Fraternity with Africa
No translation
[:it]La dottrina spirituale
La dottrina spirituale di Chiara Lubich viene presentata secondo tre grandi momenti:
il primo concentrato sul cuore del carisma;
il secondo sull’originale modalità di vivere e pensare la fede; il terzo sulla visione del mondo nei suoi aspetti più diversi, dalla politica all’economia, dalla filosofia alle scienze della comunicazione.
Come dimostrano i saggi teologici introduttivi, la figura di Chiara Lubich può essere collocata, senza timore di eccedere nella valutazione, accanto alle più grandi personalità della spiritualità cattolica di tutti i tempi.
Il suo insegnamento ha già mostrato lungo gli anni tutta la propria ricchezza, generando libri, discorsi, lettere, interventi. Di tale variegato e ricco messaggio però mancava un’organica articolazione che ne abbracciasse sia l’estensione cronologica di oltre mezzo secolo, sia l’ampiezza degli argomenti trattati.
Il presente volume, che della figura di Chiara Lubich offre la dottrina spirituale, intende colmare tale vuoto.
Gli scritti che lo compongono vanno dal 1943 (anno di fondazione del Movimento dei Focolari) ai nostri giorni, e racchiudono l’intera varietà dei generi letterari nei quali ha preso vita la spiritualità di Chiara Lubich: lettere personali e manifesti programmatici, pagine a stampa e parole sussurrate all’orecchio, magistrali lezioni accademiche e frasi stringate come aforismi, discorsi pubblici e colloqui intimi e personali. In queste pagine non manca nessuno dei numerosi registri utilizzati da Chiara Lubich per esprimere la sua originale interpretazione del cristianesimo.
Curato da un esperto studioso di Chiara Lubich, questo libro è stato rivisto dall’Autrice parola per parola, non senza nuove integrazioni e una significativa presenza di inediti. Al testo si affiancano due saggi sul valore teologico e spirituale, la bibliografia completa delle opere e una rassegna dei principali scritti sulla sua figura, due dettagliate schede sulla biografia e sul Movimento dei Focolari, un indice dei temi spirituali.
Frutto di una competenza e di un amore rari, questo libro è una vera piccola “summa” che consente di conoscere in profondità una delle più suggestive spiritualità del nostro tempo.
The modern challenge becomes dialogue
Dialogue will be the key contribution made by the Focolare at the Social Week in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Lucia Fronza Crepaz was involved in drawing up the document that will be presented by the Movement and, in Reggio, she and Luca Antonini will direct the study group on “institutional transition”. Mrs Fronza was deputy in more than one legislature and in the Focolare she is co-responsible for the secretariat of the New Humanity Movement.
What did you experience when the Italian Bishops Conference asked the Focolare to be involved?
Happiness. At having been called together with everyone else. It was a very Catholic approach to call, or rather to go to each of the offices of the various associations, to gather their expectations, their charism, the different languages. We will bring what Chiara Lubich left to us: the culture of the Resurrection. Not so much in answer to bleak times, but as a hope which rests on the certainty of Jesus’ Pasch, which takes on vast horizons and foresees the possibility of a single human family as the goal of history. And so also for Italy, offering it in these 150 years of Unity, there is this new unity that is born from hope in the Risen Jesus.
From Chiara Lubich you inherited the exhortation to dialogue and to unity. She said: “All will be one if we will be one.” Dialogue in this society that seems so crushed and divided?
Dialogue as intended by Chiara is the reflection of the Trinitarian life of God who is one and three. We never ask why we don’t have an identity, but starting from the strong identity founded on the culture of the Resurrection, you can open a dialogue full of hope. If you aim at the novelty that you find in every person, in every culture, in every religion, you can draw out a thread of hope.
All of this takes place within the framework of the city, which you hold as the privileged setting. Is it also a place for dialogue?
We can look at it as the “landfill” as someone called it, or as a place of solitude, or we can look at the vocation of the city, its need to be where people can be identified. You might ask: What about the new people coming in? Their culture? They belong to the futures of our cities. If our horizons are those of a family of the world, then we can understand that what is happening is already part of this.
Your Focolare group suggest a city-wide laboratory, because the parish embraces only a portion of the city and the diocese crosses city borders. What is this city-wide laboratory?
Even the tiniest cities face all the challenges of globalization: different cultures and generations encountering each other. A city is already a laboratory. The grand theme of interreligious relations, for example, can also fall to a single Christian who meets a Muslim. This micro-dialogue shows that you can already begin – on a small scale – to give answers to the great questions that humankind is facing. This new project can initiate from a parish, from a mayor, from a group of citizens or a group of associations. The city, instead of being a place where everything is exasperating, can become the place of beginnings.
Source: article by Giovanni Ruggiero, Avvenire 24 September 2010
[:it]La città, dimora dell’interdipendenza
Haiti outside the spotlight
It was last 12th of January when a violent earthquake threw Haiti into confusion, causing nearly half a million deaths. On the pages of Action for a United World News the spotlights still shine on areas where the others have been spent, and they contintinue to show how reconstruction goes on in this country which is perhaps the poorest of the Northern Hemisphere. AMU’s commitment, as that of other NGOs, is precious because it continues on after the initial crisis when the attention of public opinion began to wane and frustrate the initial successes.
Through a local organization – Action contre la Pauvreté (PACNE) – AMU, the New Families and Youth for a United World Movements, support a project for building a welcome center for displaced people. The work is already in an advanced stage and moving along with the installation of the utilities, like water. The selection of beneficiaries for the project is in the care of a committee which includes members of PACNE and representatives of the local community, such as the mayor and local pastor. Priority will be given to the most needy persons among those who, having lost everything, have fled to Mont Organisé, the area in which the welcome center has been built. Once these persons are able to return to the city or to more permanent dwellings, the building will be used to welcome the elderly, the sick, or persons who are alone. Everything will be managed with absolute transparency by a specially elected commission. Obviously, the need and the difficulties are enormous and it will take years before the infrastructure and the economic system are able to completely respond to the the needs of the people. For this reason, Amu will continue to evaluate new proposals and projects, which we will continue to report on.
[:it]Testimonianza dei giovani da New York
Una risposta testimoniata proprio dai giovani più colpiti, quelli di New York: da loro innanzitutto un grazie, perché attraverso e-mails e fax hanno sentito condiviso con i coetanei di tutto il mondo "il grande dolore di questo tragico momento per il nostro Paese". Toccante la loro esperienza: “Mentre guardavamo il World Trade Centre cadere in fiamme e cenere, abbiamo subito pensato agli inizi del Movimento a quelle parole della nostra storia: “Erano i tempi di guerra e tutto crollava. Solo Dio e il Suo amore rimangono”.
Questo e’ apparso chiaro non solo a noi Giovani per un Mondo Unito, ma anche a tanta altra gente nel nostro Paese che si sono unite in questo momento di dolore. Infatti, subito dopo abbiamo visto come l’amore è più forte dell’odio, l’amore sta già vincendo perché le barriere dell’indifferenza crollano e ci si aiuta l’un l’altro concretamente sostenendosi a vicenda. Molti gli atti concreti per le squadre di soccorso, i sopravvissuti, le famiglie in lutto. Gli aiuti e le offerte di volontariato hanno superato la domanda.
