Mar 31, 2007 | Non categorizzato, Word of
On the day of unleavened bread, the feast of the Passover, Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples where he shared his last supper with them. After breaking the bread and passing round the cup of wine, he gave the conclusion of his teaching: in his community, the greatest would become the least and the leader as one who serves.
In John’s account of this, Jesus also makes an eloquent gesture to show what was new about the relationships he came to bring among all his disciples: he washed their feet, thus going against all normal logic of superiority or command. (During that last supper the apostles had been discussing who should be thought ‘the greatest’ among them).
“I am among you as one who serves”
“To love means to serve, and Jesus showed us how,” said Chiara Lubich in one of her talks.
To serve: it’s a word that can seem to degrade a person. Aren’t those who serve usually thought lower than others? And yet, everyone wishes to be served. It is demanded by government institutions (aren’t people with the highest rank called ‘ministers’?) as well as social services (aren’t they aptly called ‘services’?). We are pleased with the shop assistant who serves us well, to the cashier who does things for us quickly, to the doctor or nurse who take care of us with competence and consideration.
If we expect this from others, perhaps they expect as much from us.
Jesus’ words make us Christians aware that we have a debt of love towards everyone. With him and like him, we too must be able to repeat before every person we meet at home or at work:
“I am among you as one who serves”
Chiara Lubich reminds us once again that to be Christians means “to serve, to serve everyone, and see everyone as our master. If we are servants, then the others are masters. To serve, to serve, to put ourselves beneath others, and try to reach the first place according to the Gospel, yes, but by placing ourselves at the service of everyone. Christianity is something serious; it is not just a dab of polish, with a bit of compassion, a bit of love, a bit of charitable giving. Oh no! It’s easy to give something to the poor so as to feel at ease with our consciences, and afterwards command or oppress others.”
But how should we serve? In the same talk, Chiara gives us three simple words: “live the other,” that is, “try to penetrate into the lives of others, to feel what they feel, try to carry their burdens.”
She gives an example: “How can I do this with children? Do the children want me to play with them? Then play!”
Do I have to fit in with someone at home who wants to watch television or go out for a walk? It feels like it’s a waste of time! “No! It’s not a waste of time, it’s all love, it’s all time gained, because we have to make ourselves one out of love.”
“Must I really get the coat for that person who’s about to go out, or must I really take that plate to the table?” Yes indeed, “because the service Jesus requires is not something up in the air, not just a feeling of service. Jesus spoke about real service, with our muscles, with our legs, with our intelligence; we have really to serve.”
“I am among you as one who serves”
So we know how to live this Word of Life: by paying attention to others and readily responding to their concerns and needs, loving with deeds.
At times it will be a matter of improving in our work, doing it with an ever increasing competence and professionalism, because with our work we serve the community.
At other times it could be a matter of responding to requests for help from people faraway or near to hand, who may be elderly, unemployed, have disabilities or be lonely; or it could be a matter of responding to requests from distant countries following natural disasters, for aid to children or other humanitarian projects.
And those in positions of responsibility will set aside any offensive attitude of command, remembering that we are all brothers and sisters to one another.
If we do everything with love, we will discover, as an ancient Christian saying goes, that “to serve is to reign”.
