![“Universal fraternity: a necessity for Europe”]()
Jun 6, 2009 | Focolare Worldwide
At this time of European elections, we recall a thought from Chiara Lubich about Europe, part of her address to the first “Together for Europe” meeting in May 2004. Ten thousand people gathered in Stuttgart, Germany and more than 100,000 were linked up for simultaneous events in various European capitals. The gathering was supported by over 150 movements and ecclesial communities from various churches, from all over the continent. Chiara’s talk was focused on fraternity, a concept recently called “the perfect emblem of European identity” by the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman. 
Universal brotherhood was also the project of people who were not motivated by religious motives, but simply by the desire to benefit humanity. The French Revolution’s motto: “liberty, equality, fraternity”, summarizes the great political project of modernity, a project which, in part, has been disregarded. While numerous countries have built democratic systems of government and have succeeded in achieving some degree of liberty and equality, the same cannot be said of fraternity which has been proclaimed more than it has been lived. But the one who brought fraternity as the essential gift to humanity was above all Jesus. In revealing the fatherhood of God, He broke down the walls which separate those who are “the same” from those who are “different”, friends from enemies. He loosened all people from the bonds that imprison them, from all forms of slavery and subordination, from every unjust relationship, thus carrying out an authentic existential, cultural and political revolution. (…) The instrument that Jesus offered to us in order to accomplish this universal fraternity was love, a great love, a new love, different from the one we usually know. In fact, He transplanted the way of loving of heaven here on earth. This love requires first of all that we love everyone, therefore, not only relatives and friends. It asks that we love the pleasant and the unpleasant, our fellow-countryman and the stranger, the European and the immigrant, those of our Church and of another, of our religion and of another. Today it asks the countries of Western Europe to love those of Central and Eastern Europe – and vice versa – and it asks everyone to be open to those of other continents. In the vision of its founders, in fact, Europe is a family of sister nations, not closed in itself, but open to a universal mission: Europe wants its unity to contribute, then, to the unity of the human family. This love asks that we love our enemies as well and that we forgive them if they have offended us. After the wars which stained our continent with blood, many Europeans were exemplary in loving their enemies and promoting reconciliation. Therefore, the love I am speaking of makes no distinctions and takes into consideration all those we meet in any moment, directly or indirectly: those who are next to us physically, but also those about whom we or others are speaking; those who will receive the work we do day by day, those we come to know about through the newspapers or television…. Because this is the way God our Father loves, making the sun rise on the bad and the good, and causing the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike (cf Mt 5:45). (…) Furthermore, the love that Jesus brought is not an idealistic, sentimental love, made up of words. It is a concrete love. It needs to be expressed with deeds. And this is possible if we make ourselves all things to all people: sick with those who are sick; joyful with those who are joyful; worried, insecure, hungry, poor with others, feeling in ourselves what they feel and acting accordingly.
May 31, 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Imagine a branch cut off from the vine. It has no future, no hope; it is unproductive and there is nothing for it to do but dry up and be burned.
Think of the spiritual death we are destined for as Christians if we do not stay united to Christ. It is a frightening thought! It is complete sterility–even if we work hard from morning till night, even if we think we are doing good things for humanity, even if our friends applaud us, even if our earthly goods increase, even if we make considerable sacrifices. All this may mean something to us here on earth, but it has no meaning for Christ and for eternity, and that is the life that really matters.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
How can we remain in Christ and Christ remain in us? How can we be green and vigorous branches that are fully united to the vine? We should, first of all, believe in Christ. But that is not enough. Our faith should influence how we live our lives. We should, in other words, live in conformity with this faith by putting the words of Jesus into practice.
Thus we cannot neglect the divine means (such as the sacraments) that Christ has left us, the means that make it possible for us to reach unity with him, and to regain it if we have lost it.
Moreover, Christ will not feel that we are solidly united to him unless we make the effort to be part of our ecclesial community, our local church.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
“Whoever remains in me and I in him.”
Do you see how Jesus speaks not only of our unity with him but also of his unity with us? If you are united to him, he is in you. He is present in the innermost part of your heart. And from this comes a rapport, a dialogue of mutual love, a relationship of cooperation between Jesus and you, his disciple. And this is the result: you will bear much fruit, just as the branch that is solidly united to the vine bears grapes in abundance.
“Bears much fruit” means that your life will be a fruitful witness to others. You will be blessed with the ability to open the eyes of many to the unique, revolutionary words of Christ, and to give them the strength to follow these words. It also means that in accordance with the gifts God has given you, you will be able to foster and even initiate projects to alleviate some of the sufferings of humanity.
“Bears much fruit” means fruit in abundance, and this could mean that you will be able to create among those around you an atmosphere of goodness, of mutual love, of true communion.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
But “bears much fruit” does not only mean the spiritual and material wellbeing of others, but your own as well. Your spiritual growth, as well as your personal sanctification depend on your being united to Christ.
Sanctification? Perhaps, in these times of ours, to speak of sanctification may seem anachronistic, pointless, utopian. But it is not. These present times will pass and, with them, all such short-sighted and erroneous views. What will remain is the truth. Two thousand years ago, Paul the apostle said clearly that sanctification is God's will for all Christians. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church, was certain that everyone can reach the highest contemplation. And the Second Vatican Council declared that all the faithful are called to sanctity.
These are reliable voices. Work then so that you, too, may gather the “fruit” of sanctity which you can do only if you are united to Christ.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
Have you noticed how Jesus is not concerned with the fruit directly, but looks at it only as a result of our remaining united to him?
It might be that some fall into the error of many Christians who believe only in activism and more activism, projects and more projects for the good of others, without taking the time to ask themselves whether they are fully united to Christ. This is a mistake. They think they are bearing fruit, but it is far less than what Christ in them and with them could bear.
If we want to bear fruit that will last and that will have the mark of something divine, we must remain united to Christ; and the more we remain united to Christ, the more fruit we will bear.
The very verb “remains” used in this sentence gives you an idea that this bearing fruit, is not a momentary but rather a permanent condition.
If you know people who live this way, you will see, in fact, how even a smile, a word, a simple everyday gesture, an attitude in a given situation enables them to touch other people's hearts even to the point of leading them back to God.
This is the way it was with the saints. But even if we are not saints, we should not get discouraged. All Christians are capable of bearing fruit. Let me tell you a story.
You know that students today can be so highly politicized that little room is left for those who would like to be useful to humanity but have other motives.
It happened that way in Portugal. Maria do Socorro had just started college in a very tense environment. Many of the other students were involved in political disputes, each according to his or her own ideology and each trying to win over the students who had not joined any group as yet.
Maria knew what she wanted to do, even though it was not easy to explain her whole strategy to her friends. She wanted to follow Christ and to remain united to him. Her companions, however, who knew nothing of her ideas, labelled her wishy-washy, a girl without ideals. At times she felt awkward when they saw her go to church, but she went just the same because she felt she had to remain united to Jesus.
As Christmas approached, Maria learned that some of the students could not go home because they lived too far away. She suggested that the other students get together and give them presents. To her great surprise all the students agreed right away.
Later there were school elections and another big surprise awaited her: she was elected as representative of her class. Her amazement was even greater, however, when her friends told her that it was only logical that she should have been elected, since she was the only one who followed a precise line of conduct. “You know what you want,” they said, “and how to go about accomplishing it.” Now some of them want to find out more about the ideal of her life and to live it with her.
This is the fruit of Maria do Socorro's perseverance in remaining united with Jesus.
Chiara Lubich
May 18, 2009 | Non categorizzato
My country has just emerged from a war that lasted many years. The political situation is now stable, there is great development, and life has returned to normal. But not for everybody. For a while now a group of youngsters, left without any family, have been gathering near the Church to beg. It became a meeting point for them, they slept and lived there. As time went by things became more and more difficult, with robberies, arguments amongst them, and drugs, and it became dangerous to be out in the evening. The priest had spoken to them and tried to find a solution, but some of them were very rebellious and refused any type of relationship. Together with some other young people we asked ourselves what we could do: we decided to try and get to know them. We introduced ourselves, and every time we went to mass we would stop to speak to them. Little by little a relationship was built with some of them and the idea came to do something together. So we organised a football match. We booked a sports field and even managed to receive a present of some fantastic football kit for both teams. On the appointed day we went to the field, taking drinks, sandwiches and cakes for the break. It was a great occasion, and our friendship grew enormously. The greatest celebration was their victory! From then on we started to invite them to our meetings. Their response was greater than any of our expectations. The relationship that was born ignited a new hope in them, the desire to speak to the priest to look for a job (and many of them found one) and to reinsert themselves into normal life. We realised that the most important thing was not to give money, but more our real interest in them. We had to give our time, our care, our friendship, and the fruits of loving in this way were much greater. (T. P. – Angola)
Apr 30, 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Edith, a young woman from Sardinia who has been blind from birth, lives in an institution for the blind. One day, the chaplain became paralyzed and could no longer celebrate Mass. Because of this, it was decided that the Eucharist could no longer be kept in the chapel. When Edith heard about this, she asked the bishop to let them keep the Eucharist, for it was the only light in their dark world. He granted her request and also gave her permission to distribute communion to the chaplain and the other residents.
In her desire to help others, Edith also took on the responsibility of preparing a radio program that is broadcast a few hours every week. She uses this program to share with those who are suffering the best that she has to offer—advice, sound thinking and the explanation of moral issues—in order to give them strength. And there is much more that could be said about Edith. Although she is blind, her suffering has given her light.
“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
I could give you other examples as well. There is goodness in the world that often goes unnoticed. Edith lives out her Christianity: she knows that each of us has received gifts from God and she has put hers at the service of others.
Yes, because the word “gift” (which is derived from the Greek word “charism”) does not refer only to those graces that God gives those who govern his Church. Nor does it refer only to those extraordinary gifts that God gives directly to individual Christians for the good of all when they are needed to solve a particular problem in the Church, or in times of serious danger when the existing institutions are not sufficient. Such gifts include wisdom, knowledge, the power to work miracles, the gift of tongues, the charism to generate a new spirituality in the Church, and so on.
These, moreover, are not the only gifts or charisms. There are other, more ordinary ones that many people possess and that are noticeable because of the good they bring about. The Holy Spirit is always at work.
Furthermore, natural talents can also be considered as gifts or charisms. Everyone, therefore, is gifted. You, too.
How should you use your gifts? Try to make them bear fruit. They were not given to you for your own benefit alone but, rather, for the good of all.
“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
There is a great variety of gifts. Since each person has his or her own gifts, each one also has a specific role to fulfill in the community.
Tell me, what gifts do you have? Do you have a degree? Did you ever think, for instance, of setting aside a few hours each week to teach those who need help, those who cannot afford to pay for their studies?
Are you a generous person? Did you ever think of getting together with other people of good will in order to help the poor and the outcasts of society? By doing. this, you could restore a true sense of human dignity to many hearts ….
Are you able to comfort others? Are you good at housekeeping, cooking, sewing or crafts? Look around to see who might need your help.
It’s painful to see how many people are bored because they don't know what to do with their free time. We Christians do not have free time—not as long as there are on this earth the sick, the hungry, the imprisoned, the ignorant, the uncertain, the unhappy, the addicted, the handicapped, … the orphaned, the widowed.
And think of prayer. It is such a powerful gift that we can use at any time, since in every moment we can turn to God who is present everywhere.…
“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
Can you imagine what the Church would be like if all Christians, children as well as adults, shared with others the graces they have received? Their mutual love would become so real, so abundant and so striking that… non-Christians would be able to recognize them as true disciples of Christ.…
For an outcome such as that, don't you think you ought to do all you can to bring it about?
By Chiara Lubich
You can find a complete version of Chiara’s commentary in Words to Live By (New City Press, 1980).
Apr 23, 2009 | Non categorizzato
Much more than solidarity “In the dust of Aquila, we saw the best side of human nature”, said Umberto a volunteer and speleologist from the Alpine rescue service, involved in searching through the rubble. “Prejudice, presumption, arrogance disappeared and only the inner purity of human nature remained, innocent as when we were created. There was much more than solidarity: humanity emerged in all its greatness.” A life-changing experience Marta, a nineteen year old civil engineering student at Aquila University, is visibly moved as she tells us: “It is an experience that changes you. Only God remains. I knew it, I believed it, but now I have experienced it. What use was it to plan my life out? Now I live one day at a time, or rather, one moment at a time.” The tremor just before 11 pm on April 5 was accompanied by a huge bang. Marta was extremely frightened. She and her friends had no idea what to do, even though their rented house, built during the nineties, seemed safe. They phoned their parents. All of them seemed to agree that they need not worry, there was no need to overreact, they ought to keep their minds on their studies. How much they must have regretted that advice, even though their daughters survived! Chiara, a twenty-four year old dental student, remembers the tremor at 10.45 pm. She was on the phone with Luisa. They were very scared. Their other colleagues in university accommodation had already left Aquila. They were both alone in different houses, so they decided to stay the night together. “Shall I come there? Or you come here?” Thankfully Chiara went to stay with her friend. Her own house was in a part that was hit the worst. Rebuilding, outside and within Another kind of reconstruction work ought not to be forgotten, that of the enormous number of people traumatised by the earthquake. Panic attacks, anxiety and insecurity, the difficulty of coping with everyday life and making plans, are often accompanied by insomnia and passivity. The symptoms of trauma last for months, and are sometimes permanent. “Learning how to cope with them”, explains Giuseppe Rocco, neurologist and psychiatrist from Teramo Health Service, working with the evacuees, “is quite possible, but psychotherapy and drugs are not enough. A network of relationships is required. With all of these, trauma damage can be reversed.” In this important inner reconstruction, the generosity and warmth of groups, movements and associations can do a lot. We can see this even while the tremors go on. Testimonies published in Città Nuova n 8 on 25/4/2009
Apr 21, 2009 | Non categorizzato
Some extracts from a talk by Nedo Pozzi on the figure of “Giordani communicator”, given on 18 April, the 29th anniversary of the death of “Foco”, during the recent congress of NetOne Italia.
Igino Giordani, known as Foco by Chiara and all of us, left this earthly life twenty nine years ago. Giordani was an important twentieth century Italian figure. Just when he was busiest and most well known, an event occurred that changed his life and drew him into a new and totally absorbing spiritual experience
It was his meeting in September 1948 with Chiara Lubich. With her, he established a spiritual bond of unity of exceptional humility and transparency. “All my studies, my ideals, the events of my life seemed to have been pointing towards this… Previously I had searched, and now I had found.”
And from that meeting between Chiara and Giordani in 1948, a radical renewal of life, thought, and social interaction began to flourish in all fields, including politics and the media…
Giordani was a man of multiple talents, but today we will consider him as a communicator at the service of a great ideal: humanity as a family.
