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Nov 30, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce greets the Holy Father. Photo: Vatican Photographic Service
The World Youth Day in Madrid was also discussed during the Assembly. “An extraordinary cascade of light, joy and hope,” said Pope Benedict XVI when he met with the participants, “has illuminated Madrid, but also old Europe and the entire world, clearly reproposing the relevancy of the search for God today. No one was able to remain indifferent, no one was able to think that the question of God was irrelevant to the person of today.” The president of the Focolare Movement personally greeted Benedict XVI, who said to her: “The focolarini cannot be missing.” And Maria Voce: “Holy Father, this year the entire Movement is committed to living the Word of God, and so we are preparing for the Synod.” And the Holy Father replied: “Thank you.” .
Nov 29, 2011 | Cultura, Focolari nel Mondo, Non categorizzato, Spiritualità
Now, thanks to the work of the young Brazilian, Guilherme Moura, the daily password can arrive directly to your pocket through a new App that can be downloaded for free at: http://itunes.apple.com/it/app/passa-parola/id478614030?mt=8 Live the present moment without haste; Begin again to live the present moment; Don’t let the present moment slip away… or Take the will of God to heart in the present moment; Identify yourself with the will of God in the present moment; Let yourself be purified by the Word; Make an effort to live the Word… These are some examples of the Password that we have been sharing for ten years. It was 2001 when Chiara Lubich was in Austria that she shared an experience with us, the fruit of her discovery of the importance of living the “present moment,” the only moment that we hold in our hands: “the past no longer exists, and the future has yet to arrive.” And from this discovery came the daily motto, a spiritual micro-thought which encapsulated and called our attention back to the present moment and especially to concrete love for the neighbor near to us. Twitter, a social network that allows you to send brief messages – tweets – of no more than 140 characters, is characterized by brevity and – Spadaro recalls – “it has been the wisdom of religious reflection that for centuries has accompanied Western man in this need for wisdom that is essential and concise.” He mentions a few examples in his article, from Japanese haiku, to the antiphons of the psalms, all the way to the “Word of Life, thought up by Chiara Lubich and all other similar initiatives that draw periodically on a sentence of the Gospel to concentrate the attention of Christians to the entire Gospel, but beginning with a precise point.” Is the Password a tweet ahead of its time? Perhaps, but it is certainly an approach that goes well with the new technologies. This worldwide password – it is translated into at least 14 languages – already travels via SMS, email. Thousands of people follow it each day. The new App it is now available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. The daily password is now available through a simple download, in all the languages of the world. Let’s pass on the word!
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Nov 28, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Foto © CSC
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Nov 27, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Perhaps there is better way to explain the experience the focolarine had at the beginning – living, as they soon learnt to say, ‘with Jesus in their midst’ – than the words of His disciples after they had met the Risen Lord at Emmaus: “Didn’t our hearts burn within in us, when he talked with as we walked along the road?” (Lk 24,32). Jesus is always Jesus, and we know from Scripture that when He is present, even only spiritually, He is still Jesus and, Christ’s love burns within our hearts: life. When He is recognised we are moved to say: “Stay with us Lord, evening falls” (Lk 24,29). 
The experience of the disciples at Emmaus is essential for all those involved in the spirituality of unity. Nothing has value within the Movement if the promised presence of Jesus in their midst is not constantly sought – “Where two or three are united in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18,20), this presence enlivens, widens horizons, consoles and draws charity and truth. Chiara wrote: ‘Having put mutual love into action, we felt a new certainty in our life, greater determination, a fullness of life. How come? It was immediately obvious: through this love we had fulfilled the words of Jesus: “Where two or three are united in my name (that is, in my love) there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18,20). Jesus, silently, came into our group as our invisible brother. So we then had the fount of love and light present among us. We didn’t want to lose Him again. We understood better what His presence was when, due to our shortcomings, His presence faded. “It’s not that in those moments we tried return to the world we had left; the presence of “Jesus in our midst” was too strong, for us to be attracted to the vanities of the world, the divine presence had lessened them. Rather, as a person who is shipwrecked grabs onto anything in order to save himself, so we too tried through whatever way the Gospel suggested, to repair the unity that had been broken. And as two pieces of wood crossed over one another consume one another in the flames, so, if we wanted to always live with Jesus present in our midst, we needed to live virtues in each present moment (patience, prudence, meekness, poverty, purity..) they are necessary so that spiritual unity with others will not lessen. We understood that Jesus in our midst is not gained once and for all, because Jesus is life, is dynamic (…). “Where two or more”: these divine and mysterious words, very often, when being acted on, appear wonderful. Where two or more… and Jesus doesn’t specify who. He leaves it anonymous. Where two or more … regardless of who they are: two or three repentant sinners who meet in His name; two or more young people as we were; two: an old person and a child. Where two or more… In living those words, we have seen barriers fall on every front. Where two or more… people of different countries: the barrier of nationalism fell. Where two or more… of different racial backgrounds: the barrier of racism fell. Where two or more… also between people who have been opposites through culture, social background, age… All could be – had to be – united in the name of Christ (…). “The presence of Jesus in our midst was a formidable experience. His presence was abundant reward for every sacrifice made, justified every step taken in this journey, closer to Him and for Him, gave sense to things, circumstances, comforted sufferings, tempered excessive joy. And whoever among us, without cynicism and reasoning, believed in His words with the enchantment of a child and put them into practice, enjoyed this foretaste of heaven, which is the kingdom of God in the midst of people united in His name”.
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Nov 24, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Orgosolo is a town in the heart of Sardinia renowned for its murals which illustrate the problems, the hopes of a people living mainly through farming and agriculture, a people often terrorised by roving bandit gangs widespread in this area. It was precisely in this town that on 24 December 1998, Fr Graziano Muntoni, assistant parish priest, was shot in the chest at dawn break leaving the whole community in shock and disbelief. Despite the understandable anger and dismay, the parish community immediately sensed that they couldn’t just condemn the violence; they felt they wanted to do something positive. But what? The community began to reflect on the words of the Gospel which invite us to ask anything of God united in his name. The idea was born of establishing a daily appointment, in different places, to invoke God for peace for their land by reciting the prayer “It’s time for peace”. It was by no means simple as peace is something one has to generate and safeguard; it requires a firm commitment to live love for neighbour each and every day. With this awareness a number of initiatives were set in motion to make Time for Peace known to as many people as possible, even to children in schools and to students through various conferences. Members of the community also spoke on the main television networks. Time for Peace brought new hope to the town; many people became reconciled with one other after years of tensions, like G., a woman who confided to us: “I need to find the strength to forgive those who killed two of my sons and who sent my other two children in jail.” In a subsequent meeting, G. shared with everyone: “I have been able to forgive. The prayer for peace has removed hatred from my heart. During Mass, I went up to my enemy and I shook his hand.” Since then, others are finding the strength to forgive actions that were just as serious, and they are steps taken that are by no means insignificant: like Anna, whose son was kidnapped and killed in 2008 and who despite the tragedy is managing to rebuild her life serenely. Even when she learned that a suspect was found for the murder of her son, rather than ask for punishment, she prayed that for him it may be an encounter with God. Our choice of solidarity prompts us to embrace the abyss of grief which has engulfed our people and we openly try to sensitize institutions about the initiative through the actions we promote. Inspired by our efforts, one of the schools has developed a project for a culture of peace and forgiveness among the students, and the results of this project will be published and brought to the attention of the United Nations. Our efforts to build peace, even where it seems almost impossible, are leading to concrete results giving a new face to our town. Compiled by the Focolare community of Orgosolo, Sardinia, Italy.