By Fabio Ciardi and Gabriella Fallacara
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Mar 25, 2007 | Focolare Worldwide
I was just a girl, stunned by sorrowful experiences within the family and by the lack of real and stable affections, when I met some persons who had a joy which I thought impossible to experience in life. These persons shared this gift with me and through them I discovered God and His love towards me. For me, it was like perceiving a light during the night that guided me safely on the way of love, which was exactly what I was looking for. I am the youngest of four siblings and my parents have always had a difficult rapport with many clashes, marked by quarrels and discussions that ended up with violence. Besides my family, my father also had another family: a woman and children. For this reason and for the aggressive behaviour towards my mother, we brothers and sisters rejected our him as a father and instead of loving him, we hated him even more. Little by little, my brothers and sisters left home, for studies or to get married. I was the only one left with my parents. One day my father had beaten my mother so strongly that I had to bring her to hospital. Afterwards, she went to live with my sister and at home I was the only one left with my father. The Gospel gave me support, however, within me, I thought I could never forgive my father. One day, during this difficult period of compelled living with my father, he ran after me in order to beat me and I managed to escape just in time. I re-entered home through one of the windows, after he had gone out. It was in those moments of fear and sorrow that I decided to live radically the words of Jesus. The time had come to take revenge on my father, however, I decided to take a revenge of love! I put all things in order and cleaned the house. I prepared lunch for him and then left for work. When I returned home in the evening, my father was waiting for me. I was trembling, however, I had decided to love him no matter what. He asked me to call my mother and my sister because he wanted to speak to them. I had a hard time in overcoming their resistance and in persuading them to come over, however, at last I succeeded. My father was shaken: he asked us to forgive all the bad things he had done and he promised that he would never go back to the other family. He also asked our permission to give support through a monthly quota to his children, who were born outside wedlock and were not guilty for the mistakes he had committed. Though our financial situation was not so good we immediately agreed, and ever since the situation at home has really changed: peace has returned to our family. R. B. – (Brasile)
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Mar 22, 2007 | Focolare Worldwide
A solidarity project – Within the humanitarian campaign “the heart melts”, launched by Unicoop, an Italian supermarket chain, a new project was set off: “Us together with others”. Objective: to make Tuscany high school students aware on the topic of sharing, getting them personally involved in experiences of solidarity in poor areas. Among the chosen areas of intervention there was also Fontem, Cameroun (Africa), where Focolare Movement is present for more than 40 years. In collaboration with Tuscany and Fontem Focolare centres, some projects in favour of the Mundani tribe have been launched. 
On the way – From 14th to 24th February, a group of 20 persons participating in the project went to visit Fontem. Among them, there was: Claudio Vanni, Unicoop Director, Massimo Toschi, Tuscany Region Councillor, Piero Taiti, Health Director of Prato Hospital, and 7 students of the Technical Institute “Dagomari” of Prato, close to Florence, accompanied by a teacher. Continuous development – The visit to the new ward for infectious diseases of the hospital in Fontem and to the new volleyball court at the boarding school stimulated a great interest. However, the target of these young Italian visitors was Besalì village, in Mundani region, where a tribe of 8.000 persons lives. The trip to reach this place was really adventurous: 58 km track deep in the forest, crossing several water streams on makeshift bridges or across the stream bed. This was possible only because it was still dry season. But at the end of the journey, fatigue and discomfort totally disappeared as the Fon, head of the tribe, the dignitaries and all the population of the village welcomed festively the group. 
But why Besalì? Besalì was purposely chosen in order to answer to a request of help for many boys and girls who do not have the possibility to go to school. Unicoop accepted the proposal of including along with its humanitarian projects Besalì school. Already in the past, Unicoop Directors had shown their interest in Fontem experience, offering willingly their collaboration in order to complete the installation of the electrical system in the new ward for infectious diseases. Now, the construction of Besalì elementary school is underway, and it is being erected on the land offered by the Fon and some dignitaries of the village. The works which have been carried out amidst many logistic difficulties are about to be completed.
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Mar 18, 2007 | Focolare Worldwide
It is now China’s turn – Europe and China are engaged in an accelerated process of nearing one another. The aim of this seminar is to offer journalists a meeting place for these two different worlds. The interdependency category, from which the seminar’s works emerge, wishes to portrait in a particular way those aspects that favour the authentic meeting between peoples and cultures, overcoming disinformation, communication difficulties, trivial stereotypes and unjustified pre-comprehensions. The initiative is part of a framework: “Interdependence meetings – among persons, peoples, states for a more united world.” The 2006 edition of this meeting was dedicated to the rapport between the western and Islamic world. There are many issues to debate on: development of legislative system, art and cultural traditions, religions, mass media, civil society, human rights, freedom of speech, ecological problem. In this meeting European scholars journalists connected in various ways to China and Chinese representatives, protagonists and witnesses of its millenary civilisation, come together to confront their views. 
