Renata Borlone: “Sometimes saints pass us close by…”
His Eminence, Mons. Mario Meini bishop of Fiesole spoke with joy and emotion in his opening speech of this event which he said is above all: “The welcoming of a witness, a servant of God, a witness to the word of God….. Hers life was a stimulus and encouragement for the Movement and for the Church. We want to gather from her these testimonies not as treasures to jealously guard but as a witness of service. Sometimes saints pass close by us and we don’t realise.” This was his invitation to those present to rediscover on a daily basis the ‘face’ of holiness through service of neighbour, and civil and ecclesial community.
“The supernatural, brought to everyone” Cardinal Paul Poupard, President Emeritus of the Ponitifcal Council for Culture said this during the solemn Holy Mass, celebrated in the shrine of Maria Theotokos, and animated by Gen Rosso. He recounted was how he remembered his meeting with Renata Borlone, her characteristic was making holiness not a goal for a few, but a vocation possible for every Christian, of which there is tremendous need today.
The president of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce, was represented by Eli Folonari. Maria Voce is currently in the Holy Land. Eli, recalled with emotion, her first experiences of Focolare life which were with Renata in 1950 in Rome, and that it was Chiara Lubich who personally called Renata to be responsible for the Little town of Loppiano.
This extraordinary day had 2000 participants coming from all over Italy, in spite of the bad weather and snow, plus an unknown number who had followed the event via the internet. 3pm was the most solemn moment, when the process was officially closed marked by the sealing of three boxes containing the documentation which has been gathered in the last seven years by the diocesan tribunal. This documentation will now be sent to Rome and given to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The ceremony was full of meaning. This was a big occasion to bring back to everyone the importance of allowing oneself to be renewed by the words of the Gospel which are life, and Renata Borlone witnessed to this up to the end, making her exclaim “Death is life!”
The following morning, still at the shrine, there was a special event. Bishop Emeritus of Fiesole, Mons. Luciano Giovannetti, baptised another Renata, this one with the surname Nembrini, the newest baby born in the Little Town of the Focolare: almost an ideal symbolic act of continuity. His wish for all present was to make of “your own heart” a real shrine guarding the message of the Servant of God.
The day ended with a special gift: the musical “Mary, flower of Humanity” performed by the international group Gen Verde. This presentation helped everyone to contemplate this woman, Mary who has been a fascination over centuries and continues to be so, reflections of her in our own story, restored the image of the Mother of Jesus as an ordinary woman and a friend on the journey.
March 2011
Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Certainly, his will is not always clear to us. Like Mary we too will need to ask for light to understand what God wants. With great sincerity we must listen well to his voice within us and, if need be, ask advice from those who can help. But once we have understood his will, we want to say ‘yes’ to him straightaway. If, indeed, we have understood that his will is the greatest and most beautiful thing that could happen in our life, we will not resign ourselves to ‘having to do’ the will of God. Instead we will be glad to ‘be able’ to do the will of God, to be able to follow his plan, so that his idea for us might come about. It is the best and most intelligent thing we can do. Mary’s words ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord’, therefore, become our loving response to God’s love. They keep us always turned towards him, in an attitude of listening and of obedience, wanting only to do his will, to be as he wants us to be. Sometimes, nonetheless, what he asks of us can seem absurd. It would seem better to us to do something different; we would like to decide for ourselves. We might almost want even to advise God and tell him what to do and not do. But if I believe that God is love and trust him, I know that what he sets up for my life and for the lives of those close to me is for my good and theirs too. So I put myself in his hands, I abandon myself to his will with full trust, and I want it with the whole of myself, to the point of being one with it, knowing that to welcome his will is to welcome him, embrace him and be nourished with him. We must believe that nothing happens by chance. No event, whether it be joyful, indifferent or painful, no encounter, no situation in the family, at work or at school, no physical or moral condition, is without meaning. On the contrary, every event, situation or person bears a message from God. Everything contributes to the fulfilment of God’s design, which we will discover bit by bit, day by day, doing the will of God as Mary did. Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. So how can we live this Word? Practically speaking our ‘yes’ to the word of God means doing well and completely all that he asks us to do in every present moment. We should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever we are doing, putting aside everything else, letting go of any thoughts, desires, memories, actions that have to do with anything else. We can say in front of every will of God, whether it be painful, joyful or indifferent, ‘Let it be with me according to your word’, or, as Jesus taught us in the ‘Our Father’: ‘Your will be done.’ Let’s tell him this before each of our actions: ‘May it be done’, ‘Your will be done.’ We will compose, moment by moment, piece by piece, the marvellous, unique and unrepeatable mosaic of our lives that the Lord has always had in mind for each one of us. Chiara Lubich (First published December 2002)
Focolare Belgium
From Mount Tabor to Jerusalem: the conclusion of the visit to the Holy Land
An intense week; a deep spiritual experience lived in full communion with the Focolare’s local community present in the Holy Land. The members of the movement in that region felt a renewed commitment to building dialogue among everyone, in the spirit of universal brotherhood, the commitment of the Focolare Movement worldwide.