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Nov 23, 2011 | Non categorizzato
“Dearest all, The 1986-87 year is an important one for the Catholic world. In fact, preparations are being made to celebrate the Synod of Bishops which will be held in the fall, concerning the ‘Vocation and mission of the laity in the Church and in the world twenty years after the Second Vatican Council.’ It is an important year for the Catholic laity, but also – I think – for other Christians in whose Churches the role of the laity is often stressed. We too, who desire to be committed Christians, are preparing for this Synod through prayer, which must never be lacking, and through the work which is asked of us. But, ‘who is the layperson?’ This is a recurring question in the Church today. How can the layperson be identified or defined? Many people are trying to give the answer. In fact, no one would really want to define the layperson in terms that show what the lay person is not: a person who is neither a priest, nor a religious. Instead, one would want to establish who the layperson is. For this reason we would like to offer a contribution to the study of this topic, by affirming what someone might call Columbus’s egg: the layperson is a Christian. As such, laypersons are followers of Christ and His Gospel. For this reason they must fully live what Jesus wants from them, and to work first of all toward enhancing the Kingdom of God, toward building the Church. Given that they have the possibility of being in the midst of the world, it is there where they will bring the light of the Gospel, passing its effect onto all things. This is who the layperson is for us. A well formed follower of Christ, who has the two-fold task of building the Church and to Christianize the world. We laypersons of the Focolare find ourselves reflected very well in this image of a layperson. In fact, the Focolare has on one side a spiritual aspect, if we can use the expression, where we work in order that Christ might grow in us and among us, and therefore build the Church; and then an aspect that is more human and concrete, where we work toward permeating the various sectors of society with the spirit of Christ. We strongly identify ourselves with this type of layperson, and because of this we feel we are finely tuned to what the Second Vatican Council has defined in this regard. We identify ourselves with this definition and we would like this year to always improve in living our specific vocation as laypersons so that we too can give our contribution to the Synod. Let’s try to be true laypersons of the Church, meaning authentic followers of Christ, who live His words and what the rest of Sacred Scripture proposes. We have a splendid Word of Life for this month which underlines what we lived last month on reciprocal love. It tells us: “Accept one another, then, as Christ accepted you, for the glory of God” (Rm 15:7). In putting into practice this Word of Life among us, we will maintain firm the basis upon which the Work of Mary, which is Church, is built. In putting this Word into practice with other Christians, in places where we can still find ourselves working within ecclesial structures, we will give our specific contribution to the development of the Church. Living these words in the world of the family and in the various sectors of society, we will place the most important basis for being able to attain the Christian renewal of laws and structures. The Word of Life is for everyone: laypersons, priests and religious. Let’s put it into practice in all our respective fields of service. Let’s accept each neighbour as Christ has accepted us. He has accepted us, and accepts us each day and each hour we call upon Him. Whoever we are, sinners or saints, young or old, beautiful or ugly, healthy or sickly, He always accepts all of us. And we are so sure of His acceptance, of His forgiveness, and of His hospitality, that it doesn’t even pass our minds for a moment that it could be otherwise. Let’s act accordingly in regard to our neighbours. That they may always find us with open hearts, always available for them, always ready to receive them. Let’s live in this way. And may it be for the glory of God.” Chiara Lubich, Rocca di Papa, 11 December 1986 Published in “On the Holy Journey”, New City Press, 1988
Nov 22, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
The one thousand participants at the annual meeting of the adherents of the Focolari came from all over Italy, Slovenia, with representatives from Argentina, Germany, Holland, Portugal, and South Africa. They reflected and shared experiences on the Word of God, the central theme that is being delved into this year. Amongst the experiences there was also the experience of a group on evangelisation in Benin, the country that hosted the visit of Benedict XVI between the past 18th and 20th November. He was on his second apostolic visit to the continent, and he also delivered the post synodal exhortation on the church in Africa, at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace. In Benin, for several years, a group of the Focolari organises meetings with inmates to bring to them the light of the word of God. Often the prisoners are rejected both by society and by their families. Reading the Word of God opens in persons unexpected gates, and gives rise to profound reports not only about faith but also about the experiences of suffering that the inmates rarely manage to relate, for example the reasons for their detention. This allows the volunteers to intervene for them before the Tribunal so that the cases of some of them are taken into consideration: in fact there are persons who have been in prison for ten, fifteen years without ever having been heard by a judge. Many cases have been solved, and the prisoners who were detained unjustly have been released. Amongst the many stories, that of Paula stands out. She was detained unjustly in prison because of her husband without having any news of her children. Paula opens up in a profound relationship with one of the volunteers who go to see her in prison for the meetings of the word of life. Slowly she finds within herself the power of forgiveness and the tribunal eventually summons her to communicate her liberation. Paula however knows that she is returning home with her heart free of the weight of hatred and vengeance.
See Vatican News: Holy Father’s Visit to Benin
Nov 22, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 20, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Ave Cerquetti, 'Mater Christi' - Roma, 1971
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Nov 18, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
“I am giving a lesson in my new class, first year elementary, of 26 very lively children. As soon as I have laboriously achieved their attention, I hear a knock at the door: it is the caretaker who notifies me that I have a telephone call. It is the mother of Paul; she is stormily separated from her husband with whom she is in perennial quarrel. In these days, both parents are contesting for the child with questionable actions, and bombard with telephone calls also us, teachers. I had every reason to answer that I cannot go to the telephone, that I am giving a lesson, and that I already imagine what it is about. But in that moment through the legitimate reasoning of a teacher who has been interrupted in her work, a sentence makes its way, from the Word of Life: “Make that I speak always as though this is the last word that I say.” It is an occasion to be vigilant! I smile to the caretaker and entrust the class to her and I go to the telephone with a new heart. I listen to what I had already imagined… but up to the end, without judging, without letting the “disturbance” that has been created weigh on us. At the end, I succeed in telling Paul’s mother that I understand her, that I comprehend the state of her soul, but that I believe that for the good of Paul, we can put aside the hurt pride and the rancour, and act only for the good of the child. When, a couple of hours later I pass through the corridor, the caretaker comes near to me and tells me: “You know, that mother has telephoned again… she told me just to tell you Thanks.” Some days ago, while I am leaving school in a hurry, with a thousand programmes to carry out and the shopping to do, I am stopped by Flora, a caretaker of Brazilian origin who only recently works at our Institute. She has to make a written application to the school management, and does not know how to go about it, also because of her language difficulties. I ask myself why, from so many teachers, she asks me who is so busy. The Word of Life invites me once again to “stay awake”: it is Jesus who is asking this! Do I want perhaps to answer that I am in a hurry and that he should ask someone else? I sit with Flora and help her to write the application. Then I propose that she types it with a computer because the presentation is better, but Flora does not know how to use it. We go together in the classroom for informatics and I write it for her, without looking at the watch. Two mornings later, while I am entering the staffroom, Flora stops me and gives me a very beautiful light blue scarf. “You should not have done it, it is not necessary” I tell her. And she answers: “But also I want to be able to love as you have done with me. “ (B.P.-Italia)
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Nov 17, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Franco Caradonna,
Nov 16, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 16, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
La Guardia is the name of the small town where Reina and Jorge Gutierrez live with their family, twenty kilometres away from Santa Cruz, the emerging Bolivian city. Reina was orphaned, without a mother at the age of six, and was placed in an institute together with her little brother. She relates: “There was nothing but we were in the best condition to believe in the providence of God. Being able to show that the ideal of unity radically changes persons seems to me a specific Bolivian contribution to evangelisation.” “Good will is not enough, competence is also required. So I enrolled in a course for psychopedagology at the moment that we understood that we were able to put up a children’s shelter.” So she graduated within four years, during which she projected and then built the shelter, which was completed in 2008 and then inaugurated in the presence of many persons of authority, and her neighbours. As they needed bread for the 120 children of the shelter, Reina also invented a bakery, modest but very efficient, taken care of by a small equip, composed of lady Esperanca, Carlito, a child of nine years, and her son Daniel, who is 18, and a young girl of 15 years, who works at the bakery and studies in the evening. From the shelter, one can hear the echo of the children and the games. The rooms appear very clean and well laid out. The teachers occupy the children, of various ages, from two to ten years, with ingenious activity and a little anarchy that does not ruin them. They invent games with coloured balloons, and distribute the lunch as though it is an exploration adventure. Each child has his own story of poverty and emargination, of alcoholism, and infidelity among parents, and egoism. Stories that are unbelievable. In one place, two women concentrated on sewing. Reina has also invented a tailoring unit! There is Rita who has seven children, who is a teacher, and comes here during the rest periods. And Elisa, who has been abandoned by her husband and here, has been helped out of depression. Reina is like that: when she sees single cases in difficulty, she invents adequate solutions. The office of Reina is piled with books. Here the lady also carries out therapy with children who have learning difficulty. The shelter is supported by communal contributions and collaboration with NGO’s, above all by the support from afar of the Action For New Families; without forgetting the contribution of the State for the food, and the quota of 1,20 bolivar every day (10 euro cents) asked from the parents of the children, a matter of maintaining dignity and participation. Those who work at the shelter or in the related activities do their utmost to “provoke providence”. Under a photo of Chiara Lubich, stands a sentence: “Be always a family.” “I have made this sentence mine-concludes Reina-. I work every day so that the children here can always find a space of family.” Almost as though to soothe a wound that comes from afar, in her heart. (Source: “Family space”, insert attached to no. 21 of Citta Nuova 2011, pag. 12 and 13)
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Nov 14, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
“The Amazon State Inspector General of Justice, Judge Maria Guedes Moura, called the second congress on law and fraternity for the North and Northwest Brazil “An instrument for the building of a more just society and a better future, beginning from the law.” The congress, which was organized by Communion and Law, took place on 3-4 November 2011 at the Division for Internal Affairs of the State Court of Justice. The Congress was opened by the president of the Court, João Simões. As he welcomed attendees and presenters from different international settings, the judge stated that he felt honored to host such an important gathering. Among those present was also the director of the School of Magistracy, Flávio Pascarelli, and this seemed to underline the importance of the project for the formation of future judges. Over 300 law workers took part in the congress from different areas of the legal profession: judges, public ministers, lawyers, court officials, members of the police, deputies, some State Secretaries and students from ten Law faculties in Manaus. Cury Munir, Magistrate and member of the Drafting Committee of the Statute of the Child and Adolescent, laid the foundations for the work, which dealt with society and law in the construction of justice. Judge Carlos Augusto Machado from the Public Prosecution of Sergipe (the smallest State in Brazil) stressed the importance of fraternity as a true juridical and constitutional category. On the second day the presentation by Olga Boschi (director of the Center for Legal Sciences at the Federal University of Santa Catarina) was very much appreciated. She presented the value of possessing an understanding of fraternity as an academic topic in a curriculum of study. The lesson of Adalberto Carim, judge on the Tribunal for the Environment and Agricultural Affairs of the River of the Amazons, on Environmental Justice in the 21st century was also very well received. 