Che cosa possiamo fare noi di concreto, ci siamo chiesti, che non sia già stato dato? Abbiamo capito che abbiamo un dono unico, immenso da offrire in questo momento di shock e smarrimento: quella comprensione di questo grande dolore illuminata dal mistero di Gesù che sulla croce giunge a gridare l’abbandono del Padre. Siamo certi più che mai dell’amore di Dio e che questa sofferenza porterà frutti."
Una certezza che si imprime in tanti: "Tutto crolla… Oggi ho sentito in modo più forte che anche se tutto crolla… l’amore di Dio resta" (Francesca 17 a. Scicli). Da Los Angeles: "Ci impegniamo ad amare tutti, specialmente quelli che soffrono per questa tragedia. Vediamo, nonostante tutto, segni di quel mondo nuovo per cui vogliamo vivere".
[:it]Il dialogo interreligioso, una esigenza improrogabile
"La Giornata di Assisi è molto molto importante, molto molto urgente. Se prima il dialogo interreligioso si poteva fare, era segno dei tempi, adesso è un’esigenza improrogabile, proprio per le circostanze. Perché c’ è la minaccia anche di uno scontro di culture, di religioni. Non solo. Come ha detto il Papa ed ho pensato anch’io quando sono cadute le torri, qui non si tratta soltanto di un fattore umano come l’ odio, ma qui c’ è di mezzo „la forza delle tenebre“, ci sono forze del male, per cui non basta l’elemento politico, civile, umano, per contrapporsi. Anche quello sarà stato necessario, ma è necessario che si arruolino anche le religioni, che le religioni si mobilitino, perché contro il Male – con la M grande – ci vuole Dio, ci vuole l’aiuto di Dio, l’aiuto soprannaturale. E’ essenzialissimo l’aspetto religioso oggi nel mondo".
[:it]Il nascente Polo imprenditoriale di Loppiano laboratorio per un nuovo agire economico
La Giunta della Regione Toscana si è impegnata ad inserire nei programmi di sviluppo della Regione il progetto del Polo Imprenditoriale di Loppiano (Incisa Valdarno, FI), riconosciuto come laboratorio di una nuova economia, “modello da proporre e moltiplicare anche al fine di rafforzare e organizzare l’attuazione di una nuova politica di cooperazione allo sviluppo”.
Loppiano incontra gli Imprenditori – Questo progetto verrà presentato nella cittadella internazionale di Loppiano, il 9-10 febbraio 2002, in un incontro a livello nazionale con imprenditori, dipendenti, operatori economici, ricercatori e studenti interessati al progetto di Economia di comunione.
Verranno presentati:
– La cittadella di Loppiano e la sua vita
– Gli ultimi sviluppi del progetto dell’Economia di Comunione a 10 anni dal suo lancio
– Il nascente Polo produttivo “Lionello”
Delegates from the Focolare worldwide gather in Rome
The yearly meeting of delegates from the Focolare around the world began in Rome following the beatification of Chiara Luce Badano, the first Focolare member to reach the altars on 25th September 2010. There couldn’t have been a better way for the Focolare delegates to begin their three-day retreat at the opening of the meeting. They came from 78 nations representing the 182 nations where the Focolare can be found. In all, 345 people took part in the gathering.
Maria Voce, president of the Movement, welcomed everyone saying: “Let us retire with Jesus, together, so that we may take a new step toward holiness.” Her opening remarks were a reflection on the Will of God, the second point of the spirituality of unity, which will be considered and lived more deeply by the entire Movement during the coming year.
The two main guidelines that have been given to the Movement for the coming year are: the growth in holiness, which was underscored by Benedict XVI in a greeting to the members of the Movement when he received Maria Voce in audience; and Unity, in order to “contribute to the realization of Jesus’ prayer to the Father: ‘that all be one’ (cf Jn 17:21), which points to universal fraternity.”
Amid the various formal presentations, interspersed with many moments of joyful communion in small discussion groups, there was the presentation given by the philosopher and theologian, Jesus Moran who emphasized “that the human person by his very structure is made to say yes to God, a yes that makes him a total person.”
The Brazilian sociologist, Vera Araujo discussed the social implications of the same theme. Araujo discussed “places where the will of God is manifested: in daily and professional life and in the signs of the times” among others. She highlighted the importance of enlivening with evangelical love every institution, “for through it, it is possible to expand a network of relationships that are truly human.”
The meeting will be underway until 17 October 2010 with a rich and diverse program, with more reflection on the topic of formation, and with updating about the life of the Movement in the world. A special look will be given to the Asian continent, following the recent visit of Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti to Korea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan.
October 2010
These words can also be found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Lv 19:18). Jesus responds to a tricky question by placing himself in the context of the great prophetic and rabbinical tradition that was in search of the unifying principle of the Torah, that is, the teaching of God contained in the Bible. Rabbi Hillel once said: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is all there is in the Torah. All the rest is mere commentary.”
For the teachers of Judaism, love of neighbor derives from love of God, who created man in his image and likeness. Therefore, it is not possible to love God without loving your neighbor: this is the true motive for love of neighbor, and it is “a great and general principle in the law.” Jesus repeated this principle and added that the command to love one's neighbor is similar to the first and greatest commandment, namely, to love God with all one's heart, mind and soul. In affirming the likeness of the two commandments, Jesus definitively bound them together, as would all of Christian tradition. As the Apostle John said with incisive clarity: “Whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn 4:20).
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Our neighbor—as the entire Gospel clearly states—is every human being, man or woman, friend or enemy. Love of neighbor is both universal and personal. It embraces all humanity, and it is expressed concretely in the person next to us. Are we capable of having such a big heart? How can we come to possess such kindness as to consider even someone who is far away as our neighbor? What can help us overcome our exaggerated love of self and recognize the “self” in others? It takes a gift of God. We have faith in this gift “because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Therefore, it is not ordinary love, not simple friendship, not mere philanthropy, but the love that has been poured out into our hearts at baptism: the love that is the life of God himself, of the blessed Trinity.
Thus love is everything, but in order to love in an authentic way we need to know some of love’s qualities that emerge from the Gospel and from Scripture in general. We feel that they can be summed up in a few fundamental aspects.
First of all, Jesus, who died for everyone, loving everyone, teaches us that authentic love should lead us to love everyone. Unlike the simply human love that we usually have in our hearts, which is limited to relatives, friends and a few others, the authentic love that Jesus wants does not admit discrimination. It does not look too much at whether the other person is kind or unkind, beautiful or not so beautiful, an adult or a child, a fellow countryman or a foreigner, a member of my church or of another, of my religion or of another. It is love that is directed toward everyone. And we must do the same: love everyone.
The second quality of authentic love is that it leads us to being the first to love, not waiting for the other person to love us. Generally speaking, we love because we are loved. Instead, authentic love takes the initiative, as the Father was the first to love everyone. When men and women were still sinners, and therefore were not loving, the Father sent his Son to save us.
Thus we have to love everyone and be the first to love. Another quality of authentic love is that it recognizes Jesus in every neighbor: “You did it to me” (Mt 25:40), Jesus will say to us at the final judgment. And this will apply to the good that we did and also, unfortunately, the evil. Authentic love leads us to love a friend and also an enemy: to do good to them both and to pray for them both. Jesus also wants the love that he brought on earth to become mutual: that one person loves the other and vice-versa, in order to achieve unity.
All these qualities of love help us to understand and live the Word of Life for this month.