His contribution to the media world was impressive. He wrote 4000 articles for 49 different publications, in Italy and abroad, founded various journals, directed two daily papers and ten periodicals, and wrote more than 100 books (almost two per year), which, not including essays, pamphlets, letters and talks amount to 26000 pages, many of them translated into various languages. For thirty years he was active in the cultural and political scene, nationally and internationally, giving prophetic insights into many of the dramas of the twentieth century. He was a gifted writer, but his most effective contribution to the media was with words. He had a talent for beautiful and eloquent conversation that, with subtle irony, conveyed counter cultural ideas of unusual depth.
He was a real artist with words, and a politician who was “naive” and “too Christian”. Here he writes about communication.
“If to be is to think, to live is to communicate”
“The communicator is called to illuminate, not to obscure. ….He ought to renew himself each day, replenish himself with ideas in every moment. …The communicator may have no money in his pocket, but with an idea in his head, and a flame burning in his heart, he is worth more on the market than a financier.”
“Love is everything, without love everything is nothing. Communication can and must nourish this truth, the only lasting cohesive force in society, before fear, the mother of the atomic bomb, gains the upper hand.”
“The communicator is the most direct builder of a new city.”
“Humanity always brings ruin on itself for the same reasons… It says for example, “If you want peace, prepare for war”. For us the truth is different. If you want peace prepare for peace. If you prepare for war, then sooner or later the rifles will shoot by themselves… If we want to achieve peace, we have to begin by building it among us… for peace truly begins from each one of us.” This is what he said in Parliament on 21 December 1950.
And finally, what would Giordani say if we were to ask him what to do?
“Open up your heart like a shell in order to hear the voice of humanity. Enable love and wealth – the good and the goods – to circulate, breaking down the barricades of race and class, the customs posts of the spirit, the road tolls of happiness… See in every person, whoever it is, a brother or sister…”
He issued this challenge in 1961, but it is extremely relevant today. I have to respond to it each morning, each time I meet someone or I sit at my computer to do my (and his) work.
Nedo Pozzi
Mar 31, 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Have you noticed how often your life just drags on because you are not living it fully but are waiting for “tomorrow,” hoping it will bring something “beautiful”?
There is, indeed, a “beautiful tomorrow” in store for you, but it is not the one you expect.
A God-given instinct leads you to look forward to something or someone that will be able to satisfy you. You look forward to a holiday celebration, a vacation, or some special encounter; but then when everything is over you are not satisfied, or not fully satisfied. And you start the routine of your life again without conviction, always looking forward to something else.
The truth is that among the many elements in human life there is one that no one can escape: the face-to-face meeting with the Lord who is coming. This is the “beautiful tomorrow” you are unconsciously looking for, because you are made for happiness, and only He can give you complete happiness.
Jesus knows how you and I search for happiness blindly; in fact, he warns us:
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
Be vigilant. Be alert. Stay awake. For although there are many things that you can have doubts about on earth, there is one thing that is certain: one day you will die. For a Christian, this means to meet Christ who is coming.
Perhaps, like many others, you intentionally try to forget about death. You fear that moment and live as if it were never going to come. Rooting yourself more and more in this earthly life, you say, “Death frightens me; therefore it doesn't exist.” Yet that moment will come because Christ will certainly come.
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
With these words, Jesus is speaking of his coming on the last day. Just as he was lifted up into heaven from among the apostles, so will he return.
But these words also refer to the coming of the Lord at the end of each person’s life. After all, when a person dies, for him or her it is the end of the world.
Since you don’t know if Christ will come today, tonight, tomorrow, or in a year or more, you have to be vigilant. You have to be like those who keep watch because they know a thief is coming but they don’t know the hour.
If Jesus is coming, then this life is a passing thing. But that does not mean that you should undervalue it. On the contrary, you should give it the highest importance. You should prepare yourself for that encounter with Him by living a worthy life. …
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
You certainly have to be vigilant. Your life is not merely a peaceful chain of events; it is also a struggle. And a wide variety of temptations, such as those regarding sexuality, vanity, attachment to money, and violence, are your main enemies. If you are always vigilant you won't be taken by surprise.
Those who love are always vigilant. Vigilance is a characteristic of love.
When you love someone you are constantly watching and waiting for him or her to come. Every moment away from the one you love is spent with him or her in mind.
For instance, a wife whose husband is away thinks of him as she goes about her work or as she prepares something for him. Everything is done with him in mind. Consequently, when he arrives at the end of the day she is overjoyed to see him.
Similarly, when a mother is caring for a sick child her thoughts are with him even as she rests.
In the same way, a person who loves Jesus does everything with Him in mind, encountering Him in the simple expressions of His will in every moment, and preparing for that solemn encounter with Him on the day when He comes.
Consider what happened on November 3, 1974. At Santa Maria in southern Brazil a religious convention for 250 young people had just ended. Most of them had come from the city of Pelotas.
The first chartered bus left with forty-five people aboard who were joyfully singing, expressing their love for Jesus. As they were travelling, some of the girls started to pray the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary, asking Our Lady to help them to be faithful to God to the end of their lives.
A short time later, the brakes failed and the bus went out of control around a curve, turning over three times as it fell a hundred and fifty feet. Six girls died.
One who survived said, “I saw death but I was not afraid because God was there.”
Another one said, “When I realized I could move, I knelt in the midst of the debris among the bodies of my friends, and I looked at the starry sky and prayed. God was there with us.” The father of Carmen Regina, one of the girls who died, said that she used to say: “Dying is a beautiful thing, Papa, because you go to be with Jesus.”
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
The girls from Pelotas were watching because they were loving, and when the Lord came, they went to meet Him with joy.
Chiara Lubich
Published in Chiara Lubich, Words to Live By, New City Press, 1987.
The Word of Life, a sentence of Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily life. From the Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich wrote her commentaries on each Word of Life, and after her death last March, her early writings are now being featured once again. This commentary, addressed to a primarily Christian audience, was originally published in December 1978.
Feb 28, 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
The most absurd thing in this world is this: on the one hand, there are so many confused people, endlessly searching for something, crying out for help in the midst of the inevitable trials of life and feeling like orphans. On the other hand, there is God who is everyone’s Father and who would like nothing better than to use his almighty power to grant his children’s wishes and to satisfy their needs.
It is as if emptiness and fullness were crying out for each other. Yet the two do not meet. The freedom humans have been given is able to do such damage.
But for those who acknowledge him, God never ceases to be Love.
Listen to what Jesus says:
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you”
This is one of those statements, full of promise, that we find in the Gospels and that Jesus uses to teach us in various ways how to obtain what we need. […]
Only God can speak in this manner. His power is unlimited and he can bestow all graces, whether they be spiritual or material, possible or impossible.
But pay close attention: Jesus tells you how to present your request to the Father. “In my name,” he says.
If you have even a little faith, these three short words should give you confidence.
Jesus lived here among us and knows our countless needs, and he feels deep concern for us. So when we pray, he wants to be involved. It is as if he were saying to each one of us: “Go to the Father on my behalf and ask him for this and that and the other thing.” He knows that the Father cannot say “no” to him because he is his Son and he is God.
You do not go to the Father on your own behalf, but on behalf of Jesus. You become simply his messenger.
There are many Christians who pray in this way and who could tell you of the countless graces they have received that show that, in his fatherly love, God watches over them every day.
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you”
At this point, perhaps, you may say to me, “I have asked over and over in the name of Christ but with no results.”
That is possible. I mentioned before that there are other passages of the Gospel in which Jesus invites us to ask for what we need. In them he gives further explanations that you have probably overlooked.
He says, for instance, that we obtain what we request if we “remain” in him, and that means to remain in his will. […]
It is possible that you may ask for something that doesn’t coincide with God’s plan for you, something that he doesn’t consider useful to your life here on earth or in heaven, or that he even considers harmful. How could he, your Father, grant your prayer in this case? He would be betraying you, and that he will never do.
Therefore, it might be useful for you to make an agreement with him before praying, and to say: “Father, I would like to ask you this in Jesus’ name–if you think it is in order.”
If the grace you are asking is in harmony with God’s loving plan for you, then you will see the truth of the words:
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you”
It could also be that you ask for graces without any intention of conforming your life to what God demands. Do you think that in this case it would be fair for God to grant what you request? He doesn’t want to give you only a gift; he wants to give you complete happiness, and you can possess it only if you live the commandments of God, and his words. It is not enough to think about them, or even to meditate on them; they must be lived.
If you do this, you will obtain everything.
To summarize, would you like to obtain graces?
Ask for anything you want in the name of Jesus, intending, above all, to do God’s will and to obey his laws.
God is very happy to give us graces. Unfortunately, we don’t very often give him the chance.
An integral version of this commentary has been published in: Chiara Lubich, Words to Live By (New City Press, 1980).
![“Universal fraternity: a necessity for Europe”]()
Feb 25, 2009 | Focolare Worldwide
Guadalajara – 14/3 Mass live transmission on TV Maravision 
Puebla – 26/3 Cultural Event, with the participation of various cultural experts, people of other faiths and from the world of art. Puebla – 28/3 Mass in the Cathedral; presiding celebrant J.Trinidad Medel, vicar of the Archdiocese of Puebla for the Laity. Netzahualcoyotl – 20/3 Mass in the Cathedral; presiding celebrant Bishop Carlos Garfias Mexico City – 26/3 Tribute to Chiara, at the l’IMDOSOC, Mexican Institute of Social Teaching of the Church, with testimonies from political, religious, and cultural leaders, 7 p.m. Santa Cruz – 6-15/3 Traditional rites – 9 days of prayer for Chiara; on the 10th day, Mass in the Náhuatl language for people of the 32 indigenous communities of the area. (Note: Náhuatl is the language spoken by the Aztecs, and used by the Madonna of Guadalupe when speaking to Juan Diego). Little town “El Diamante” – 22/3 An afternoon dedicated to Chiara – 1 pm – the Blessing of the Cross according to local custom – lifted up from the earth, as a symbol of the resurrection; it will be brought in procession, while petals are strewn along the route, to signify the final journey to Paradise. The Cross will be placed in the little town’s cemetery (called “Resurrection”, a name given by Chiara)
Feb 18, 2009 | Focolare Worldwide
There have been many events throughout the world to remember Chiara Lubich, and to carry on living her legacy. Here we look at what is happening in Germany. “On the first anniversary of the death of Chiara Lubich, we would like to explore once again the power of the Gospel, which changed Chiara’s life and the lives of many others.” This commitment will be affirmed by movements and communities of various Churches in Germany in Munich’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, on March 14. The location is highly significant, for this was where, on December 8 2001, a very important event took place. As we read in the invitation «The contribution of Chiara Lubich and the evangelical Bishop Ulrich Wilckens to the communion among movements and communities of various Churches, was fundamental. Their pact of mutual love was the basis for the growth of the network, Together for Europe». There will be addresses by: Metropolitan Serafim Joanta, of the Romanian Orthodox Church Pastor Thomas Römer, of theYMCA in Munich Fr Michael Marmann, of the Schönstatt Movement (Munich) Renata Simon and Herbert Lauenroth, of the Focolare Movement (Ottmaring) Other events in Germany: Dresden – 14/3 Mass – 11.00; celebrant Bishop Joachim Reinelt Commemoration in the Council Chamber of Saxony, under the patronage of the President, Erich Iltgen Hannover – 14/3 Commemorative programme with the Lutheran Bishop Christian Krause, former President of the World Lutheran Federation. Presentation of the schools project: “Strong without violence” supported by the European Union, with the participation of Gen Rosso Solingen – 14/3 Award of the prize from the city of Solingen to the Mariapolis Centre “Zentrum Frieden” for its contribution to the development of the city Münster – 14/3 Mass – 14.30 – followed by a brief meeting and a presentation of the life of Chiara Lubich Regensburg – 14/3 Mass – followed by a brief meeting and a presentation of the life of Chiara Lubich Mainz – 14/3 Mass – celebrant Bishop Ulrich Neymeyr – followed by a brief meeting and a presentation of the life of Chiara Lubich
Jan 31, 2009 | Non categorizzato, Word of
What do you think of this? These words make extreme, unheard-of demands! Yet, that Jesus who said that marriage is indissoluble and commanded us to love everyone, and especially our parents, that same Jesus is now asking us to put into second place all the beautiful affections we have here on earth, lest they become obstacles to our direct, immediate love for him. Only God could ask so much.
Jesus wants to tear us away from our natural way of living and wants to bind us to himself above anything else so that he can bring about universal brotherhood on earth.
Therefore, wherever he finds an obstacle to his plan, he “cuts,” and in the Gospel he speaks, in a spiritual sense, of a “sword.”
He calls those who have not known how to love him more than mother, spouse, and life itself, “the dead.” Do you remember the man in the Gospel who asked if he could bury his father before starting to follow Jesus? Jesus answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead” (Lk 9:60).
Perhaps you might be afraid when confronted with such a demand. Perhaps you would like to limit these words of Jesus to his own time, or address them only to those called to follow him in a special way.
You are mistaken. These words hold true in every age, our own as well. They apply to all Christians, including you. In today’s world you will find many opportunities to put this invitation of Christ into practice.
Is someone in your family opposed to Christianity? Jesus wants you to bear witness to him or her with your life and, at the right moment, with words, too, even at the cost of being ridiculed or slandered.
Are you a mother whose husband is asking you to have an abortion? Be obedient to God and not to humans.
Does somebody want you to join in an activity whose goals are suspicious or even wrong? Break off with him or her.
Has a relative offered you money obtained illegally? Maintain your honesty.
Does your whole family encourage you to enjoy the many things that the permissive world has to offer? You need to break with this so that Christ's presence in your life will not withdraw.
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
Are you from a family of non-believers? Did the fact of your conversion to Christ provoke division? Don’t worry, for this is the result of living the Gospel. Offer God the anguish in your heart for those you love, but don’t give up.
Did Christ call you to himself in a special way, and is now the moment when the total gift of yourself demands that you leave father and mother or even your fiancé?
Make your choice. There is no victory without a struggle.
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
“… and even his own life.”
Do you live in a place where persecution is a fact and where being a Christian puts your life in danger? Take courage. At times our faith can ask even this of us. For the Church there is never a real end to the age of martyrs.
Each one of us, in the course of his or her life, will sooner or later have to choose between Christ and everything else in order to remain an authentic Christian. So your turn will come too.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t fear for your life. It is better to lose it for God than to lose it forever. Eternal life is a reality.
Don’t be afraid for your family either. God loves them. If you are able to put him first, one day he will come and call them with the powerful words of his love, and you will help them to become, with you, true disciples of Christ.
By Chiara Lubich
An integral version of this commentary has been published in: Chiara Lubich, Words to Live By, New City Press, 1980.