The idea of fraternity in law took on new meaning within the socio-cultural context of the State of Amazonas with its pressing ecological issues and the need to protect the environmental heritage as an expression of fraternity for future generations. Carlos Aurélio Motta, professor at the University of Ibirapuera and an expert on ethics and human rights, opened new avenues for academic research. In the opinion of the organizers of the conference, the ideas developed during these discussions will bear many benefits for Brazil. In fact, representatives from different States attended and the event was transmitted via internet on the School of Magistracy (ESMAM) website, whose page can be found on the official website of the State Court of Justice: http://www.tjam.jus.br/esmam
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Nov 13, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Chiara wrote: ‘Right from the start of our new life, we benefitted from his actions, day after day, sometimes gentle, sometimes strong and occasionally violent; and we never realised it was him. Throughout, from the first choice of God-Love, to the light that illuminated the words of the Gospel, the revelation of Jesus Forsaken, to joy, peace and light that we felt rise up in our hearts, living the new commandment, it was none other than the Holy Spirit at work. It could be said that the whole story of the Movement could be rewritten and be attributed to the Holy Spirit. Only now we can see that he was the real protagonist of our adventure, it was he who moved everything. ‘Now that he and what he has been for us has been is revealed to us we can retrace the luminous steps, countless signs of his constant and unpredictable actions. The inner voice which led us in our new way, the special atmosphere which gave joy to our meetings, the powerful release of hidden energy, that which purifies and renews, the divine alchemy which changes suffering into love, the experiences of death and resurrection: all these, and many other surprising phenomena which accompanied us through life, have only one name, which we have learnt to recognise, to be infinitely grateful to and feel pushed to ask his intervention in all we do each day, from the simplest task to the most demanding. He has given us the courage to face the crowds, leave our country, suffer discomforts, opposition, often with joy. But the deepest effect, the most radical, the most typical is the bond of unity between us. ‘Our mysticism needs at least two people made God through participation, between whom the Holy Spirit really moves, that is the third, God, who consumes all into one, one God: “As I in you”, Jesus said to the Father. The Holy Spirit is the gift that Jesus gave us so that we could be like him and the Father. Without doubt the Holy Spirit was in us before, as we were Christians; but here there was a new enlightenment, a new manifestation within us, which made us sharers and actors in a new Pentecost, together with those other ecclesial movements who make the new face of the Church.’
Nov 12, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
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Nov 11, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
In September and October the international musical group Gen Rosso made stops in Italy and in the Czech Republic. This tour was part of a European project for secondary schools that involves students from half of Europe in a unique and fascinating adventure. In Udine, Italy, thanks to the “Arts & Culture Reshaping Urban Life” project, 16 youths worked together with Gen Rosso for three days as they performed their musical “Streetlight.” As one of the participants explained: “Each one of us has a role. If you know how to play an instrument, you shouldn’t be afraid to play and, if anyone doesn’t know how to play well, he or she shouldn’t be afraid of not being at their best. . . everyone has a place here.” Turning personal talents into a common resource for everyone is one of the results that Gen Rosso is often able to obtain during these events. The youths from Bohemia know this firsthand, after having participated in the “Silni Bez Nasili – Strong Without Violence” project in the cities of Jihlava, České Budějovice and Plzen. More than 850 teens from different institutions have participated in various types of laboratories – theater, music, dance, and voice – and then performed in shows before thousands of people. The teens experience for themselves the gift that they are, not only for their own personal fulfillment, but also for the prevention of marginalization, violence, and feelings of awkwardness that sometimes accompany the teenage years. And so they are able to contribute in proactive ways toward the building of a more united world. Both the local and national press has focused on the dynamic of working “together with” and the great answer that these young people have been able to offer their own peers. Honza Musil, a popular television presenter in the Czech Republic, was always on hand to open the events in the various cities beginning with the first project in Brno (May 2011): “Where you are, is where I also want to be.” The last stop is Belgium where there will be the launching of “Together4Peace,” an initiative focused on developing creativity in youth by offering them an experience of unity in diversity. The project will conclude with a performance of Gen Rosso’s musical “Streetlight,” involving some 120 youths within the framework of “Together for Europe” on the 12th and 13th of May 2011.
Nov 9, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Given the situation of great emergency in some zones in the world, particularly in Thailand, following the great floods, in Turkey owing to the violent earthquake, and in the North and Centre of Italy because of the inundations, we made contact as soon as possible with the members of the Focolari in the respective zones. From Bangkok: “We are living in a situation of suspension. Many parts of the city are already inundated. Many have already gone out of the city also because drinking water and food are scarce and there is no electricity. We know that many of our families have their house inundated. In the north, where they have been under water for more than a month, we know catholic schools that need help to repair the structures, once the flood is over. The youths of the Movement have undertaken several initiatives to collect money for the basic necessities. They went to distribute it in the largest camp for those hit by the floods.” From Istanbul: “The zone that has been hit is amongst the most (if not the most) poor in Turkey, and it is already an effort also to just send the children to school that is obligatory, besides providing the books and various materials, and the school uniform. Without mentioning the basic necessities that the people need in ordinary life; imagine after an earthquake!” From Piedmont, Liguria, and Tuscany: many from the Focolari have given aid together with all the volonteers. The Consorzio Tassano, a firm of the Economy of Communion, went to the place, owners and workers together, to unite themselves to the wave of solidarity and the enormous efforts to reduce the damages. Now, after the first aids that have already arrived, a worldwide action has been initiated to gather funds by all the youths of the Movement and whoever wishes to participate, to confront the necessities of the persons who live in these zones. It is possible to send the sum that is collected by bank draft, to these accounts: Current Account of the central secretariat of Youths for a united world (GMU) Specify the cause of the transaction. The Account name: PIA ASSOCIAZIONE MASCHILE OPERA DI MARIA Via Frascati 306, Rocca di Papa, 00040 Roma, Italia Address of the bank: INTESA SAN PAOLO FILIALE DI GROTTAFERRATA VIA DELLE SORGENTI, 128 00046 GROTTAFERRATA (ROMA) ITALY IBAN CODE FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IBAN IT04 M030 6939 1401 0000 0640 100 BIC BCITITMM For information: www.mondounito.net
Nov 9, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Nov 8, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 8, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 8, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Monday, November 7, 2011
With Catholic Dutch, Nordic Focolare communities, citizens of the Focolare town of Marienkroon: the third day for Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti in Netherlands. Joy among brothers and sisters.