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Yes, authentic love leads us to love the other person as we love ourselves. And this is to be followed to the letter. We must really see the other person as another self and do for the other what we would do for ourselves. Authentic love leads us to suffer with those who are suffering, rejoice with those who are rejoicing, carry the burdens of others. As Paul says, it leads us to make ourselves one with the person we love. It is a love, therefore, that is made up not only of feelings or beautiful words, but of concrete deeds.
People of other religious creeds also seek to do this by living the so-called Golden Rule, which can be found in all religions. This rule asks us to do to others what we would like others to do to us. Gandhi explains it in a very simple and effective way: “I cannot harm the other without hurting myself.”
This month could be an opportunity, then, to refocus on love of neighbor. Our neighbor has so many faces: the person next door, a classmate, the friend of a close relative. But there are also the faces of the anguished humanity that the television brings into our homes from war-torn cities and natural disasters. Once they were unknown to us and thousands of miles away. Now they too have become our neighbors.
Love will suggest what we should do in each situation, and little by little it will expand our hearts to the greatness of the heart of Jesus.
Chiara Lubich
[:it]Da Benedetto XVI i genitori di Chiara Badano [:es]Los padres de Chiara Badano en audiencia con Benedicto XVI
Una felicità misteriosa
[:it]Dalla Sardegna, un invito all’unità e al perdono
“For You!”
Audio mp3 – Discorso Maria Voce all’Aula Nervi (Vaticano) 25 settembre 2010
The parents of Chiara Luce were greeted by a standing ovation as they came on stage at Paul VI Hall on the evening of September 25, as the hall was packed with people and connected to giant television screens outside in St Peter’s Square. 
The words of Chiara’s father, Ruggero, were particularly striking: “These were very special days, but what I’d like to say now is that we lived exceptional moments being with Chiara. We lived in an atmosphere that you cannot explain. These two years have been the most beautiful of our lives, the most blessed by God, because Jesus made us live in a supernatural dimension that raised us from the ground. Like when you are on a plane, and from the window you see the earth, the clouds far below you. All of our pain and those of Chiara that were even greater, we saw them there, below us, not touching us. This was the fruit of the love of many people who prayed and supported us.”
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“I want to greet everyone, but particularly the young. This experience is valid for all, but Chiara Luce offered her life for you, she gave it for you!” Also these words from Blessed Chiara Luce’s mother were welcomed with a long applause. In the first section of the program, which was entitled Life: 130 youths with the help of 70 technicians, portrayed, in music, dance, experiences and film, the birth and early childhood of Chiara Luce who encountered the Gospel at the age of nine and chose it as the alphabet of life.
The second section, Love: her growth, adolescence and encounter with Jesus Crucified and Forsaken, the greatest love. The show on stage was enriched by the witnesses of teenagers from today who highligted the universality of the experience of Chiara Luce who was of their same age. Marlisa shared the painful experience of her parents’ separation and of her reconciliation with her father after seven years of silence and hostility. Testimonies also arrived from afar, like the one of the young Jordanian boy who was involved in dialogue with his Muslim peers, and that of a young Pakistan boy.
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The final and most touching part of the evening, Light, was dedicated to the illness and the adventure of becoming saints together. “Chiara took 25 minutes to say yes. Then she turned to me with her usual smile, radiating, with her gaze truly full of light. Then she never turned back.” With these words Chiara’s mother made everyone relive the moment when Chiara received news of the seriousness of her illness.
In a 1989 film clip Chiara Lubich was shown inviting everyone to choose unity as the Ideal and Jesus Forsaken as the key for constructing it. This was the life program of Chiara Luce. The words of her letter to Chiara Lubich resounded in Paul VI Hall: “I’ve discovered that Jesus Forsaken is the key to unity with God, I want to choose him as my spouse and prepare myself for when he comes. I want to prefer him!”.
Towards the conclusion of the evening, Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement took the stage. Her words expressed the common feeling among the youth in the hall: “Now we leave here enriched and desirous of new things, of great things. We’ve lived strong, very powerful moments. We’ve discovered something beautiful together: that everything can change, our relationships, the way we face joys and sufferings, even when they come without warning, with tragic faces – and that we can give birth to a revolution. It has a name: love. Let’s leave now with this new force in our heart.”
Love with a capital “L”
Audio mp3 – Discorso Maria Voce nella Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura.
Returning from the visit in Great Britain with the Holy Father, as I sat beside him on the plane, we spoke of Chiara Luce Badano. He said that “we shall have to value our Blessed as a valuable example for youths.” This is what Cardinal Bertone, Secretary of State of the Holy See confided to the young people who filled the great Roman Basilica in the presence of 3 cardinals, 15 bishops, and 200 priests who were concelebrating with him. The cardinal recalled the challenge that Chiara Luce had handed over to young people: “I can no longer run – she said – but I want to pass on the baton, like at the Olympics.” The cardinal added: “Your presence here is a sign that you’ve accepted this challenge.” Then he recalled the invitation of John Paul II at the World Youth Day of August 1989: “Young people, don’t be afraid to become saints! Fly high!”
In his homily, the Secretary of State reviewed some of the highlights of Chiara Luce’s life: A firm and constant faith in the love of God which was reflected in love of neighbor; a joyful life, filled with many interests and healthy friendships; a precocious Christian maturity which demonstrated itself in the way she faced sickness and death in a heroic way. He spoke of the factors that contributed to her formation: First, her family, which “carried out its educational duty perfectly” as did the ecclesial community and the social environment of Sassello. Then he added: “The Focolare Movement played a determining role in the formation of Chiara Badano. In fact, at the age of nine she met the Movement in which she had a strong and progressive communitarian experience of Christian life” and “deepened her personal relationship with God” to the point of living that last extraordinary stage in her life and concluded her ascent to holiness.”
Chiara Badano, the Secretary of State concluded, was and is an example which gives concreteness to the recent message of the Pope to Young People for the World Youth Day in Madrid: “Often the Cross frightens us because it seems to negate life. In reality, the opposite is true! Suffering is God’s “yes” to man, the maximum expression of his love and the fountain from which the eternal life flows.
In her final words of thanks, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare, remembered with deep emotion that the Basilica of Saint Paul was also the site for the final farewell to Chiara Lubich on the 18th of March 2008. “These two celebrations – she added – melt into one. From this place the witness that Chiara Luce gave to us is launched to all. Now it’s our turn.” Maria Voce’s words were then expressed symbolically by two young people who were handed on a baton, that they might continue the race with Chiara Luce.
Then Cardinal Bertone surprised Chiara Luce’s parents by extending to them a special blessing from Pope Benedict for their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. The basilica exploded with applause for the couple who are also a witness and example for everyone.
At the Angelus, Pope Benedict’s XVI’s words were received by the youths with much joy and emotion.
Dear Friends,
(…) only Love with the capital “L” can give us true happiness! This has been demonstrated by another witness, a young girl who, yesterday, was proclaimed Blessed here in Rome.
I speak of Chiara Badano, an Italian girl, born in 1971, who was led to her death by an illness just shortly before she would have turned nineteen. But she was a ray of light as her nickname reminds us: Chiara ‘Luce’ (‘Light’).
Her parish and the diocese of Acqui Terme and the Focolare Movement, to which she belonged, are in celebration today – and it’s a feast for all young people who can find example of Christian integrity in her. Her last words of full adherence to God’s will were: “Bye, Mamma. Be happy because I am.”
