A glimpse into the experience and everyday life of Somjit Suwanmaneegul, a Buddhist, from Chiang Rai in Thailand. From his meeting with John Paul II to today. By Stefania Tanesini and Lorenzo Giovanetti. https://vimeo.com/430658900
Anything can happen in life: easy or difficult situations, mourning, victories or defeats, but there is a common denominator for all, a common way to deal with each situation: the relationship with God. Circumstances will always be different, but He is always present; always with us. In isolation “Tomorrow,” said the doctor, “we’ll put you in an isolation ward”. I felt like someone with a bad smell. I knew someone had died from that illness. Death! I was not afraid of the pain that comes with the last battle for life. Rather I felt the detachment from my own as sharp as a sword in my heart. I had not said goodbye to them. And now… I might never see them again. I wept. And yet, to die meant meeting Jesus whom I loved. But it seemed to me that the love given and received here on earth by so many tied me down here and the flight upwards was exhausting. I knew these people on earth, the others up there I didn’t yet know well. On the other hand I had always tried to love Jesus in every neighbour: relatives, friends, acquaintances, strangers! “It was you, Jesus, whom I loved and found in everyone, the same one that – if I die now – I will meet”. This last thought slowly gave me peace. I remained for a long time in isolation, with the ups and downs associated with the illness, but enveloped more or less by a mysterious presence with the possibility of speaking to the One who listened to me and to whom I could listen. M. – Italy Rudeness at school I don’t know if I’ve aged or the generation has definitely changed. I was talking about it with my fellow teachers and we all came to the conclusion that unfortunately there is a lack of basic education. It is not only a lack of respect towards teachers, evident also in a shameless judgmental attitude towards teachers by parents, but a complete lack of a sense of attention towards each other. In one of the most difficult classes, after a regrettable incident, I pointed out that in every culture and tradition there is a basic rule of coexistence: “Do to others what you would like to be done to you”. I asked everyone if such a rule seemed acceptable to them. After a great silence one pupil started to speak, then another one… and in the end a real dialogue was created. Since that day something has changed: almost invisibly, but something has changed. Once more I had to believe again. Young people need real, firm points of reference. C. – Spain I was tempted to emigrate… I am a specialist in infectious diseases and, due to poor health facilities, poor hygiene and very low salaries, I was tempted to emigrate like many colleagues. However, after reflecting with my wife, I decided to continue my service to my brothers and sisters in our country. With the support of Christian friends abroad, it was possible to build a health facility complete with a laboratory and guarantee specific medicines even for the poorest people. In addition to the development of productive activities to improve basic nutrition, an attempt was also made to ensure psychosocial support for the sick and their families. M.- Democratic Republic of Congo
Edited by Stefania Tanesini
Maria Voce’s new book “Luce che avvolge il mondo” [Light that envelops the world], is published today by Città Nuova, for now only in Italian. It is a profound and courageous re-reading of the cornerstones of the spirituality of unity in the light of the questions posed by people today concerning our present times and the near future. This is probably Maria Voce’s last book as President of the Focolare Movement. In it we find her thought regarding the Movement set out clearly and powerfully more than in any previous publication during her 12 years’ leadership of the Movement. The book reveals the cornerstones of her action and her legacy, but also her experience in the very delicate time following the death of a charismatic founder like Chiara Lubich. This volume certainly deserves to be read “slowly” and meditatively, allowing time for reflection, because in it we find all Maria Voce’s spiritual, cultural and lived adherence to the charism of unity. It contains a series of talks given at various times on the twelve main points of the Focolare spirituality – God Love, the Will of God, the Word, our neighbour, mutual love, the Eucharist, Unity, Jesus Forsaken, Mary, the Church, the Holy Spirit, Jesus in the midst. These talks were given year by year during her two mandates. In the preface, Maria Voce’s friend Andrea Riccardi [founder of the Sant’Egidio community] writes: “Maria did not want to repeat but to reread Chiara’s message and charism in a Church and a world that have changed. Spiritual movements grow in a deep tension between, on the one hand, faithfulness to their origins and their charism, and, on the other, an exploration of the life and developments of the future. […] It is an outstanding and remarkable example of the creative faithfulness that is required of a founder’s