Saturday morning, 2 June 2012. Sesto San Giovanni in Milan welcomes 4,000 people from Lombardy and the neighbouring areas, family members who are actively involved in the Focolare Movement. Among the presentations as well as that of president Maria Voce and co-president Giancarlo Faletti.

“Over the next few days in which you will be focusing on the family,” Maria Voce began, “the question will arise: What is God’s design on the family?” She answers by quoting Chiara Lubich at the Familyfest in Rome 1981: “God created the family, he formed a family. When he was incarnated, he wanted to be surrounded by a family. When Jesus began his mission and manifested his glory, he was celebrating at a marriage feast, he was celebrating a family.”

Referring to the theme of he event: The Family: Work and Celebration, Maria Voce underscored the importance of work for its foundation and sustenance.

“In turn,” the president affirmed, “the family is important to work. As it educates us to be laborious and to absorb values that are typically instilled by the family, the spirit of cooperation and solidarity which are so proper to the family, the importance given to free giving, reciprocity and being a gift for each other – it helps in giving a solid base to society,” she affirmed stongly. “The human person is not only designed for work.

And so work should be arranged and carried out in such as way as to takes into account not only the economic needs of the people, but their total wellbeing. And so it is important that the time at work be harmonized with time in the family”.

At this point the president of the Focolare recalled that even Jesus worked (as did Mary and Joseph) and, that “besides being perfect workers, they were also a perfect example of celebration.” She mentioned their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. . . the wedding feast at Cana “where, with Mary his Mother, they went to celebrate the marriage of two newlyweds. (. . . ) In the Holy Family there was both work and celebration, which means to say a time for rest, for relating to others.”

Referring once more to Chiara Lubich, Maria Voce concluded by underscoring that “In a certain sense (Chiara) had anticipated this topic: Work and Celebration. That is, if we live the values found in the family, then even work and celebration will be imbued with such values. And we will become true witnesses and builders of a society according to the heart of God.”

Full text of Maria Voce’s talk