We give praise to God, because his love is stronger than evil and death; and we thank the Virgin Mary who guides the young, even through difficulty and sufferings, to fall in love with Jesus and to rediscover the beauty of life.”
Chiara Luce Badano was held today at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love.
Audio mp3 – Ringraziamento finale di Maria Voce alla Cerimonia per la Beatificazione, Santuario del Divino Amore, 25 settembre 2010 
The Beatification Ceremony for Chiara Luce Badano was held today at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love. The profound and joyous celebration was presided by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Monsignor Angelo Amato, representing Pope Benedict XVI. Around 25,000 people participated in the Solemn Mass, mainly young people from 57 countries. Because of large screens put up around the shrine, many were able to follow the proceedings seated on the grass area outside. Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, gave a message of thanksgiving at the conclusion of the ceremony (reported below): The celebrations, however, didn’t end here because the weekend-long program includes events particularly geared towards young people with the participation also of Chiara’s parents, Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano, something quite rare and unique, and possible only because of Chiara’s young age and the brief duration of the cause for beatification. On Saturday night, the Vatican hosted a festival of music and personal experiences at Paul VI Audience Hall. Thousands participated, not just inside the audience hall, but also outside in St Peter’s Square where the evening’s program could be followed through large screens. On Sunday morning, at 10.30, the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will celebrate a Thanksgiving Mass in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. At the midday Angelus, the Pope will greet the participants through a linkup from his residence in Castelgandolfo. The entire weekend events have been transmitted via television and Internet in many countries around the world. Maria Voce’s address at the Solemn Mass, 25 September: 
“First of all, on behalf of the Focolare Movement, represented here by people from all over the world, I thank Bishop Amato who has presided over this solemn and moving Mass in the Pope’s name. I thank and greet all religious and civil authorities, all the people present in this shrine and the field surrounding it, and also all those who are following this moment through the media. A special thanks to the technicians who made it possible to give this event a planetary dimension. I am deeply moved to see the splendid, luminous plan of God fulfilled by this 18-year-old girl, revealed gradually to her and then to all of us; to see it recognized today by the Church, as the first mature fruit of our Movement. It is a historical moment, a confirmation by the Church that the spirituality of unity lived out can bring us to holiness. 
We have such a gratitude to God for the Charism that he sent down on earth through Chiara Lubich, and we have such a joy in our hearts for this gift that the Church is giving us today! They must be celebrating in heaven too! This moment signifies a new commitment. Chiara Luce is urging us to go forward, in fact, to ‘run’ on the road to holiness. May her shining example be of light for as many people as possible, and may it touch many, many others.” Comunicato Stampa Servizio Informazione – Celebrazione al Santuario del Divino Amore 25.9.2010 
Comunicato Stampa Servizio Informazione – Serata di Festa in Aula Paolo VI (Vaticano) 25.9.2010
The Light on the Lamp Stand
The visit which was surrounded in controversy during the time of its preparation, concluded in great joy. It turned out to be a great feast for an event which made such an indelible mark. There were protests, but they were small compared to the thousands of people – both Catholic and non – who surprised everyone by pouring out into the streets to welcome Benedict XVI. Even the Catholic bishops were overcome with joyful emotion. No one was expecting anything like it, such a success, a true miracle in answer to many prayers.
In 4 days the Pope spoke to the laity, religious, children, youths, politicians, bishops and seminarians, the Catholic faithful, members of other Churches and of other religions. He instilled hope in everyone and placed Christianity and its values at the heart of the society, encouraging everyone not to marginalize them. His words were an answer to the challenge of secularism, which is so strongly felt in this country, and they provoked a positive and generous response in those who heard him speak.
He completely dispelled the vision which some people had of him as a cold and distant man. The visible testimony of his union with God, his concentration in prayer, and his personal love for every person won over the hearts of many! Each word that he spoke seemed to throw light on specific topics.
The ecumenical ceremony in Westminster Abbey was an intensely spiritual moment where a new vision of ecumenism emerged, the churches joined together in response to the “aggressive secularism”. This was underscored by Archbishop Rowan Williams when he addressed the Pope with these words:
“ . . . (We) pray that your time with us in Britain may help us all towards a renewal of the hope and energy we need as Christians to witness to our conviction that in their relation to God men and women may grow into the fullest freedom and beauty of spirit.” And speaking to Catholic and Anglican Bishops who were joined together, the Archbishop said: “The obstacles which still exist do not prevent us from finding new ways to build each other up in holiness”.
A remarkable number of people followed his visit on television. BBC and Sky transmitted all the events live. It was like living with the Pope for four days.
As he said goodbye to the Pope at the airport, Prime Minister David Cameron remarked: “He spoke to a nation of 6 million Catholics, but more than 60 million citizens listened to him. He offered a message not only to the Catholic Church but to each of us, persons with faith and those without faith. His words challenged the entire nation to ‘wake up’ and think . . . because I think that all of us can share his message to work for the common good and that each of us has a social obligation towards the other, towards our family and our community and, obviously, this caring should extend beyond our shores . . . His presence among us was a great honor for our land.”
The Pope thanked everyone for the warm hospitality which he received. He confirmed that the diversity of English society offers opportunities to deepen ecumenical, interreligious, and intercultural dialogues and that it is, for this very reason, greatly enriching for the entire community.
In his concluding remarks to the Catholic bishops, the Pope encouraged them to “explore appropriate and efficacious ways” of “involving in the Church’s mission” “the new ecclesial movements that have a particular charism for evangelization.”
When at Mass we heard the words of Jesus to “put the lamp on a lamp stand”, it seemed to be confirming what the Pope had done in the heart of each person who heard him speak.
Making History
“I hope that many ideas will emerge from Loppiano-Lab with strong a spiritual impetus that will set in motion those qualities that have made great Italians: creativity, industriousness, openness and solidarity, culture and art”. These words were spoken by Maria Voce, President of the Focolare, at the opening of the event which has just ended in the Focolare town of Loppiano, near Florence..
Her invitation was welcomed by a packed auditorium of over 1500 people and by many others who were connected via Internet. They were attracted and drawn to this event which was organized according to topics that dealt with many different types of issues. In her message, President Voce anticipates that “the novelty emerges from the very promoters of the event: the networking of ideas and of experiences in different fields such as economics, culture, education, who, as allies, wish to promote in the country a cultural project that is respectful of the dignity and greatness of the human being, the communion between various entities that carry out their actions in these fields, such as Lionello Bonfanti Industrial Park from the Economy of Communion, Sophia University Institute, Citta Nuova Press Group, and the town of Loppiano itself which want to help in exploring and walking new avenues together. ““
Those who attended the many events that have taken place during the intense four days of this enriching “experimental laboratory of fraternity,” can agree with Maria Voice that it was an “original and qualified contribution to Italy’s common good – 150 years after the unification of the country – in line with Chiara Lubich’s charism “which has precisely unity at its heart.”
“And perhaps it was precisely this interaction between people who were so different from one another, the power of unity put into action, which created a living seed that – we dare to hope – will be able to “make history”.