Among the questions to be dealt with – In which way does present-day China manage to keep together the multi-millenary tradition and the strong wind of change? Is there room for religions and spiritual life in a China that is passing from communism to liberalism? Are we acquainted with our Chinatown? Is there a successful integration experience in Italy? A growing civil society – “The signals originating from the Great Wall – as Michele Zanzucchi wrote in his recent reportage on Città Nuova (n.4/2007 issue) – are evident. Though at times contradictory, however, they are always stimulating. One thousand and three hundred million persons belonging to 55 different ethnic groups, united in one country since 221 BC, form a nation with an incredible economic and social power. In this very moment of maximum economic development, there is the growing internal demand for democracy and respect of human rights. This demand does not arise through politics but thanks to that civil society that grows impetuously. Maybe one would have to look into this world with greater attention in order to understand where China is leading to.”
Mar 16, 2007 | Focolare Worldwide
Chiara M. in an excerpt from her diary from a few years ago, writes: “I am groping about in this painful darkness, so alone and full of spiritual tears, a silent cry that reaches out beyond the infinite galaxies, directed to heaven with a resounding echo. But where are you? Why don’t you say something? What are you busy doing while I cry out my pain, my powerlessness, my solitude? Just clench your teeth, I told myself, and believe beyond all of this that you feel. Believe beyond that which is unbelievable, beyond the impossible, lose everything. Nothing, nothing should remain. I felt my soul crying. I had nothing left, a nothingness that was filled with everything, God alone.” After finishing my studies I began to work in a hospital in my native city of Trent, in northern Italy, as a professional nurse. I really loved everything: traveling, playing the guitar, photography, reading, studying languages, getting to know different peoples and cultures, climbing the mountains, or contemplating the beauty of the sea, singing around a camp fire, or watching the play of sunlight through the forest. I had made plans to go to Fontem, in the Cameroon, our little city. I wanted to grow, to be enriched with different cultural and human experiences. But I had not calculated on the unforeseen. I had an adverse reaction to a medication, rather unexplainable, so serious that I had to be hospitalized in the very department where I worked. That’s where my Calvary began, made of tests, hospitalizations, going to specialists in different cities, different clinics, cures or attempts at cures of all types, hopes, expectations, disappointments, hopelessness, but above all, a lot of pain, so much pain that not even morphine has ever been able to fully take away. My physical deterioration began slowly and continuously like a slow drip. I remember the moment that I placed my guitar in its case for the last time. I cried because I understood that it would be for the last time. My hands hurt too much and I knew that every decline in health was irreversible. Then another time, due to a very serious medical mistake, I almost lost a leg. And that time I really thought that I would not make it on my own. Something that one of my friends in the Movement said helped me not to give in to total desperation. “You know what this pain is – we can carry it together; but if you can’t make it, don’t worry, we will carry it for you.” In that moment what was happening to me physically didn’t change in any way, but inside I felt the strength of unity. There were moments when it was truly difficult to say yes to God. I had to say yes to giving up my profession which I dearly loved, to being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. If I just stop and think about it, it seems crazy to say yes to him constantly, tenaciously, and continually. Only someone who is crazy can throw him or herself into the unknown, trusting only in him, giving him the full go ahead, letting him do whatever he wants. And yet, oddly enough, every apparent jump into the unknown, into the darkness, became a plunge into the light; and my partner never ceases to surprise me. A year ago, he also gave me the possibility of writing a book entitled “Cruel Sweet Love,” in which I tell this experience of mine. Every day, I receive e-mails, letters from people who open up, who share the deepest part of themselves and begin to hope again, thanks to this total yes that I have said to him, to my partner.