followers – especially if they are leaders”. In the introduction, Jesús Morán, Co-President, asks himself with what spirit Maria Voce has written these texts and affirms it is one of actualization for our times. “She has not repeated the talks written by Chiara in the past, but has actualized them (…). She gives us her own renewed understanding of the points of the spirituality of unity that draws directly from the source of Chiara Lubich’s inspiration but also emphasizes further connotations and brings hitherto unexpressed shades of meaning to the fore. She has done this while being prompted also by the issues and concerns increasingly faced by the members of the Movement in the context of current events in the Church and in the world.” Leafing through its pages we find a variety of questions posed more or less explicitly to Maria Voce by people in the Focolare Movement. In response to the question,: “What is God asking of the people in the Movement?”, she answered: “He asks each of us to reach out to our own environment, engaging with our neighbours in a spirit of unity, but being open to everyone. At the time, Chiara herself said that that would be answer enough. Chiara emphasized very strongly that above all God asks us to make ourselves one with the person who is near us, with those who share our life’s journey and with the people we meet day by day, even – as far as possible – the ones we hear about through the media. We are called, therefore, to live unity every moment of our life, day after day, as happened from the very start.” Maria Voce also offers her reading of the lights and shadows on the progress of the Focolare Movement. She does so at a time in which the Covid pandemic has changed many things both at a personal and community level, and does so also in view of the upcoming General Assembly in 2021 during which the Movement will elect a new president and leadership: “At this time, we feel that God is urging us to sow seeds of this message of unity in new and larger fields and not worry about diminishing strength or lost ground. We should joyfully witness to the opening up of ever new horizons and the flourishing of countless living cells of the Church spread throughout the world. This happens wherever two or more are ready to love one another with mutual love and to go out towards others so that, as Pope Francis wishes, many people may meet God.” This attitude towards the current situation enables us to be enriched by an understanding of the present and look to the near future with the optimism characteristic of Maria Voce. She is certainly not naive, because she is well-grounded in the Gospel words that speak of unity and on the life that has sprung from it throughout the world.
Stefania Tanesini
After the devastating explosion in Beirut on the evening of August 4th, the local Focolare community and the New Humanity association set to work to meet the most urgent needs of the people affected by the disaster. More than 100 dead and 4,000 injured caused by the huge explosion on Tuesday, August 4th at around 6.10 pm local time in the area near the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Glass doors and windows were broken up to a distance of 10 kilometres from the disaster area. The government speaks of about 300,000 people made homeless. Even before this catastrophe, the cedar country was already facing a severe economic crisis, which was further reinforced by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. According to official sources more than 45% of the population lives in poverty and unemployment has risen to 35%. The explosion on August 4th was another major blow not only to Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure but also to the morale of a people who have suffered so much violence in recent decades. Like all humanitarian associations, the Focolare’s “New Humanity Movement ” has set to work to help those most affected. With the help of the local community of the Movement, the Mariapolis Centre “La Sorgente” in Ain Aar in Beirut has been made available for those who have lost their homes. Groups of young people and adults have made themselves available to help families and people most affected, putting together needs of different kinds: from food to cleaning materials . ________________________________________ The Emergency Coordination of the Focolare Movement, which will intervene through the AMU and AFN organizations, has been activated. For those who want to collaborate, the following current accounts have been activated:
PURPOSE: Emergency Lebanon ————————————————————– The contributions paid on the two current accounts with this purpose will be managed jointly by AMU and AFN. There are tax benefits for these donations in many countries of the European Union and in other countries of the world, according to the various local regulations. Italian taxpayers will be provided deductions from taxable income, up to 10% of the income and with the limit of € 70,000.00 per year, with the exception of donations made in cash. ————————————————————– To stay up to date on fundraising for this Emergency visit the AMU and AFN websites.