Maria Voce stated, “is in need of a boost of idealism and of concreteness to revitalize its social body.” And it was enough to visit the various stands at Lionello Bonfanti Industrial Park to come across entrepreneurs who had so much idealism that they could be giving it away! In fact, this permanent Expo site featured in addition to the twenty companies in Lionello Bonfanti Park itself, another 72 companies representing more than 200 businesses that belong to the Economy of Communion throughout the country. But wandering through the streets of the little town surrounded by green, chatting with some of its 900 residents who come from all over the world, or listening to the new graduates of the Sophia Institute (already in its third year of existence), a conviction made its way into people’s minds, a certainty that Maria Emmaus Voce expressed in her concluding remarks: “Sustained by the love of God among us and by the love between us, this event can be a demonstration that when the Gospel of Jesus is read in the light of unity, it is capable of ‘making history’ still today. “
Speciale LoppianoLab
[:it]Silvana Veronesi in Sardegna
[:it] Il perdono di Don Marco
[:it]Più efficace di una tazza di caffè
“Arms Down”, “Giù le armi”
SMU 2010: esplosione di vitalità
Credible Witnesses
The will of God in the life of Christians. This is the central theme of the 29th Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement, which is taking place between the 9th to13th of September at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. There are 35 bishops from 17 countries participating, from Australia to Hong Kong, from India to Brazil. They include bishops from the Syrian-Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Methodist, Lutheran-Evangelical churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. On Sunday 12th of September, the bishops will attend the Angelus with the Pope at Castelgandolfo. A visit from Cardinal Walter Kasper, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, is foreseen, in which he will give a review of the present situation of ecumenism.
The witness of Christians. “Sermons have no value today. Faced with the inflation of the spoken word, which the media has so accustomed us to, what is needed now is witnessing; this is the most promising prospective for evangelization”. These were words spoken by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, as he presented the Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops to some journalists. The focus of this year’s meeting will be to reflect on: “The will of God in the life of Christians”.
“This topic,” Cardinal Vlk went on to explain “is not uniquely religious, because in a secularized world in which you feel the absence of God, the human person tends to close himself in his own will, making it difficult, then, to accept or to confront it with the will of an other”. According to Vlk, “the answer to the crises that Europe is passing, would be to show by our witness that God is near to every person in history”. But this is a witness – the Cardinal immediately added – that necessarily requires “the unity of the churches, because it is only if we are united that our witness will be efficacious”. This is the great novelty and message that you derive from important meetings like these.
With regard to the state of ecumenism today and the crisis in dialogue, the cardinal reiterated: “What unites us is much more than what divides us. In a sense, there are many things that allow us already now to live as if we were a united church. The experience of these 29 years of uninterrupted meetings between bishops of different churches,” the cardinal concluded“confirms our confidence that “unity is possible”. Bishop Christian Krause, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany was of the same opinion, while noting that there is an “institutional crisis taking place in Europe at all levels”. He did not share the recent idea of an “ecumenical winter”, often heard of in ecumenical circles, because there are many initiatives that are testifying to the contrary. He offered two examples: the experience of Kirchentag in Monaco, Germany; and “Together for Europe”, which is an ongoing joint initiative between 160 European Christian movements. When the Anglican Bishop Robin Smith from the diocese of St Alban’s in England took the floor, he stated that he has been participating in these meetings, sponsored by the Focolare Movement, for twenty years. “You don’t come to these meetings to debate about our differences, but to live a concrete experience of unity, taking for ourselves the prayer of Jesus to the Father, ‘that all be one’. This is an experience that allows us to experience the presence of the Risen Lord among us.”
The Pact of Unity. The bishop’s meetings include a “pact of unity”. Bishop Armando Bortolaso, one time Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo in Syria, now living in Lebanon, explained it in these words: “We declare that we are prepared to give our lives each for the other, to love the other’s diocese as we love our own. Then we put our signature to it and exchange the sign of peace”. It’s always a powerful and moving moment that gives – as the Catholic bishop says – “the temperature of this ecumenism of life and of the heart. These are meetings between brothers more than between friends, because each is ready to give his life for the other”.
Fontem
Fontem is a small town situated in the South West province of Cameroun. The first little Town of the Focolare Movement in Africa. “I already see rising up in this place a great city, a city which will be famous throughout the whole world -not so much for its material wealth – but because a light will shine from it that will illuminate everyone, that all will wish to posses. It is a light that will spread forth from mutual love always kept alive among us in the name of God.”
Chiara Lubich, Fontem, 1969
[:it]Brasile – diario di viaggio 2[:es]Brasil – Diario de viaje 2[:fr]Brésil – journal de bord 2[:pt]Brasil – diário de viagem 2
September 2010
Jesus addressed these words to Peter, who, after listening to the marvelous things Jesus was saying, put this question to him: "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus replied: "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
Most likely, Peter had been deeply struck by the Lord's preaching and, being a good and generous person, he had decided to throw himself into the new course of action that Jesus was advocating. He was ready to do something he considered quite exceptional for him, to forgive “as many as seven times.” Judaism, in fact, accepted the idea of forgiving two, three, at the most four times.
But by responding, "seventy-seven times," Jesus is saying that the kind of forgiveness he wants has no limits. We must forgive always.
"I say to you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
This phrase calls to mind the biblical song of Lamech, a descendent of Adam: "If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (Gen 4:24). Thus hatred began to spread among the people of the world, swelling like a river at flood time into an ever-growing sea of hate.
Against this spreading of evil, Jesus proposes an unlimited and unconditional forgiveness that is capable of breaking the cycle of violence.
Only forgiveness can stem this tide of ill will and offer the human race a future that promises something other than self-destruction.
"I say to you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
We need to forgive, to forgive always. Forgiving is not the same as forgetting, which often indicates a reluctance to face the situation. Nor is forgiveness a sign of weakness; it does not mean ignoring a wrong that we might have suffered out of fear of the stronger person who committed it. Forgiveness does not consist in calling what is serious, trivial, or what is evil, good. Forgiveness is not indifference. Forgiveness is a conscious act of the will, and therefore a free act.
It means accepting our neighbors as they are, notwithstanding the wrong done to us, just as God accepts us sinners, notwithstanding our faults. Forgiveness is not passive, that is, not returning one offense for another, but puts into action what St. Paul urges us to do: "Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good" (Rom 12:21).
Forgiveness consists in offering the one who has wronged you the opportunity to have a new relationship with you. It makes it possible for both of you to start life over again, and to experience a future in which evil will not have the last word.
"I say to you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
How shall we live these words.
Peter had asked Jesus: "How often must I forgive my brother?" Peter speaks of "my brother." When answering him, then, Jesus had in mind above all the relationships among Christians, among members of the same community.
Therefore, we must act in this way first of all toward those who share our faith in our family, at work, at school, and so on.
We know that someone who is offended by some word or action is often tempted to respond with a similar word or action. And we know that even persons who live in the same house often fail in loving because of differences in personality, because they are irritable, or for some other reason. We must, therefore, never forget that we can maintain peace and unity only by constantly renewing our attitude of forgiveness.
We will always be tempted to think of the others' imperfections, to remember their past, to wish that they were different. But we need to acquire the habit of looking at them with new eyes, and seeing them as new persons, always accepting them immediately and without reservation, even if they do not repent.
You might say, "But that's hard!" And you are right. This is the challenge posed by Christianity. We are, after all, following a God who, as he was dying on the cross, asked his Father to forgive those who had caused his death. And he was raised from the dead.
Let's take courage. Let's begin to live like this. We will find a peace we have never before experienced, and a joy we have never known.