25 February– After a visit to the Mountain of the Beatitudes and to Mount Tabor, the next stop was Nazareth. The General Council was met by a large delegation of the Focolare communities present in Haifa, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In the Basilica, in front of the Grotto of the Annunciation, mass was celebrated in a solemn and yet simple atmosphere. Cardinal Miloslaw Vlk, Bishop Emeritus of Prague, and Mons. Giacinto Marcuzzo, auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarch in Galilee, concelebrated together with the 17 priests on the General Council, and two priests from the Latin Patriarch. Mons. Marcuzzo, in his homily, recalled the meaningful words written on the banner welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to Nazareth in 2009: “Welcome to Nazareth, where it all began”. “Mary’s yes”, underlined the Monsignor, “was the first step in this new beginning of human history”. At the end of the Mass, thanking the bishops and the Focolare community, Maria Voce renewed the whole movement’s commitment to ‘relive Mary’ so as to be a presence of her in the world, as Chiara Lubich wrote in the movement’s statutes.
26 and 27 February- Two days in Jerusalem. On Saturday morning the group met at the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall as it’s also commonly known. Busy because of Shabbat, it was the perfect place to further the acquaintance of various aspects of the Jewish faith and to find out more about Shabbat. The group continued by foot towards the vicinity of the Roman steps that link the Valley of Cedron to the area where the Temple entrance once stood. According to tradition it is the place where Jesus prayed to the Father for unity among all men.
In 1956 Chiara Lubich, during her only visit to the Holy Land, expressed the desire that one day there may be a focolare near those steps. The Movement’s local directors in the Holy Land explained the developments over the last number of years that lead to the fulfilment of that dream: the purchase of a piece of land right beside the steps and measures being taken to obtain the necessary permits that allow for a transformation of this terrain into a garden park for gatherings and moments of reflection. After having read the passage of the Gospel of John often referred to in Christian tradition as ‘Jesus’ Priestly Prayer’ along with Lubich’s writings from the 1956 visit, a group photo captured this profound and deeply spiritual moment.
Sunday 27th – Final day of the pilgrimage with a mass celebrated in the Grotto of the Apostles by Cardinal Vlk and Mons. Antonio Franco, Apostolic Delegate to the Holy Land. The latter offered a meditation to those present on the significance of this visit of Maria Voce and the General Council to the Holy Land in the light of spirituality of Unity of Chiara Lubich.
After having visited the places of the passion and death of Christ, a reception in the Notre Dame Centre. 150 members of ecclesial movements, various church leaders present in Jerusalem as well as Jews and Muslims close to the Focolare gathered around the president, co-president and Council. Maria Voce introduced the Roman convoy and thanked everyone present for all that was done for them during the visit and for all of the activities that accompanied their pilgrimage. She assured them that the moments lived together and the people she met would remain in her heart; sure that she too would remain in the hearts of all those she met in the Holy Land.
A very successful school project
Teresa, a “Gen 4” from Porto Alegre (Focolare’s “Gen 4” are children aged from 4 to 8) was invited to show her work at a school science exhibition. She was asked to choose from subjects like pollution, alcoholism, ecology, but she was not happy with any of them. So together with her classmate Valentina (also a Gen 4) they asked the teacher if they could choose a subject that portrayed positive values: the art of loving as a response to those problems. The art of loving is a life choice based on the gospel and launched by Chiara Lubich. Its principles are: “love everyone”, “love others as yourself”, “be the first to love”. “That is the only word that can make humanity into a family”, said Chiara Lubich. The teacher accepted their idea and they prepared for the big day. More than 300 children presented their work, but Teresa and Valentina’s stand attracted the most visitors! To those who asked her what the art of loving had to do with science, Teresa replied forcefully that if people were to live it, there would be no more alcoholism, pollution and so on. Using a Powerpoint presentation, she showed through some experiences of life what the art of loving could do if it is lived. A reporter who was there was very impressed and wrote an article for the local paper which highlighted Teresa’s “alternative” proposal. “I don’t believe in God, but in front of these children I cannot not believe in love”, commented one of the fathers, and one of the mothers, with tears in her eyes, said, “I am beginning to hope again for a better world!” When the exhibition was over, the teacher asked Teresa to present their work at a book fair one month later. And so for a whole day Teresa and Valentina, in a room prepared just for them, presented their Powerpoint to all the children in the school aged from 4 to 8, and threw the cube – the “cube of love” – on whose sides the art of loving is described. They explained the cube using the book “Discovering the cube of love”, a collection of experiences of Gen 4 from all over the world. print 
The General Council in the Holy Land
Last Sunday the members of Focolare Movement’s General Council arrived in Israel to start their scheduled pilgrimage with Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, and co-President, Giancarlo Faletti, who had just concluded their official visit to the Focolare Movement’s local community present in the Holy Land.