The story of Armando, a Venezuelan who emigrated with his family to Peru: lives the Ideal of unity in the Focolare community, shares his needs and experiences the power of communion that attracts God’s providence. Three years ago because of the difficult situation in Venezuela with my wife and our two children we decided to emigrate to Peru. We used to attend the meetings of the focolare in our country and there, in Peru, the Focolare community welcomed us with a temporary home , until I found a job so as to be able to pay the rent of a house. A person from the Focolare community, without knowing us, offered us his apartment for a month while he was away visiting his son who lived in another city. As soon as we got settled in, they asked us to make a list of the things we needed to share it with everyone. So coats, pots, pans, plates, cutlery, food began to arrive, but I was missing a pair of shoes that I needed urgently… At the end of the month, since I didn’t have a job yet, we moved to another temporary accommodation. We went to thank those who, without knowing us , had lent us their house. After getting to know each other better, the gentleman said: “If there’s anything else I can help you with, tell me”. We told him that we had made a list and that the only thing missing was the shoes. “Yes, I saw the WhatsApp chat ad,” he said, “unfortunately I take a size 38 …; try them on anyway (he took his shoes off) and if they fit, they are yours”. I tried them on and they were perfect. He added, “But in the ad you said you needed sports shoes”. He went to his room and brought out a pair of sports shoes: “Take these too”. That’s how the shoes I keep wearing came from providence. One evening in a meeting with some people with whom we shared Chiara Lubich’s Ideal of unity, I was able to experience once again the strength of communion, to share the successes, the failures, the joys, the needs, taking as an example the first Christian communities that “put everything in common and there was no one in need” (Acts 4: 32-36). It was a special moment: one of the participants said that two of his children had broken a computer during an argument. His first reaction was to punish them both. I felt sorry because now those kids didn’t have the computer they were using for homework. After going through the initial phase of anger, the father of the two boys called the technician to repair the computer. However, there was no way to fix it. So he called his two sons and apologized for his initial angry reaction, so that peace was restored in that family. When he finished sharing what he experienced, one of those present said he had a computer that he didn’t use: “You can have it, we’ll see how to get it to you”. For me it was yet another confirmation of the strength of communion. I asked myself: “And if the first person did not share his concern, how could the other offer a solution?” Sometimes we don’t know how to solve a problem on our own and we get stuck in our own pain; but if we take the step of sharing it in communion with others without any hidden interest, God can find the solution precisely through those around us.
A.M. Lima, Peru (collected by Gustavo E. Clariá)
The following reflection by Chiara Lubich highlights a key dimension of a “spirituality of communion” – the fact of being inseparably linked to one another, which calls for endurance. The coronavirus pandemic has made us experience this interdependence in many ways, and has also called us to increase out capacity for endurance. We do not go to God alone, but with our brothers and sisters. And this is the “something more” that we have. We must tend towards holiness together with others. Practically speaking, this means helping our brothers and sisters reach holiness in the same way as we help ourselves. It’s a demanding commitment that we too easily forget, but which is the necessary condition for becoming holy. Indeed it is only by loving our brothers and sisters to this extent that we can hope to have Jesus in our midst. What is the best way to practice this demanding love for our brothers and sisters? There are a number of ways, but one of them in particular must be considered carefully and has been confirmed for me by many years of experience. I’ve already spoken about it, but it’s so important that it’s worth repeating. The community life we live, whether permanently or on a temporary basis, asks us to love our brothers or sisters all the time. This means always making ourselves one with them and it’s what we try to do. However, even if we were to commit ourselves with all our strength to doing this, we wouldn’t always succeed because we are still in this world and liable to faults and failings. Sooner or later, one or other of us messes things up. What should we do? If we were the ones who stopped loving, we should start loving again straightaway. And if it was our brother or sister’s fault, what should we do? Believe me, we would be wise to listen to what St Paul says when he emphasizes endurance regarding others, because endurance is not a lower grade of love; it is intrinsic to love, an aspect of charity, a key dimension of love. In fact, according to St Paul, love not only “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things”, but also “endures all things”. To endure is to love, it is charity. Without it, we do not truly love. The time will come when we can make our neighbour aware of what has gone wrong; the Gospel asks us to do this too. … But we do it only out of love and certainly not to rant at our brothers or sisters about how they have wronged us. We say things with as much love as possible, knowing that if they improve, I too will gain from it, because this is what is new about our spiritual journey: I must work towards my brother or sister’s perfection if I want to reach my own. We are bound to one another. There’s no alternative.