By Chiara Lubich
The Word of Life, taken from Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily living. From the Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich wrote her commentaries on each Word of Life, and after her death in March 2008, her early writings are now being featured once again. This commentary, addressed to a primarily Christian audience, was originally published in September 1999.
This commentary on the Word of Life is translated into 96 different languages and dialects and reaches several million people worldwide through print, radio, TV and the Internet. On page 24 you will find experiences some of our readers shared in their efforts to live a previous month’s Word of Life.
Politica e istruzione insieme per la Fraternità
[:it]La crisi di coppia non è sempre irreversibile[:es]La crisis de pareja no es siempre irreversible[:fr]Les crises du couple ne sont pas toujours irréversibles[:pt]A crise do casal nem sempre é irreversível
[:it]I diciotto anni di Chiara Luce Badano[:pt]Os 18 anos de Chiara Luce Badano – segunda parte
[:it]Casetta “Primi tempi”
Nuove iniziative economiche: la chiave per il futuro
Economy at the Service of all Peoples
Caux is a small Swiss village overlooking Lake Geneva, about 1000 meters above sea level. In its monumental castle, which is now a hotel, an international conference on “Trust and Integrity in a Globalized Economy” is scheduled to take place between the 12th and 17th of August 2010. The conference is intended to be six days of research and debate during which, experts, academics and members of the international business community from all over the world, we will try to “explore new avenues to a more equitable world economy” as the conference’s subtitle states. And it will take place right here, in the same country that annually hosts the World Economic Forum in Davos. 
The conference is sponsored by the Swiss Foundation CAUX-Initiatives of Change, which operates both within Switzerland and internationally, to promote conflict prevention, intercultural dialogue, and trust between different social entities. This foundation belongs to a wider network of entities whose common connector is the, CAUX-Initiatives of Change, an NGO that has consultative status in the State Economic and Social Council at the United Nations (ECOSOC). Already in 2003, Chiara Lubich had gone at the invitation of President of CAUX-Initiatives of Change, Cornelio Sommaruga, to speak on how “religions can be partners on the road to peace”. To meet the unprecedented challenge that emerged following September 11, “the contribution of religions is decisive,” Chiara said. She went on to narrate a personal experience, the discovery of the art of loving, which is rooted in the Gospel, and leads to a love that “knows no discrimination”. (See full text) The 2010 conference is aimed at young people, students, businessmen, and economists. It looks forward to being a full immersion in the current economic situations of our cities and countries to understand the reasons for the global crisis in which we are immersed. Seen from this perspective it will also propose measures which can be taken at community levels that aim towards a more equitable economic system, in harmony with sustainable development and progress for all peoples. Especially interesting will be the dialogue between northern and southern hemispheres of the world. Speakers will include Lavinia Sommaruga Bode from Alliance Sud (Switzerland), Myrna Roselind Jelman, Consultant to the Ashridge Business School, researcher Juan Carlos Kaiten, from Mexico, and Amira Elmissiry from the African Development Bank. On the morning of the 14th August, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, will speak about the Economy of Communion as an instrument at the service the human person, in view of a more united world.
[:it]“Ci si fa santi con una sola grande idea!”
A Loving Response
On the 7th of August, Benedictines, Trinitarians, Augustinians, Salesians, priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and religious from other ancient and new charisms, gathered from around the world at Mariapolis Faro, which is located in the small Croatian town of Krizevci about an hour from Zagabria. This annual meeting has become a tradition for these representatives of the many other religious men who have grafted the spirituality of unity upon the roots of their founder’s charism. This year too, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, was invited to participate in their meeting, which is being held in an Eastern European country for the first time. She began greeting them by saying: “Chiara’s family is everywhere!” The Will of God In her dialogue with the religious, Maria Voce, together with Giancarlo Faletti, touched on several important points for the life of the Movement in the coming year. “Throughout the past year we have considered God-Love and we allowed ourselves to be loved by Him. There was joy, difficulty, unexpected providence – all of them signs of His love for us. In the upcoming year, I feel that He’s challenging us to respond to His love, to see what we can do, and to see where the practice of reciprocity might lead us. Then let us do his will, awakening our thrust to holiness. But not alone: We can only do this in unity. Collective holiness, therefore, the holiness of the entire Work of Mary. Doing the will of God will be our response of love.” More Beautiful A religious asked Maria Voce how she thought the Church could be helped by us in this difficult moment. She responded with her usual spontaneousness and serenity: “I have the feeling that Our Lady wants to caress the Church, that she wants it to be beautiful, also through us. If the Work of Mary is itself, it contributes like a small daughter to making its mother more beautiful.” Co-president Faletti stressed the fact that difficult moments help to cause things that are nonessential to fall to the side, everything that is not God. More than in other years, this year’s dialogue highlighted the creativity, initiative, involvement, and needs of individual religious: To be a proactive leaven in the world community, to feel responsible not only of ones own small or large area of activity, but for everything, in order to bring things forward together, to work as a body. Difficulty and Optimism There were also some difficult questions, like how the religious should bring the Gospel to the people. Giancarlo Faletti pointed out that: “Even in our own past there were times when we couldn’t hold public manifestations in certain places, or even meet, or even talk about the Gospel. We seemed to be at a complete loss, and yet, it’s precisely then that what is at the core of our life came into evidence: Keeping Jesus in our midst always.” Maria Voce added: “These are not just words or a concept, but a Person, a Companion; it means never having to be alone, to know what to do in every situation, without the risk of becoming an ugly copy of the past. The socio-ecclesial reality of today is different from that of the past, so we can’t go on repeating things from 25 years ago. And since God has something to say to the people of today also through us, we need to bring up to date what our charism tells us for the Church and for the society of today. This is the challenge that lies at the centre of my experience as president.” She concluded by saying: “What a beautiful family Chiara gave us! I can’t help but be optimistic.” Faro – Beacon The mass followed, celebrated within the splendid Greek Catholic Cathedral of Krivzevci. Finally, people from the local communities of the Focolare Movement offered a feast for Maria Voce, Giancarlo, the Religious and the Gen (youth members of the Focolare). There was singing, comic sketches, traditional costumes and local delicacies. In her final farewell, Maria Voce underscored mutual love, which had been the premise of all the day’s events: “Mutual love among everyone here at Mariapolis Faro allowed many peoples and languages to form a single harmony today. If each of us, returning home, brings this harmony back to his and her country, then this Mariapolis will truly be a ‘faro’, a ‘beacon’ for many.” Giulio Meazzini See Photo Gallery for other images of visit to Mariapolis Faro
August 2010
These words belong to an event which is simple and sublime at the same time. It is the encounter between two expectant mothers whose spiritual and physical symbiosis with their sons is total. They lend them their lips, their sentiments. When Mary speaks, Elizabeth's son leaps with joy in her womb. When Elizabeth speaks, it seems that her words are put on her lips by her son, the Precursor. But while the first words of her hymn of praise to Mary are addressed personally to “the mother of the Lord” (1:43), the final ones are in the third person: "Blessed is she who believed."
Thus her "affirmation acquires the character of universal truth: beatitude applies to all believers; it concerns those who accept the Word of God and put it into practice, and who find in Mary their model.”
"Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."
It is the first beatitude of the Gospel in reference to Mary, but it refers also to all those who want to follow her and imitate her.
In Mary, there is a close bond between faith and maternity, as a consequence of listening to the Word. And in this passage Luke suggests something that concerns us too. Further ahead in his Gospel Jesus says: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it" (Lk 8:21).