On their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, the members of the Council were met by representatives of the Movement’s local community who gave them a traditionally warm welcome. From there the Council members left for Domus Galilaeae on Lake Tiberias, where they spent the first days of their stay in the Holy Land. The venue was built by the Neocatechumenal Way at the turn of the millennium and was blessed by John Paul II during his historical visit to the Holy Land in 2000 when, in the valley beneath the Mountain of the Beatitudes, he celebrated Mass for thousands of pilgrims. Blessing the new facility the Pope said: “The Lord was waiting for you on this Mount”. Meaningful words that are now written at the entrance of the facility, welcoming all visitors to Domus Galilaeae.
The meeting between Maria Voce, the General Council and the Neocatechumenal Way was characterized by a warm atmosphere and the exchange of experiences. On 22nd February, feast day of the Chair of St Peter, the two communities celebrated Mass together.
Meanwhile the Focolare Movement’s Council started their retreat which lasted three and a half days. There were moments of meditation and sharing of experiences as well as the possibility to work on the challenges and prospects facing the Focolare Movement worldwide in the various ecclesiastical and social areas where it works.
The Movement’s mission of unity and communion handed on by Chiara Lubich herself was the focus of these days.
Davao
Cebu
Luanda
Iringa
Dar es Salaam
[:it]Il nostro viaggio in Terra Santa[:de]Unsere Reise ins Heilige Land[:es]Nuestro viaje a Tierra Santa[:fr]Extraits du Journal de Chiara 1956 pour vidéo : Notre voyage en Terre Sainte[:pt]A nossa viagem à Terra Santa[:zh]我們聖地之行
Aosta Valley
Auckland
World Social Forum – a place of hope for the poor?
“When leaving Vienna I saw the pictures of Tahrir Square in Cairo. Arriving in Dakar a newspaper carried on its front page an appeal by an Imam to pray that the President Abdoulaye Wade would stand down. Let’s hope this just stays as prayer, I thought. The opening Mass for the World Social Forum was celebrated the next day in the Church of the Ugandan Martyrs. The homily from Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr had a strong spiritual and social tone. Without mincing his words he denounced corruption, even though a governmental Minster and other public figures were present.
In this intense political atmosphere the 11th Social Forum opened in Dakar (6 -11th February). However, the opening march of 70,000 was conducted in a very orderly manner and was led to the University of Cheik Anta Diop. For the whole week there reigned a climate of support and fraternity, which didn’t falter even in the challenges caused by the organising of over 400 conferences and meetings daily.
One of these conferences was organised by transform!europe (a cultural network from the European left) and the Focolare. The title: “Crisis of civilisation: interpretations and alternatives from a Christian, interreligious and Marxist point of view”, showed that religion is no longer just tolerated but also wanted. Initiatives which ‘brought together’ were in evidence, that is those which showed collaboration between partners, albeit in a geographic sense or in the sense of how the world is seen. On the stage, speakers from the Focolare came from Italy, Austria, France, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal – Catholics and Muslims. From transform!europe Marga Ferre (Spain) and Walter Baier (Austria) were the promoters of the idea to prepare the event together. In her final thoughts Marga Ferrer shared: “I have learnt [through the Focolare projects] that solidarity starts with practical help, beginning with those most in need. Therefore no communism, no Marxism without this sense of empathy! The option for the poor is simple love for neighbour; I would say seeing the world through the eyes of those most in need.”
Then she continued: “We need an ethic and a new morality to develop dialogue about the meaning of life. No one can impose authority and carry out their idea and no-one can tell you what direction to take. We must increase dialogue, unite our strengths to change the ethic. And then, we need a political place and a change of economic legislation.”
She concluded: “We need real love, to make us able to work in politics, not just in a professional manner: that is knowing how to manoeuvre and work politics […] We need dedication. Without love no change to structure will succeed. Call it what we will: fraternity, love, solidarity.”
During the forum in Dakar, there was a growth in knowing and understanding between the Non Governmental Organisations present with the desire to continue to work and carry commitment together. The organisers would like “Dakar to spread” through Africa and the whole world.
Is this a thread of hope for the poor?
From Franz Kronreif
© C. Lubich Centre: Holy Land Visit 1956 (Italian soundtrack)
[:it]1956: Video inedito del viaggio in Terra Santa [:de]1956: unveröffentlichte Filmaufnahmen von der Reise ins Heilige Land[:es]1956: Vídeo inédito del viaje a Tierra Santa[:pt]1956: vídeo inédito da viagem à Terra Santa[:zh]1956年聖地之行：未曾發表過的視頻
Mafikeng
Futuna
Lubumbashi
“Little Flame” Social Project
Kinshasa
Bujumbura
Siberia
Moscow
Wallis
[:it]Con i sindaci e i politici dei Territori Palestinesi[:de]Mit Lokalpolitikern der besetzten palästinensichen Gebiete[:es]Con los alcaldes y los políticos de los Territorios Palestinos[:fr]Avec les maires et politiques des Territoires Palestiniens[:pt]Com os prefeitos e os políticos dos Territórios Palestinos
[:it]Palestina: una terra dove vale la pena vivere[:de]Palästina, wie es der Dichter beschreibt[:es]Palestina, una tierra donde vale la pena vivir[:fr]La Palestine, une terre où ça vaut la peine de vivre.[:pt]Palestina, uma terra onde vale a pena viver[:zh]「一個值得生活的地方！
Focolare Igbariam
Focolare Onitsha
Africa, Europe, Brazil: new developments of the Economy of Communion project
- Video – Special Section on Africa 2011
This section will contain various videos, in various languages, related the Pan African EoC School, which took place in Mariapolis Piero, Nairobi, from January 23-25, 2011. It will also include videos from the international conference “Economy of Communion: a New Paradigm for African Development”, hosted at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), from January 26-28, 2011.