![“Universal fraternity: a necessity for Europe”]()
Jan 21, 2009 | Focolare Worldwide
Remaining faithful to traditional values, but at the same time being up to date… At the conclusion of the World Meeting for Families in Mexico city, which took place on Saturday, 17th of January, there is among others, the Simango family from Malawi, who shared their experience 28/01/2009 
The experiences shared by families from five different continents were very moving during the climax of the World Meeting for Families promoted by the Pontifical Council for Families. From Africa, the Simango family, mother, father and their twins, 14 years old, shared, how even though they live in an environment permeated by traditional values, consumerism and the media can easily impose other models and even revoke their precious values and traditions. They shared how important it is to educate our children with respect for traditions, but at the same time, remain open… Dennis (father) Just as in many countries in Africa, the cost of living in our country is continually rising, while the salaries remain the same. As a consequence, more and more people are living below the poverty line. Our shops are full of modern, fancy products: toys, the latest fashions in clothes, cell phones etc., and the advertisements entice us to buy them. And so, instead of trying to combat poverty by creating new opportunities for development, people are getting carried away by these things; but they are frustrated because they cannot afford to buy them. As parents we feel that it is our duty to teach our children to distinguish between what is and what is not essential for living, for example all those things which they impulsively would like to have. We try to make them aware that technology cannot be a substitute for respecting the things we have, and that we should acquire something new only when it is necessary. But more than just speaking about it we do this by all of us together drawing on the words of the Gospel. One evening together with the children we spoke about those words of Jesus when He said: “Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to me”. The following day we spontaneously shared with each other how we tried to put these words into practice, and we saw how each of us was able to share something with the others, with the intention of sharing it with Jesus. During my lunch break I helped a student who was having some difficulties; my wife gave some rice to a neighbour who didn’t have any; one of the children lent her pencil and the other lent his eraser to their school companions. When we spoke among ourselves about what we had done the happiest of all were the children who had understood that we don’t need to be rich in order to be able to share. Margaret (14 years) In the boarding school we are only provided with basic meals and these are not always sufficient. Last year many of my school companions complained about being hungry and I often gave them what I had brought from home. When I came home for the holidays my mother noticed that I had lost a lot of weight. When she got to know the reason for this she advised me not to give away what I needed, but she gave me something extra so that I could continue to share with the others. Modesta (mother) In our culture sharing is considered to be a very important value, as an ancient African proverb says: “… unlike a piece of cloth, food is never too little to be shared.” But because of the influence of the media, many have begun to think that it is wiser to keep whatever they have for themselves. Another danger which stems from an uncontrolled use of television are the soap operas and the imported cartoons which propose models which are very far from our own culture, especially regarding consumerism and the relationship between men and women. We have rules in our family, for example no TV during school and only two hours each day during weekends or holidays, being careful about what programmes the children watch. We get a DVD of their choice – making sure that the content is good – which we then share with other families with whom we are linked in our own city and in the rural areas. But above all we speak with the children about what they have seen, so as to awaken a good critical sense in them, “that you may discern – as St. Paul teaches – what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect”(Rm 12,2). Mario (14 years) Whenever I was in school I couldn’t wait for the moment to return home so as to be able to spend all the time I wanted in front of the TV. But speaking with my family I understood that this wasn’t true freedom and that sometimes the TV can be a trap. In this way I learned how I could avoid turning on the TV, even for days. Modesta You, oh Mary, who are Queen of Africa, you know that it is a land rich with resources, but burdened with enormous problems: poverty, malnutrition, AIDS, epidemics, conflicts and wars. Bring forth among us wise leaders and keep us faithful to that culture of life which our fathers taught us. The good news of the Gospel is that compendium of human and Christian values which makes us your children and through which we become new men and women. Help us to live it and to transmit it to our children.
Dec 31, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Have you ever visited a community that is alive because it is made up of authentic Christians? Have you ever attended some of their gatherings? Have you tried to understand their way of life? If you did, then you must have noticed that the people who make up this community have different roles: some have a gift for speaking and can communicate spiritual truths that touch your soul. Others have a gift for helping, caring for the sick, or providing aid, and it is amazing how much they can do to benefit those who suffer. Some teach with such wisdom that they add new strength to the faith you already had. There are those who know the art of organizing or leadership, while others have a gift for understanding those around them and offering consolation to those in need.
Yes, you may have noticed all of these things, but what strikes you above all in such a vibrant community like this is that all the members have the same spirit, something that you seem to feel in the air and that makes this particular community into a single body.
“There are many members, yet one body.”
Paul too, in a special way, found himself before vibrant Christian communities, communities that had actually come into being through the power of his extraordinary preaching.
One was the young community of Corinth, to whom the Holy Spirit had very generously conferred gifts, or charisms, as they are called. In those days extraordinary charisms were given for the special vocation of the early Church.
Even after the uplifting experience of receiving numerous gifts from the Holy Spirit, however, this community fell into rivalries and confusion, even among those who received such gifts. Therefore it was necessary to ask for help from Paul, who was at Ephesus.
Paul was quick to reply through one of his remarkable letters, explaining how those special graces should be used.
He explained that there is a variety of charisms and ministries, such as apostles, prophets, and teachers, but there is only one Lord who bestows them all. He said that in the community there are those who work miracles and those who heal, while others have special gifts for serving or for leadership. There are those who can speak in tongues, and those who can interpret them. But, he added, there is only one God from whom all these gifts have come.
Since these various gifts are expressions of the same Holy Spirit, who gives them freely to each person, these gifts will always be in harmony with one another, always complementing one another. They are not given for one’s personal satisfaction, nor should they be a cause of vanity or of pride, but they are given for a common purpose: to build up the community. Their goal is service. Thus, they cannot cause rivalries or confusion.
Although Paul was thinking of the particular gifts that concerned the life of the community as a whole, he saw that each member possessed an individual talent, a special ability, that should be utilized for the good of all. Each person should be happy with what he or she has been given.
He envisioned the community as a body and asked, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?” (I Cor 12:17-19). As it is,
“There are many members, yet one body.”
If each of us is different, each is able to be a gift for the others. In this way, we all can be ourselves and fulfill the plan that God has for us in relation to the others.
In a community in which this variety of gifts work together, Paul saw such a reality that he gave it the splendid name, Christ. The fact is that this original body, made up of members of the community, was truly the body of Christ. Christ truly continues to live in his Church and the Church is his body. Through baptism, in fact, the Holy Spirit incorporates the believer into Christ, and he or she becomes a part of the community. There, all are Christ, every division is eliminated, and every discrimination is overcome.
“There are many members, yet one body.”
Since the body is one, then the members of the Christian community can bring to fulfillment their new way of life by accomplishing unity among themselves, a unity that presupposes diversity and pluralism. The community does not resemble a block of lifeless matter, but a living organism with different members.
To provoke division is, for Christians, to do the opposite of what they should do.
“There are many members, yet one body.”
How then can you live this new word that Scripture proposes?
You should have great respect for the different functions, gifts and talents present in the Christian community.
You need to be open to the entire Church in all its aspects, not only to the particular community that you know or you belong to, like the parish community or the religious organization or movement you are a member of. You need to be open to the universal Church in all her manifold expressions.
You should feel that everything is your own because you are part of this one body.
As a result, just as you consider and protect every part of your physical body, you should do the same with every member of the spiritual body…
You should value all of them and do your part so that they may be useful to the Church in the best possible way…
Do not be scornful of what God is asking of you right where you are. Even though your daily work may seem monotonous and lacking in significance, we all belong to the same body. As members, each one of us participates in the activities of the entire body, even though we remain in the place that God has chosen for us.
What is essential, then, is that you possess that charism that, as Paul proclaims, surpasses all others; and that is love, love for each person you meet, love for all people on earth.
It is through love, through mutual love, that the many members are able to be one body.
Chiara Lubich
An integral version of this commentary has been published in Words to Live By (New City Press, 1983).
The Word of Life, a sentence of Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily life. From the Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich wrote her commentaries on the Word of Life, and after her death last March, her early writings are now being featured once again. This commentary, addressed to a primarily Christian audience, was originally published in January 1981.
Dec 29, 2008 | Non categorizzato
Dec 6, 2008 | Non categorizzato
It was December 7 1943. This is how she remembers the moment, early in the morning, when she went alone to the Collegio Serafico of the Capuchins. In the chapel a priest was waiting for her. During Holy Communion, she said her “yes, for ever” to God, the rock on which everything began: Imagine a young girl who is in love, in love with a love which is the first love, the purest one, as yet undeclared but which is already burning in her soul. There is one difference. A young girl who is in love like this here on earth has before her the image of her loved one. This girl does not see him, does not hear or touch her loved one, or sense his fragrance with the senses of the body but rather with the senses of her soul, through which love has entered and taken complete possession of her. So she feels a special joy, one which is difficult to experience again in life, a joy which is secret, serene, jubilant. The church was beautifully decorated. On the back wall was a painting of Mary Immaculate. Before Communion I saw in an instant what I was about to do. Through my consecration to God, I was crossing a bridge. The bride was collapsing behind me. I would never be able to go back into the world. I was getting married. I was marrying God. And it was that God who later would show himself as the Abandoned One. Opening my eyes to what I was doing in that moment was, I remember, something immediate and brief, but so strong that I shed a tear which fell on my missal. I think I ran all the way home, stopping only once, near the bishop’s house, to buy three red carnations for the crucifix awaiting me in my room. They would be a sign of the feast day celebrated by everyone.
Dec 5, 2008 | Non categorizzato
These are some fruits of the Word. All the fruits listed here, however, have their origin in the same truth. The Word of life, as we know, is unlike other words. It can not only be heard, it has the power to accomplish what it says. The Word, a presence of Christ, generates Christ in our soul and in the souls of others. It is true: if we are Christians, then even before living the Word with commitment, Christ’s life is within us and with it we undoubtedly have the light of God, and love too. Regrettably they are often hidden, as if in a chrysalis. By living the Gospel, love radiates light and with the light, love grows: the chrysalis begins to move, and finally the butterfly emerges. The butterfly is the tiny Christ who begins to dwell in us and grow more and more… so that we are increasingly filled with him. There is a marvellous description by Paul VI of what the Word produces: “How is Christ present in a person’s soul? Through the vehicle and the communication of the Word (…) the divine thought passes, the Word passes, the Son of God made Man. We could say that the Lord becomes incarnate within us, when we allow His Word (…) to live within us.” From: Vivere. La Parola che rinnova – Città Nuova Editrice, Roma 2008
Dec 1, 2008 | Non categorizzato
Nov 30, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
WORD OF LIFE December 2008
By Chiara Lubich
Do you remember these words? Jesus addressed these words to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. These words give meaning to his passion, which was followed by his resurrection. They express the drama unfolding within Jesus in all its intensity. It is the inner laceration provoked by his human nature’s deep revulsion facing a death willed by his Father.
Christ, however, did not wait until that day to conform his will to that of God. He had done it all his life.
If this was how Christ behaved, then it ought to be the attitude of every Christian. You too should repeat in your life:
“Not my will but yours be done.”
Perhaps you never thought of it, even if you were baptized and are a son or daughter of the Church.
Perhaps you might have used this sentence as an expression of resignation—something one does when he or she has no choice. This, however, is not its real meaning.
Listen: in life you can go in one of two directions. You can do your own will, or you can freely choose to do God’s will. In the former, you will soon experience disappointment by attempting to climb the mountain of life using your limited ideas, your resources, your dreams and your own strength. All this, sooner or later, will transform your life into an experience of boredom, inconclusiveness, dullness and, at times, despair.
Your existence will be colorless in spite of your efforts to make it interesting; despite everything, the deepest part of you will not be at peace. You should admit it, for you cannot deny it.
Furthermore, at the end of your life, you will depart without leaving a trace—only a few tears and then inexorable, total oblivion.
If, instead, you do the will of God, you will re-live Jesus’ words:
“Not my will but yours be done.”
Let us imagine that God is like the sun. A ray from the sun falls on each one of us. Each ray is the divine will for me, for you, for everyone.
Christians and all people of good will are called to move towards the sun, keeping to their own ray of light which is unique and distinct from all the others. By doing so, they will fulfill the wonderful and particular plan that God has for them.
If you do the same, you will find yourself involved in a divine adventure you never even dreamed of.
You will be, at the same time, both actor in and spectator of something great that God is accomplishing in you and through you in humanity.
All that will happen to you—joys and sufferings, graces and disgraces, significant events (success and good fortune, accidents and the loss of those dear to you) as well as seemingly insignificant events (routine work at home, in the office or at school)—everything will acquire new meaning since all have been offered to you by God who is love.
Everything that he wills or permits is for your own good. At first, you will accept it in faith and later you will actually experience that there is a golden thread connecting all the events of your life and forming a beautiful embroidery—it is the plan of God for you.
Maybe this prospect is attractive to you. Maybe you sincerely want to give a deeper meaning to your life. Then you should consider this first: when to do the will of God. Just think for a moment: the past is gone and you cannot run after it; you can only leave it to God’s mercy. The future is not here yet – you will live it when it becomes the present. Only the present is in your hands. In the present, you have to live the words:
“Not my will but yours be done.”
When traveling by train—and life is also a journey—you usually remain in your seat. You wouldn’t think of walking back and forth to get there faster. But this is what we do if we live our life dreaming of a future which is not yet here, or thinking of a past which will never return.
No, time moves forward on its own. We must remain rooted in the present and then we will reach the fulfillment of our lives here.
You will now ask me: how do I distinguish God’s will from mine? It is not difficult to distinguish God’s will from our own if we remain in the present. I will tell you one way to do it. God speaks within you. Perhaps in the past, his voice has too often been smothered by you and is now barely audible. But try to listen, God speaks to you (see Jn 18:37 and Rev. 3:20). He tells you when it is the moment to study, when it is the moment to help someone in need, when to work, when to overcome a temptation or to fulfill one of your duties as a Christian or as a citizen. The voice of God within you urges you to listen to those who speak to you in his name; it helps you face difficult situations courageously….
Don’t silence this voice—it’s the most precious treasure you possess. Follow it. You will then build, moment by moment, the story of your life, a story that is both human and divine because it is made by you in collaboration with God. And you will see wonders. You will see what God can work in people who say with their whole lives:
“Not my will but yours be done.”
Chiara Lubich
The Word of Life, a sentence of Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily life. From the Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich wrote her commentaries on the Word of Life, and after her death March 14, her early writings are now being featured once again. This commentary was originally published in August 1978 addressing a Christian audience.
Published in Words to Live By, New City Press, 1980.