Almost anticipating these words, Elizabeth, moved by the Holy Spirit, announces to us that every disciple can become "mother" of the Lord. The condition is that he or she believe in the Word of God and live it.
"Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."
After Jesus, Mary is the one who best and most perfectly said "yes" to God. Her sanctity and greatness lies, above all, in this. If Jesus is the Word, the incarnate Word, Mary, because of her faith in the Word, is the Word lived, but a created being like us, just like us.
Mary's role as the mother of God is lofty and magnificent. But the Virgin is not the only one God calls to generate Christ. Every Christian has a similar task, even though in a different way: to incarnate Christ to the point of repeating with St. Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20).
How can we accomplish this?
By approaching the Word of God as Mary did, that is, by being totally open to it. Therefore, to believe, as Mary did, that all the promises contained in the Word of Jesus will be fulfilled, and if necessary, to risk the consequences that his Word can sometimes imply, as Mary did.
Wonderful things always happen to those who believe in the Word–big things, little things. We could fill books with facts that prove this. We will never forget the experience we had in the midst of the war. Believing in the words of Jesus: "Ask and it will be given to you" (Mt 7:7), we asked for everything that the many poor in the city needed, and then we saw sacks of flour, boxes of powdered milk, jam, firewood, and clothes arrive.
Things like this happen today, too. "Give and gifts will be given to you" (Lk 6:38), and the cupboards with provisions to be shared are always full because they are regularly emptied.
But what is most striking is to see that the words of Jesus are true always and everywhere. God's help arrives on time, even in the most impossible circumstances and in the most isolated points on earth. Look what happened a short time ago to a mother who lives in dire poverty. One day she gave the little money she had left to someone who was in greater need. She really believed these words of the Gospel: "Give and gifts will be given to you." And she felt at peace. Shortly afterwards, her youngest daughter showed her a gift she had just received. It came from an elderly relative who happened to be in the neighborhood that day. There in her daughter’s little hand was double the amount that the mother had given away.
A "small" experience like this encourages us to believe in the Gospel. Each one of us can experience the joy, the beatitude, that comes from seeing the promises of Jesus come true.
When we come in contact with the Word of God, through the everyday circumstances of our life or by reading from Sacred Scripture, let us open our hearts
and listen. Let us believe that what Jesus is asking us and promising us will come true. We will soon discover, like Mary and like that mother, that he keeps his promises.
The Word of Life, taken from Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily living. From the Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich wrote her commentaries on each Word of Life, and after her death in March 2008, her early writings are now being featured once again. This commentary, addressed to a primarily Christian audience, was originally published in August 1999.
By Chiara Lubich
[:it]Faro, un nome profetico[:pt]Farol, um nome profético
[:it]E’ tempo di Mariapoli[:es]Es tiempo de Mariápolis[:pt]É tempo de Mariápolis
Message of Peace from Tanzania
Verso la Chiesa di domani
Esperienze, canti e contributi artistici attorno alla figura del sacerdote di oggi nell’aula Paolo VI ieri pomeriggio per la vigilia della chiusura dell’Anno sacerdotale.
Una nuova corrente di spiritualità
Un’unità che rende visibile il Risorto, lì dove ognuno vive: nelle famiglie, nei quartieri, nelle fabbriche, nei parlamenti. Quando il Risorto è fra noi, come da lui promesso quando due o tre si riuniscono nel suo nome, cioè nel suo amore, in qualche modo si tocca il divino, la sua pace, la sua luce, il suo amore, l’unità!
Che tutti siano uno
Come testimonia Chiara Lubich, “è stato proprio mentre si credeva di vivere semplicemente il Vangelo, che lo Spirito Santo ha scolpito a caratteri di fuoco nelle nostre anime quelli che sarebbero diventati i cardini della “spiritualità dell’unità”, una nuova spiritualità, personale e comunitaria insieme”.
[:it]La città e il dialogo per un futuro di speranza[:es]La ciudad y el diálogo por un futuro de esperanza[:fr]La ville et le dialogue pour un avenir d’espérance[:pt]A cidade e o diálogo por um futuro de esperança
I discovered Heaven!
“Today I discovered Heaven: God is Love, He loves us immensely!” This is what the 780 Gen 4 sang – children of the Focolare Movement – gathered at Castelgandolfo for their congress. They came mostly from Italy and other European countries, but in the first row were also girls from Burundi and Ruanda, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Lebanon.
Valeria from Bolivia: “Honestly, this congress is the best thing that ever happened to me. What I liked the most was learning from Jesus how to love, and now I love more than before, I don’t know how to thank God.”
Travelling to Rome would have been unthinkable for her had it not been for a variety of money-raisers by Gen4 from around the world. They raised more than 5,000 euros, which enabled her and others from outside Europe to attend the event.
Like the Gen4 boys, the girls also examined the God’s Love for his Chosen People, all the way to Jesus, who came on earth to bring us the Father’s love. A lively game lasting all afternoon helped them to discover Jesus’ presence not only in Heaven, but among us, when we love each other, in our neighbor, in his Word, and in the Eucharist.
“The answers you gave were all interesting and we felt them coming from your heart,” they wrote to Maria Voce following her meeting with them, in which she answered some of their rather demanding questions. They also wrote: “Thank you for answering so wisely to our questions! I finally know how to fulfill my dream: To become a saint you need to love everyone because Jesus in everyone! (. . .) “The congress taught me many things about Jesus, it changed my heart. I won’t be the same when I return home. I’m not the same. Whenever there’s an opportunity to help, I’ll be the first to step forward.”
There was a feast with dancing, songs, and skits as they met with the first companions of Chiara. It was a mutual gift, a moment of such intense and profound simplicity that it was difficult to say who enjoyed it more.
Having experienced the love of God, the Gen4 girls realized that they are truly sisters beyond their countries of origin, languages and culture. “I was happy being with the other Gen4,” writes Laurette from Ruanda. “We loved each other and when I reach Ruanda I’ll love everyone.”
Everywhere in the world – from California to Hong Kong – groups of Gen4 got together to follow some moments of the congress via internet. From Fontem, Cameroon, they write: “The video link-up was so beautiful! We saw that it doesn’t matter where we are: God is always with us and in Heaven at the same time. . . . We’re happy to give to our friends the most beautiful treasure we have: God! With love, we can transform our world that is so filled with hatred. This will Jesus please Jesus and we’ll meet him in Paradise. Thank you!”
The Journey, the Dialogue, and the Fragment
The first little town of the Focolare Movement, Loppiano, is one of the most beautiful places in Valdarno, Italy not only because of the people who live there or because of the message they spread, but also because of the natural surroundings and the style of the buildings and streets that betrays an architectural design which is certainly not accidental. In Loppiano even the stones “speak” and tell of a life that is helping the world to become a family, even in its outward design.
What better place then, to accommodate forty architects eager to capitalize on their professional experience in the service of universal brotherhood? Said and done: The group met from the 11th to 13th of June for a seminar dedicated to deepening understanding and relationships through a sharing that became a study, mutual enrichment, and concrete work proposals for the future.
The title itself tells the three strands along which the reflection grew:
The journey, designed as an opportunity for meeting and respect between cultures which is then expressed in living with traditional and innovative architectural forms.
The theme of dialogue drew participants into reflecting on the meaning of labor as a long process that involves the people, workers, and all those who in various ways, participate in a project.
