Chiara Lubich wrote that “Life can be a divine adventure,” and she suggested ways in which this can become true. We can learn to look at all that happens to us believing that everything is a sign of God’s love and that everything that happens to us can contribute to our good.

All things work for the good of those who love God. God has his own plan of love for each one of us. He loves us personally, and—if we believe in this love and respond with our own love (this is the condition!)—he makes all things contribute to the fulfilment of his plan for us.

It is enough to think of Jesus. We know how much he loved the Father and, if we think of him even for moment, we can see how he lived the Word of Life for this month to the full throughout his life. For him nothing happened by chance. Everything had a purpose.

However, we see this Word personified in him in a unique way during the last days of His life; nothing in his passion and death happened by chance. For him, even the extreme trial of feeling forsaken by the Father worked for what is good, because, by overcoming this trial Jesus brought his Work to completion. The causes were perhaps not obvious. Those who made him suffer and die did not know exactly what they were doing. They did not know who it was they tortured and crucified. They were not aware of conducting a sacrifice, the sacrifice par excellence that would bring about the salvation of humanity. Jesus suffered at the hands of people who acted without this intention, but since Jesus loved the Father he transformed all these things into means of redemption, seeing in those terrible moments his ‘hour’ that had at last come, the fulfilment of his divine and earthly adventure.

Jesus’ example sheds light on our own life: everything that comes to us, all that happens, all that surrounds us and all that causes us to suffer, can be understood as the Will of God who loves us or as being permitted by God, who loves us still.

By doing this, everything will be more interesting for us in life, everything will have meaning; everything will be extremely useful.

Let’s take heart. Our lives are still before us. We are still on the road. Life can still be transformed into a divine adventure. It’s enough to keep on loving and keep our eyes open for his ever marvellous will.

 Chiara Lubich

(Chiara Lubich, Conversazioni in collegamento telefonico, [Telephone conversations] edited by Michel Vandeleene, Città Nuova, Roma, 2019, pp. 160-161)

3 Comments

  • Explêndido. Creio e sigo neste trem da Santa Viagem, uno e em preces com e por todas as companheiras e companheiros de viagem rumo a Estação final. Obrigada! Grazie Mille!

  • Oui, j’aime ces paroles de Chiara. Par mon expérience personnelle, par l’expérience de mes enfants, je comprends le message de Chiara. J’ai quitté ma région natale car je n’y avais plus ma place. Il m’a fallu beaucoup d’années pour retrouver un équilibre. Il s’en est trouvé idem pour mes enfants qui eux n’ont pas quitté leur région natale mais leur pays. Ce qui veut dire que nous n’avons plus nos enfants près de nous. Je pense que je n’ai pas du tout lieu de maugreer cela. Non, ils sont partis eux aussi pour trouver leur bonheur.. Et par là, je comprends le message de Chiara. On est parfois dans l’obligation de s’évader du lieu de notre naissance pour trouver un équilibre qu ‘on n’ a pas chez soi. Les causes peuvent être multiples. On comprends qu ‘il nous faut partir et essayer de s’ insérer ailleurs. Et c’est vrai que ce rejet que beaucoup de mes concitoyens peuvent faire par rapport aux migrants qui affluent partout dans le monde est une sacrée injustice. N’avons nous pas le droit de voyager ? Je sais que rien que le dimanche, lorsque je sors de chez moi et que je vois d’autres paysages, lorsque je rencontre d’autres personnes, je me remets à vivre. Et si je ne le fais pas, j’ai tendance à déprimer. Il nous faut accueillir l’autre et lui ouvrir la porte. C’est cela la VIE. Et mettre notre vie, notre destinée dans les bras de Dieu peut nous aider alors à comprendre notre bonheur.

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