few days ago, the Spanish province of Valencia experienced one of the greatest natural disasters in its history. Heavy rains, “DANA”, caused massive floods that swept through cities and towns in the region.
Currently, the toll is 214 dead and 32 people missing. An estimated 800,000 people, one-third of Valencia’s population, have been affected. Around 2,000 small businesses have been swamped with water and mud, losing everything. Cars floated through the streets, piling up like paper boats. The list of families who have lost their livelihoods has yet to be compiled. It is a major disaster made worse by the indefinite postponement of public works needed to prevent floods like these from occurring.
However, alongside this great disaster remarkable solidarity is being demonstrated. In the following days, as the waters receded, revealing a thick layer of mud covering everything, thousands of volunteers, mostly young people, began arriving in the affected area, armed with shovels and brushes, ready to help.
José Luis Guinot is a medical oncologist and president of the Viktor E. Frankl Association of Valencia, which provides emotional support for people affected by illness, suffering, death and other vital losses. The City Council asked him to help at a health and support centre set up for the occasion, where he could “listen and welcome those who need to share what they have experienced.” He said, “This has been and continues to be, an immense tragedy, far beyond anything we could have imagined. We couldn’t believe it was happening.”
He said that a few days later, while attending Sunday Mass, it saddened him to hear only prayers for the dead and those affected by the flood, without mention of any further support. He thought, “It’s not enough just to pray, even though we must pray a lot. We need to be close to people to give them hope. As Christians and as part of the Focolare Movement, we must offer that hope even in harsh experiences. Together and united, we can help each other overcome this situation.”
In one of the affected areas, a Focolare family with young children had their home flooded. Although they were unharmed, everything they owned was lost: washing machine, refrigerator, domestic appliances, furniture… Help from other families came quickly, someone washed their clothes, then another person gave them a new washing machine.
Eugenio, a member of the Focolare Movement who has a disability due to polio, was the President of the Federation of Adapted Sports in Valencia for many years. He couldn’t get around after the flood because of his mobility difficulty but by making phone calls he was able to contact local disabled associations asking for help. José Luis Guinot said, “We must offer ideas, help create solidarity and generate donations.” For example, these associations managed to obtain wheelchairs for those who had lost theirs in the flood.
“I think this is a wake-up call for all of society. Spain is going through a period of politically polarized conflict,” José Luis reflected. “But there’s another side of society, many young people who we think are always glued to social media, yet they’re out here in the mud, seeking a society of solidarity, a united world, a society where fraternity is real. Until now, politicians hadn’t taken this message seriously. But now, no one can deny it.”
Next weekend, the Focolare community will meet to think and plan together how they can continue serving after these emergency days. As José Luis said, everyone can and must be involved, because, “two or three months from now, there will be a need for emotional support, for a sense of belonging to something, to a community or a parish… It will be a challenge for us: we’ll need to be on the phone a lot, visit people, listen to them, encourage them despite their hardships, but letting them know that we are with them. Even if you can’t leave your home, if you’re elderly or have small children… you can talk to your neighbours, make phone calls or offer words of encouragement. We must transmit a sense of community… I won’t try to explain anything to those who have lost loved ones or their livelihood, I will give them a hug and say: ‘We will help you find the strength to move forward'”. .
The Focolare community and the Fundación Igino Giordani, has launched a fundraising campaign. The funds collected will be managed locally to support the victims. The material damage and losses are immense. Many survivors have lost beds, tables, refrigerators, washing machines, cars, work equipment…
Contributions can be made through: Fundación Igino Giordani CaixaBank: ES65 2100 5615 7902 0005 6937 Account Holder: Fundación Igino Giordani Purpose: Emergencia DANA España To claim a tax deduction, send your tax information toinfo@fundaciongiordani.org
‘It has been an immense grace for me, a gift from God that is not only a personal gift, but i consider it a gift for the whole Focolare Movement’ with these words President Margaret Karram opens some reflections on the Synod experience and the final document of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (2-27 October 2024) “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation, mission”.