Nov 23, 2008 | Non categorizzato
“Sophia”, an Institute of higher education, emerges from a paradox: Chiara Lubich’s decision to “put her books in the attic.” Maria Emmaus Voce: Chiara had an ardent desire to know the truth, and thought she would get to know it through studying philosophy. At a certain moment she felt within that Jesus was asking her to seek the truth not in books, but in following Him, the Truth in incarnate. So she made the choice to put her books away in the attic, and give up her dream of studying in order to follow him. She also felt Jesus saying to her, “I will be your teacher”, promising to reveal his truth, and his knowledge, to her. And this is what happened through the gift of a charism, the charism of unity. From the profound conviction that the charism of unity contains the capacity to generate a doctrine capable of lighting up the various fields of knowledge, a university institute has been born today. “Sophia” it has been said, would like to be a laboratory for formation and research where the links between life and thought, study and experience, are re-established. What does this mean in practice? Maria Emmaus Voce: The attempt to live the unity between these aspects means that those who register at this institute come with a pre-condition, that they are ready to love others, to be open to everyone, regardless of culture, religion, from wherever or whatever race they belong to. The “Sophia” students accept an experience of life where they discover that they can be open to one another not only as individual people, but that their cultures can be open to one another. They also discover that each discipline is profoundly linked to others, and the foundation of all knowledge is Wisdom, God’s vision of man and human affairs. What do you hope for, as a movement and personally, from the process that with “Sophia” has just begun? Maria Emmaus Voce: We would like to form men and women who know how to put together teaching and life, and are capable of contributing to unity, of being men and women of unity, wherever they are in society, in their professional and social lives. We really expect these people, like catalysts in any group of people, to build up a point of attraction, a focus around which cells of unity are built, which reach out more and more into society until “all will be one” when the human family will be brought together in unity once more. This is Jesus’s prayer to the Father, it is Chiara’s and our dream, and therefore also my personal dream. By Chiara Santomiero – November 20 2008
Nov 10, 2008 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 31, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
We can’t think that just because we are in the world we can take to it like a fish to water.
We can’t think that simply because the media offers us all kinds of choices we are free to watch every program.
We can’t think that just because we walk the streets of the world we can freely look at all the ads and billboards and buy just any publication at the newsstand or bookstore.
We can’t think that just because we are in the world we can live as we please, the way everyone else does, following along passively accepting abortion, divorce, hatred, violence or embezzlement. We can’t.
We are in the world; no one can deny that. But we are not of the world (see Jn 17:14).
This makes a great difference. It puts us among those who don’t live according to what the world says, but rather according to what the voice of God suggests to us from within. God lives in the heart of every human being. If we listen to him, he will lead us into a kingdom that is not of this world, a society in which true love, justice, purity, meekness and selflessness are lived, where self-control is the norm.
In the past many young people journeyed to India and the Far East, hoping to find some peace of mind and to discover the secrets of the Eastern spiritual masters, who, after a long process of self-mortification, frequently radiate a more genuine kind of love that touches the people they meet.
The quest of these young people was a very natural reaction to the uproar in the world, to the noise around us and within us that leaves no room for silence in which to hear God’s voice.
However, it is not necessary to go to India. Two thousand years ago Christ urged us to deny ourselves. If we are Christians, we cannot expect to lead a comfortable and easy life. Christ did not, and he will not ask any less of us if we want to follow him.
The world, with all its attractions and negative aspects, is coming at us head on like a rushing river, and we must go against the current. It is also like dense underbrush in which a Christian must look very carefully where to step. And where should we step? In the footsteps that Christ himself laid down for us while here on earth. These footsteps are his words.
Today he repeats to us Christians: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself….” If we follow Christ, we may be laughed at, misunderstood, scorned, slandered or isolated. We must be ready to lose face, to give up the easygoing, socially acceptable way of being a Christian. And there is more:
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Whether we like it or not, suffering is a part of everyone’s life, ours as well. Sufferings great and small come our way every day.
If we try to avoid them, to rebel against them, or if we feel like cursing them, then we cannot be called followers of Christ.
Christians love the cross; they love suffering even amidst tears, knowing that suffering has a value. God had countless ways at his disposal by which he could have saved humankind. Yet he chose to use suffering.
We know that Jesus rose after carrying his cross and being crucified. We are also destined to rise (see Jn 6:40) if we accept the sufferings that come from living an authentic Christian life and those that each day brings with love, rather than despising them. By doing so we will see that even here on earth, the cross is a way that leads to a joy we have never before experienced. We will begin to grow spiritually, and the kingdom of God will become firmly established in us. Little by little the world’s attractions will fade away before our eyes and seem as if they are made of cardboard. And we will no longer envy anyone.
Then we will be able to call ourselves followers of Christ.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
And like Christ, whom you have followed, you will be light and love for the countless suffering people in today’s world.
The Word of Life, a sentence of Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily life.
By Chiara Lubich
This Word of Life was originally published in July 1978 and then in Words to Live By (New City Press, 1981). From the Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich wrote her commentaries on the Word of Life, and after her death March 14, her early writings are now being featured once again.
Oct 29, 2008 | Non categorizzato
Living the present moment, I live the whole Gospel. If Scripture teaches us to do small things well, this is exactly what happens to people who, with their whole heart, do only what God wants of them in the present. If a person lives in the present, God lives in them and if God lives them, charity is in them. Whoever lives the present is patient, perseverant, meek, completely poor, pure, and merciful because he or she has love in its highest and most genuine expression. He or she truly loves God with their whole heart, their soul and their strength, is illuminated within, is guided by the Holy Spirit and therefore does not judge, thinks no evil, loves their neighbour as themselves, has the strength of evangelical folly to offer the other cheek, to go for two miles… He or she often has the opportunity to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s because in many present moments, he or she has to fully live their life as a citizen… and so on. Whoever lives the present is in Christ the Truth. And that satisfies, satisfies the soul that would like to possess everything in every moment of life. (from Essere tua Parola, Città Nuova Editrice – 2008 p. 51)
Oct 18, 2008 | Non categorizzato
From the start of the Focolare Movement, Chiara Lubich, together with a small group of friends, began a spiritual journey marked by a deep rediscovery of the life of the Gospel. The effect of this life was the birth of a community made up of those who, after meeting them, began in turn to live the Gospel with commitment and enthusiasm, communicating their many surprising experiences to one another. Today the Word of God still occupies a central place. It is experienced as a source of God (cf DV 7) from which to drink, and to nourish the soul, as with the Eucharist (cf DV 21). The habit of sharing experiences of the Word with one another helped them to bring about an increasingly authentic evangelisation. One can understand Chiara’s ardent desire to leave to those who follow her, only the Gospel. “What remains and will always remain”, she said, “is the Gospel, which is not affected by time” (…) “The Work of Mary will thus remain on earth like another Mary: completely Gospel, nothing else but Gospel, and because it is Gospel, it will not die” (C. Lubich, Essere tua Parola, Roma, p 85)
Oct 11, 2008 | Non categorizzato
![“Universal fraternity: a necessity for Europe”]()
Oct 10, 2008 | Focolare Worldwide
“We commit ourselves more than ever to travel together on the way opened up by our two great guides”, wrote Emmaus Maria Voce, the President of the Focolare Movement, to the followers of “our beloved Imam W.D. Mohammed who gave his life for peace and universal fraternity.” For more than ten years, there was a deep spiritual friendship between Chiara Lubich and the Imam. Through his moral authority, he was recognised as the most important African-American Muslim leader. He died at home in Markham, Illinois, on September 9 at the age of 74. “Thousands of people coming from all over the United States to his funeral” – said one American newspaper – “paid tribute to him as the greatest Muslim leader in the United States.” And it went on, “Muslim groups who have suffered in the past from internal divisions, found themselves united in the presence of a man who had given his life to bring unity.” One impression of the day was expressed by one of his followers: “ September 11, 2001 was a sad day for Muslims. Today however, is a day that fills us with pride.” In 1975, on his deathbed, Elijah Mohammed, his father, entrusted to him the leadership of “Nation of Islam”, the African-American community founded by him to improve the moral and social lives of African-Americans. W.D. strove to bring his followers to an interpretation of Islam true to its roots, emphasising racial tolerance and universality. He became a bridge builder between African-American Muslims and Muslim immigrants from the Middle East and Asia, with Christians, and between whites and blacks. For his extraordinary work in interreligious dialogue, in 1994 he was nominated one of the international presidents of the “World Conference of Religions for Peace”. The journey undertaken together by Imam Mohammed’s followers and Chiara Lubich began on May 18 1997 in the Malcolm Shabazz (also known as Malcolm X) Mosque in Harlem, New York. That was the first time a white Christian woman had spoken in the mosque. Three thousand people, Muslims and representatives of Focolare, were present. While Chiara spoke, telling her Christian experience, quoting the Gospel and phrases from the Koran that illustrated how much we have in common, she was frequently interrupted with applause and shouts of, “God is great.” Shortly afterwards, in a private meeting, W.D. Mohammed and Chiara made a pact in the name of the one God: to work unceasingly for peace and unity. Faithfulness to this pact brought numerous fruits of unity between Focolare communities and his followers: the dialogue that developed became a sign of hope, and a light for many. Its importance increased after the events of September 11. Imam Mohammed and his followers came several times to Rome, to take part in interreligious gatherings organised by the Focolare Movement. In 1999 he was invited to speak, in St Peter’s Square in front of Pope John Paul II, at the interreligious preparatory meeting for the Jubilee year, representing Muslims from all over the world. On that occasion the Pope encouraged and blessed the dialogue that had begun with the Focolare. In 2000 he invited Chiara again, this time to speak to 7000 Muslims and Christians gathered at a two-day meeting in Washington, called, “Faith Communities Together”, because, he said, “America needs to hear your message, to see this unity that binds us together.” Since then, in Washington, Los Angeles, Miami Chicago, New York, and other US cities, there have been regular “Encounters in the Spirit of Universal Brotherhood”, meetings for dialogue where a point of the spirituality of unity is explored from both the Christian and the Muslim points of view, with the sharing of practical life experiences. The most recent meeting between Imam Mohammed and the leaders of the Focolare Movement in Chicago took place only a few days ago. He had planned to go with a group of followers to the forthcoming international meeting for Christian-Muslim dialogue at Castelgandolfo (Rome) from October 9 to October 12, but had been advised not to undertake such a long journey because of heart problems. Imam Mohammed was a man immersed in God. When speaking to 4000 of his followers at their national convention in 2005, he affirmed strongly, “We must love everyone in the way we wish to be loved. We must love Christians so that they become better Christians, we must love Muslims so that they become better Muslims.” When Chiara was asked about her relationship with Imam Mohammed, she replied, “I feel at ease with him because it seems to me that the Lord has put him next to us, as he has put us next to him, perhaps for a plan of love of his, which we will be able to understand in as much as we go ahead in our communion and by working together.” And Imam Mohammed, in an interview, declared, “I think it is possible to free ourselves from the poison of prejudice if we are spiritually healed. This is what we can do, to recognise ourselves as people of different religions and part of a common humanity. I think that we are doing something great, making it possible for people who hated each other to free themselves from hatred, to find new life, new happiness, because the weight of prejudice has been lifted from their hearts.”
Sep 30, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Get Generous
Has it ever happened that you received a gift from a friend and then felt you had to reciprocate — not so much because you felt obliged to pay the person back, but simply out of love and gratitude? I’m sure it has.
If you feel this way, imagine how God must feel, God who is love.
He reciprocates every gift that we give to any neighbor in his name. True Christians experience this frequently. And each time it is a surprise. We can never get used to the inventiveness of God.
I could give you a thousand examples of this. I could even write a book on this subject alone, and you would see how true are the words, “…a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.” God always reciprocates with generosity.
Here is one example. Night had fallen in Rome. In their basement apartment, a small group of young women who wanted to live the Gospel were wishing each other good night. Then the doorbell rang. Who could it be at this hour? At the door they found a panic-stricken young father. He was desperate: the following day he and his family were going to be evicted because they had been unable to pay their rent.
The women looked at one another and then, in silent accord, went to the dresser drawer. There they kept what was left of their salaries. In envelopes marked “gas,” “electricity” and “telephone” were the small deposits they had set aside for these bills. Without a moment’s worry about what would happen to them, they gave all the money to their visitor.
That night they went to bed very happy. They knew Someone else would take care of them.
Just before dawn the phone rang. It was the same man. “I’ve called a taxi, and I’m coming right over!” Amazed that he should have chosen to come by taxi, they awaited his arrival. As soon as they saw his face they knew something had changed. “Last night, as soon as I got home,” he said. “I found I had received an inheritance I never dreamed I would get. My heart told me I should give half of it to you.” The amount he gave them was exactly twice what they had generously given him.
“Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.”
Haven’t you also experienced this? If not, remember that the gift must be given with no self-interest, without hoping to get it back, and to whomever asks.
Try it. But not so that you can see if it works, but because you love God.
You might be tempted to say, “I have nothing to give.”
That’s not true. If we want to, each of us can discover that we possess inexhaustible treasures: our free time, our love, our smile, our advice, our peace, our words that might persuade someone who has to give to someone who has not.
You might also say, “I don’t know whom to give to.”
Just look around you: don’t you remember that sick person in the hospital, that widow who always feels lonely, that boy in your class who failed and got discouraged, the young man who is sad because he can’t find a job, your little sister or brother who needs a helping hand, that friend who is in prison, that new person at work who is unsure of herself? In each person, Christ is waiting for you.
Put on the new way of behavior that comes from the Gospel and is the mark of a Christian. It is the exact opposite of having a closed mind or being concerned only about ourselves. Stop putting your trust in this world’s goods, and start relying on God. This will display your faith in him, and you will see from the gifts you receive that your faith is well founded.
It becomes apparent, however, that God does not give as he does in order to make us rich. He acts in this way so that many, many others, seeing the little miracles that happen to us as a result of our giving, may decide to do the same.
God also gives to us because the more we have the more we can give. He wants us to be administrators of his goods and see to it that they are distributed throughout the community around us, so that others might be able to repeat what was said of the first Christian community, “There was no needy person among them” (Acts 4:34).
Don’t you think that in this way you too can help give a solid spiritual basis to the social change that the world awaits?
“Give and gifts will be given to you.”
When Jesus said these words, undoubtedly he was thinking first and foremost of the reward we will receive in heaven. But the reward we receive on this earth is already a foretaste and a guarantee of our heavenly reward.