Chiara Lubich
(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 19th June 2003)
A film about Chiara and the beginnings of the Focolare Movement will be aired on RAI UNO, the first channel of Italy’s national state broadcaster, in autumn. “Can the power of a girl’s dream and her faith change the world ?” This is the keynote on which the Italian director Giacomo Campiotti bases the film in which he narrates the story of Chiara Lubich, the young teacher from Trent, who in her early twenties lived the hardships and anguish caused by the Second World War. Lubich felt called to build a better world, a more united one, and since then she set herself the goal to build bridges between people, irrespective of their race, nation or religious belief. This biography TV movie, the first to be made on Chiara Lubich will focus on the early years, those between 1943 and 1950. It is a co-production by Rai Fiction and Casanova Multimedia, produced by Luca Barbareschi. Cristiana Capotondi, an established Italian actress will play Chiara in the movie, while Sofia Panizzi and Valentina Ghelfi will also be in the cast. The shooting of the film will begin in Trent in a few days’ time, and it will start with “the times when the war raged” and “everything collapsed” and only God remained, as Chiara herself related in one of the very first stories about the Focolare Movement’s beginning . In the press release issued about the movie one reads: “Today, the tenacity in a figure like Chiara makes us consider the other person as an opportunity, a gift, a bearer of a seed of truth to be valued and loved, no matter how far apart we may be. Universal brotherhood is a prerequisite for dialogue and peace. Chiara’s message does not belong only to the Catholic world. She has contributed towards the value and role of women not only in ecclesiastical institutions but also and above all outside them”. This movie will relate the story of the very first years, the foundation years, when Chiara realised that God was showing her the way to be followed and she responded, followed by an ever increasing number of people, who took roads that from Italy led to the whole world. It will also be a journey that speaks of the historical, social and ecclesial circumstances that Chiara experienced during the Second World War, the very first years after the war and the pre-conciliar years with ferments that stirred Catholicity. The director and producers intend and want to relate all about “the young revolutionary girl, who shared everything with those in need”. ANSA news stated this on July 27 and continued to say that “she read the Gospel without the presence of a priest; she was considered as harmful to the society of her time and so she was forced to report about her work to the Holy Office. She passed through the most difficult test of her life when she was asked to abandon the Focolare leadership. But the stone she threw into the pond could not be stopped and created wider circles, so years later, when Paul VI came to rehabilitate the Focolare Movement, it had already spread throughout the world”.
Stefania Tanesini
We are back in Loppiano, at the Sophia University Institute, an innovative academic centre and incubator of new concepts and practices in interreligious dialogue. By Anna Lisa Innocenti and Lorenzo Giovanetti. https://vimeo.com/430380293
Firms going under, thousands of jobs lost: lockdown has hit the European economy hard. But many entrepreneurs are trying equally hard to keep going. Andrea Cruciani in Italy asked himself what he could do to protect his workers. 
How have business people coped in the emergency lockdown phase caused by Covid-19? We spoke with Andrea Cruciani, CEO of TeamDev software consultancy and Agricolus start-up, linked to the Economy of Communion project. How has the lockdown affected you? “Before lockdown things were going well. For the past 12 years, TeamDev has demonstrated 20% annual growth and we now employ a workforce of 50. Halfway through February we took steps to raise money through the bank. But the lockdown meant by the end of March we had no cash liquidity left. For the first time ever, I found myself without money or opportunities. The only option left to us was to start laying off staff. I was so unhappy about this because we have always taken particular care to invest in the welfare of the business. Not surprisingly perhaps, some of our workers took fright and lost confidence in us. To lose the trust of even one employee was extremely painful to me. Gradually, however, we found ways to meet the needs of everyone. As soon as the business started generating some income again, we immediately began to supplement their unemployment payments through a special ‘Covid fund’. At the end, we were able to give the same pay to all, and they understood there was no bad-faith on our side”. Have you learnt anything through all this? “I’ve realized how fragile authentic relationships with employees and collaborators can be. It’s so important that authentic relationships are built on trust. We’ve been amazed to see how some of our people have found new energy from the desire to contribute to the common good. In this period the true humanity within our relationships has emerged”. Do you have any advice for other businesses about caring for their human resources? “Let me tell you a story. Three years ago I decided to promote one particular employee to the management of a department. But after a short time, this person quit. I realised that what I want out of life for myself is not necessarily what everyone else wants for themselves. This employee did not want the psychological stress of that management role and was not even ambitious for an increase in salary. Following that experience we began to improve some of our processes”. Improve in what ways? “First of all, we turned to a coach to improve the team spirit among everyone working in the company. Then we began to improve working conditions with some quite simple initiatives like offering fresh fruit for break-times. We also ordered seasonal fruit from a Caritas orchard project, to give everyone the opportunity to take what they needed home, free of charge. We also launched a program of integrated welfare, developing our existing long-standing integrated retirement package and other supports such as flexible working to accommodate family commitments. In this way we protect the interests of those working in our companies. And, clearly, we strive to promote the growth of each person to be able to give the best of themselves”. How do you view the future of the economy in general? “I foresee a future where it will be ever more necessary to read the present moment and share our own perspective for the future. Chiara Lubich is a prophet for us, EoC business people, because she has taught us how to care for our employees and businesses. Some aspects are covered by the law but many other aspects are covered already by one’s conscience and commitment to love”.