- Sergio Gironella: the person at the center
On Sunday, February 13, Sergio Gironella left us. He was a founding associate of the EoC cooperative Il Sentiero Servizi of Macerata: “Last Sunday, Sergio Gironella, 47, father of 4 children, left us when his illness unexpectedly worsened,” Romano Ruffini, who in 1994 invited him to participate in the EoC adventure, told us. “That year, we had spoken to Sergio about the Economy of Communion, and he, who belonged to the Neocatechumenal Way, was fascinated by Chiara’s message, and he decided to leave the job he had to found the cooperative Il Sentiero Servizi with me, in Macerata. I have to say that at that time, we still had no promise of success, so his decision was truly a leap in the dark.”
- School of Formation for French EoC entrepreneurs
February 12 and 13 , in the Mariapolis in Arny, was the School of Formation for French EoC entrepreneurs. Twenty-nine people, 24 businesses represented and many youth (even a group of children), all together to live a weekend of formation and communion
- Brazil – Sao Paulo, 29/05/2011: online registration!
On May 29, 2011, the EoC turns 20! Online registration for the event by May 20, 2011. At the end of four days of work of the first International Assembly of the Economy of Communion, on the occasion o fhte 20th anniversary of the project’s beginning, the Memorial America Latina will host a large EoC manifestation: the Open Day of the EoC’s 20th Anniversary. It will be the occasion to celebrate the first 20 years of the project together, listen to the conclusions of the Assembly’s work and the presentation of the resulting documents, and give future prospects.
Lazio
[:it]Genova, Città per la fraternità
Sardinia
Loppiano
[:it]Trento: Carismi per un’unica missione
Maria Voce at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem
16th February 2011: A conference with the President of the Focolare Movement on the purpose of dialogue held at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Great interest was shown in the topic from the perspectives of the Focolare Movement after tens of years of presence in the Holy Land. Personalities from both the Christian and Jewish worlds were present in the chosen audience which numbered about 80. In the audience were: Papal Nuncio Antonio Franco, Auxiliary Bishop of Israel Giacinto Marcuzzo, Rabbi David Rosen, Debbie Weissmann President of the International Council of Christians and Jews, rabbis and Jewish academics, Palestinian representatives, delegates from Christian communities and congregations. All those present were from longstanding contacts with individual Christians, Jews and Muslims and also institutions and association committed to interreligious dialogue.
Maria Voce opened her talking by quoting from Chiara Lubich, in 1969, speaking to a group of young people: “Travelling around the world I have been aware there is great evil. I have seen humanity as a wounded Adam. I have seen battles between peoples and the ongoing threat of war. I have seen social problems that need resolution. I remember Jerusalem as a divided city. And in all the zone of the Middle East there are hotbeds of war, so that peace is always in jeopardy. And then I said: what can we who carry the Ideal of unity do? We must help these brothers love one another, help this body heal itself. Here we must be health for humanity”.
Maria Voce continued unpacking the talk, presenting the ‘dialogue of life’ which is typical of the Focolare Movement, “this does not put people into opposition, but allows people of different faiths to meet and makes them able to open up to one another, to find common ground and live them together”. She clarified what dialogue means “we work neither with the faiths nor through the faiths, we work with people, from whichever faith”. Dialogue was presented as a ‘sign of the times’ really contemporary for the ‘night of culture’ that a large part of humanity is going through: “We can say that from the night of culture, which looks like a night of dialogue, there can come a new culture which starts from the rediscovery of the natural dialogic of the human person”.
Dialogue with an ontological dimension and an ethic, to which Chiara Lubich gave a particular depth: “In interreligious dialogue we aim to live, above all, on both sides, the ‘golden rule’ – ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’, which means love the others. According to the Talmud, Hillel explained it in these terms: “Don’t do to your neighbour that which you would not like done to you: this is the whole Torah; the rest is just comment. Go and study”. It’s a norm that we know which is present, with slight differences in our monotheistic traditions born in this part of the world. It is also in the great traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Hinduism. Therefore all men and women of good will can live it in their daily lives”. Maria Voce added: “The practise of the Golden Rule, became reciprocal, and set off a methodology of dialogue than can be defined as the ‘art of loving’”, which was proposed by Chiara herself.