Chiara Lubich
Sep 7, 2008 | Focolare Worldwide
My husband and my children are all alcoholics. Until last year, my eldest son Tom was living with his girlfriend, and both of them became drug addicts too. About a year ago my son came back home because he had fallen out with his partner. In the meantime however, she had had a child. It really upset me to think about the situation of this little grandchild. I blamed the mother and one day when I met her on the street, I openly accused her of all sorts of things. This left a lot of bitterness on both sides. When I got home you can imagine how guilty I was at having failed to love her. No matter how many excuses I gave myself, telling myself that I was right, that I did it for my grandchild, I was not happy. Something inside me was telling me to call her and ask her to forgive me, difficult as it was. I didn’t know whether she would even listen to me. In the end, when I asked her to forgive me, she was eager to forgive me too. Some time after this episode, Dorothy was sent to prison. Things were going from bad to worse, and I was so worried about my grandchild’s situation that I began to resent the parents who had brought him into the world into such a situation. Since they were unmarried, the child would be taken into care. My resentment grew bigger and bigger, and Jesus’s words about forgiveness brought me no peace. I ought to love Dorothy, what ever happened to my grandchild. After several attempts, the Word finally broke through and in a completely different state of mind I went to see her in prison: she gave me a big hug and broke down in tears. I think she felt that I went to love her and accept her as she was. She spoke to me about her child and asked me if I could look after it. We arranged for legal custody to be passed to my son, and now they both live with me. It seemed like the hundredfold promised by Jesus to whoever looks for his Kingdom, doing his will, and the result of my commitment to love, right to the end. (J.S. – USA)
Aug 31, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
“Love your enemies.” These are very strong words. They completely overturn our way of thinking, and they force us to make a sharp turn in our life’s direction!
Let’s face it. We all have an enemy of one kind or another.
My enemy might be my next-door neighbor, that unpleasant busybody I try to escape from every time I see her approach the elevator I’m taking.
It could be that relative who mistreated your father thirty years ago and you haven’t spoken to since.
It could be that classmate you refuse to look in the face since he got you into trouble with the teacher.
Your enemy might be the girl who was your friend but dropped you to hang out with someone else.
Or it could be the salesperson who cheated you.
Quite often we look at politicians as enemies if their opinions are different from ours.
And, as always, there are people who see some priests as their enemies and then hate the Church.
All of these people and many, many others whom we consider enemies have to be loved.
They have to be loved?
Yes. They have to be loved! However, this is not merely a matter of changing our feeling of hatred into another feeling that is more benign.
We have to do much more than that.
This is what Jesus says:
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
As we can see, Jesus wants us to overcome evil with good. He wants us to have a love that is carried over into concrete actions. We might wonder why Jesus is asking this of us.
The fact is he wants us to pattern our lives after the life of God, his Father, who “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5:45).
This is the point: we are not alone in the world. We have a Father, and we should be similar to him. Furthermore, he has the right to ask this of us because when we were still his enemies, when we were still living in darkness, he was the first to love us by sending us his Son who died in such a terrible way for each one of us (see 1 Jn 4:19).
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you….”
This lesson had a big impact on little Jerry, an African American boy from Washington, D.C. Because of his high I.Q., he was admitted to a special class, a class with all white children. But his intelligence alone was not enough to win him acceptance. Everyone disliked him because he was black. Then Christmas came. The other children exchanged gifts with each other, but they left Jerry out. Naturally, the young boy cried. When he got back home, however, he remembered the words of Jesus, “Love your enemies.” So, with his mother’s permission, he bought gifts which he distributed with love to all of his “white brothers and sisters.”
“Love your enemies… pray for those who mistreat you.”
One day, a girl from Florence named Elizabeth was heading into a church to go to Mass when, all of a sudden, a group of girls her own age started to make fun of her. It really hurt her. She wanted to scream back at them, but instead she smiled. While she was in church Elizabeth prayed for them. As she was leaving, they came up to her and asked why she had behaved the way she did. She explained that since she was a Christian she had to love in every situation. She said this with great conviction. The following Sunday she discovered that what she had done had borne fruit. When she entered the church she saw those same girls sitting attentively in the first pew.
These experiences show how children understand the Word of God. Because of this they are “grown-ups” in God’s eyes.
Perhaps we too ought to take steps to remedy certain situations in our own lives, all the more so since we will be judged by the way we judge others. We ourselves are the ones who give God the measure by which he will measure us (see Mt 7:2). Do we not really believe what we often pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (see Mt 6:12)? So, let’s love our enemies! Only by doing this can we heal disunity, break down barriers and build up the community.
Is it difficult? Painful? Does the mere thought of it keep us awake at night? Be strong! It is not the end of the world: all it takes is just a little effort on our part, and the remaining ninety-nine percent will be done by God, and then in our hearts will flow a river of joy.
Chiara Lubich
This text has been published in Living City, May 1978.
Jul 31, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
In however many neighbors you meet throughout your day, from morning to night, in all of them recognize the presence of Jesus.
If your eye is sound, the one who looks through it is God. And God is Love, and love seeks to unite by winning over.
How many people, in error, look at others and at things in order to possess them. It may be a look of selfishness or of envy which in either case is sin. Or people may look within their own selves, and be possessive of their own souls, their faces lifeless because they are bored or worried.
The soul, because it is made in the image of God, is love, and love that turns in on itself is like a flame, that because it is not fed, dies out.
Look outside yourself, not in yourself, not in things, not in persons; look at God outside yourself and unite yourself to him.
He lives in the depths of every soul that is alive, and if dead, the soul is the tabernacle of God that awaits him as the joy and expression of its own existence.
Look at every neighbor then with love, and love means to give. A gift, moreover, calls for a gift, and you will be loved in return.
Understood in this way, love means to love and be loved: as in the Trinity.
God in you will attract other hearts, igniting the life of the Trinity in them, which may already rest in them through grace, although extinguished.
You cannot light up a space—even if electricity is available—until the current’s two poles are brought together.
The life of God in us is similar. It must circulate in order to radiate outside of us and give witness to Christ, the One who links heaven to earth, and people with one another.
Look, therefore, at every one of your neighbors. Give yourself to them in order to give yourself to Jesus and Jesus will give himself back to you. It is the law of love: “Give, and gifts will be given to you” (Lk 6:38).
Out of love for Jesus, let your neighbors possess you. Like another Eucharist, let yourself “be eaten” by your neighbors. Put your entire self at their service, which is service to God, and your neighbors will come to you and love you. The fulfillment of God’s every desire lies in fraternal love, which is found in his commandment: “I give you a new commandment; love one another” (Jn 13:34).
Love is a Fire that penetrates hearts and makes them perfectly one.
When this happens you will no longer find yourself, nor your neighbor; you will find Love, which is God living in you.
And Love will go out to love other brothers and sisters because since your eye is sound, it will see itself in them and all will be one.
And around you will grow a community, just as around Jesus there were first twelve, then seventy-two, then thousands….
The Gospel is fascinating – because it is Light turned into love – it attracts us and draws us to follow it.
Then you might even die on a cross, so as not to be different from the Master, but you will die for whoever crucifies you, and so love will have the ultimate victory.
But your lymph – poured out for the hearts of others – will not die.
It will be fruitful, by propagating, bringing joy and peace and opening up Paradise.
And the glory of God will grow.
But while you are here on earth, be perfect Love.
Chiara Lubich
Part of this text is published in Essential Writings (New City Press, 2007), pp. 80-81.
Jul 17, 2008 | Non categorizzato
My name is Sandeep, born and brought up in Bangalore, India. Raised in a Hindu community, my parents brought me up according to Hindu traditions and religious values. Every day begins offering prayers to our God to seek blessings by lighting a lamp with oil and incense sticks, and end the day in the same way giving thanks to God. Each Hindu family has their own God for e.g. Lord Krishna or Lord Shiva. My parents are devoted to two different Gods; as a result I began devoting myself to both of the deities. We have certain festivals which are practiced in order to thank God and His creations. For instance, at the beginning of our new year, we celebrate the harvest of the previous year and mark the beginning of the new harvest by offering various folk programs and preparing special dishes e.g.:- the festival of Pongal & Onam. In our every day life too we inculcate the practice of offering prayers before beginning any task. It could be before preparing breakfast or signing documents at work. We also inculcate the practice of visiting our Gods’ temples along with our family as often as possible in order to refresh our spiritual life and the feeling of unity under God’s shelter with reference to our Holy Book the Bhagavad-Gita. My parents are religiously tolerant and yet they kept their distance from other faiths; for instance they always had the wrong assumption when it came to Christianity that ‘BEWARE Christians convert other faiths’ as they had a few bitter experiences. My folks never bothered though to know the reason behind the others conversion which I could never understand. As I grew up I accompanied my aunt and grandma who offered prayers every Thursday in a Catholic Church. My understanding towards Christians as well as to other faiths became stronger as I realized that we all are the children of one God with different names. At college a very good friend of mine borrowed my guitar and I had to get it back for practice. When I went to get it he asked me if I would be happy to meet his friends and I obliged. It was worth meeting this bunch of strangers. Later on I got to know that they were all young people of the Focolare Movement who made a choice of putting God in the first place of their lives and tried to put into practice Christianity in a concrete way, by living the Gospel. That was when I decided to get to know more about Christianity and realized in a practical way that true Christians were not the one’s who wanted to convert other people, but helped them build more strength in living their respective faiths. For instance living the Gospel meant putting the Holy Book into practice which made me realize the importance of reading the Gita. The experiences of these new friends shared during our meetings, seeing them attend daily mass at Church reminded me to offer my prayers with family at the temple. The prayers they would offer before every meal reminded me of the verses from the Gita which in turn I recited within myself along side. Hence, I got an opportunity to share the feeling of togetherness, unity, joy and fraternity all under the warm ideal of God amongst us. The Experience of being with these Christians has been unique. An experience which has taught me to share and learn to reciprocate unconditional love with the ideal of God amongst us in all that we pursue. But to love, care and strive towards the will of God in the present moment is very challenging; during my every day life for instance at work, not everybody realises that a small gesture of Love like just saying hello can make a lot of difference and bring a smile on people’s faces making them happy. I just listen to my workmates when they are troubled due to work pressure and this has helped them to learn to love too, and has given me a humble feeling of sharing God’s Love with everybody I meet. With my friends, to help us live our lives according to the Will of God during the day, we circulate amongst ourselves a thought for the day that we try to put into practice. Everyday is a new day and has a different experience to share. Also, every month my Christian friends try to put into practice a certain verse from the Gospel for the whole month, which in turn helps me relate to the objectives in my religion. In doing so, I experience a strong bond of unity with my Christian friends. Now I would also like to share few instances and experiences of putting Christian’s values into practice in my every day life, Firstly beginning at home from being a single kid I was always aloof because my folks were always concerned that I would get into trouble. Of course later music became part of my life and I began making, sharing and knowing more friends but again only pertaining to music. As I began knowing more about the life style of my Christian friends, and met different people from various communities, the shared views, the thoughts and experiences helped me learn more about the Golden Rule which is present in all religions, ““Do to others as you would do to yourself … in order to build unity wherever I am. Consequently at home I began spending a good amount of time with my folks in helping them with the smallest of things of giving them company and helping them in their routine activities. The joy and smile of relief and happiness they would radiate would make it feel as a complete day. Even at class my Christian friend and I observed that the class was always divided into different groups and each group would never want to be with the other due to small issues of not possessing similar tastes, poor communication or various other trivial differences. Gradually my friend and I took the initiative to build unity from the smallest level within our class. It surely made a difference in the class and in the final year of graduation everybody realized the importance of being united and at least made the smallest of attempt to assist and love each other concretely. About my parents who were paranoid as to why I would not miss a single meeting with my Christian friends, they did get suspicious about me getting converted as I was always inclined visiting the church since my 10th grade. But later after my friends visited home and met both my parents they were convinced about no conversion of any sort. In fact they were more than glad to let me be part of the movement and wanted to know more about the movement through me. Actually initially I too was hesitant in getting used to this new style of life as there was more emphasis on the Christian scriptures but when I got more acquainted with it I realized it co-related to the religious Hindu principles thus inculcating more knowledge and faith in my own religion too. Above all I have realized the importance to be selfless and always try to share unconditional love with all my fellow human beings, it is a feeling which is inexpressible. More than that, it makes us experience the presence of God amongst us; all it takes is to always bear in mind the Golden rule “Do to others as you would do to yourself”. (S. – This experience was told at “Let’s connect”, an interreligious meeting, organized from the Focolare Movement, during the Youth Festival of the WYD 2008 in Sydney)
Jul 17, 2008 | Non categorizzato
This journey of being able to meet with friends of many other faiths and do things together for a united world has been a beautiful experience for me. It started in 2006 when I was asked by the focolare movement to be present at one of these regional meetings for World Conference of Religions for Peace in Indonesia. I remember asking what I had to do and my director just said, “Just go and love.” It’s just that simple and sometimes you do not really realise it because in our working life, we tend to approach everything with an agenda and outcome. But yet this was the most important thing to do and that was what I tried to live out. I remember the meeting was in Ambon, the spice islands of Indonesia. When I was on transit to Ambon from Jakarta, I noticed some Japanese and I saw in their demeanour, something simple and felt that maybe they too would be going to the conference. I decided to approach them and even if they are not, just to greet them. Immediately, they responded with smiles and we spoke as one of them spoke in English. It was a good start and many a times, it is these simple gestures that are important for dialogue. I remember many times during this conference to resist speaking and try to listen and then offer a solution. It is very difficult for me because I tend to be very talkative as a person. It is true that when you love, God guides you to do things for Him. I also remembered telling myself to be ready for everything just to be open to loving. And so soon after I arrived and having breakfast with my new friends from the Philippines, one of the organisers came up to me, and asked me to help with a session the day after. I was shocked and then I remembered I promised to say “Yes” and to be open. I kept doing this at the conference and very soon I was facilitating a workshop, a session during the seminar and finally the peace statement. Now 2 years after that experience…. it has been an incredible journey. I suddenly have many friends from the other religions and we work together concretely for peace. We have this youth network called the Asian Inter-religious Youth Network. This is the network to activate religious youth for common actions for peace. Just last year for example, when the Myanmar unrest happened and Buddhist Monks were injured. We activated peace actions in terms of peace signatures, prayers vigils and peace marches throughout Asia. We gathered petitions and then submitted them to the chair of ASEAN in Singapore as Myanmar is a member of this regional grouping. Our petition urged dialogue and respect of the Monks and people of Myanmar. In WCRP, we believe in the power of mobilising diverse religious communities for peace. And the common bond that binds us is the Golden Rule. Personally, I also try to live out the golden rule in my workplace. In Singapore cars are very expensive and so my Muslim colleague drives me to work each day. And together we pray in the morning for the work in the office and entrust it to God. We would share the intention and then have a moment of silence. It is a simple gesture but it really works. I remember one time we were worried about the office’s financial situation. I remembered praying with him and the next day, more than sufficient amount of money arrived. To everybody, I also want to add a final word and that is, if we love then we can be the presence of Jesus in the world. And he is the greatest and foremost master of dialogue since he was the one who spoke first with the Samaritan woman and with Nicodemus. He was also at ease with everyone because he chose to love first before he spoke. If we follow Jesus then we are ready to live the golden rule each day and become the dialogue He wants us to have… (L. C. – This experience was told at “Let’s connect”, an interreligious meeting, organized from the Focolare Movement, during the Youth Festival of the WYD 2008 in Sydney)