by Lorenzo Russo
“Be a family – this was Chiara Lubich’s invitation to people eager to live the Word of God –. And wherever you go to bring the ideal of Christ, (…) the very best thing you can do is create the spirit of family with discretion and prudence but also with decisiveness. It is a humble spirit which wants the good of the other. It is not proud… it is (…) true charity.”[1] The new director In his “programmatic speech” the new director had spoken of the company as a family in which everyone was co-responsible. The atmosphere between us was light and cordial… but when the first difficulties arose, perhaps due to inexperience, he surrounded himself with those he trusted most and excluded practically everyone else from decision-making. I took courage and one day, out of love for both him and the employees, I set out to ask him what worries were crushing him. He seemed so different to how he was at the beginning, like someone who only saw enemies. Perhaps we had done something that was making him act like that? He didn’t answer and dismissed me, by saying he had an urgent commitment. A few days later he called me and apologised. He shared with me how he felt unable to support the kind of solidarity where everything slipped through his fingers. He asked me for help. I encouraged him to open up to all of us and ask whether we really wanted to be part of his project. It was a moment of great understanding. Something began to change. (H.G. – Hungary) At the post office At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I went to the post office to send a package. In the queue for guesthouses, an elderly lady wearing a mask who was clearly not well, collapsed to the floor. I ran towards her but I wasn’t strong enough to lift her up. When I asked for help, I noticed a certain reticence: just one boy covered in tattoos who had witnessed the scene outside the post office responded. I sat the elderly lady down, who managed to come round apart from some pain resulting from the fall, and asked the boy to help her sort out what she needed to do, while I sent my package. Not only did he help me get her into the car, he also wanted to come with us to the lady’s house. Since she had a blood pressure machine, I took her blood pressure. As I left the building, the boy said to me, “I was laughing with my friends seeing how people driven by fear behave. What you did was great.” After a few days I wanted to visit the old woman. I was surprised and even moved when she told me that the boy had brought her some biscuits made by his mother. (U.R. – Italy) Rehabilitating the past Such a shame! My colleague was really competent in her job but she brought everyone down with her pessimism. Because she was jealous of me and other colleagues she always spoke badly about everyone. Consequently, with one excuse or another, no one wanted to work with her. What should I do? Just let things go ahead despite the bad atmosphere? Then I had an idea for her birthday. I organized a collection for her in the office. When we called her to celebrate with cakes people had made, drawings her colleagues’ children had made for her, a beautiful bag as a present, she was deeply moved and incredulous. She never said a word for days. She would just look at us like a wounded bird. Then gradually she began to talk to me about her childhood, her failed relationships, the divisions in her family… We became friends and she comes to our house to help my children with Maths and English. She’s one of the family now and it looks like her past is healing too. (G.R. – Italy)
by Stefania Tanesini
(from The Gospel of the Day, Citta Nuova, year VI, no. 4, July-August 2020) [1] C. Lubich, in Gen’s, 30 (2000/2), p. 42.