And she concluded: “This path, we can’t deny it, is difficult and requires great commitment to overcome obstacles, to overcome the temptation of egoism, of looking in on oneself. This is the price to transform the wound into a blessing, death into life, to make meeting together the moment where peace and fraternity flower”. Another quite from Chiara Lubich: “Fraternity is not just a value, it is a global paradigm for political development, because it is the driving force of positive process. After thousands of years of history in which the effects of violence and hatred were felt, we all have the right today to ask that humanity should start to experience what the fruits of love can be”.
At the end of the talk there was a lengthy and profound dialogue with the people present: the discussions covered those who have no religious faith; the seriousness of dialogue not just ending in simply courtesy; recognition of the other; difficult contexts in which it is not easy to apply the ‘golden rule’.
“The message brought by Maria Voce, that of Chiara Lubich, put into light the presence of God in the other”, commented Rabbi David Rosen. Rabbi Emile Moatti said: “Dialogue must penetrate into the wounds of history and conflicts, for it also to become history”.
Michele Zanzucchi
Citta’ Nuova Online
Haifa: an evening with friends of the Focolare
“In Jerusalem the houses, schools, public transport, entertainment venues, and residential areas are separated: for Arabs and for Jews. It is really difficult to live in such an environment.” “I am a European girl. Just from the way I dress you immediately know I am an Orthodox Jew. In our city this is not always seen positively. I don’t know a single Arabic phrase and I’ve been brought up to avoid situations where I could get caught up among groups of Palestinians.” These words from speaker N and J, both young people from Jerusalem, the first an Arab Christian and the second Jewish, describe the scenario in Jerusalem. They live near one another, and struggle to thrive as they feel the tension in the air in this city which is ‘holy’ for all. These two young people were participants in the meeting which was held recently at the Castra Gallery, in a commercial centre on the outskirts of south Haifa: about 100 people came to this humble, simple meeting. Jews, Christians and Muslims came from Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth and other places in Galilee. The meeting was with Maria Voce, and the title: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together” (Psalm 133). Many people spoke and shared the rich and varied lives they are living and working through. For a number of years in Haifa, Jews and Christians have met monthly to deepen their understanding of the Sacred Scriptures of their respective traditions. They listen to one another and try to understand the others point of view, without falling into syncretism – mixing beliefs. This attitude brings ‘a real and sincere friendship, which continues to grow’, to the point that a month between meetings seems much too long! 
An Arab girl spoke about a project which works to weave friendships and real relationships between students belonging to the 3 religions. ‘The most beautiful moments we have lived together have been the visits we made to the sacred places of the three religions: The Wailing Wall, the Holy Sepulchre and the Mosque. This experience changed my life.’ Other experiences centred on the crisis in Gaza, 3 years ago, when Jews, Christians and Muslims met to pray for peace. This was unique in the whole of Israel. It was very moving understanding the great courage it took to go completely against the current of thought that surrounded them. There were examples too of everyday life, listening to one another making a real discovery of people different to oneself. As a young Jewish girl put it people have wagered on peace: “It is written in the Mishna that God does not find any instrument that can hold his blessing other than Peace. Only with real peace will we obtain all the blessings that the Father in Heaven wants to give to His children.’ Maria Voce was clearly moved as she thanked those who had spoken. It is true what Chiara Lubich said, ‘nothing is small if it is done for love.’ In fact, it’s something great, because here we are speaking about moving the mountain of prejudice. This is the small ‘big’ miracle of the evening in Haifa. 
The President of the Focolare underlined the prophetic dimension of what was being lived during the crisis in Gaza: “This is an experience based on God and on his will, and shared suffering: the most precious thing in the eyes of God. This will bring lasting fruit, of that I’m certain’. She emphasised how this is an important contribution towards history: ‘These experiences may be small but they are necessary for the picture of peace to be completed’. She then recounted how she had, on this visit, met people from all the religions who were real brothers and sisters. She quoted Scripture ‘Blessed are the people who have God as their Lord’. The evening finished with a shared supper to which everyone brought a contribution, there were both Arab and Kosher dishes. It was not possible to distinguish who was a Jew, and Arab or a Muslim. What a young Muslim girl said was so true: “Now I look at other people beyond their faith. We are still a small group, but we are committed to involving many other friends”. From Roberto Catalano
[:it]Svizzera: musulmani e cristiani in dialogo[:de]Schweiz: Muslime und Christen im Gespräch[:es]Suiza: musulmanes y cristianos en diálogo[:fr]Suisse : musulmans et chrétiens en dialogue[:pt]Suíça: muçulmanos e cristãos em diálogo[:zh]瑞士：回教徒與基督徒的對談
At Emmaus with Monsignor Marcuzzo
On the morning of 16 February, the delegation from the Focolare Movement spent the morning at the site of Emmaus, 27 km from Jerusalem, on the plain toward the capital of Tel Aviv. This is one of three sites with the same name, that have brought us the famous scene from the last passage of Luke’s Gospel. After the crucifixion, two of Jesus’ disciples were walking along the road as they recalled the sorrowful events of those days, when they met a stranger who began to explain the Scriptures to them, and filling their hearts with peace. At the “breaking of the bread,” the Gospel tells us, the eyes of the disciples were opened and they recognized the man as the Risen Jesus.