Jul 17, 2008 | Non categorizzato
“Al-Salamu Alaikum”. “Peace on You”. I am Najiyyah. I am a Muslim from Mindanao State University in Marawi, a city in the southern part of the Philippines. I met the Focolare Movement in 2006. I am convinced that whatever faith a person embraces, as long he has an inner peace instilled in him, he can light up the world. I am happy to know that I can contribute towards building a peaceful and harmonious community by starting with my self. I am teacher by profession. In school, seventy percent of the students in my class are non-Muslims, but I never make it a hindrance to create a serene, calm and a just atmosphere in the classroom. I try to love all—my students, my colleagues, and the people that I meet everyday. One time I dealt with a noisy student, who is of another faith. I felt that she was a bit harsh on me yet I kept holding back my anger. I tried to double my patience with her. I felt that I had to set aside my prejudices and to see only the good in her even as she continued to test my professional and personal competence as a young Muslim teacher. Later, after loving her concretely, she asked me if I am really a true Muslim, and I said yes. She was very amazed and she told me that I was different from the other Muslims she knew. This marked a beginning of a beautiful rapport between us. In one occasion, we were discussing the theme: “Tourism, a vehicle for peace” in class. When she was given the chance to share her thoughts, she said that peace is truly an individual’s choice and with much conviction she added that peace should really start from within. I felt an immense joy in my heart because I knew that her answer was not just an idea she had in her head, but it was a learning taken from life, an experience which we shared together. In Islam, we believe that the least we can do is not to harm another person even in our thoughts and words. I feel that if I live this aspect of my faith well, I can really contribute something to attain peace wherever I am. As a Muslim and as a teacher, it is very important for me to live my faith in a very modest way because I am aware that people are not only looking at me, but they are also learning from me; thus, I grab every opportunity that comes my way. I am a member of a youth club, which also works for peace. One of our initiatives is peer advocacy, which invites young people to stop talking about how “different” they are from the rest but instead to come together and talk about the “difference” they can make together. This encourages us to embrace others as our real brothers and sisters regardless of faith, culture, and social status. Our club also believes that there are some other ways to attain peace; thus, we came up with some other initiatives like a cleanliness drive in the school campus. Since most of us are students, we find a common free time within the week to meet and to do “clean-up” activities. We also encourage others to participate. Now, I am more and more convinced that a harmonious and healthy environment is a reflection of peace among us. Sharing my time, talents, and “treasure” is part of my commitment for peace advocacy. This must also be the reason why I was chosen to help resolve little conflicts in relationships. Being a mediator is a very big responsibility. I have to set aside my prejudices in order to listen better to the others. Almost always, I see that my personal commitment for peace and the sacrifices I make in order to achieve it, bear good fruits: problems are addressed, conflicts are resolved, and relationships are rebuilt. Through the spirituality of unity of the Focolare Movement, founded by the late Chiara Lubich, I have learned and I have experienced that peace is truly a fruit of unity. Unity has also been my person goal in building my rapport with others especially at home. As part of our culture, I grew with a deep sense of family. In fact, our house has been a home to our “extended” family members; some of them do not share our faith. Nevertheless, we have a peaceful atmosphere since we have respect for each other and that we always point out the good things we have in common rather than the things that divide us. There are also some girls who help us with the household chores. They are non-Muslims. I try to treat them as my real sisters by welcoming them in our home and letting them feel that we are really a family, after all, that is what we are—we are children of one God! They are welcome to eat with us at meal time. We invite them to join us for our family pastimes and we also encourage them to spend time with their own friends. On Sundays, we respect that it’s their worship day and we do not ask them to do household chores. We motivate them to fulfill their religious obligations. We welcome and celebrate the Christmas Season with them, too, but of course as Muslims, we remain faithful to our “Halal” when it comes to food. During Ramadhan, the month of fasting for us, Muslims, they are also invited to join us in fasting, but we have never imposed this on them. We share with them the purpose of why we fast but they have the freedom to join us or not. We don’t expect them to be wide awake at 3 in the morning when we prepare our food even if it is part of their duties at home to do so. I am happy because my mother and my sister also live the spirituality of the Focolare Movement and together, we try to build unity not only at home but also with our community. There are many occasions when we gather with our neighbors to celebrate and enjoy each others’ company. There are times that we also come together to welcome new acquaintances. With the sharing of the food, which is typical of our Maranao culture, and the playing of beautiful music through our very own ‘Kulintang’, these celebrations are always meaningful because we try to make sure that everyone is enjoying and at peace with one another—that not one will feel discriminated or out of place. I will always be grateful to Chiara Lubich. Her faithfulness to her Christian faith has moved me to best Muslim I can be. She is my inspiration to sow seeds of peace and transform the places, where I am, into fragments of unity by loving God and the neighbor concretely. I know that I can never stop the “wars” in Mindanao where I come from, but nothing can stop me from hoping and believing that one day, all shall come to pass. The road to achieving peace is long and difficult, but the journey is worthwhile because I am not alone. Yes, I have to start with myself, but it must not end there. I know that there are many young people who also want peace. If we work together, we can have better and faster means of achieving our goal. Yes, we may not live to see the day…., but we must begin! (N. A. – This experience was told at “Let’s connect”, an interreligious meeting, organized from the Focolare Movement, during the Youth Festival of the WYD 2008 in Sydney)
Jul 15, 2008 | Non categorizzato
On the 7th of July 2008 Giancarlo Faletti was elected as co-president by the general Assembly, to become responsible, amongst other things, of the branches of diocesan priests and religious members of various Congregations of the Movement. Giancarlo was born in Cerro Tanaro (Asti-Italy) on the 14th of September 1940, in a family of Christian but not very practising farmers. His mother was a housewife. His father worked at the National Trains Company, and their family had to move to Turin because of his work. When he was still 10 years old he felt attracted to the idea of giving his life to God, but he felt very reliant on his family and the environment in which he lived. At 16 years of age he passed through a critical phase, seeking a meaning for his life. At 19 years of age he accidentally bought a copy of the magazine Citta Nuova (New City) at the door of his parish church. “On that wintry Sunday I felt as if I had entered a warm environment. Whilst I was reading those articles I felt there was something which bound a family together. I immediately wanted to know more”. This was when he got in touch with the Focolare. The year after, an international meeting in Grottaferrata turned out to be decisive for his life. The way for his life was clear: he wanted to give himself to God in the focolare. After he ended his studies in economics, he started to work with a bank. When he was 25 years old he started his new life in the focolare of Turin. He lived in Genoa from 1972 to 1983, where he was co-responsible of the Movement in Liguria. Here he took particular care of the youth, amongst whom fruits of sanctity soon blossomed: this year the cause of beatification has been opened for two of them, Alberto Michelotti and Carlo Grisolia. He then worked for 14 years at the Centre of the Movement in Rocca di Papa, where he was also co-responsible of the community of Castelli Romani and of a part of the Lazio region. In 1997 he received his licence in theology and was ordained a priest. In that same year he moved to Rome where he was co-responsible of the Movement for the regions of Lazio, Abruzzo and Sardinia. In 2000 Chiara Lubich, who always had a particular love for the city which is the seat of Papacy and Christianity, launched “Roma-Amor”, a great experience of new evangelization. Giancarlo Faletti was close to the founder, who followed this new initiative step by step. The objective is to help give new life to the city with the evangelic ideal of unity, at a civil and religious level, in a capillary way. Amongst the most varied initiatives one finds the ongoing dialogue the Movement has with the Islamic community of Rome, which began when members of the Movement were invited to speak about the Christian experience and the experience of inter-religious dialogue in the Mosque of Rome.
Jun 30, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Have you ever experienced a thirst for something infinite? Have you ever felt in your heart a consuming desire to embrace immensity itself?
Or perhaps, deep down, you’ve felt dissatisfied with what you do, with who you are. You’ll be happy to know that there is a formula for achieving the fullness you long for, a way of life that won’t leave you regretting how you spent your day.
One Gospel phrase in particular makes us stop and think. As we grasp something of its meaning, it fills us with joy. It captures everything we should do in life and sums up the laws that God has inscribed in the depths of every human heart.
Listen:
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets”
This is the “golden rule” that Christ brought, although it was already widely known. For example, the Hebrew Scriptures include it, and Seneca, the ancient Roman author and philosopher, also knew of it. In Asia the Chinese thinker Confucius taught it. This shows how close it is to God’s heart, how he wants all people to make it the basic rule of their lives.
The passage forms a neat turn of phrase—it sounds like a motto:
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you”
Let’s love each neighbor like this, every neighbor we meet during the day.
Let’s imagine we are in others’ circumstances and treat them as we would want to be treated if we were in their place.
The voice of God within will suggest how to express love appropriately in each situation.
Are they hungry? Let’s say to ourselves, “I am hungry,” and give them something to eat.
Are they being unjustly treated? So am I.
Are they in darkness and doubt? I am too. Let us speak words of comfort and share their suffering, not resting until they find the light and experience relief. It’s how we would want to be treated.
Do they have a disability? I want to love them to the point of almost feeling their infirmity in my own body and heart. Love will suggest a way for me to help them feel no different from others and, indeed, that they have received an added blessing, because as Christians we know the value of suffering.
And let’s continue with everyone, not drawing any distinctions between those we find pleasant and those we do not, between young and old, friend or enemy, fellow citizen or foreigner, beautiful or not. The Gospel includes everyone.
I can almost hear the murmurings, and I understand. Perhaps my words seem simplistic, but what a change they demand! How distant they are from our usual ways of thinking and acting!
Take courage; let’s try it!
A day spent like this is worth a lifetime. In the evening we won’t even recognize ourselves. A joy never felt before will fill our hearts, and we will experience new strength. God will be with us, since God stands with those who love.
Fulfilled days will follow, one after another.
From time to time, we may slow down, be tempted to get discouraged or want to stop. We may want to go back to the way we lived before….
Instead no! Take courage! God’s grace is there for us.
Let’s always begin again.
By persevering, we will see the world around us slowly change.
We will understand that the Gospel makes life more interesting. It lights up the world, gives flavor to our existence and contains a principle for resolving all our problems.
We will not be satisfied until we have communicated our extraordinary experience to others; to those friends we feel will understand, to our relatives, to anyone with whom we feel the urge to share it.
Hope will be born yet again.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”
Chiara Lubich
Jun 22, 2008 | Non categorizzato
![“Universal fraternity: a necessity for Europe”]()
Jun 19, 2008 | Non categorizzato
The words of Jesus! They must have been his greatest art. The Word that speaks in human words: what content, what intensity, what an accent, what a voice! We will hear it once again in Paradise. He will speak to us. The Word of God is unlike any other. It has the power to accomplish what it says. It generates Jesus in our soul and the souls of others. The Word must become action and guide our lives. In this way it appears attractive. You only need to know a few letters and a few rules of grammar in order to read and write, but if you do not know them you remain illiterate all your life. In the same way, whoever does not assimilate one by one the words of the Gospel, does not know how to write Christ with his or her life. To form Jesus in us, only a few sentences are necessary. We have no other book besides the Gospel, we have no other science, or art. There is Life! Whoever finds it does not die. Chiara Lubich
Jun 3, 2008 | Non categorizzato
May 31, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
When you love someone, you want to stay with them always. This is also God’s desire, God who is Love. He created us so that we would be able to meet him, and we will only have the fullness of joy when we reach intimate union with him, for he is the only one who can satisfy our hearts. He came down from heaven to be with us and lead us into communion with him.
John, in his letter, speaks about remaining or dwelling within each other, God in us and we in him, reminding us of that compelling appeal made by Jesus at the last supper, “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” And with the parable of the vine and the branches, he explained how strong and vital the link is that unites us to him (see Jn 15:1-5).
But how can we reach union with God?
John does not hesitate: we just have to observe his commandments:
“Those who keep [God’s] commandments remain in him, and he in them.”
Are there many commandments that must be followed in order to reach this unity?
No, because Jesus condensed them all into one. Just before stating the Word of Life that has been chosen for this month, John reminds us, “And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us” (1 Jn 3:23).
Believing in Jesus and loving one another as he loved us: these are the only precepts.
If human existence finds its fulfillment in God’s living among us, there is only one way to be fully ourselves: by loving! John is so convinced of this that he keeps repeating it throughout the letter: “whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16); “if we love one another, God remains in us” (1 Jn 4:12).
Tradition holds that when John was very old, he was asked about the Lord’s teachings and he always repeated the words of the new commandment. If they asked him why he didn’t speak about anything else, he would answer, “Because it is the commandment of the Lord! If we put it into practice, that is enough.”
That’s how it is with every Word of Life: without fail they all lead us to love. It can’t be otherwise because God is Love, and each of his words contains love, expresses love and, if put into practice, transforms us into love.
“Those who keep [God’s] commandments remain in him, and he in them.”
This month’s Word of Life invites us to believe in Jesus and adhere with all our being to his person and teachings. It invites us to believe that he is the love of God—as John teaches us again in this letter—and that for love he gave his life for us (see 1 Jn 3:16). It invites us to believe even when he seems far away, when we don’t feel his presence, when difficulties arise or suffering comes.
Strengthened by this faith, we’ll know how to live by his example and obey his commandment to love each other as he loved us.
We’ll know how to love even when someone no longer seems lovable, even when we have the impression that our love is inadequate, useless, not returned. By loving this way, we’ll revive all our relationships, making them ever more sincere, ever deeper, and our unity will attract God’s presence among us.
“Those who keep [God’s] commandments remain in him, and he in them.”
Here’s one couple’s experience: “We were really in love, my husband and I. Everything was fine during the first years of our marriage. Lately, however, he has been very tired and stressed out. Here in Japan, the responsibility to work weighs down on a man’s shoulders like a ton of bricks.
“After coming home from work one evening, he sat down at the table for supper. I was about to sit down next to him when he shouted at me to go away, ‘You don’t have the right to eat because you don’t work!’
“That whole night I cried and thought about leaving and splitting up. The next day thousands of thoughts continued to nag at me: ‘I made a mistake in marrying him. I can’t live with him anymore.’
“In the afternoon I spoke with my friends, those with whom I share the desire to live an authentic Christian life. They listened with much love. From this communion with them I found the strength and courage I needed to start over.