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Happy Birthday, Holland! Monday, November 7, 2011 The Focolare in the Netherlands celebrates its 50th anniversary. |
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Holland: With the Communities of Northern Europe Sunday, November 6, 2011 The president of the Focolare meets the communities of the Movement in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Holland. Discussions with some Catholic bishops. Conversation with the young people. |
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A Focolare Town for Holland 4 Novembre 2011 The directors of the Focolare Movement are currently on a visit to Holland and their first stop was “Marienkroon”, center of Cistercian spirituality and now a little town of the Focolare. |
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Nov 7, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Thousands attended the annual Gathering of Catholic Dutch Youth, which is held every 6 November by the Catholic Bishops Conference in collaboration with various Movements. It had the style of a rock concert with its fast rhythm, loud music, enjoyment, but also serious reflection. The Catholic identity, which is a minority in Holland, was powerfully emphasized. Between one religious song and another, a priest was interviewed and then it was Maria Voce’s turn. A small group of Gen went on stage with her and asked her some questions. Their questions were concerned more with unity than diversity: “Before belonging to this Church or to that Church, what comes first is that we are all children of God, and therefore brothers and sisters.” Maria Voce recalled when she first met the Movement and how it struck her: “This isn’t an organization, but a life: If you live the Gospel, you belong to the group.” More songs were followed by an interview with the bishop who has been serving the Dutch youth for twelve years and is now handing this post over to one of his auxiliary bishops (who also interviewed). Then there was a video about World Youth Day and a half-hour of Radio Maria, which has begun transmitting in Holland. This was followed by Mass, workshops, and visiting stands. Many expressed emotion, but there were also many who are seriously engaged in offering a living testimony of that “fire” that was day’s theme, which today was being rekindled or lit for the first time. The presenter would repeat it: “Let’s make fire!” That afternoon Maria Voce met at Marienkroon with Focolare members from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. “We had always dreamed that Chiara Lubich would visit our lands, but she didn’t manage it. Now this is an historical moment for us.” With these words they offered their warm welcome to Maria Voce (and the Nordic people are said to be cold!). They told of their difficulties and conquests especially in the field of ecumenism. Maria Voce thanked them for their fidelity and encouraged them saying: “We must arrive at becoming a universal family. But let us always remember that we don’t make dialogue between religions but between people. For example, at the recent meeting among religions in Assisi, I experienced a great joy, because nearly everyone there, from different religions, knew the Movement and offered me their testimonies and their appreciation. Certainly we will always run into differences that will never be overcome, but we can always accept each other completely, loving one another as we are. And I must testify to the fact that in 2011 I was surprised to find people from other religions no longer standing on the outside, in dialogue with us, but standing together with us giving witness to the ideal of unity.” Everything ended with songs, photos, greetings and a promise to meet again soon, perhaps in one of the Nordic countries! The final moment of the day, was the encounter with the inhabitants of Marienkroon, especially the pioneers of the little town whose willingness to leave everything made Marienkroon possible. People who never held a microphone in their hand were now standing on stage and sharing very personal things: “I work in this little town for the people who come here and say: ‘How beautiful it is here.’ And so that they can find God, because God is beautiful.” Marienkroon: a unique little town, a town built with hearts. By Giulio Meazzini
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Nov 7, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
The prefabricated structure set up on a lawn at the Focolare town of Marienkroon was filled to capacity. It was a noteworthy gathering of 800 people – young and old, Danish and Dutch, Fins and Icelanders, Swedes and Norwegians – coming from miles to celebrate the arrival of the Movement in Netherlands.
You have to wonder: Why does it always work? What is there beneath this tangible joy that makes everyone brothers and sisters, people of different ages, races and religious convictions? The lyrics being sung by the young people on stage are in Dutch, but they engage everyone, even those who do not speak this language, because the smiles matter more than the words. Perhaps the secret is that it begins with life, with concrete love and then, only after we have become friends are we able to contrast cultures. Or perhaps it depends on the fact that Chiara Lubich had taught us not to stop problems and misunderstandings, but to go ahead, beginning again, seeing each other new in every moment.
The orchestra is formed by three trumpets, one violin, two flutes, a set of drums and a piano. Highlights of this ongoing adventure are told in review: the arrival of the focolarini in Holland in 1961, the Genfest with 4 thousand youths in 1976, Chiara’s visit in 1982, the opening of the focolares in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo in the 1980’s, the first visits to Iceland in 1989, the focolare family coming from Poland in 2010, and the inauguration of the new Mariapolis Centre in the Focolare’s little town.
Each country presented itself with much creativity and imagination. Sweden, where the ecumenism of the people is lived almost without realizing it, since every meeting is comprised of people from different Churches. Norway, with an emotional moment of silence in rememberance of the tragedy of 22 July. Finland, with its lively community. These were moments of great unity, along with the ecumenical celebration with the Lord’s Prayer recited at the same time in seven languages.
Bishop Jan van Burgsteden, who is responsible for ecumenism at the Bishops Conference, testified that “for 50 years the Movement in Holland has been helping people to live the Gospel. And from this new involvement in the Church was born, even in an era of secularism, which helped overcome the polarization. I saw also how the Movement was able to create an “ecumenism of the heart.” I’m convinced that one day we’ll see the Church shining like a morning star, because in all of its parts the Word has become life.”
Maria Voce responded to a few questions. One general question: “What do you remember most from 2011? “In the Holy Land, when I was at the Holy Sepulcher I felt crushed by the evil of the world which seemed to have flattened Jesus as well. But later, as I stood before the empty tomb, I felt the sudden certainty that Jesus is alive, and that we can carry Him alive, among us, into the world, and that we are fortunate in being able to do this. Another (memory) is the trip to North America: with those endless landscapes and people everywhere, the focolarini seemed so few. What could they ever accomplish on their own? The people who came to the celebrations in New York were only 2 thousand – a drop in the ocean. And yet, I felt a certainty within: Now, let’s not start worrying about numbers, they don’t matter, only the growing presence of Jesus among us matters, then the rest will come.”
“This has been a busy day with many official events – concluded Giancarlo Faletti, “but is was above all a family day that has given us all much hope. I carry your multi-ethnic and multicultural presence in my heart, this blossoming of life. And every flower needs love, tenacity and industriousness, which are your very characteristics. Then again, the flower is the symbol of Holland.”
By Giulio Meazzini
Nov 6, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 5, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
4 November: The first day of Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti in the little town of Marienkroon began at a meeting with some Catholic bishops from Holland and Iceland. They had a frank and open discussion how to give testimony to the faith in today’s secularized society. In the years following the Second Vatican Council, in the Netherlands, a so-called “polarization” entered the field, increasing incomprehension between “conservative” and “progressive” Catholics. The situation only began to improve in the 1990’s, thanks also to the collaboration between young people from different movements and youth directors in the diocese. With regard to ecumenism the situation has changed for the better compared to the 1960’s when Catholics and Protestants had almost no contact at all. Now a process of reconciliation is underway that will hopefully soon lead to a day of reconciliation. Together for Europe is partnering in this endeavor. In spite of this, due to the sexual abuse scandals, there has been an increase in apathy and indifference toward religion. “This challenges us to work together, because no one movement is able to change things on its own,” affirmed Maria Voce. “Each Movement responds with the particular gift it has received. For us, it is unity, which we should help to bring among the movements.” According to Bishop De Jong, the Focolare town could include a school run by the Focolare, which is founded on love of neighbor and open to all, which could help form the youths of today’s Netherlands who are only given the atmosphere of a secularized culture to breathe. Maria Voce responded by saying that more than only one school, there would be need for teachers in every school who incarnate the Gospel in their own lives. But the feasibility of such a proposal will have to be examined by the Movement in the Netherlands. In the afternoon there was a meeting with representatives from different sections of the Movement and its communities in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Holland, which gave Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti an up-to-date picture of the situation in these countries. Cultures and peoples who are different from each other, yet “each rejoices for what the others are doing as if it were its own. Each time I reach a new country and the airplane begins its descent,” the president continued, “I get a lump in my throat as I think of the brothers and sisters who are there waiting to celebrate our arrival. We are such lucky people to be able to experience this gift of God which is the family of the Movement in every country of the world.” Finally, after dinner, there was a face-to-face discussion with 25 Gen concerning the upcoming “Catholic Youth Day,” which is being promoted by the Bishops Conference in cooperation with the youths of the Focolare and other Movements. The future of the Focolare lies here among these youths who are being summoned all over the Netherlands to tell the story of Chiara Luce Badano, the first young person of the Movement to reach the glory of the altars. By Giulio Meazzini
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Nov 5, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Ave Cerquetti, ‘Crocifissione’ – Lienz (Austria) 1975
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Nov 4, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to the women who went to the tomb: “Do not be afraid,” he says to them “go and announce to my brothers (…)”. In this conclusive moment he calls his disciples “brothers”. It’s how he continues to come to us today, as a brother: the firstborn. By rising he had conquered death and restored fraternity. Jesus had come into the world in order to re-establish the paternity of the Father. He descended into hell in order to conquer humanity’s enemy; now he announces that God’s children have been reinstated as brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Today’s world is dominated by fear and by egoism. And what is the result? (…) Humankind suffers because life doesn’t circulate among peoples, among the rich and the poor, among individuals, or else it circulates erratically. What promotes life is religion, science, technology, the arts and philosophy… But philosophy, art, technology, science, material goods do not circulate if they are not impelled by love; it is love which opens ways and overcomes divisions. But religion itself must be freed, it must redeem itself in every moment from the incrustations, limitations and rifts which are caused by the faults of the redeemed.
The circulation of goods does not happen as much, or as well as it should, because men and women no longer recognize each other as brothers and sisters and so they don’t love one another.
That person who annoys us on the train; the one who passes us by arrogantly or distractedly or who is alienated from us; the person we exploit in the factory or in the fields; the person we treat unfairly in the law courts or at the bank, is someone we don’t consider as a brother or sister. The persons we discriminate against because of their socio-economic status or because of their faith, don’t appear as children of our Father: at most they appear as illegitimate children worthy only of sympathy. The person bearing a firearm during the war doesn’t appear as a brother but more as a bombing device. Victims of prostitution are not considered sisters but rather as worthless merchandise. Seen in this way, society seems like a colony of lepers.