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Mar 9, 2007 | Focolare Worldwide
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In 1964, the first group of people from Paraguay participated in the summer meeting (the Mariapolis) of the Focolare Movement in Argentina, accompanied by a priest from Asuncion, who had met the Movement in Rome. After the experience of those days, they returned home with their hearts set on fire. From that moment on, they started meeting regularly in order to share their experiences on the Gospel which they tried to live. In 1968, the Mariapolis in Paraguay was organised by the same Paraguayans with the help of those persons who regularly followed-up the community. In July 1981, Chiara Lubich sent a group of focolarinas and the first Focolare of Asuncion was started. Shortly afterwards, the focolarinos also followed and the communities (present in about 30 different cities) spread all over the country, experienced a new development, thus creating a network which became ever more tightly knit, year after year. By and by, various branches (families, youth, etc.) were born. Even expressions of the Movement which are more committed in the social field, as well as, the Political Movement for Unity, were developed. The commitment to favouring the social development of the country is very much alive. In the economical field, the first production enterprises, inspired by the Economy of sharing, came about. A share of their profits is assigned to social development. Others like “San Miguel di Capiatà” are committed to give their support to the birth of a new quarters on the suburbs of Asuncion, where twenty years earlier some families were evacuated from a permanently flooded degraded area. Besides, there are many members of the Movement who animate the local parish communities. Most recent developments: the new Mariapolis Centre “Mother of Humanity,” formation house of the Movement members, open to all; the inauguration of the Paraguayan New City Publishing House, official organ of the Movement; and the “Youth Home,” in the vicinity of the Mariapolis Centre.
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Mar 9, 2007 | Focolare Worldwide
In accepting the “Thomas More 2006” award – received on her behalf by Esperanza Aid and Mauro De Souza, co-directors of the Focolare Movement in Paraguary – Chiara Lubich sent a message, wishing the University a year rich in initiatives. She trusted that these University-promoted initiatives, abounding in Christian values and profoundly human, may contribute towards a universal brotherhood. Before the handing over of the award, the motivation was read: “To Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, Work of Mary, for her great commitment in favour of unity and ecumenism. For the contribution of her charism in proposing the so-called Economy of Communion, while confronted by the many inequalities thrashing today’s humanity. For the construction of peace in a united world.” Chiara is among the personalities awarded by the “Thomas More Institute,” Faculty of Juridical Sciences and Diplomacy of the Catholic University of Asuncion, on 27th December, along with Msgr. Elio Sgreccia, President of the Pontifical Academy for life, José Antonio Fortea, Spanish theologian, who visited Paraguay this year, and the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference that celebrated its 50th anniversary. Paraguay is a country rich in history, marked not only by wars, conquests and revolutions, but particularly by the encounter, not without sorrow, of the native Guaranì and European cultures. Two languages are spoken in Paraguay: Spanish and Guarnì. It was in 1964 that the first group of Paraguayans first participated in the Mariapolis in Argentina. Today the Focolare Movement in Paraguay is made up of persons committed in various fields of renewal of society and the Church, in order to sow the seeds of brotherhood in every environment, in a land rich in potential. Just one example: the life witness of a committed politician: Cesar Romero.
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Mar 6, 2007 | Non categorizzato
On March 8, six years after the death of Ginetta Calliari, one of the leading figures in the Focolare Movement in Brazil, the Catholic Church will, at the start of her beatification process, begin a study of her life, with a view to recognising her as a model of Christian living. The process will be opened in the cathedral of Osasco, near Sao Paulo, at 20.00 local time.
Ginetta was, for many religious civil and political leaders in Brazil, a spiritual guide and a source of inspiration for their ideals and activities. Over the 42 years that she lived in that country, Ginetta gave her all to spreading the culture of fraternity and the ideal of unity, the distinctive characteristics of the Focolare. With resolute faith in the transforming power of the Gospel, she drew thousands of Brazilians into this adventure and gave life to numerous social and cultural works. She was one of the first champions of the Economy of Communion, a project launched by Chiara Lubich in Brazil. This aims to help bridge the gap between rich and poor, by involving producers of goods and services, in a wide variety of business sectors, in the allocation of part of their profits to social concerns. Ginetta Calliari (1918-2001), born in Trento (Italy), was with Chiara Lubich right from the beginning of the Focolare Movement in the 1940s. In 1959, she was among the first young focolarini to leave for Brazil, the first nation outside of Europe where the Movement spread. The Movement now numbers about 300,000 people in 61 places.
