A new way of seeing things

Sep 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Not having preferences and not expecting anything in return: this is Chiara Lubich’s straightforward but revolutionary formula for a love that can change the world – today too. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Cor 5:17). [These words] speak … of the ‘new self’ that, through baptism and by adhering to the fruits of baptism, has been established in us and has a new way of seeing things, of behaving and of loving. … What is this love like? … Since it is a participation in the very love that is in God, which is God himself, it differs from human love in infinite ways. But there are two aspects, above all, in which it is different. Human love makes distinctions, it has preferences, it loves some brothers and sisters, for example blood relatives, people who are educated, rich, good looking, distinguished, healthy or young; it loves those who belong to a particular ethnicity or class, but it does not love others in the same way. Divine love, instead, loves everybody. It is universal. The second difference is the fact that, in human love, we love because we are loved. And even when love is beautiful, we love something of ourselves in the other person. There is always something selfish in human love, or that waits to love only when self-interest prompts us. So if we want to let our ‘new self’ live in us; if we want to let the flame of supernatural love burn in us, we too must love everybody and be the first to love. Basically, we must be like Jesus, other Jesuses. Jesus died on the cross for everybody: his love was universal. And with that death he was the first to love.

                                                                  Chiara Lubich

Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 8^th January 1987

A language capable of building bridges

Sep 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Trento, Chiara Lubich’s birthplace, will soon host a conference dedicated to the value of the Focolare founder’s texts, both spoken and written, from a linguistic and literary point of view. The event, which takes place in the Centenary of Lubich’s birth, is coordinated by an international study and research group and can be followed via web.

© CSC Audiovisivi

edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti

The Gospel lived: give and you will be given

Sep 17, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Jesus reveals that something new in the Gospel: the Father loves each of his children personally with an  “overflowing” love and gives him/her  the ability  to enlarge their heart to their brothers and sisters. These are urgent and demanding words: to give what is  ours; material goods, but also a welcome, mercy, forgiveness, and to give  extensively in imitation of God. Powdered milk In a satellite city near Brasilia, there is a very poor neighbourhood where for years we have been bringing not only material aid, human promotion, but also trying to spread the good news of Jesus. It is always amazing to see how these people discover God’s love and begin to help each other, sharing what little they have with those who have even less. They even offer their own hut. Faithful to the “give  and it will be given to you”, a lady to whom we had delivered powdered milk for her children told us that she shared it with her neighbour who had nothing to give her children. That same day, to her surprise and joy, she received more powdered milk. (H.I. – Brazil) The wound On certain festivals  I give my four children some money to buy gifts for poor children. This year my youngest son asked me for more money: he had heard that his father was unemployed and could not give presents to his children with  another woman. For me it was like a cold shower. My husband had abandoned us years earlier and the wound had remained. That night I cried a lot, I felt betrayed even by my boys. But maybe it was me who was wrong and the little one was teaching me a lesson. The next morning I increased his pocket money. Sometime later my children asked me to help their father find a job. It was the ultimate blow . They had never received a gift from him and  now they were asking me to do this! Despite the painful memories, I understood that I had to put into practice Jesus’ command to love one’s  enemies. It cost me but I did it. The joy I saw in the boys was indescribable. I thanked God for their generosity but also because they had given me the opportunity to remove from my heart a resentment that had tortured me for years. (C.C. – Colombia) Dismissal Some  months ago, when  the major computer company I work for announced the laying off of 40% of its employees, I got a real shock. Thanks to that job, we didn’t lack anything in the family, not even the extras. How were we going to meet the house payments? What about health insurance? And so on… With Jennifer and  our daughters we felt more responsible about our family economy. We were ready to sell the most valuable objects and make other possible sacrifices, we assumed we would become self-employed, considering our personal skills… Above all, we entrusted ourselves to God the Father, continuing to hope. On the day of the layoffs, 6500 of my colleagues lost their jobs. I would have liked to disappear so as not to watch; but then I stayed to share that moment with those who left. I do not know how it will end for me, but one thing is certain: this trial has united us more in the family. It has created a deep bond with other couples and has opened our eyes to the problems of others. We  now experience what it is that really matters in life. (Roger – USA) I forgave my son’s killer After my son was killed during a robbery, nothing made sense in my life anymore. Desperate for help, I attended a Gospel meeting. There I listened to a commentary on Jesus’ phrase: “Love your enemies”. Those words were like a rock for me.  How could I forgive those who had killed my son? But in the meantime, a seed had been sown within me. As I attended that group, I felt the urge to forgive became more and more urgent. I wanted to find peace of heart. The Gospel still spoke of peace: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”. In the midst of my family’s  tragedy, the decision to forgive finally prevailed. Now I can truly call  myself  a “daughter of God”. Recently I was invited to meet  with my son’s killer,  who had been arrested. I knew him. It was hard, but grace intervened. I did not feel hatred or resentment towards him. In my heart as a mother there was only great pity and the desire to entrust him to God’s mercy. (M.A. – Venezuela)