Every division, every discord, is a barrier to love flowing out. Love is God, and God is Life. And if life doesn’t flow, the waters are stagnated by death.
(…) If God’s attributes were only Strength, Honor and Fear, he would have remained alone, never generating a Son, nor bringing about creation. He would have been closed within himself, never open to others. But love is Trinitarian: it is circular: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. (…) The Trinity is Three and One: the Three love each other, and they are One; One distinguishes itself in Three persons in order to love; it is an Eternal game of Love. Made in the image and likeness of the Trinity, rational creatures discover in love an impulse to generate new life. (…) Love is the expression of God towards creation; and I return to God through my brothers and sisters.
The movement is circular, as in a river which departs from the source and flows out into the sea.
You go to God through your brothers and sisters; you go to them through God. This is how I can be truly myself; without them there would be no reason for me to exist since the reason for my being is to love.
Christ has put back into circulation all the treasures of life in the riverbed of love, with which he transmits the warmth, the light, the intelligence for reopening ourselves to the way that will lead us to unity where God is to be found.
He obtained this for us by coming among us, dwelling among us, making himself ours until, by dying, he redeemed us. Just as the Redemption freed us from divisions, it also reunited us to God. Christ has placed God in us and us in God. For this reason he commanded that we love one another, for where there is love there is God: “God is love, whoever is in love is in God, and God is in him” (cf Jn 4:16).
Il Fratello, Città Nuova, 2011, pp.29-30, 34, 36, 37-38.
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Nov 4, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
The Focolare town in Holland is located a half hour’s drive away from Eindhoven Airport and is called Marienkroon (The Crowning of Mary). The journey was nice and easy. The cars transporting Focolare President, Maria Voce, and co-President, Giancarlo Faletti ,were literally swarmed by ringing bicycles decorated with small bike lights and balloons. This cortege accompanied them to the entrance of the center, and darkness soon began to fall. The heavy gate was locked and Maria Voce was the one to open it, symbolically, with an over-sized key. Beyond the gate is a lush green lawn, encircled by the buildings of this ex-Cistercian monastery, which has taken ten years to renovate and to adapt as a center of spirituality for modern times. As the trumpet sounds, the flag of the Movement with its golden four-pointed star on a blue background was hoisted on the flagpole. It was a simple gesture, an intimate moment charged with meaning. Each of the small town’s inhabitants wanted to give a personal welcome to the president and co-president. 
They toured the complex which often welcomes groups of school children and associations who are interested in the place and the life that dwells within these walls. The cultural events that regularly take place on the grounds are deeply appreciated by the people of the area. Each year a large book fair is held, a week-long vacation for teenagers from the region, a plant auction and various spiritual gatherings. Marienkroon draws people of all kinds: young people and adults, Christians, people belonging to other religions or without any religious affiliation. After searching for ten years, in 2001 the Focolare Movement purchased the property from the Cistercians at the symbolic cost of 1 euro. Two Cistercian fathers still live here, together with Cardinal Simonis. All three are close friends of the Movement. Many projects are foreseen for the coming years in order to modernize this Focolare town, to make it functional and corresponding to the prophetic words of Chiara Lubich who, when she visited Holland in 1982 had this to say: “Firstly we must show the life of a community, the place in which you strive to live the Gospel together. This will draw attention and evangelization will happen as a consequence.” By our correspondent Giulio Meazzini
Nov 4, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 4, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 4, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 4, 2011 | Non categorizzato
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Nov 3, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Video of Chiara Lubich in Amsterdam. Italian soundtrack.
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Nov 2, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
What are you impressions following the events in Assisi and Rome? 
I have a very positive impression. It especially makes me think of John Paul II and Chiara Lubich and their long sightedness in the field of openness and dialogue. They had understood that it was worthwhile to invest in people and infrastructures to develop the topic of dialogue. I refer particularly to organisms that work specifically for this: the various Pontifical Councils (for the Unity of Christians, for Interreligious Dialogue, for Culture, for Justice and Peace, within the Church) and the Centers that are occupied with the various dialogues within the heart of the Movement. It highlighted how many relationships that have been constructed over the years. To me this seems like a novelty compared to encounters of other years. Each one of us did a lot over the years, even though it could have seemed little compared to the results that have been obtained. In summary, I think we have reached a point in which there are true relationships of mutual love. There are a few significant facts that everyone noticed. When Patriarch Bartholomew’s book fell to the floor, Rowan Williams, the Primate of the Church of England, reached down to get it; the Pope was often smiling as he glanced first at one then at another. They seem to be small things, but they are gestures that everyone notices, and they give a testimony. Then there was the presence of people with no religious convictions. This was truly a substantial and important novelty, especially because of the way the Pope presented them as in search of the common truth. He underscored that the truth transcends everyone and no one can claim to possess it completely. It was beautiful the way he presented it. This was clearly a novelty. Assisi 2011 was not only an encounter in the spirit of fraternity and peace, it was also a moment to elevate our spirits in the search of something that went beyond this. You were invited together with Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio and Father Julian Carrón, who is guiding the Communion and Liberation Movement. It is quite a noteworthy sign of recognition for the new ecclesial Movements and Communities. How do you see the role of the movements and especially the laity in the field of dialogue? Many cardinals and bishops have come to thank me for the delicate and discreet relationships that we build with people of different religions. This was, therefore, an acknowledgement of what our movement and the other movements in general do in the field of dialogue. I found much appreciation also for the way in which lay people are able to understand the diverse contexts and concrete situations and traditions of the religions and of the believers. The laity more easily have daily contact with those of other faiths and, therefore, they are acquainted with vital aspects and traditions of these religions. This can also help the institutional Church to move in its relations with the faithful of the other religions. No one can know everything and everyone. One example: I was having lunch with the Sikh delegation, who were not afraid to tell everyone that they knew the focolare and attended all the events that we promote. And with many others it was the same. The relationships that the movements have established with these religious leaders came out in a very spontaneous way. It seems to me that the hierarchy of the Church is quite happy and grateful. By Roberto Catalano
Nov 1, 2011 | Non categorizzato, Word of
“Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” In saying this, Jesus wants to remind us first of all that he will come. Our life on earth will end and a new life will begin, one that will never end. No one wants to talk about death today … At times, we do all we can to distract ourselves, immersing ourselves completely in our daily occupations to the point of forgetting who gave us life and who will ask to have it back in order to introduce us into the fullness of life, into communion with his Father in heaven. Will we be ready to meet him? Will our lamps be lit, like those of the prudent virgins who were waiting for the spouse? In other words, will we be loving? Or will our lamps be extinguished because we are so taken up with the many things to do, the fleeting joys, the possession of material goods, that we forget the one thing necessary: to love? “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” But how can we stay awake? First of all, we know that whoever loves is capable of staying awake, of waiting. For example, a wife waits for her husband who is coming home from work late or returning from a long trip; a mother stays awake worrying about her son who hasn’t come home yet; whoever is in love eagerly awaits the moment to see the one he or she loves … Whoever loves is capable of waiting even when the loved one delays. We wait for Jesus if we love him and ardently desire to meet him. And we wait for him by loving concretely, by serving him, for instance, in our neighbors or by working to build a more just society. Jesus himself invites us to live like this by giving us the parable of the faithful servant who, while waiting for the return of his master, looked after the servants and the affairs of the house. He also gave us the parable of the servants who, while waiting for their master to return home, put the talents they received to good use. “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Precisely because we don’t know the day or the hour of his coming, we can concentrate more easily on living one day at a time, focusing on the troubles of the day and on what Divine Providence offers to us right now. Some time ago I spontaneously voiced this prayer to God:
Jesus, let me speak always as if it were the last word I ever say. Let me act always as if it were the last thing I ever do. Let me suffer always as if it were the last suffering I have to offer you. Let me pray always as if it were my last chance on earth to talk with you.
Chiara Lubich
Nov 1, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Launched into infinity
The saints are great men and women
who, having seen their greatness in the Lord,
risk for God, as his children,
everything that is theirs.
They give, demanding nothing.
They give their life, their soul, their joy,
every earthly bond, every richness.
Free and alone,
launched into infinity,
they wait for Love to bring them
into the eternal kingdom; but, already in this life,
they feel their hearts fill with love,
true love, the only love
that satisfies, that consoles,
that love which shatters
the eyelids of the soul and gives
new tears.
Ah, no one knows who a saint is!
He or she has given and now receives,
and an endless flow
passes between heaven and earth,
joins earth to heaven,
and filters from the depths
rare ecstasy, celestial sap
that does not stop at the saint,
but flows over the tired, the mortal,
the blind and paralyzed in soul,
and breaks through and refreshes,
comforts and attracts and saves.
If you want to know about love, ask a saint.