Maria Voce was received in audience by Bishop Marcuzzo, auxiliary bishop of the Latins, presiding over the See of Emmaus-Nicopolis. The bishop confided to Maria Voce and the delegation from the Focolare that this See was chosen for him because of various reasons. It is one of the twelve Christian diocese that existed in the first centuries in the Holy Land; it is the place that leads all Christians to the point in which everything began again after the death of Jesus and, not least of all, it was where, when he was still a young priest, he had witnessed the destruction of the village of Emamus in 1967 after the Six Day War.
The president of the Focolare also shared a fact with the bishop that concerned her personally. As many know, she is often called Emmaus within the Movement. “Chiara herself gave me this name in 1964. She had spoken to a group of young focolarinas about Jesus among us, which is the actualization of Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” if we live the new commandment of mutual love. In my enthusiasm I wrote to Chiara telling her that I wanted to spend my life in realizing this phrase. And so she gave me the name, Emmaus, since those disciples had lived and experienced the presence of Jesus among them.”
The meeting was rich in meaning, in a place that stands out in such a singulare way in the history of the first Jerusalem communities. The Mass which was celebrated by Bishop Marcuzzo and Giancarlo Faletti, co-president of the Movement, was a moment of deep communion with valuable insights about the fruits of Christ’s presence in the heart of the community.
The charism of Chiara Lubich, which is strongly centered on the presence of Jesus among those united in his name, came into light precisely here in these places where it historically and physically took place.
By Roberto Catalano
With representatives from various Christian Churches in the Holy Land
Patriarch Mons. Foud Twal set the tone of the appointments that Maria Voce had in her diary for her visit to Jerusalem which began on 11th February: He expresses his view, “The concerns of the people are our concerns. It’s as if the ascent to Calvary has never ended here in the Holy Land”. We must not become discouraged. “Hope never dies. For example, I notice recently that there are 100 or more associations that bring together Jews, Christians and Muslims in this region. People want dialogue. I also see that little by little, perhaps because of the many sufferings, we begin to speak of ‘neighbours’ rather than ‘enemies’”. Maria Voce joined in: “If a drop of love enters within instinctive self-defence, another step can be taken, and one can go ahead”, without falling into despair. The Patriarch concluded; “This is the speciality we Christians have, to sow love and go ahead”. 
This same background of suffering and came through in the conversation that the president had with Bishop Munib Younan, President of the World Lutheran Federation: “I see in people a strong temptation to be concerned only with material goods. But no, here we have need of God.” And he explained further: “We need a deep spirituality, for our children and for ourselves, a spirituality that is deeply evangelical”. Maria Voce understood the spirituality the Bishop hopes for would naturally be ecumenical. At the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate, Maria Voce spent time with Bishop Aris Shirvanian. “We must be united so as to defend the Christian Church – he said -, but we cannot say that there specific problems foe we Armenians, we continue to live to keep up our faith, our heritage”. Maria Voce underlined the greatness of this vocation. “Yes – continued the Bishop – we need to defend ourselves, but even more we need to build ‘bridges’ between the Churches, bridges between religions, bridges between peoples.” 
There was a very warm Lebanese welcome at the Holy Land residence of the Marionite Archbishopric, a community of about ten thousand faithful, above all in Galilee, with Bishop Mons. Paul Nabil Sayah. This Marionite Bishop underlined the importance of the pastoral aspect and actions of the Christian churches in the Holy Land, especially with and for families: “There is never enough space for education, which is a real priority for us. With good education you can hope to reach peace”. The desire to co-operate was also confirmed by Maria Voce. Finally, an important meeting with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem: His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, who received Maria Voce and her collaborators. The historical difficulties between the Christian churches in the Holy Land are well known. The climate has certainly improved, and now one can speak of a ‘real ecumenism’ even though there are still difficulties. In the conversation between the Patriarch and the president of the Focolare there was a common desire to ‘raise the tone of the discussions’, anchoring, Theophilos III emphasised, into ‘the unity of Christians “in Christ”, in His love’. Maria Voce explained what ‘unity’ means for the focolarini, “the unity Jesus asked of His Church”. From Michele Zanzucchi The full Italian version of this report can be found on Citta Nuova site: http://www.cittanuova.it/contenuto.php?TipoContenuto=web&idContenuto=31501
With Rabbi Kronish: Peace now! Peace afterwards!