Feb 28, 2007 | Non categorizzato, Word of
This Word of Life is taken from a psalm that sings about God’s decisive and powerful intervention. He is a God who frees his people from their exile in Babylon and who continues to intervene throughout their history, every time he sees them downtrodden, discouraged, tempted by evil.
This is the history of each one of us, condensed in a striking image. On the one hand, there are the uncertainty and the trepidation of the farmer who entrusts his seeds to the earth but worries: Will this season be a good one? Will my wheat grow? On the other hand, there are the joy of the harvest and the long-awaited fruits.
«Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy»
When we think of our life, Chiara Lubich once wrote, we often imagine it as all in harmony, as “a series of days that we propose to make each more perfect than the other, with a job well done, and study, and rest, and time spent with family, with gatherings and meetings, sports and recreation, all carried out in order and in peace. … There is always a hope in the human heart that things will go this way and this way only.
“In reality, our holy journey turns out differently, because God wants it different. And he himself takes care of getting other factors introduced into the program, wished or permitted by him so that our existence will acquire true meaning and arrive to the end for which it was created. Here belong the physical and spiritual pains, here the sicknesses, here the thousands and thousands of sufferings which speak more of death than life.
“Why? Because maybe God wants death? No, on the contrary, God loves life, but such a full life, so fertile as we could never have imagined, however great our tension toward the good, the positive, and to peace.”
And here we have the image of the farmer who sows the seed that is destined to die, almost as a sign of our effort and suffering, and the image of the one who harvests, who gathers the fruit of the grain of wheat which blossomed from that death: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12:24).
Chiara says that “God wills us to experience a kind of death in the course of our life – or many kinds of deaths sometimes; that is because for him what the holy journey means is the producing of fruit, of works worthy of him and not just of us simple humans. This is for him the meaning of our life, a life rich, full, superabundant, a life that can be a reflection of his.”
«Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy»
How can we live this Word of Life? Chiara again suggests how, as she guides us in living out the Word of God: we need to “value pain, great or small, consider it important… particularly value hard work, and the sacrifice entailed by love of neighbor since it is our typical duty” (Journey, p.101). It is suffering that generates life!
And we should do this without ever giving up, even when we do not see the results of our efforts, fully aware that “one sows and another reaps” (Jn 4:37). What does the future hold for the children we are trying so hard to educate well? Who will notice the effect my work has had in the social and political arena? “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest” (Gal 6:9). The fruits will come, perhaps much later, perhaps somewhere else, but they will come.
A hope, a certainty, a sure goal is in front of us in our life’s journey. The difficulties, the trials, the adversities, which at times can wear us down, are necessary for the passage that open us up to the beatitudes and to joy.
“Let’s go forward,” Chiara says, “looking beyond every pain. Keep going, rather than stop at that dilemma, that grief, that sickness, that trial. Let us look forward to the harvest that we will receive” (Journey, p. 84).
«Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy»
Patricia, a 22-year-old law student in Paraguay, had been the assistant to the director of her department for some time. “Right from the beginning,” she recalled, “I always tried to improve in my work and to nurture relationships with my colleagues that would make each one of them feel valued.”
Often it was a matter of going against the current in order to defend her own principles, cost what it may. One time, she said, “An important person in my department, one who enjoyed certain privileges, clearly was being dishonest in his actions. I had the duty to tell him so.”
Patricia acted on her convictions, but in doing so she lost her job. “I suffered terribly, but I was also peaceful about it, because I knew that I had done the right thing.” She did not despair because she was deeply aware of having a Father who can do all things and who loved her without measure.
Although it seemed almost impossible, given the economic conditions in Paraguay, that very evening she received two job offers. And then the new job she took turned out to be even better than her previous one and more directly connected with her field of studies.