Chiara Lubich, Essential Writings, New City Press, Hyde Park, NY, 2007, p. 116
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Oct 31, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
More than two months of continuous rain, more by far to what is forseen every year, are beating Thailand and around eight million persons. The worst hit provinces are those of Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, and Nakhon Sawan, where the level of the water has gone beyond four metres high. Some members of the Focolari, who live in Bangkok, write to us: “ The consequences of what has happened are before the eyes of all: whole villages evacuated, industrial zones invaded by the water with the loss of tens of thousands of places of work, schools closed for an undetermined period. Years will be required to recover what we have lost.” But even in the midst of this situation, there are facts taking place that speak of still possible hope, of the desire for new birth stronger than sorrow. Thus, they continue to write from Bangkok: “What nobody expected, at least under these dimensions, is concrete love, the help that very many people are giving to who is suffering. A reporter from CNN has defined as “an incredible social effect” what is happening in Thailand. And it is so. All help each other, all try to do something for for those who have been hit; thousands of volonteers have worked 24 hours on 24 to prepare 1,200,000 sand bags to mend or raise the banks of some important canals in the zones of the floods.Those working are in the majority young people, who wanted to contribute to save what can be saved.” The work of the Focolari to bring material, spiritual, and moral help, forms part of this common work that involves the whole country, encouraging fraternal experiences that make every hope credible. Amongst the many testimonies that are reaching our editorial office, we have chosen that of S.C., university teacher, who thus relates: “I have tried to understand together with my students what to do for the victims of the floods. The youths consulted each other and decided to gather money approaching the people on the street, going up on the trains. It required a bit of courage, and yet…Around twenty of them agreed to meet each other in front of the big shops, equipped with large posters, a box and two guitars. They are all young buddists convinced of the importance of doing good to others. I encouraged them to first of all live in fraternity amongst themselves, offering difficulties and weariness for the good of the country. The collection went beyond what was expected, 17,700 bath, a large sum for our economy. But most of all, it contributed to widening the hearts of the youths on the needs of others. This commitment of theirs continues to give fruit.”
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Oct 30, 2011 | Non categorizzato
A gathering in the Dolomite Mountains in the beginnings of the Focolare.
Some time later, conscious of the divine boldness of such a program, which only God could bring about, we knelt around an altar and asked Jesus to realize that dream of his using even us if he wished, it were in his plans. Often, in the beginning, faced with the immensity of the task, we became dizzy and, seeing the crowds that we should gather in unity, we were taken by shock. But, little by little, gently, the Lord made us understand that our task was like that of a small child who throws a stone into a lake. The tiny stone causes rings to be formed which continue to extend, reaching wider and wider, and they can seem to continue forever. And so we understood that we would have to create unity around us, in our own surroundings, wherever we found ourselves. Then, when we went to Heaven, we would be able to look down and see the circles widening still more, becoming gigantic, until the end of time, when the plan of God would be accomplished. Right from the first moment, it was clear to us that this unity had only one name: Jesus. For us, being one meant being Jesus. In fact, only Christ make two into one, because his love is the emptying of self, it’s non egoism, it makes us enter deeply into the hearts of others. The things I wrote during those times betray our wonder before such a sublime and supernatural reality: ‘Unity! But who could dare to speak of it? It’s ineffable as God! You feel it, you see it, you enjoy it, but. . . it’s ineffable! Everyone rejoices in its presence, everyone suffers in its absence. It’s peace, joy, love, ardor, an atmosphere of heroism, of the highest generosity. It’s Jesus among us!’”
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Oct 29, 2011 | Non categorizzato
One year has gone by since her beatification, attended by more than twenty-thousand young people who travelled to Rome for the occasion, and viewed by many more youths around the world via internet. . The powerful testimony of Chiara Luce Badano, the Gen from Genoa, Italy, who the Church declared blessed, seems to have made holiness fashionable again. Her “nineteen years full of life and love and faith,” (Pope Benedict XVI), awakens in youth and adults alike the desire to spend their lives for something great. They discover that holiness can be lived in daily life. Chiara Luce has shown us that we can also love always and unconditionally.” This was said by a Brazilian youth during one of the many evening presentations of the “Life Love Light” Musical which are spreading around the world: from Italy to Spain – during the WYD – and in other European countries; from the Middle East to Asia; reaching the Americas, Australia and many African countries. Her parents, Maria Teresa and Ruggero Badano have received numerous invitations to share their story. Everyone feels a living relationship with Chiara Luce Badano who is still alive. But, as one youth explains very well: “Chiara Luce has taught me something very powerful: I can’t become a saint on my own, we need to become saints together.” And Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare spoke the following words when she presented the young blessed: “The final goal of the Focolare Movement is to cooperate with the Church in realizing the testament of Jesus, ‘that all be one.’ While she was still a small child, Chiara Luce already discovered that sufferings are like precious pearls that can be gathered throughout each day. Therefore, she lived her life with Jesus and with Him she transformed her passion into a wedding song. Yes, Chiara Luce is a fulfilled Gen, a modern living testimony of our Ideal which came to maturity in her when she was 18 years old.” Her story is being spared using every means: over 30,000 copies of the book “Io ho tutto” and over 15,000 copies of “Dai tetti in giù” already translated in several languages. Then there are thousands of DVD and musical CD’s about her life and beatification. But it is mostly the internet that shows how many people know here, or discover her in unimaginable ways and want to live like her. Her Facebook page has numerous fans who share, post comments, photos. The “Life Love Light” website has become a reference point for many people to share their personal discovery of the reason for Chiara Luce’s life and the happiness that she expressed with her dying words: “Mamma, goodbye. Be glad, because I’m happy.” Direct Link to Chiara Luce profile on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ChannelChiaraLuce
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Oct 27, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Video of the trip "In the Footsteps of Jesus"
Watch video of the trip on Vimeo
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Oct 25, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
“It was an inspiration,” Maria Voce, president of the Focolare told the Roman Observer newspaper, “an inspiration that will certainly mark a new acceleration and depth in living one’s personal religious convictions in the service of peace. This is especially urgent today when the absurd fear of religion is spreading. Religion, which by its very nature is a vital source of peace, is being blamed as the primary cause of many conflicts, tensions, phobias, intolerance and religious persecutions that are teeming around the world.” The numerous and high profile delegation will leave from Rome by train on the morning of 27 October with the Pope. Maria Voce will also be on the train with leaders of all the major religions of the world. She will represent the Focolare Movement which is founded on the charism of unity of Chiara Lubich and has always been deeply and naturally involved in dialogue. The Movement includes members from 350 Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities. Because of the universal expansion of the Movement, there is now an open dialogue with the major world religions, and not only with individual followers or religious leaders but with leaders and followers of vast movements: like the Buddhist movement of the Rissho Kosei-kai, which has six million adherents in Japan; with the Afro-American Muslims in the United States and with various Gandhian movements in South India. Thousands of followers of other religions live, inasmuch as possible, the spirit of the Focolare Movement and actively collaborate in working for its goals. Dialogue also began with persons of no religious faith like the agnostics, the indifferent and the atheists. This dialogue develops between believers and people who not have a religious faith but who share the common desire to work together for the brotherhood of the human family. From this point of view, it is quite emblematic that Benedict XVI wished to invite a group of non-believers to the Assisi event, who “though not professing to be religious, they feel that they are on the seeking path for the truth and they feel a common responsibility for the cause of justice and peace in our world.” Four invitees have accepted the invitation of Benedict XVI. They include philosophers, historians and professors from various countries in the world. Among them is Walter Baier: Austrian economist, General Coordinator of “Transform! Network,” a European research group that includes magazines and leftist think tanks. He is a member of the Austrian Communist Party, but also a collaborator with the Focolare’s international center for dialogue with persons of non-religious convictions. “A world-city truly appears on the horizon, shining with hope.” This is what the upcoming event in Assisi 2011 foreshadows. “Today,” says Maria Voce, “dialogue between religions cannot be limited to the leaders, researchers and specialists. It should be a dialogue of the people, and this will be more and more essential for peaceful coexistence in our cities and countries as we find ourselves elbow to elbow with Muslims and Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs. It is a chronicle that will have to be discovered and perhaps invented, without allowing ourselves to be discouraged by the rumors of violence and intolerance. It’s the daily testimony that opens the way.”