A few months ago, I was diagnosed with a tumour. The doctor suggested starting with an alternative treatment and then finishing with radiotherapy.
On the first day of my radiotherapy cycle, I found myself in a large waiting room, full of patients, heads down. I checked in by presenting my magnetic card, standing because there were no more seats. That was the most intense moment, where I embraced and accepted the pain this situation caused me. On the second day, I asked God for strength and began talking first with one, then two and even three other patients, asking where they were from and how their journey had been, as they came from various places. Day by day, the waiting room became a place of joy. The atmosphere changed – love, patience and calm filled the air. We even gave each other nicknames based on famous people. On my last day of treatment, I brought sweets for everyone and we put on hats to take pictures. Finally, we placed our right hands together in the centre to make a pact of brotherhood: “until death do us part.”
The Director of the service called me to give me the report for my specialist and she said goodbye with a hug and a kiss, saying, “We’ll miss you a lot. You made us laugh so much… I could always hear you from my office.” As I left, I found myself back in the waiting room, everyone was standing and applauding me. Tears started to fall. I waved goodbye and, already out on the street, I said to myself, “How beautiful it is to put the words of the Gospel into practice. With a little love, everything is transformed.”
J.J.A
The Employee
At the factory, we needed someone to do the cleaning: the offices, kitchen, bathrooms and other shared areas.
During my working hours, I often have long phone calls and whenever I can, I take the opportunity to go for a walk to spend some time outdoors in the sun. One day, I set out determined to find someone from the area who could help with the cleaning. Just half a block away, I saw an older man who was mowing the grass in front of his house. I approached him, introduced myself and mentioned that we were looking for someone to assist with cleaning. I asked if he knew anyone looking for work.
He looked at me and said that his son could do the job. I replied, “Alright, tell him to come to see me tomorrow.” He then explained that his son had multiple sclerosis. “Tell him to come tomorrow,” I repeated.
The next day, Mauro arrived – a 36-year-old man. He told me that he was part of a research program in which he received a special medication injection once a week, which made him weak the following day. The treatment wasn’t always on the same day each week. He mentioned how hard it was for him to find a job due to this challenge.
Mauro has been with us for five months. Not only does he carry out the agreed cleaning tasks, but he also looks after the garden, maintenance, and other duties.
Reciprocity, giving and receiving, community and valuing each person is the way I want to live and work.
A young girl in love with God who discovered she had bone cancer at the age of 17, yet, even in her illness, she never stopped being nourished by her love for God which was stronger than anything else. “For you Jesus. If you want it, I want it too!”
She was in the fourth year of school when she got to know the Focolare Movement. She then joined a group of Gen (New Generation) who are the young people of the Focolare. She did not talk about Jesus to others, she communicated him with her life. In fact, she said: “I don’t have to talk about Jesus, I have to give Him… first of all by being in an attitude of listening, but above all by my way of loving”.
“Chiara Luce is the name I thought up for you. Do you like it?” wrote Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, in response to one of Chiara Badano’s letters. “It is the light of the Ideal that overcomes the world…”
Chiara Luce left for Heaven on 7 October 1990 pronouncing these final words before she died: “Mamma, ciao. Be happy, because I am”, as the climax of suffering lived in the radiant light of faith. Her short life now serves as an example to follow for thousands of young people all over the world. The Chiara Badano Foundation set up to keep Blessed Chiara’s memory alive and eternal, and to preserve the places associated with her, continues to receive many requests and reports confirming that Blessed Chiara Luce is known and loved all over the world, especially among young people.
On her birthday which is her liturgical feast day (Chiara was born on 29 October 1971) there will be an intense day of celebrations in Sassello (Italy) where she was born, to which everyone is welcome. It will also be possible to follow some of the events via live-streaming on Chiara Badano’s official website: Fondazione Chiara Badano.
For full details of the programme, please see the poster (at UTC time+1).
On Oct. 4, the day of St. Francis of Assisi, ends the period of the Season of Creation, a period in which it is proposed to deepen dialogue with God through prayer, associated with concrete actions for the care of the planet. The Focolare Movement has always supported the initiative by participating and organizing events in various parts of the world. Here are some initiatives from the Season of creation 2024.