By Fabio Ciardi and Gabriella Fallacara
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Feb 28, 2007 | Non categorizzato
The central focus of the congress was one of today’s key issues: “Communication and relationships in medicine”. What became evident during this 1st international congress, were the many new challenges for this aspect of medical practice. The congress took place from February 16 to 17 last at the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in Rome, with simultaneous links to 54 places from Japan to Siberia, from Tanzania to the United States. In the battle against Aids, a new cultural model was presented, already in operation in some African countries. And the results of North – South collaboration were exemplified by the project linking the University of Florence and the Region of Tuscany, with the hospital of Fontem in the forests of Cameroon. These were instances of “good practice” that demonstrated, with scientific evidence, the effects of better relationships. The profound changes happening in the medical world, particularly in the doctor-patient relationship, were the subject of these intense working days: there were 46 presentations from 17 different countries, covering many disciplines in the different fields of medicine. “We could define relationships as the model for medicine in the XXI century”. This was affirmed right from the first moments of the Congress, almost as a challenge, an ongoing project. New ideas emerged for training and development, including new subjects for study in universities and specialised schools, and new models to be applied. The congress also provided an answer to the message of Pope Benedict XVI, who had invited the more than 600 participants to “discover new ways for greater authenticity in relationships in the medical world”, and to Chiara Lubich, whose wish for the congress was “to be a stimulus and a renewed commitment to build true relationships of fraternity, so that our cultural commitment may be sustained by an authentic experience of communitarian life”.
The congress was not without the contribution of the civil and political world. Livia Turco, Minister of Health, sent a message, and Ignazio Marino, president of the Senate Commission on Health and Hygiene was present, alongside many representatives of the academic world. The messages are available on the site www.mdc-net.org
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Feb 18, 2007 | Non categorizzato
On Saturday 17th February, “the Father has called Father Silvano Cola to himself”. He died suddenly of cardiac arrest at the priests’ Centre in Grottaferrata (Rome), where he lived with other priests. He was responsible of the diocesan-priest branch which started from the 1950’s in the newly born Focolare Movement. Father Silvano was among the first priests, who in contact with the Focolare, found a new impulse in their priestly ministry, in that unity that springs forth from the reciprocity of evangelical love, at the very heart of the Focolare spirituality. In communicating the news of Father Silvano’s death, Chiara Lubich highlighted in a particular way the “untiring generosity” with which he carried out his work at the service of the priests: “After having loved them, he loved them till the end”.
In recent years, Father Cola shared with one of the first focolarinas, Valeria Ronchetti, the responsibility of the secretariat instituted by the foundress of the Focolare Movement to promote communion among ecclesial movements and new communities, in response to Pope John Paul II’s wish, after the great meeting in St. Peter’s square on the eve of Pentecost 1998. Father Silvano was born in Camerino (Macerata – Italy) on 22 January 1928 and he was ordained priest in Turin on 27 June, 1950. In 1964, with the consent of his archbishop, he moved to Focolare Movement’s centre, at Rocca di Papa (Rome). In 1990, he took part in the synod of bishops in priestly formation. He was a member of the movement’s general council. His funeral will be held on Tuesday at the Mariapolis Centre of Castelgandolfo (Rome) – St. John Baptist de la Salle Street.