edited by Stefania Tanesini

(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Citta Nuova, year VI, n.5, September-October 2020)

In Chile, an eco-education project started by teens

Sep 16, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The story of Javier, a young man from Chile, starts with getting interested in the environment, an unexpected proposal and the beginning of an ecological commitment that today has reached vast proportions. I have always loved nature and had a special relationship with it. In 2017, I became aware of the serious damage that humanity is causing to the planet. “But what can a simple teenager do to change the reality of the planet?” I used to say to myself. One day, however, my aunt invited me to participate in a sustainable development forum at the headquarters of Cepal (the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). I was surprised, but she encouraged me, saying how teenagers should take on important decisions and make their voices heard for our future. I decided to participate and got other classmates who were interested in social and environmental issues involved, with the help of the school. During the forum we were able to learn about Social Development Goals (SDS) and the actions that are being carried out in order to achieve them in some Latin American and Caribbean countries. We were also able to express our thoughts in front of the authorities present. Among the initiatives, we were impressed by “Concausa”, which is part of the America Solidale NGO. It works specifically to put an end to child poverty and trains adolescents to be true change agents. Together with two partners, we decided to propose a project at our school linked to Concausa, but we were not successful. After some time, given our interest in these issues, Concausa decided to set up a workshop in our school called “Actuators” to help us better develop our project. In classes we saw a lot of rubbish thrown on the floor, so we set out to encourage better waste management and recycling to create a pro-environmental culture. The “Eco-Education” project began. The waste was mainly tetrapacks, so we re-used them to create “eco-containers” where we could sort the waste and reuse it to make eco-blocks. Thanks to our work, many of our classmates have learned how to recycle. They have now even convinced their parents to do this in their homes. In the meantime, together with boys from the Focolare unit that I am a part of, we introduced workshops and in-depth analysis of environmental issues during our regular meetings. After a year of work with our “eco-education” project, we were chosen to represent Chile in a Concausa Continental Camp that takes place each year in our country. Project teams from all over the continent participate. I went along as well, and it was an unforgettable experience. I met people from many countries, each with their different culture. Getting to know each other made us feel the same. We were and are a family, a generation fighting for a more united and supportive future. On the last day we were invited to give a speech to officials from America Solidale, Unicef and Cepal about the different realities we have in our countries, and how we are doing our part to defend the environment. Now we continue to work together with camp participants through video calls. This is how we conceived the “1000 Actions for Change” project, which aims to spur ecological actions and mitigate the climate crisis. To achieve this, I was chosen to represent my country. Here is Javier’s testimony during the launch of the Pathway 2020–2021 “Dare to Care” campaign.

Edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti

Love that can be seen

Sep 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Christian love is not only an inner attitude, but is shown by concrete facts, by acts that can be seen, starting simply with a smile. This is the invitation Chiara Lubich launches in the following writing. And even if during the pandemic our smile may be hidden behind a mask, there are a thousand other ways to show our love “Love one another”.^[1] This is the vocation of every Christian, but we could also say it is our vocation in particular. In the last few days I was struck by what was said of the first Christians: “See how they love one another and are ready to die for one another.”^[2] Therefore people could see that each of them was ready to die for the others. This might have been because in times of persecution it was not unusual for one of them to offer to die instead of another. Nonetheless, the fact remains that this measure of love among Christians could be seen. Generally speaking, we are not actually asked to die, even though we should always be ready to do so. Every act of mutual love should be based on this foundation. … May all we do show that we are ready to die for our brothers and sisters; whether it is simply a smile, or a gesture, or an act of love, a word or some advice, our appreciation, or a correction given at the right moment. May our love be seen, certainly not to show off but to make sure we have the powerful weapon of witness. We too, like the first Christians, often find ourselves in a world without God, a world that is de-Christianized. Therefore we must bear witness to Jesus.

                                                                             Chiara Lubich

(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 11^th May 1989) [1] Jn 13:34. [2] Tertullian, Apologeticus, 39:7.

Letting the other person emerge

Sep 13, 2020 | Non categorizzato

With three days of video-conferencing involving Focolare delegates in different areas of the world and the General Council, a further preparatory phase has begun towards the Focolare General Assembly to be held in January 2021. The meeting of Focolare Delegates from around the world, held this year in video-conference, ended on September 12^th; a date which, under normal conditions, would also have marked the last day of Maria Voce’s (current President) term of office. However, these times – which are anything but normal – have meant an extension of the President’s term of office because, due to Covid, the General Assembly, which also has the task of electing all the governing bodies of the Focolare Movement, has been postponed from the beginning of September 2020 to  January 24^th –  February 7^th 2021. How, then, can this time of waiting be transformed into a time of grace? This is the question that initiated   and guided the conference of delegates and to which Maria Voce answered in a profound and concise way: “We are called to bear witness to the possibility of Trinitarian relations! This simply means: each one does everything so that the other person may emerge”. The sessions dedicated to sharing the life of the Focolare communities in the different geographical areas of the world  highlighted the global commitment to face the challenge and the new “off-spring” due to  the Coronavirus pandemic: the impossibility of attending meetings in person  has led to an increase in digital conferences that often reach more people and break down  territorial or participatory structures  which in the current situation have been identified as constraints. The economic difficulties, then, require new reflections in search of solutions for a moderate and sustainable lifestyle and in favour of suitable activities and structures. In addition, the climate of growing personal and community insecurity urgently requires a new evangelical life choice in view of a more united world. The third day of the conference marked the beginning of a further preparation for the Movement towards the 2021 General Assembly. The extra time gained will serve to encourage a more participatory and widespread preparation, a synodal journey. The members of the Movement will have until October 24^th, the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the themes gathered so far in order to identify people’s preferences which will then be included in a working document. Before Christmas, the participants in the Assembly will have the opportunity to meet possible candidates for President and Co-President. And in a series of Webinars the main themes will be deepened with the help of external experts. The preparation will then be concluded in the first weeks of January with group work among the participants.