The reflection on the fragment revealed a world that is made of fragments more than of coherent pieces, challenging the participants in the reconstruction of the details from such differentials, through appreciation for diversity as a contribution to unity.
The real “cement” in these sessions were the moments of sharing, the evenings spent together, the mealtimes, and the moments of recreation. Everything contributed to a better grasp of the specific contribution of Chiara Lubich’s charism to architecture, both at the operational level and in theory, showing that the quest just begun will only lead to more new developments, as Maria Emmaus Voce – current president of the Focolare – hoped in her message to the participants, “for the good of the city and its inhabitants, so that even the architecture in each of its dimensions, supports the realization of God’s plan, for which Chiara spent her entire life: to make humankind into one human family.”
Mariapolis in Africa
Mariapolis. It is the same everywhere: Experiencing for a few days – through moments of meditation, hearing life testimonies, and recreational activities – what it means to build bridges of dialogue and brotherhood between persons of different nations.
The Mariapolis, which is the most characteristic event of the Focolare Movement, began spontaneously in the Trent Alps (Italy) as a holiday period of rest spent together. Then, over the years, Mariapolises began to spread and be held everywhere, gathering together people of all ages, social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. The Mariapolis has been called a “family gathering” and a “laboratory of fraternity” in which you experience that it is possible to live in a reconciled world.
“Love unites” is the slogan chosen for this year’s Mariapolis which will be held from the 26th to the 31st of July in Bamenda, Cameroon. “A year has already passed since our great Mariapolis,” is written on the invitation, “And this year we are expecting even more!”
Ivory Coast. 30 July – 4 August in Man City. Man City is situated in occupied territory, but even amid difficulty, this Mariapolis stands as a prophetic sign of the much desired ri-unification of the country.
Sierra Leone. 4 – 8 August. Those responsible for the local focolares write: “We feelthe certainty very much alive in the hearts of the Sierra Leonians, that the Ideal of unity is the medicine for the deep wounds that have been left by the war.”
The Republic of Mali, A land unique for the harmonious relationship between Muslims (the overwhelming majority) and Christians, which is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its independence. It is in the context that everyone, in both religious and civil society, looks forward to the Mariapolis, precisely to reinforce the value of unity. The Mariapolis will take place between the 8th and 13th of August 2010.
In Benin the Mariapolis is planned to take place between the 24th and 29th of August in Ouidah, an important historical and cultural center. This country is also celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its independence.
In Madagascar the Mariapolis will take place from the 3rd to the 6th of September in Antananarivo, the capital of the country. “Since last year,” the members from the Focolare in Madagascar write, “the country has been going through political crisis with public protests in which the armed forces were involved. At times, there was much violence and some lost their lives. Still today the situation has not been resolved and we live in constant uncertainty, tension, and fear. But all of this this has also led people to help each other more, love for neighbour, and solidarity within communities. Last year the Mariapolis was held here at Ambatondrazaka, but many from the capital were not able to travel. Seeing their painful situation, but also their desire to be with us at the Mariapolis, we decided to go toward them and everyone is involved in prepararing.”
Gen 4: the Growing Wave of Love
The title announced: “The World’s Greatest Adventure”. Already during the preparations for the gathering which were done by the older members of the Movement for these little ones, you could feel that this congress was going to be like a game of love played in the light of the Sun which is God. The importance of the event was also underscored by its global dimensions. There was a live link-up with all the Gen4 of the world, with photos, experiences, songs, and skits, which they sent, and there was a link-up via internet. The Gen4 congress was made even more precious because of the offering made by the Gen4 who are suffering because of illness and offered their sufferings for the success of this event. One of the main topics was how God manifests himself in history: in Creation, in his friendship with the Chosen People as their protector, defender, guide, and saviour. His greatest gift was the gift of his own Son, Jesus, who reveals to us the very heart of God in the story of the Merciful Father who welcomes back the Prodigal Son. They were introduced to the Prophets, Saints, and all those who, like Chiara, were messengers of God’s love and whose message has reached us.
In a video, Chiara herself said again to the Gen4: “Do you know what true happiness is? Try it: It’s the happiness that people have when they love and love and love. When you love you are happy and if you always love, you’ll always be happy. What can you do for the world? Give it happiness. Teach everyone to love.”
Her message was received. Flavio said: “During one game we had to run back and forth without being captured. . . but then I saw a small score book on the ground. I stopped, picked it up and brought it to its owner right away.”
And Joe: “I made a paper airplane, but a boy had lost his. So I gave him mine.”
Besides many creative and recreational activities, the meetings with many of Chiara’s friends was another opportunity to “experience the secret of true happiness”.
One of these was the meeting with Maria Voce (Emmaus) who left them with a rather demanding task: “If we are united, we can carry ahead this revolution that God has sent into the world through Chiara. You need to bring a wave of love into the world. “
And the Gen4 accepted the task as can be seen from the echoes that have been arriving now that they have returned home. This is the great challenge that the little ones launch to all of us. One Gen4 invited his friends to a party and told them about what he had lived at the congress. Others updated the communities from which they came. One thing thing is the courage they gained from the Congress. One Gen4 declared that he wants to become a saint. This amazed his listeners and he was asked how he intended to do this. He explained that it is very simple: Holiness is loving each other, always, without measure.
The wave of love has been launched!
A new project for young people in Brazil: ‘Glocalcity’
Young people today face many challenges: globalisation, social justice, the meeting/clash between different cultures and ethnic groups. These problems are often concentrated in the cities which house 60% of the world’s population. How can they be transformed into ‘learning centres of harmonious living’?
In response to these challenges a new project has been set up: ‘Glocalcity – local youth organisations in a global exchange’. An initiative that is coordinated by “New Humanity”, Ngo of the Focolare Movement and which was conceived a year ago at an international congress for young people which was held in Castelgandolfo, and which involves ten associations in different countries: Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary, Rumania, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The next and final stage will be in Brazil. From 14 July to 2 August, about 50 young people from the above mentioned countries will meet for three weeks in San Paolo and Recife, where there are two Focolare towns – Mariapolis Ginetta and Mariapolis Santa Maria respectively.
This will be a chance to consolidate local voluntary initiatives that have already got off to a good start. It will also be a chance to get to know the Brazilian cultural and social situation and to develop that quality of dialogue that is capable of creating a culture of unity.
We received a letter from a young Italian girl who spent some time in the Mariapolis Santa Maria, near Recife, where there has been a social project called Santa Terezinha going on for a number of years, in a place once known as the ‘Island of Hell’: ‘I find myself faced by 20 small frightened faces, 2-3 years old, as I introduce myself in faltering Portuguese. I’m a stranger to them – big and tall! I start to sing with the young teacher, an ex-pupil of the centre, and the atmosphere changes. We begin to draw, to help with the tasks … and whoever thought I would be able to dance? But I find myself dancing! I put my whole heart into it and they begin to smile. The smiles of children who feel loved maybe, accepted, the centre of attention of someone else … Children who don’t yet have that vacant look in their eyes like the adults, but are the same children who carry the terrible signs on their bodies of life outside the social centre …’.
And its right there in Recife that the conclusion of the project will be held from Friday 30 July to Monday 2 August, with the possibility for all the young people to immerse themselves in Brazilian culture. There will be a final concluding event to raise the awareness of local and international bodies by means of the proposals of the young people themselves, future active citizens very much present in our society today.