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Oct 23, 2011 | Senza categoria
The Eucharist always had an important role in the life of Chiara Lubich, ever since her childhood. Both her personal life and that of her first companions – and that of the entire Movement – has been marked by the Eucharistic presence. And it could not have been otherwise, when we recall that Eucharistic Jesus is the heart and soul and very life of the Church. The action of the Holy Spirit in his charism of unity, instilled in Chiara and in her first companions a powerful attraction for Jesus in the Eucharist, to the point that they could not wait to go to Mass and share their lives with Him each day. And later, when they began travelling through Italy by train, they would eagerly gaze out over the countryside searching for church steeples, because they knew that the Eucharist, their love was there. There is a marvelous interconnection between the Eucharist and the spirituality of unity. Chiara comments on this great mystery in the following way: “Since the Lord concentrated our attention on Jesus’ prayer for unity when he wanted to initiate this vast movement, it meant that he had to give us a strong push in the direction of the only one who could accomplish this unity: Jesus in the Eucharist. In fact, just as newborns instinctively nourish themselves at their mother’s breast, hardly knowing what they are doing – ever since the beginning of the Movement we noticed that people who grew close to us began going to Communion every day. How are we to explain this? What instinct is for a newborn, the Holy Spirit is for an adult, who is a newborn into the life that the Gospel of unity brings. He is driven to the “heart” of Mother Church and he fees on the most precious nectar that it has, in which he feels to have found the secret of the life of unity and of his own divinization. Indeed, the work of the Eucharist is to make us God by participation. Mixing together our flesh that has been made alive by the Holy Spirit and Christ’s life-giving flesh, we are divinized in soul and in body. The Church could be defined as: the oneness caused by the Eucharist, because it is comprised of divinized men and women, made God, united to Christ who is God and united to one another. This God-with-us is present in all the tabernacles of the world, listening to our confidences, our joys, and our fears. How much comfort Eucharistic Jesus has provided for us in our trials when no one would grant us an audience because the Movement was under investigation! He was always there, at all hours, waiting for us, telling us: In the end, I’m the boss of the Church. And in struggles and pains of every kind he gave us such strength that we thought we should have died many times if Eucharistic Jesus and Jesus in our midst, whom he fueled, had not sustained us.”
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Oct 21, 2011 | Non categorizzato
“It’s with surprise and great joy and gratitude that we welcomed the proclamation on the up- coming ‘Year of Faith’ announced by Pope Benedict XVI. And even more so, his apostolic letter ‘Porta Fidei’ that announces this thematic year, which will begin on October 11, 2012, on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Once more we grasp the strong thrust of the Holy Spirit in this initiative which arrives punctually in this moment of history. The young people of the World Youth Day, the families, workers and youth who are demonstrating, inaugurate a new springtime and invoke profound social reformations. They are signs which tell us how much today’s humanity is seeking change. I found confirmation of this also in my recent trips which I took to the United States, Santo Domingo, Russia, Slovenia and Great Britain. “We cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the light be kept hidden,”[1] writes the Pope. We also deeply feel this urgency and it calls us to convert: to live the Word of God with particular intensity. In welcoming the Pope’s ‘mandate,’ we have launched out once more with even greater vigour. We have committed ourselves to go back to the totalitarian way of living of the first years of the Movement: first of all to re-evangelize ourselves, in order to then spread the Gospel with all its transforming power to that humanity which surrounds us. Even today – as Chiara Lubich wrote already in 1948 – “the world needs a cure of the Gospel.”[2] Moreover, we have profoundly echoed the Pope’s pressing invitation to give public witness to faith, to the Word lived-out “as an experience of love received,” “communicated as an experience of grace and joy.”[3] In the initial years of the Focolare Movement’s life, the sharing of experiences of life based on the Word of God was a novelty. These experiences were irrefutable, because they were ‘life’ and fruitful, able to generate a living encounter with Jesus and to form a community out of dispersed people. Benedict XVI reminded us that we don’t face this task alone, but together. We want to intensify that experience of communion and brotherhood in our environments: in parliaments, factories, neighbourhoods, universities and families, because it is in communion that the Risen One makes Himself spiritually present, touches people’s hearts and transforms them. The Pope strengthened our conviction that this is a moment of special grace for the Church, in which the Council’s spirit of renewal is in action more than ever.”
[1] Apostolic Letter “Porta Fidei,” n. 3.
[2] Lettere dei primi tempi. Alle origini di una nuova spiritualità, edited by F.Gillet and G. D’Alessandro – Città Nuova Publishing House, 2010.
[3] Apostolic Letter “Porta Fidei,” n. 7.
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Oct 20, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
It tells two stories, the story of the Focolare and that of the United States. In an air-raid shelter in the city of Trent (1944), Chiara Lubich and some other young women rediscovered the words of the Gospel: “that all be one” (Jn 17:21). A hundred-fifty years earlier the founding fathers of the United States wrote on their flag: “E pluribus unum,” of the many, one. Both phrases reveal a fundamental tendency: to aspire for unity in diversity. 
In the introduction of the book, “Focolare: living a Spirituality of Unity in the United States,” Thomas Masters and Amy Uelmen (New City Press, NY), begin with the stories of young people who practice the spirituality. Like Rebecca from Ohio, who was helped by the spirituality of unity to carry through with her decision to volunteer in Sierra Leone. Or Nick, who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, who completed a Master in International Affairs and found himself face-to-face with his choice of relationship and dialogue in an environment that was strongly competitive. Elizabeth is a championship swimmer. She met the Focolare at a swimming competition in her hometown in Indiana: “When these girls who knew the Focolare came to my school, I was struck by the way they interacted with each other. The cultural mix – for someone from rural Indiana like me – made a strong impression. I felt like the whole world was in my backyard.” “It wasn’t easy for me to explain to my friends who all these Europeans were, where I went and what we did,” recounts Keith, who grew up in a black neighborhood of New York. “But it was special with them, I felt drawn. We did the same things that I did at home with my friends: sport, games, but the atmosphere was different, we tried to love one another.” The Focolare town of Mariapolis Luminosa in Hyde Park, New York, offers summer programs for teenagers. Naomi, a sixteen year-old from Chicago recounts: “Before leaving for Mariapolis Luminosa, I was a typical teenager: school, friends, shopping, enjoyment. It was hard for me to think of others. Well, this has all changed. When I returned home, I began to give away my things; I make my bed every morning; I try to prepare at least one of the meals each day; I listen to my eight year-old brother; I try to socialize with everyone at school. I don’t go shopping in the stores where a sweater costs a hundred dollars. I try to do everything for God, to make him smile. My mother is still wondering what happened to me.” Finally, David from New York, who came to know the Focolare during WYD 2002 in Toronto. For him it has meant not becoming rigid in ‘devotional’ practices, but placing God’s love and love of neighbor at the centre of things: “As I rediscovered my faith in this way, I felt called by the Holy Spirit to become a priest, and now I’m in the seminary.” These six experiences suggest that it is easier to understand the spirituality of the Focolare through the experiences of those who put it into practice. Beginning with the life of Chiara Lubich and those who joined her on this path, followed by the example of Americans young and old, families and clergy – this book tells the story of a shared experience of people whose lives have been transformed in an individual way, but also in a quite similar way by the light of God’s Love.
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Oct 19, 2011 | Non categorizzato
John Paul II had just arrived in Assisi on 24 January 2002. He immediately headed towards Saint Francis Square to welcome the Representatives of the World Religions and their Delegations. After the greeting addressed by the Pope and the introduction by Cardinal François Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, the Representatives read out the witnesses for peace in their respective languages. Here we offer you what was said by Chiara Lubich who, together with Andrea Riccardi, represented the Catholic Church. «For us Christians, Jesus is the God of Peace. This is the reason why the Catholic Church makes peace one of its most heartfelt goals. “Nothing is lost through peace. Everything can be lost through war,” exclaimed Pius XII. Pacem in Terris was the title of one of John XXIII’s encyclicals. “War never again!” repeated Paul VI while at the United Nations. And John Paul II, after the terrible events of 9-11, indicated the path to peace: “There is no peace without justice, there is no justice without forgiveness.” The whole Catholic Church works for peace and there are many paths it follows to reach it. The dialogues are very effective, following the path traced out by the Second Vatican Council. They guarantee peace because they generate brotherhood. They take place on a universal level and in different Churches, as well as through groups, associations, ecclesial movements and new communities. The Church carries out the first dialogue among its own sons and daughters, beginning with building that required communion on every level, which is assurance of peace. It carries out a second irreversible one with different Churches and ecclesial communities, a dialogue which augments peace in the big Christian family. 