Joachim Schwind

Engaged in the world

Sep 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Emmanuel and Annick from the Focolare Movement dedicate their free time to the French Red Cross. Since the beginning of the health crisis caused by the coronavirus, operations have been launched throughout France to support people in need. This married couple has helped in two of them. The first operation  consisted in organising the delivery of medicines or food to people who were unable to do their own shopping. Emmanuel, an engineer at the University of Strasbourg,  worked almost full time as a volunteer coordinating the operation for the entire Bas-Rhin province (area around the city of Strasbourg). “Organising the teams and facilitating the flow of information,” he says, “was an immense logistical job. Even if sometimes I couldn’t get out of the house for three days, I didn’t feel alone. On the contrary I was  rather frustrated given that I was  working hard without hardly ever seeing the beneficiaries of my work”. During that period, demand rocketed, especially for food. In fact, many social welfare associations had to close because most of their volunteers were forced to stay at home because of their age. The other operation was launched from  April 29^th  to  July 31^st  2020 by the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It decided  to reopen its kitchens to prepare 500 meals a day. The Prefecture was responsible for finding the beneficiaries of the meals at a local level and the French Red Cross for the delivery. Annick, who continued her work as a nurse also  volunteered.  She says: “We saw people were happy to receive something. Although some were surprised and incredulous – imagining the background checking that was done  – people were anxious to have  those meals”. “The institutions  invested enormously at the heart of the crisis,” Emmanuel notes. What does this commitment mean for Emmanuel and Annick? “I  am nourished by  the spirituality of the Focolare Movement, but  our life is lived out  in society, it is in  giving (and giving of ourselves) concretely in the world,” answers Annick. Emmanuel adds: “It is important not to remain in our corner, among Focolare people, but to act in the world. In addition, the seven principles of the Red Cross which are humanity, unity, universality, neutrality, independence, impartiality and voluntary service are very much in harmony with the “art of loving” and  “The Golden Rule”. “The crisis was a time of great tension and the quality of human relations between volunteers and beneficiaries in the field and in the organisation has been important. For example, I mediated between the volunteers when tensions arose. The Focolare’s charism of unity has been of great help to me in understanding situations, losing my idea, living the present moment well”, Emmanuel shares. “This crisis has brought out the good or  the bad in us,” Annick notes. Her husband is pleased to see that it has generated new ideas for action, particularly in relation to the digital divide or relational poverty. “The great lesson of the pandemic for many is the awareness that we cannot live without each other,” she says. ” Interdependence was Chiara Lubich’s great battle at the end of her life … My optimism leads me to believe that more people will be involved in associations and develop their sense of volunteering”.

Émilie Tévané

Source: Nouvelle Cité, N°604, July-August 2020, p. 41.

Ready to welcome the world’s suffering

Sep 10, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The Focolare Movement’s annual conference for international delegates and members of the General Council will take place by video-conference, 10 – 12 September.  We report the President, Maria Voce’s thoughts. “We should avoid thinking about ourselves and – as a Movement – be more willing to accept the sufferings of the world.”  President Maria Voce’s strong appeal has given a clear direction to the participants of the Focolare’s international leadership conference that will begin this Thursday, 10 September, by video-conference. In a talk during a recent meeting with the Focolare General Council, Maria Voce spoke of her dismay at the extent of suffering that is reported each day by the media, especially during this time of pandemic. She spoke to her closest collaborators about a question she has often asked herself recently: “Who can absorb all this suffering and pain? I think God is asking us to be closer to this suffering in the world, more willing to welcome it, to love it, to pray … but also to do something more.” Her answer is a programme of both spiritual and practical action. The programme for the video conference (10 – 12 September) will be characterized by time for the participants to speak extensively about local challenges, specific to their geographical area.  These challenges are often shared by others and are often linked to this particular period of pandemic which has given rise to enormous suffering but also new potential. The dialogue and sharing will provide a means of identify the specific contribution that the Focolare can make to during this time of change both now and in the future. It will certainly not be possible to exhaust this theme during this three day meeting:  it will remain on the agenda in view of the next General Assembly of the Movement.  This was initially scheduled for the first half of September 2020, but due to the Covid-19 emergency has been postponed until the beginning of next year: from 24 January to 7 February 2021. During the coming meeting, the delegates will also learn about the proposals drawn up by the Preparatory Commission of the General Assembly in order to make use of the time “gained” with a view to increasing involvement of all the members of the Movement in the preparation of the Assembly.