“I went home to prepare once again my husband’s supper. As the hour of his return from work drew closer, however, my fear returned and grew stronger. ‘How was he going to react tonight?’ But a voice inside of me was saying, ‘Don’t give up. Welcome this suffering. Continue to love.’
“Just then he appeared at the door. He held out a cake he bought for me. ‘I’m sorry for what happened yesterday,’ he said.”
Chiara Lubich
Apr 30, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”
The risen Jesus, the Lord, continues today, as in Paul’s time, to act in history through his Spirit, especially in the Christian community. He enables us, too, to understand the Gospel in all its newness, and he writes it on our hearts so that it becomes our law of life. We are not guided by laws imposed on us from the outside; we are not slaves forced to obey regulations that we find unconvincing or that we do not share. A Christian is moved by a principle of interior life that the Spirit has placed within through baptism, and by the Spirit’s voice repeating the words of Jesus, making them understood in all their beauty─expressions of life and joy. The Spirit makes these words timely, teaches us how to live them, and infuses within us the strength to put them into practice. It is the Lord himself who, thanks to the Holy Spirit, comes to live and act in us, making us a living Gospel. To be guided by the Lord, by his Spirit, by his word─this is true freedom! It coincides with the fulfillment of what is most profound in our being.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”
But we know that for the Holy Spirit to act, we must be completely ready to listen, change our way of seeing things if necessary, and then adhere fully to what the Spirit’s voice suggests. It is easy to allow ourselves to become slaves to pressures from fixed customs and social mores that can lead us to make wrong choices. In order to live the Word of Life this month, we need to learn to say a decisive “No!” to those negative things that surface in our hearts each time we are tempted to settle for ways of acting that are not in line with the Gospel. And we need to learn to say “Yes!” to God with conviction each time we feel he is calling us to live in truth and in love. We will discover the connection between the cross and the Spirit as cause and effect. Each cut, each pruning, each “No!” to our selfishness is a source of new light, peace, joy, love, inner freedom, self-fulfillment. It is an open door to the Spirit. During this time of Pentecost, he will be able to bestow his gifts more abundantly: he will guide us, and we will be recognized as true sons and daughters of God. We will become ever more free from evil, ever more free to love.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”
It was precisely this freedom that a U.N. officer found during his last assignment in one of the Balkan states. The missions entrusted to him were rewarding, although extremely demanding. One great difficulty, however, was that he had to be away from his family for prolonged periods. Also, when he returned home, he found it hard to leave the burdens of his work at the door and devote himself, free of worries, to his children and wife. Suddenly he was told that he would be transferred to another city in the same region. Bringing his family with him to that city was unthinkable because, in spite of recently signed peace agreements, hostilities continued. He wondered what to do. What was more important, his career or family? He spoke at length about it with his wife, with whom he had been sharing an intense Christian life for a long time. They asked for light from the Holy Spirit, and together they attempted to understand God’s will for their family. Finally, they came to a decision: to leave his job, a highly sought-after position. It was a most unusual decision in that professional environment. “The strength to make this choice,” he said, “came from love; love on the part of my wife, who never made me feel the burden of the hardships I had brought on her. As for me, I had sought the good of the family, beyond economic security and career interests, and I found inner freedom.” Chiara Lubich
Apr 10, 2008 | Non categorizzato
This is the final spiritual reflection, prepared for the Movement by Chiara from her hospital bed at the Gemelli hospital shortly before she “departed”, and released recently: “I would like this time to underline the value of relationships, relationships among us. At the beginning in Trento, our relationship with God and with our brothers was changed by Living the Word. In this way what we called a “Christian community” came to life. Let us not forget these beginnings. Let us build our Opera (Movement) on this foundation.” Here is part of the first commentary on the Word of Life, still very relevant, from over 50 years ago. We can take it as a commentary on the reflection above, to explore it more deeply and translate it into life. “The words of the Gospel may seem simple, But what a change they require! How far they are from our usual way of thinking and acting! Take courage! Let’s try. A day spent like this is worth a whole life. In the evening we will not recognise each other. A joy never experienced before will invade us. A strength will come to us. God will be with us, because he is with those who love. One after another, the days will be full. We will slow down at times, be tempted to discouragement, to stop. And we will want to return to our old life… But no! Take courage! God gives us the grace. Let’s always start again Persevering, we will see the world around us gradually change. We will see that the Gospel makes life more fascinating, brings light to the world, gives flavour to our existence, and contains the principle for solving every problem. And we will have no peace, until we have shared our extraordinary experience with others: to friends who understand us, to our relatives, to whoever we feel inspired to give it. Hope will be born again.”
Apr 9, 2008 | Focolare Worldwide
The application form in front of me, for a teaching job, reminds me that my student days are over. I have to choose a destination, and the box is staring at me. Should I stay in my Southern town, or go somewhere else? I am in front of a real life choice. Many of my companions choose the North, where there are more opportunities, and they can get away from the things that so often come up in the papers: illegality, irregularity, and criminality. But so many things link me to my town! Not just my family, my feelings, my friends, my interests, but also the hope of doing something, of going against the current, in spite of my limits. The challenge that Chiara gave to young people came to mind: “to die for your own people…”. The idea of staying, with the risk of less work opportunities, in “difficult schools”, is growing, rather recklessly, inside. I speak about it at home, with my girlfriend, with my companions. It is evening and the form has to be sent in the morning. The choice is made: I’m staying. I think, “What can I do in this quarter, an area affected by the Camorra, where people are shot and killed? I can love! May God help me.” I select some “frontier” schools as well as “élite” ones. God will help me understand where he wants me. A few months later, I am given a year’s work. It is amazing, I enter my school career through the main door, with the best contract! On the first morning the lessons are suspended, because of vandalism the previous night. I understand straight away that God has taken me at my word. The moment of trial has arrived. It is a very special situation and the social unease can be felt. The days go by, some with difficult moments where nothing seems to work, and others where the children’s faces light up, and they come to me, because they want to improve and have a better future. I hold on to this hope, and my pain has a meaning. I don’t know whether I can keep it up, because it is hard to confront bullies, to gain respect, and to speak about mathematics in these situations. But I know that moment by moment I can try to bring God into the classrooms. I can bring him through reprimands, through marking, through conversation, through discussions, through explanations, through silence, through ticks on the register. If he wanted me here, there’s a reason. (P.D. – ITALY)
Apr 2, 2008 | Senza categoria
Apr 1, 2008 | Non categorizzato
The 2008 congress of Sportmeet, “Sport in–credibile – Set fraternity in motion”, from March 28-30 in Rome, presented sport as both credible and beautiful, far from the threat of violence, racism, doping, and over-commercialisation.
The challenge of fraternity in sport, and through sport, was issued by 420 sports enthusiasts from 38 countries from all five continents, through important life experiences, reports from international experts, round tables, workshops, and sports and games.
Among the many testimonies from sportsmen and women at all levels were those of Josefa Idem, Olympic canoeing gold medallist 2000, Ippolito Sanfratello gold medallist in Turin in 2006 in speed skating, Marco Pinotti, pink jersey in the “Giro d’Italia 2007”, Karl Unterkircher, high-altitude (8000m) climber, Nicolo’ Corradini orienteering world champion ‘94 ‘96 and 2000, and Hungarian Petra Treveli who finished third in the 2007 Milan Marathon.
Alongside them were people involved in the promotion of socially oriented sports projects in developing countries (Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Philippines…), and animators of anti-Mafia and anti-Camorra peace education projects in Sicily and Campania.
Teachers and students from 17 universities around the world, testified their commitment online at Sportmeet to develop and spread a new sporting culture, oriented to fraternity.
Mar 31, 2008 | Non categorizzato, Word of
“The spirit from on high is poured out on us. Then will the desert become an orchard and the orchard be regarded as a forest.” Thus begins the section from which this month’s Word of Life is taken. In the second half of the 8th century B.C., the prophet Isaiah announces a future of hope for humanity, almost a new creation, a new garden or “orchard” inhabited by right and justice, which can produce peace and security.
This new era of peace (shalom) will be the work of the divine Spirit, a life force capable of renewing creation, and it will come about by respecting the pact between God and his people and among the people themselves, since communion with God and communion among people are inseparable.
“Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.”
The words of Isaiah recall the need for serious and responsible commitment in following the shared norms of civil society, the norms that limit selfish individualism and blind judgment and favor harmonious coexistence and diligent works aimed at the common good.
Will it be possible to live according to justice and practice what is right? Yes, on the condition that we recognize all other people as brothers and sisters and see humanity as one family, in the spirit of universal brotherhood.
And how can we see it this way without the presence of a Father of all? He has already inscribed universal brotherhood, so to speak, in the DNA of each person. What a father wants most, in fact, is for his children to treat each other as brothers and sisters, that they choose what is best for each other, that they love each other.
This is why the model Son of the Father, brother of each of us, came on earth and left us the norm for social living: mutual love. And one expression of love is to respect the rules of living together and carry out one’s duties.
Love is the ultimate norm for every action. Love is what animates true justice and brings peace. Nations need laws that are increasingly suited to the needs of social and international life, but above all, they need men and women who order their own personal lives based on the rule of love. This order is justice, and only in this order do laws have value.
“Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.”
How will we live the Word of Life this month? By devoting ourselves even more to our professional obligations with regard for ethics, honesty, legality.
We live it also by recognizing others as people who belong to the same family we belong to and who expect our attention, respect and close solidarity.
If you put mutual and constant love before everything else in your relationships with others, making it the foundation of your life and the fullest expression of your love for God, then your justice will truly be pleasing to God.
“Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.”
A policeman in southern Italy decided to move with his family into one of the districts recently set aside for the most needy people in his city, wishing to share the lot of them. The roads were not yet paved; there were no street lights, running water or sewers, not to mention social services or public transportation.
He explained what they did. “We tried to create a relationship with each family and individual in the district. We tried to get to know one another and start a dialogue, in an effort to mend the divide between the citizens and the public administration. Through a committee expressly created for this purpose, the inhabitants of the district—about 3,000 of them—gradually became active advocates with the public institutions.
“We were able to obtain public funds from the regional administration for reorganizing that district. It has now become a pilot area that has given birth to formation programs for representatives of all the committees in other parts of the city.”
Chiara Lubich
Mar 18, 2008 | Non categorizzato
To Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone Secretary of State «I am spiritually participating in the solemn liturgy with which the Christian community accompanies Chiara Lubich in her departure from this earth to enter into the wound of our Heavenly Father. I renew with affection my condolences to the directors and to all the members of the Work of Mary, to the Focolare Movement, and to all those who have collaborated with this generous witness to Christ, who totally gave of herself for the spreading of the evangelical message into every expression of contemporary society, always remaining open to the “signs of the times.” There are many reasons for thanking the Lord for the gift given to the Church of this woman of intrepid faith, humble messenger of hope and peace, founder of a vast spiritual family that embraces many fields of evangelization. I would like to above all thank God for the service that Chiara has rendered to the Church: a both silent and incisive service, always in harmony with the teaching of the Church. “The popes,” she commented, “have always understood us.” This is because Chiara and the Work of Mary have always tried to respond with gentle faithfulness to every request and desire. The uninterrupted bond between my venerable predecessors – Servant of God Pius XII, Blessed John XXIII, Servant of God Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II – give a concrete witness to this fact. The thought of the Pope was her source of direction and guidance. Moreover, looking at the iniatives that she gave rise to, one could affirm that she had an almost prophetic capacity to intuit and anticipate the thought of the Pope in her actions. Her legacyy now passes onto her spiritual family: the Virgin Mary, a constant model and reference point for Chiara, help each focolarino and focolarina to continue along the same path, contributing to make the Church, as our beloved John Paul II wrote on the eve of the Great Jubilee Year of 2000, always more home and school of communion. God of hope welcome the soul of our sister; comfort and sustain the commitment of those who have embraced her spiritual testament. For this, I assure you of a special remembrance in my prayers and send to all those present at the sacred rite my Apostolic Blessing». Vatican, March 18, 2008
Mar 17, 2008 | Non categorizzato
Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Authorities, Dear members of the Focolare Movement, Dear brothers and sisters, The first reading encouraged us to meditate again on the well-known verse from the book of Job. The just man, harshly tested, proclaims, in fact, almost cries out: “I know that my Redeemer lives…Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him” (Job 19: 25, 27). While we pay our last respects to Chiara Lubich, the words of the saintly Job evoke in us the memory of the burning desire to encounter Christ that marked her whole life, and even more intensely during her last months and days in which she was tested with the worsening of her condition that stripped her of all physical energy, in a gradual ascent to Calvary, culminating in the sweet return to the bosom of the Father. Chiara travelled the final leg of her earthly pilgrimage accompanied by the prayers and affection of her people who gathered around her in a wide and uninterrupted embrace. In the heart of the night, weak but decided was her final “yes” to the mystical spouse of her soul, Jesus “forsaken and risen.” Now everything has been truly completed: the dream of the beginning has become a reality, the passionate desire has been quenched. Chiara is meeting the One she loved without seeing and, filled with joy, she can exclaim: “Yes, my Redeemer lives!” The news of her death gave rise to a huge wave of condolences from every sphere, from thousands of men and women worldwide, believers and non-believers, the powerful and poor of the earth. Benedict XVI, who immediately sent his comforting blessing, is now through me renewing the assurance of his participation in the great suffering of her spiritual family. Exponents of other Christian Churches and different religions joined their voices to the choir of deep esteem and profound participation. Also the mass media highlighted the work she did to spread Gospel love among people of different cultures, faiths and formations. In effect – we could well say – Chiara Lubich’s life has been a song to the love of God, a God who is Love. “Whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16). How many times Chiara meditated on these words and how many times she mentioned them in her writings; for example, in the “Words of Life” which hundreds of thousands of people draw from for their spiritual growth! There is no other way to know God and to give meaning and value to human existence. Only Love, divine Love makes us capable of “generating” love, to love even our enemies. This is the novelty of Christianity, and herein lies the entire Gospel. But how should we live Love? After the Last Supper, in his moving farewell to the apostles – we just heard it – Jesus prayed “so that all may be one.” Christ’s prayer therefore supports his friends’ journey in every age. It is his Spirit that brings to life living witnesses of the Gospel in the Church; and it is still him, the living God, to guide us in our times of sadness and doubt, of difficulty and suffering. Whoever trusts in him fears nothing, neither the effort of going through stormy seas, nor every type of obstacle or adversity. Whoever builds his house on Christ, builds on the rock of Love which supports all, overcomes all and conquers all. The XX century is constellated with the bright lights of this divine love. It should not only be remembered for the wonderful conquests made in the technical and scientific fields and for its economic progress, which however has not eliminated but at times exacerbated the unjust distribution of resources and goods among peoples; it will not remain in history only for the efforts made to build peace, which however have not deterred horrendous crimes against humanity and conflicts and wars that have bloodied vast regions of the globe. The last century, though filled with many contradictions, is the century in which God gave life to countless heroic men and women who, while caring for the wounds of the sick and suffering and sharing in the lot of the young, the poor and the least, distributed the bread of charity that heals hearts, opens minds to the truth, rebuilds trust and gives renewed thrust to lives that have been broken by violence, injustice, and sin. Some of these pioneers of charity have already been recognized as saints and blessed by the Church: Fr. Guanella, Fr. Orione, Fr. Calabria, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and still others. It was also the century where new ecclesial Movements came to life, and Chiara Lubich found her place in this constellation with a charism that is all hers and that is distinguished for its physiognomy and apostolic action. The foundress of the Focolare Movement, with a silent and humble style, did not create institutions at the service of humanity, but she dedicated herself to lighting the fire of the love of God in human hearts. She gave life to people who would themselves be love, who live the charism of unity and communion with God and neighbour; people who spread “love that is unity,” making of themselves, their homes, their work a “focolare” [hearth] where the burning fire becomes contagious and enflames all that surrounds it. This mission is possible for everyone because the Gospel is within everyone’s reach: Bishops and priests, children, youth and adults, consecrated and lay people, couples, families and communities, all called to live the ideal of unity: “That all may be one!” In the last interview that she gave, which came out in the very days of her agony, Chiara stated that “the wonder of mutual love is the life source of the Mystical Body of Christ.” The Focolare Movement is therefore committed to live the Gospel to the letter, “the most powerful and effective social revolution,” and from it were born the “New Families” and “New Humanity” movements, the Città Nuova Publishing House, the little town of Loppiano and other towns of witness in the different continents, and lay branches such as the “Volunteers of God.” In the climate of renewal brought about by the pontificate of blessed John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council, it found fertile ground for its courageous ecumenical scope and its quest to dialogue with other faiths. During the years of the youth protests, the GEN movement catalyzed thousands and thousands of youth, fascinating them with the ideal of Gospel-based love, expanding its concrete reach with “Youth for a United World.” Chiara proposed the Gospel with no half measures also to children, to teenagers for whom the “Young for Unity” movement was founded. In Brazil, in order to meet the needs of the many who lived in poverty on the outskirts of cities, she launched the project for an “economy of communion in freedom,” giving rise to a new economic theory and praxis based on fraternity, for a sustainable development in favour of all. May the Lord grant that many scholars and economic experts take on the economy of communion as a viable resource to shape a new shared world order! And still, how many other meetings with representatives from different faiths, with political and cultural exponents! Mariapolis, city of Mary: this is how she wished to call the gatherings and the proposals for a society renewed by Gospel love. Why city of Mary? Because for Chiara the Virgin Mary “is the precious key for entering into the Gospel.” And perhaps, precisely for this reason, she was able to highlight in an effective and constructive way the “Marian profile” in the Church. She decided to entrust her Work to Mary, by giving it her name: the Work of Mary. The Movement, Chiara stated, “will remain on earth as another Mary: all Gospel, nothing other than the Gospel and, because it is the Gospel, it will not die.” And how can we not imagine that it was the Holy Virgin herself to accompany Chiara to the threshold of eternity? Dear brothers and sisters, let us continue our Eucharistic celebration by placing our thank you to the Lord on the altar for the witness given to us by this sister in Christ, for her prophetic intuitions which preceded and prepared the great changes in history and the extraordinary events lived by the Church in the XX century. Our thanks is joined to Chiara’s thank you. Considering the many gifts and graces she received, Chiara used to say that when she would be face to face with God, and the Lord would ask her name, she would simply respond: “My name is THANK YOU. Thank you, Lord, for everything and for ever.” It is now up to us, especially her spiritual children, to carry on the work of the mission which she began. From Heaven, where we like to think she is being welcomed by Jesus her spouse, she will continue to journey with us and to help us out. Today, while we say good-bye to her with affection, let us listen to her very words that she often loved to repeat: “I would like the Work of Mary, at the end of time, compact, while it awaits to appear before Jesus forsaken and risen, to be able to repeat – making its own the words that always move me by the Belgian theologian Jacques Leclercq: “… On your day, my God, I will come to You… I will come to You, my God … with my wildest dream: with the world in my arms.” This was Chiara’s dream, may it also be our unceasing desire: “Father, may they all be one, so that the world may believe.” Amen!