It carries out another one with the main world religions, based on the ‘golden rule’ that is present in a number of Sacred Books and which is expressed in the Christian Scriptures with these words: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ (Mt 7:12). This ‘golden rule,’ which emphasises the duty to love one’s brothers and sisters, creates pools of universal brotherhood in which peace reigns. Lastly, dialogue and collaboration on many fronts with all those who have no religious reference point but are men and women of goodwill, so we can also build peace with them. Therefore, various expressions of one big dialogue, generator of that brotherhood which in this extremely difficult historical moment can become the soul of the vast worldwide community, which today’s workforce and government are paradoxically beginning to hope for.» 24 January 2002
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Oct 18, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
This is the invitation that was launched by the Youth for a United World (YUW) in Japan on Sunday, 9 October during a “Power of the Smile” concert in Tokyo, as they remembered the fatal tsunami that hit the northern coast of their country. “They idea for the concert,” they tell us, “came to us when we realized how much the quake had shaken and frightened people. With the “Power of the Smile” we wanted to offer our friends a few moments of serenity, which they could then bring to others.” Their message was launched with the musical refrain from the final song: “With the power of my smile, I will believe that I can love this land.” “During the past months,” they continued, “many YUW groups have gone out of their way, finding a million ways to help us with their solidarity. And their projects and efforts have encouraged us to do something concrete ourselves. As soon as we heard of the disaster on 11 march, we began a collection of funds in the metro area of Tokyo, an unusual thing in our culture, but it awakened a strong spirit of solidarity and altruism in many people on the street. Subsequently, some of us went to the district of Fukushima for a few days, offering the refugees some warm coffee and loivng and listening ear.” Finally, with four musical groups alternating on stage, the concert took place. “Before going on stage we met in a circle and promised each other that even though we felt there were still a lot of holes in our original plans for the concert, what we most wanted to leave with the audience was the light of our unity.” “Little by little the concert went on,” recalls one of the presenters, “I saw the faces in front of me change!” This concert by the YUW of Tokyo was very unlike most traditional concerts. It was a coffee-concert, with groups on stage continually interacting with the audience and the possibility for anyone to go on stage, to meet and know each other over a cup of coffee and piece of cake. When the concert was over, some of those who had attended wrote: “I wanted to go and volunteer in Fukushima, but I couldn’t. What a joy to have discovered that simply by offering my smile to everyone, I can do something concrete to make our society a bit happier!” “I didn’t expect so many smiles! They filled me with love!” “Giving a smile is a power that conqers all!” “You too, me too. . . altogether let’s believe in the possibility that we can love this land!”
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Oct 18, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
“The inauguration of a fourth academic year at Sophia University Institute, is certainly an appropriate occasion to pause briefly and consider the progress that has already been made and to derive motivation for what lies ahead. The academic performance of our students is an encouraging sign, particularly the theses that have already been completed by several students. In fact, they appear to be the result not only of an effort that has been carried out with intellectual and academic rigor, but within the context of an experience that is also quite unique. The charism of unity that animates this Institute combines intellectual life with real life, the development of relationships that are nourished and re-built each day within the heart of the academic community. All of this allows us to look ahead with real optimism, that is, with the gaze of one who, aware of the inevitable difficulties that will be met along the way, follows a design of light that is manifested and can already be seen unfolding. And so that this design that is contained in Sophia might be more fully realized, I would like to focus your attention on one of the fundamental points around which the experience of Sophia develops: the life of the Word. I would like to invite you to allow yourselves to be profoundly permeated by the Word, that is, by Jesus’ way of thinking, wanting and loving. Live the Word. Allow yourselves to be lived by the Word. This is what Chiara Lubich exhorted us to do, knowing that this is the indispensable condition for entering into a new way of life and a new way of knowing. Indeed, it is only a person who has been transformed by the Word who can attain a true conversion of the mind. Such a person will be a credible transmitter of the truth not only in words but living. Such a person can have an efficacious influence on diverse social and cultural contexts in which she or he works, by injecting a fruitful seed of the life of the Gospel. And thanks to all of you, may Sophia be an ever more authentic witness of this. This is my heartfelt wish, which I offer to you today.” Maria Voce
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Oct 17, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
“Hopes and doubts. These are the sentiments we feel when we arrive in Sophia University Institute,” says student representative Gabriel Almeida. “Sophia for us means answering a call that God directs toward each one of us and which can be found in the story of many here, a call to be an itinerant community, which desires – not without struggle – a civilization of love.” The atmosphere at the beginning of this fourth academic year is one of change, of growth and innovation. Nearly one thousand professors, students and friends from all over Italy attended the opening ceremonies of the new academic year on 17 October at Loppiano. They were joined by mayors from Tuscany, political and religious leaders, and faculty from other European institutes of learning with whom Sophia is establishing fruitful study relations. In his opening statement, Giuseppe Betori, Chancellor of Sophia Institute and Archbishop of Florence, called Sophia “something young in its act of founding, but able to find ample space within the academic world (… ) for advancing its own new proposals in the current cultural context of dialogue and communion. I extend to you the exhortation of the Pope at the Seminary in Freiburg: ‘We are Church: let us be Church, let us be Church precisely by opening ourselves and stepping outside ourselves and being Church with others.’ 
The results achieved by Sophia in its first four years are encouraging: 83 students are enrolled so far in the Master Degree program, including 34 this year. Thirty-three have defended a thesis and obtained a degree in “Foundations and Perspectives of a Culture of Unity.” Fifteen are enrolled in the doctorate program, and 7 in degree courses at other academic institutions, where they are acquiring the necessary credits to gain access to the doctoral program. Also noteworthy is the presence of 31 students who follow personal study programs. And academic achievement is what is most encouraging about Sophia University Institute (SUI), as Maria Voce, Vice-chancellor and president of the Focolare Movement relates: “Each time I sign a certificate, I have the joy of knowing that another person has been immerged in this culture of unity and is bringing it into the world. Based on what has been accomplished so far, we can only feel real optimism for the future of Sophia.” And she set living the Word of the Gospel as the basic tenet upon which to develop the experience of Sophia: “I invite you to let yourselves be deeply permeated by this Word, which is Jesus’ way of thinking, of acting, and of loving.” While addressing some of the future challenges of this academic community, SUI’s President Piero Coda explained how today it is necessary to upgrade the course of study, so that degree titles may better correspond to empirical standards and be more expendable on an academic professional plane. “For this reason, three new courses of specialization are in the process of being defined in Political Studies, Economy and Management: Trinitarian Ontology.” M
ore space will be given within the Institute for study and research in the Social Sciences, thanks to the institution of a Chair in “Fundamentals of the Social Sciences” and through an upcoming congress in collaboration with the University of Trent. In the inaugural lecture, Brazilian sociologist, Vera Araujo, affirmed the belief that: “There have never been better times than these to be a sociologist.” “We also want to say something about the possibility of finding new paradigms and models: the human person, brotherhood, communion, agape-love, unity. Not only concepts or paradigms, but tools to equip the work areas of those in the social fields.” These reflections have the flavor of encouragement not only for the new sociology, but also – and perhaps above all – for the academic adventure begun by Sophia, which is called to sprinkle society with a new culture.
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Oct 16, 2011 | Non categorizzato
Chiara and her companions really discovered what the Gospel was when they took it with them into the air raid shelters and read it together, before then they hadn’t really known it: no-one had ever spoken to them so clearly. Jesus always acts from God. In return for the little you give him, He showers you with gifts. You are alone and you find yourself surrounded by thousands of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and everything you need from God which then you can share with those who have nothing. This was how their faith was strengthened, it was based on experience, that no human situation or difficulty could not find explicitly or implicitly an answer in that little book which gives the words of heaven. The adherents of the growing Movement plunged themselves into living those words; they were nourished by them, re-evangelised and experienced how what Jesus said and promised was unfailingly true. The discovery of the ‘new commandment’ inflamed them to the point that mutual love became their manner, their way of being. And it was the same love that attracted many people, of every age and social class to come to their gatherings. Loving each other reciprocally was not optional for them, but their way of life that had to be shown to the world. Chiara wrote: ‘The War continued. The bombardments were relentless. There were insufficient shelters and we constantly faced the possibility of finding ourselves in front of God. All of this gave us only one desire in our hearts: to put into practise in those moments, which could have been our last, the will of God that was dearest to Him. We then remembered the commandment that Jesus said was His and new: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:12-13). ‘We said that Jesus came bringing with Him, from his homeland, his own customs and habits. ‘His’ commandment brought the law of heaven on to the earth, which is, the love between the three persons of the Holy Trinity. We looked each other in the face and each one declared; ‘”I am ready to give my life for you”. As we had to be ready to give our lives for one another, it was logical that, meanwhile, we should meet the thousands of needs that fraternal love demanded: to share joys, sufferings, our few possessions, our own spiritual experiences. We made ourselves do it so that above all else mutual love would reign amongst us. ‘One day, in the first Focolare, we took out our few and poor goods from the cupboard, and piled them in the middle of the room, so that each one of us could take the few things we needed and what was left over we gave to the poor. We were ready to put our wages in common, and all the small and large goods that we had and would have in the future. We were also ready to put in common our spiritual goods…. Our desire for holiness was held in that one choice: God, which excluded every other objective, but included, obviously, the holiness he had thought of for us. ‘Then, there were the difficulties caused by our own imperfections that each one had and with one another, so we decided not to see one another with human eyes, which only notice the speck in the other, forgetting the plank in their own, but those eyes that forgive all and forget all. We felt we had to forgive each other, imitating merciful God, so we made between us a sort of pact of mercy: that is to get up each morning and see one another as ‘new’, as if those ‘defects’ never existed.