I have been in Jerusalem since yesterday. Maria Voce’s busy schedule has also included appointments with some people from Jewish and Muslim traditions. These meetings are a re-affirmation of the commitment to dialogue at all levels. Today the first of these encounters was held with Rabbi Ron Kronish, founder and director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel (ICCI). We met at 15:00 with Rabbi Ron Kronish who refers to himself as old friend of the Focolare. ICCI office (http://english.icci.org.il/) is located in a neighborhood not far from the center of Jerusalem, on the old road to Bethlehem, which is still very crowded and bustling with life. The ICCI was founded in 1991, on the evening before the outbreak of the first Gulf war. It was 16 January and everyone in Israel was wearing gas masks; there was an atmosphere of fear because of the coming war. In Ratisbonne, the center that we visited this morning, some men of dialogue gathered who, in spite of the war, had decided that the world needs peace. The center works on different levels, but primarily for youth and women. Its goal is to train people for peace. They try to create a basic mentality which has at its basis the awareness that there are conflicts – here Kronish referred especially to the conflict between Israeli and Palestinians – and these conflicts are not easily resolved, but we can, nevertheless, continue to work for the peace of tomorrow. Their slogan isn’t so much “Peace now!” but “Peace later!” For this reason, young people especially, need to be engaged in recognizing the other, listening to the other, discovering the other and, in the end, seeing the other not as an enemy, but as a neighbor to be accepted with his or her diversity. The experiences of the twenty years of these courses which have been taking place within Israel with Muslim, Jewish, and Christian teens and young adults, have been fruitful and enriching. Only 5% of those who enroll choose not to finish the course, while all the others reach the end. This is a sign of the interest and commitment, but also a source of hope because by now thousands have benefited from this new vision. In speaking to Maria Voce, Ron Kronish doesn’t hide the fact that the world has changed since 1991. Peace seemed near, it seemed already possible. Today it is much farther away. We need to be aware of this, but never lose hope. Maria Voce talked about the Focolare’s involvement in the field of formation and of the similarity of ideas and methodology that we share with the ICCI. Kronish asked that our collaboration continue and that we especially carry it out among young adults and teenagers. Roberto Catalano (extract from Italian magazine, Città Nuova: www.cittanuova.it )
Bishops: God is near
Benedict XVI greeted them joyfully during the audience of 9 February: “I am glad for the opportunity you have been offered to compare ecclesial experiences from different areas of the world, and I hope these days of prayer and reflection bear many abundant fruits for your communities.”
Their reflections were conducted within “the light of the charism of Chiara Lubich,” as Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, moderator of the gathering, said in his opening remarks, “which is in deep harmony with the charism of the bishop.” He went on to say: “It’s a matter of knowing how to accept the Love of God who wants the good of humankind as He draws near to every human person.”
“The spirituality of communion, an echo of the Second Vatican Council which is all centered on the Church as a mystery of communion. . . is brought forward in a charismatic way by the Focolare Movement,” underscored Cardinal Marc Oullet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
Before the challenges that the Church is facing today especially in lands with ancient Christian traditions, but also in many other parts of the world, the bishops wanted to give voice to the answers the Holy Spirit has generated in recent years, like the communion and the collaboration between new and ancient charisms, the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, the dialogue with the so-called secular culture.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, highlighted the passage from a multicultural society to an intercultural one which integrates the diverse cultures and faiths, as is shown by the launching of the recent “Court of the Gentiles,” a phrase coined by Benedict XVI in reference to the dialogue between faith and culture. The roundtable discussion which preceded Cardinal Ravasi’s presentation related the various dynamics present in modern society, seen from the perspective of the economy (Dr Stefano Zamagni), of mysticism (Father Fabio Ciardi), of social relations (Dr Vera Araujo) and international relations (Dr Vincenzo Buonomo).
Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement focused her presentation on God’s Plans in the Thought of Chiara Lubich, which was in line with the theme of the gathering.
At the conclusion of the meeting, 25 bishops went for two days to the international Focolare town of Loppiano, near Florence, which, with its 900 inhabitants witnesses that society can be guided by the Gospel. Among other places, they visited Sophia University Institute which is already in its third year of interdisciplinary courses.
1956: I saw the Holy Land
Dome of the Rock – (…) As I beheld the city from the bright blue coastline near to the hills that are dotted with thousands of houses, as our plane soared out over the water so that we could catch a first glimpse of the Palestine hills, I didn’t believe that Jerusalem and the Holy Places were going to make such a deep impression on my mind.
My stay in Palestine lasted seven days.
I don’t recall the schedule of our visits, but the places are deeply impressed in my mind: Bethpage, the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu, the stone steps of Jesus’ testament, Gethsemane, the Antonia Fortress where Pilate stood Jesus before the people and said: “Behold the man!” the site of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin; the site of the ascension enclosed in a small kiosk; then there was Bethany and the road that leads from Jerusalem to Jericho, which is mentioned in the parable of the Good Samaritan; Bethlehem. . . a long list of such sweet names that neither life nor death will ever erase. At evening’s fall, raising my eyes to the sky, there were stars dripping light, skies that we never even dream of here in Italy, and I felt a strange and logical affinity between that firmament and those holy places. (…)
An old road to Jerusalem, an uphill climb, perhaps three meters wide, echoing the cries of merchants who are selling their goods on the left and on the right. People elbowing each other as they come and go, dressed in the most varied types of eastern designs.