Joachim Schwind  

USA: the pandemic takes us back to essentials

Sep 9, 2020 | Non categorizzato

For months, every day, a priest has been travelling miles by bicycle or pickup to be close to his community. This experience, lived together with a team of parishioners, is uniting and broadening horizons, while leaving also its post-pandemic effects. If lockdown and social distancing rules oblige us to keep away as much as possible from assembly places, such as the parish church, why can’t the priest bridge the gap between us all? This is what Father Clint Ressler, a Catholic priest at the St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Texas City, USA, is doing. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has been travelling every day, far and wide all over the territory of his parish to visit his parishioners . Father Clint, how has life changed in your parish during this pandemic? It’s true that the pandemic dramatically changed how all of us maintain and grow our relationships. I have a greater sense of how God calls us to co-responsibility.  As a pastor, I feel lifted up and surrounded by a strong and dedicated team. Perhaps because we are more focused on the essentials of our mission there is a corresponding experience of joy and gratitude in seeing these efforts and their fruits. Prior to the pandemic my days were filled with people. Sometimes I would be too focused on projects or getting to my next meeting or ministry to truly notice, greet and be present to each person.  Now, also because we all need and thirst for communion, authentic relationships, I am feeling more like a human ‘being’ and not a human ‘doing’. Many parish groups and ministries are connecting to one another more personally, whether by phone, social media and brief personal visits. I have the sense that our God-given need for communion finds its own ways around the difficulties. What have you been doing to maintain a close relationship with your parishioners? Perhaps because there are fewer meetings and a greater focus on the essential mission of the parish I have not felt as rushed as before the pandemic.  I have also heard God inviting me to ‘slow down’, to trust Him and to be patient. Early in the pandemic I was visiting many parishioners on a bicycle or a pick-up. During those early months I would see sometimes as many as a dozen homes in a day.  Now, I am going at a slower pace, so to speak, fewer visits but staying longer. Can  you share  something with us about the most beautiful moment and the most difficult one you have lived during these visits? It is difficult to choose just one moment. One family had lost their home to a fire just a few days before I happened to visit them.  The little children had lost their home but also all their toys.  Their neighbor next door welcomed the family into their home.  It was both the saddest but also the most uplifting visit. It continually strikes how this experience has suddenly changed Pope Francis’ call to be ‘missionary disciples’ from beautiful words to something that could and needed desperately to be live. Would  this experience  leave a positive impact on the life of your parish community, even when the pandemic is over? The pandemic brought many people to become more familiar with ‘faith online’. Parishioners have become more ‘tech savvy’ in general but also as regards to nourishing their faith. I have been personally edified by witnessing how our parishioners have cared for one another. I believe that after the pandemic we will see the fruits of this greater connectedness and concrete expressions of mutual concern. The pandemic has brought about a greater sense of solidarity, not only with the neighbors who live close but also a greater awareness and concern for the whole world.  There is a universal sense that ‘we are all in this together’ and I hope that endures in the hearts and actions of everyone after the pandemic subsides. You  met the Focolare spirituality and you live it. How does it influence  your life as a priest and a pastor, especially now during this pandemic? Leading a parish can seem overwhelming and complex, requiring discernment and tough decisions.  However, if I just try to refocus on concrete love it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.  Of course, it all starts with union with God As a priest, especially as a pastor, I have been entrusted with a position of great influence and authority.  At times, being the leader of others, I can fall into a ‘business approach’ that values efficiency, avoiding risks and valuing measurable ‘achievements’.  The spirituality of the Focolare, and of the witness of Jesus, calls me back to service, humility and faithful patience. I have understood that the fundamental starting point for discovering God’s will is for us to live with Jesus in our midst.  In other words, we have to be ‘Church’, the mystical body of Christ.  As we live and grow in these mutual relationships with God’s grace, we can hear the little voice of the Holy Spirit.  I think my life in the Focolare, ingrained in me over the years, a desire to bring this kind of discernment into the parish, with the parish staff, with the pastoral council, with every group and committee.

Anna Lisa Innocenti