In Leonessa, at the center Italy, a nature walk was held. The event, entitled Breaths of Nature: together for our planet, was attended by young and old alike. The group of participants departed from the Capuchin friars’ monastery, led by the friars themselves together with the forest police, the Italian Alpine Club and Prof. Andrea Conte, astrophysicist and Italian coordinator of EcoOne, the Focolare Movement’s Ecology network. The excursion culminated at a spring, where Prof. Conte led an evocative meditation on the journey of a carbon atom in the environment. Conte then showed how to turn ordinary waste into tools for scientific experiments, demonstrating how science can be fun and affordable for everyone.
Following this, topics such as environmental awareness, the effects of climate change and the importance of education for sustainability were discussed in depth at the town’s Auditorium. Prof. Luca Fiorani, from the EcoOne International Commission, offered an in-depth analysis of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the concept of integral ecology and relational sustainability. The large attendance and the attention shown by those in attendance is proof of a growing interest in environmental issues and a growing awareness of the importance of taking action to protect our planet.
In Oceania, this is the fourth year that the Focolare community has contributed to ecumenical prayer for the Season of Creation. “We have been praying and witnessing through various actions of caring for our common home,” they recount. ”This prayer service is our effort to give hope to our vast area that stretches 7,000 km from Perth, Western Australia, to Suva, Fiji, the largest island nation in the heart of the Pacific. This was followed by a reflection by Jacqui Remond, co-founder of the Laudato Si’ Movement and professor at the Australian Catholic University, who spoke about the need to change hearts for ecological conversion.
Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of the Archdiocese of Suva in Fiji could not join them because he was welcoming Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea. But he sent a message emphasizing in particular the importance of the word “Tagi,” which means “the cry of the peoples of Oceania.” It is the cry of the small Pacific islands in the face of climate change, which has not yet affected the world. Or rather: the world has not yet listened deeply to the voices and particularly the cry of the people of Oceania.
Various experiences followed such as the creation of an Aboriginal reconciliation garden at the Mariapolis Center in St Paul. Horticulture students and their teachers who use the center for their classes were invited here. They are all migrants and were very interested in learning about the important indigenous food plants.
Young people from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, on the other hand, joined with an Aboriginal elder for a walk in the countryside where they learned how to relate to and care for creation.
In Mexico, a course was held on ecological conversion and spirituality, an open dialogue for the care of the Common Home. It was an initiative of the Evangelii Gaudium Mexico Center, Sophia ALC University together with the Focolare Movement. Five online sessions – one each week during the Season of Creation – by Prof. Lucas Cerviño, focolarino theologian and missiologist. 87 participated from different Latin American countries, from Mexico to Argentina. Here are some of the themes addressed: the ecological crisis and conversion; metamorphosis of the sacred and spirituality; God is love as a fabric of life in love; listening to the cry of the earth and the poor as love for Jesus forsaken and crucified; unity looked at as cosmic fraternity to care for the Common Home; Mary as Queen of Creation and the presence of Mary’s mystical body.
Finally, in Italy, in the city of Padua, the “Path of the 5Cs of Laudato Sì” was inaugurated thanks to the network Nuovi Stili di Vita made up of civil, religious, and lay associations-including the Focolare Movement-that care about promoting lifestyles that are moderate and respectful of nature, sustainable economy, and that stimulate communities with initiatives and proposals to achieve the common good together.
The 5Cs path was installed at a flowerbed where in 2011 the five Ecumenical Churches, (Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist and Evangelical), celebrated the Day for the Custody of Creation by planting five beech trees together. It was preceded by a short concert by a young singer-songwriter from Vicenza who communicated to us the sensitivity and dreams of today’s youth toward a future of hope.
The 5Cs highlight five terms taken from Pope Francis’ encyclical: custody, conversion, community, care, change. The event was lived with intensity and was a spur for resolutions of concrete commitment to achieve a better, more just and equitable world, in harmony with the Earth we inhabit.