You keep climbing and, as you pass through this bazaar – this is what the local people call it – you now and then come upon a doorway that you’re not sure belongs to the house or to a chapel: “Here is a station of the Cross, here’s the third station, here’s the fourth. . . Here is where Jesus met his Mother, here is where he met Simon of Cirene. . .” It was the road of the Via Crucis, the path that Jesus followed.
A few meters higher we are informed: “We’ve reached the sepulcher. Here in this church, held up with these powerful unsightly beams is the most sacred place imaginable: Calvary and the sepulcher.”
There was a living sense of pain in my soul, almost fear or dismay.
We went inside and filed up a narrow, narrow staircase whose marble had been worn down by the millions of pilgrims who’ve climbed it. And we found ourselves before an altar where the Greek Orthodox and Armenians could celebrate.
A guide showed us a rock that could be seen through a glass window, a hole, and then he told us: “The cross was planted in this hole.”
Inadvertently, without saying a word, we all went to our knees.
It was a moment of deep recollection for me.
The cross was planted in that hole… the first cross.
If there hadn’t been this first cross, my life and the life of millions of Christians who follow Jesus by carrying their cross, the millions of sufferings, the pain of millions, would not have had a name, they would not have had any meaning. Jesus raised upon the cross like a criminal, gave meaning and value to the sea of anguish which touches and, at times, submerges humanity, and often every individual.
I didn’t say anything to Jesus in that moment. The perforated stone had spoken.
I only had to add like an ecstatic child: “Here, Jesus, I want to plant, once more, my own cross, our crosses, the crosses of all those who know you and all those who don’t.”
Extracts from Essential Writings, “The Attraction of Modern Times”, by Chiara Lubich.
Visit to the Holy Land
It was a gathering of some representatives of the ecclesial movements and new communities present in Jerusalem. Here where the Universal Story had a new beginning, and also the small “sacred story” of each group concerning its place and its individual way.
Some hundred people were present in a hall of the Curia in the Custody of the Holy Land, just behind the New Gate.
Chemin Neuf, the Community of the Beatitudes and the Emmanuel Community of France; Cançao nova, the Sons of Mary, the Obra de Maria and Shalom Communityfrom Brazil; Regnum Christi from Mexico; John XXIII Association, Communion and Liberation and the Focolare from Italy (with international dimensions) told of their adventure with simplicity, each of them very original and yet quite similar to one another. Almost all of them shared common approaches: providing hospitality; meeting pilgrims; working to making the treasures of the Holy Land known (also at an ecumenical and interreligious level), and promoting tourism to the holy sites. Numerous movements and communities specialize in the field of evangelization through the media. There were also many examples of communities who worked together.
Like everything in Christianity, this meeting in Jerusalem was not noteworthy for its numerical dimensions, but but for its qualitative dimensions. It was the quality of relationships which was the highlight. “Perhaps one task of the movements and new communities is to bring to the Catholic Church and more generally to all of Christianity, the only primacy found in the Gospel, the primacy of love,” explained a young woman from the Chemin Neuf Community.
Some movements have been present on location in the Holy Land for years, others for just a few months. The joy and fellowship was what made everyone take note at this meeting that was begun by Maria Voce with the simple sharing of her activities.
In the course of a frank dialogue with those present, Maria Voce explained the meaning of the dialogue between movements and new communities: “I find myself before people and groups who desire to witness that mutual love which constructs the Church.”
In particular, responding to a question from a representative from Communion and Liberation, she said: “Certainly, following the Vigil of Pentecost 1998,” in Saint Peter’s Square, in answer to the call of John Paul II, “we felt linked, united to the Pope’s appeal as he invoked the Holy Spirit. From that time on, Chiara Lubich noticed in the Pope a desire that the movements be in communion among themselves.” To favor “that charismatic, marian presence which is “coessential” to the petrine dimension.” And so, since then, “wherever you find the Focolare Movement, you meet this desire for unity between movements and new communities.” Each with its own charism, “which complements the charism of the others. Communion isn’t uniformity. . . If (each of) our charisms is the most beautiful one, then, in the end, the Church is more beautiful, because the charisms are gifts that are to be submitted to reciprocity.”
“How can you live ecumenical and interreligious dialogue in the Holy Land?” asked one young Brazilian woman. “Dialogue is a lifestyle,” Maria Voce responded, “more than a thing that you “do”. It means placing yourself before another person out of love.” Loving without interests, always, being the first, both with other Christians and with the faithful of other religions. “For us, dialogue has always meant a dialogue between people, not between ideologies or religions. . . Because there is love in every person on earth.” Besides, “Unity comes from God, who only asks people to love each other.”
By Michele Zanzucchi