Mar 17, 2008 | Non categorizzato
I learned with deep emotion the news of Chiara’s death which has crowned a long and fruitful life. Chiara’s life has been marked by her tireless love for Jesus Forsaken.” This is the beginning of the telegram by Pope Benedict XVI which reached us this morning. “In this hour of painful detachment”, the Holy Father assures us his spiritual closeness “with affection”, “to her relatives and to whole Work of Mary – Focolare Movement founded by her.” He is also close “to all those who appreciated the Movement’s commitment to constant communion in the Church, in the ecumenical dialogue and in the brotherhood among all peoples.” The Pope thanked the Lord “for the witness of her life which has answered the yearnings of contemporary society in full fidelity to the Church and the Pope”. Benedict XVI expressed the hope that “those who have known and met her, admiring the wonders that God has done through her missionary zeal, will follow in her footsteps maintaining alive her charisma.” The Pope concludes by invoking “the maternal intercession of Mary” and giving his apostolic blessing to “all.” The last farewell to Chiara Lubich will take place on Tuesday 18th March at 3:00 pm in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The ceremony will be presided by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. It will be broadcast live via Internet and satellite. Throughout the whole morning there has been a constant flow of visitors to her home. The funeral parlour will be set up this afternoon at 4:00 pm and will continue up to Tuesday at 11am. It is located at the International Centre of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa (via Frascati 306). She will be buried in the Chapel of the same International Centre of the Movement in Rocca di Papa. The Mayor of Trent Alberto Pacher has declared today a day of city mourning.
![“Universal fraternity: a necessity for Europe”]()
Mar 15, 2008 | Non categorizzato
In a very intense, serene and prayerful atmosphere, thousands of people of all ages continue to pay homage to Chiara Lubich. The funeral parlour is set up in the meeting hall of the Focolare International Centre at Rocca di Papa. Chiara lies in the middle of the hall surrounded by many flowers. Behind her, there is an icon of Mary with the child Jesus, which had been donated to her by Pope John Paul II.
Among the visiting dignitaries, there was Professor Salvatore Valente, Head of the Pneumology Department, who took care of Chiara in the last 30-40 days of her life at the Gemelli Hospital. He said: “During this period, Chiara has endured and borne all sufferings with serenity and cooperative attitude that was really moving. Usually, suffering is for many people just a painful burden. Instead, for her it was different: she maintained all the while a serene gaze that struck me very much, right up till the moment of her passing away.”
Cardinal. Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity came to Rocca di Papa: “I have had several meetings with Chiara: the latest one was during the Christmas festivities. However, every meeting with her has been an event in my life that has left a very deep impression. Her enthusiasm for the things of God has been contagious to every person she came in contact with.” The cardinal wrote a message to her spiritual children: “carry on the flame of her charisma with great courage: it is an event in the Church, which is not about to finish, rather, it has just begun.” The Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council, Guzmán Carriquiry, has also paid a visit to her personally.
Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio expressed with the following words both, his personal impression as well as the one of his community: “Chiara has taught me the dignity of the charisma, its value, which is the most precious thing we have” and added “Chiara belongs to everyone: she belongs to the Church and to the faithful of other Religions. Chiara belongs to the world, because she belongs to Jesus. Now that she is silent we must learn to listen to her more closely and we can do this only if we are united among ourselves.”
Salvatore Martinez, national coordinator of the Renewal in the Spirit said: “Chiara’s legacy is a legacy of love. This love is marked by a spiritual motherhood to which all of us lay people are grateful.” He dwelt further on Chiara’s testimony “who did not hesitate in front of secularization and of cultural, ideological and religious challenges of today’s society.”
Brother Alois, Prior of the Community of Taizé, successor of Frer Roger, together with two brothers also paused in prayer before Chiara. “At Taizé – Fr. Alois said – we give thanks to God for Chiara’s life. She has been a light for us and this light will remain among us.” He recalled “the great esteem and the great love that Fr. Roger had for Chiara.”
In the meantime messages from political and religious dignitaries keep on coming from all over the world:
The President of Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano defines Chiara Lubich as “one of the most representative figures in the inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue. She has been a powerful and clear voice in the contemporary debate. She succeeded to found – he wrote – one of the most widely spread Movements in the world, capable of confronting with an open spirit the secular world on the basis of the supremacy of human ideals of solidarity, justice and peace among peoples and nations.”
The telegram signed by the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Bagnasco and Secretary General, Msgr. Betori, speaks of Chiara’s experience as “an experience of communion which has enriched the life of the Church in Italy and in the world.” It also recalls “with gratitude her testimony’s particular strength that proposes a journey of faith founded on the principle of unity. This unity has been a source of life itineraries marked by the fullness of joy in the Church and in the world.”
Many are the testimonies coming from the founders and presidents of Movements with whom Chiara had been invited by John Paul II in 1998 to foster a spiritual communion among themselves. We would mention just two:
The community of Fr. Benzi in the words of his successor, Paul Ramonda, expresses gratitude “for the love to other movements, associations and new communities of which Chiara was a tireless leader in communion.”
Fr. Julian Carron, Fr. Giussani’s successor as head of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, in a letter “recalls the long years of friendship with Don Giussani.” He speaks of her charisma “born to give life to the Christian event as a light that gives hope.”
Mar 14, 2008 | Non categorizzato
“May they all be one” If you have had the adventure of travelling to the Holy Land in springtime, among the thousands of things that Jerusalem offers for your contemplation and meditation, there is one that strikes you in a unique way because of what it recalls in its utter simplicity. Having endured in time and cleansed by the inclement weather of two thousand years, a long stone stairway, dotted with bright red poppies – red like the blood of the Passion – unfolds almost like a crinkled ribbon, descending down limpid and solemn towards the Kidron Valley. Bare and in the open, with grass growing along its edges, one has the impression that no temple dome could replace the heavens that crown it. Jesus descended those steps – tradition recounts – on that last night, after the last supper, and “raising his eyes to heaven” filled with stars, he prayed: “Father, the hour has come….”. It is moving to place your feet where the feet of a God once stepped; your whole soul is mirrored in your eyes as you gaze on the heavenly vault looked upon by the eyes of a God. And you may be so struck that this meditation nails you in adoration. His was a unique prayer before dying. And the more God, this “Son of man” whom you adore, shines forth, the more you feel that he is man and you fall in love with him. His is a discourse which only the Father fully understood, and yet he prayed aloud, perhaps so that such a melodious echo would ring out to us. 1943. We do not know why, but it is certain that the first focolarine, gathered together in search of the love of God, read that passage almost every evening by the light of a candle – because often there was no electricity. It was the magna charta of a Christian. Those words, unfamiliar to them, shone forth like the sun in the night: the night of a time of war. For three years Jesus had often spoken to the throngs: he had pronounced Heavenly words, sowed among the hard-headed, announced a program of peace, but had offered his divine patrimony almost adapting it to the minds of his followers, and his parables bear witness to this. But now that he is not speaking to the earth, and his voice is directed to the Father, he no longer seems to hold back his ardour. That Man, who is God, is splendid as he pours out – like a flowing fountain of Eternal Life – Water that engulfs the soul of a Christian lost in him, in the boundless seas of the blessed Trinity. And that farewell discourse appeared to be beautiful like him: To be one as Jesus is one with the Father: but what did it mean? We didn’t understand very much, but we understood that it had to be something great. This is why one day we gathered around an altar, united in the name of Jesus, and we asked him to teach us to live this truth. He knew what it meant and he alone could disclose the secret to accomplishing it. “But now I am coming to you… so that they may share my joy completely.” Hadn’t we experienced a new joy in that brief experience of unity that we had lived? Was Jesus speaking perhaps of that? It is certain that a Christian must be clothed with joy, and Someone within us made us understand that for those who follow Christ, joy is a duty, because God loves a cheerful giver. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.” This life – at least for us – was fascinating and new: to live in the world, which everyone knows is in antithesis to God, and to live there for God in a heavenly adventure…. “Consecrate them in the truth. I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one.” What kind of Christianity had we lived before, if we had passed each other with indifference, if not with contempt and judgement, when our destiny was to be fused in that unity invoked by Christ? With these words, it seemed to us that Jesus was throwing down a rope to us from heaven to tie us dispersed members in unity – through him – with the Father, and in unity among us. And the mystical Body was revealed to us in all of its reality, truth and beauty. “As you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” As Jesus is one with the Father, so each one of us would have had to be one with Jesus and, consequently, one with the others: it was a way of living we had barely thought of before: a way of living “according to the Trinity”…. “So that the world may believe that you sent me.” The conversion of the world around us would have come as the consequence of our unity. This perhaps explains why, from the very dawning of the Movement, many people returned to God without our trying to convert them, but only by trying to keep unity among us and to love them in Christ. “I have given them the glory you gave me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me….” People would have believed in Christ if we were perfect in unity. Therefore, we had to perfect ourselves in this life. We would have to put aside everything for unity. 1943 was also the year of the Mystici Corporis: Christ in Pope Pius XII echoed His Testament. Could it be that Jesus, who lives in his Head and in his Body, urged us also to emphasize the need for unity and to give this gift to many? Unity, unity, all one! In times in which the fundamental idea of Christ was becoming deformed and depleted into the cornerstone of the atheist revolution, God wished perhaps to underline it for us in the Gospel. We do not know. We know only that the Focolare Movement had that unmistakable stamp and that nothing has more value for us than unity: – because it is the subject of the Testament of the One we want to love above all things; – because from the experience lived so far, it is very rich and very fruitful for the Kingdom of God, for his Church. “I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” After saying these things Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley…. Published by “Città Nuova”, 15 December 1959
Mar 13, 2008 | Non categorizzato
Today, 14 March 2008, at 2 o’clock, Chiara Lubich at 88 years of age, has concluded her earthly journey in a serene and sacred atmosphere. She passed away in her home at Rocca di Papa (Rome), where she had returned after having been discharged from the Gemelli hospital the night before. This had been her desire during the last days of hospitalization. All day long, in the concluding hours of her life, hundreds of people – relatives, close collaborators and her spiritual sons and daughters – paid their last farewell in her room, and then stopped for a moment of meditation in the adjacent chapel. It was a constant and spontaneous prayerful procession. Afterwards, they lingered on around her house in recollection. Some of these people Chiara was able to recognize despite her extreme weakness. There is now an incoming flow of messages from all over the world expressing participation and sharing on behalf of religious, political, academic and civil leaders. These messages of love and unity are coming especially from her many spiritual children present in all continents.