Feb 11, 2007 | Focolare Worldwide
G. and I had been married for 17 years and had four children when I felt her attitude toward me change dramatically. She was often out of the house because of her job as a social worker for a government program that took care of abandoned children. After a few months, I found out that she was having an affair with one of her colleagues. It was a terrible blow: I saw our whole relationship fall to pieces, my family, my life. I felt betrayed, my pride was deeply wounded and I was desperate in seeing everything that I had built over the years go to ruin. After a while, my wife decided to abandon our family. One day, while I was at work, she came home to get her things and she got into a fight with our oldest daughters who were then 15 and 17 years old. I had no other alternative but to give in to her decision, even though it caused us a lot of suffering. I prayed and implored God, saying: “Help me! Give me the strength and the grace to overcome everything!” I had absolute faith in his love. It was not easy. I had even asked my sister to help me and she had encouraged me to reflect on how much Jesus had not merited the suffering that he had to go through: he had been betrayed from men, and had suffered humiliation and cried the Father’s abandonment. Recognizing and loving Him in this deep suffering, I kept on my feet day after day, and I made a real and total choice of God. In fixing my thoughts and heart on God, my suffering found meaning; and my initial feelings of hate were being replaced by sentiments of mercy. I had finally made it to forgive my wife. Together with other people with whom I used to shared the christian commitment, I found the strength to go ahead. Constantly embracing Jesus forsaken helped me, even in the separation that I lived with, to remain faithful to the commitment that I had taken on with the sacrament of matrimony, and so to also live chastity. After a year of being separated, day by day the spirituality of unity brought greater light in my life with the children and I was thus able to follow them in their various experiences as they grew. In order to have more time with them, I left my job as an engineer in my company which took so much of my day, and I began a small business. I made this choice, even if the previous job was well-paid. I knew that our economic resources would reduce, but I went ahead without fearing this change. Looking back now on what God has worked in me and in my children, we are deeply grateful to him. (V. T. – Brazil)
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Feb 8, 2007 | Non categorizzato
«From the communion between Bishops and Movements we can expect the emergence of a valid impulse toward the renewed committment of the Church to the proclamation and testimony of the Gospel, of hope and charity, in all corners of the world». This is one of the salient points of Pope Benedict’s discourse addressed to almost 200 Bishops, received in private audience, on Thursday morning, 8th February: Bishops friends of the Focolare Movement gathered in those days in Castelgandolfo and Bishops friends of the Community of Saint Egidio meeting in Rome for the anniversary of its foundation. Here below the whole discourse of the Holy Father: «Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate! I am delighted to welcome you to this special Audience and I cordially greet all of you, coming from various parts of the world. I address a special thought to those who belong to other Christian Churches that are here with us. Some of you are taking part in the annual appointment of Bishops friends of the Focolare Movement, which has for its theme, “The Crucified and abandoned Christ, light in the cultural night”. I take this opportunity to send Chiara Lubich my best wishes and blessing, which I extend to all the members of the movement that she founded. Others are taking part in the IX Meeting of Bishops Friends of the Community of Saint Egidio, which is exploring a very pressing topic, “The globalisation of love”. I greet Mons. Vincenzo Paglia, and with him Professor Andrea Riccardi and the whole Community, who on the anniversary of its foundation, will meet tonight at the Basilica of St John Lateran for a solemn Eucharistic celebration.
Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, I would like to tell you first of all that your closeness to these two movements, highlights the vitality of new groupings of the faithful, and expresses the communion between charisms that constitutes a typical ‘sign of the times’. The post-synodal exhortation “Pastoris gregis” recalls that “the relationships of exchange between Bishops go well beyond their institutional meetings”. (n.59) That is what happens in meeting like yours, in which you experience an Episcopal fraternity that from the sharing of ideals promoted by the movements, stimulates you to have a more intense communion of hearts, give one another stronger mutual support, and have a greater shared commitment to showing that the church is a place of prayer and charity, a house of mercy and peace. My venerated predecessor, Pope John Paul II, presented these movements and new communities, which have emerged in recent years, as a providential gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church in order to respond in an effective way to the challenges of our time. And you know too that I have often underlined the value of their charismatic dimension. How can we forget, for example, last year’s extraordinary Pentecost Vigil, which saw the harmonious participation of many movements and ecclesial associations? The emotion I experienced on participating in St. Peter’s Square in that intense spiritual experience is still alive in me. I repeat to you what I said on that occasion to the faithful who had come from all over the world. The Holy Spirit wants the manifold nature of the movements to be at the service of the one Body of Christ, that is precisely the Church. And he accomplishes this through the ministry of those he has placed to govern the Church of God, namely, the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter. The unity and multiplicity that is in the People of God, is manifest here today, too, by the meeting here with the Pope of many Bishops who are close to two different Ecclesial Movements, marked with a strong missionary dimension. In the wealthy Western world where, although cultural relativism does exist, there is no lack of a widespread desire for spirituality, your movements testify to the joy of the faith and the beauty of being Christian. In the vast deprived areas of the earth, they communicate the message of solidarity and stand alongside the poor and weak with that love, human and divine, that I sought to bring to everyone’s attention with my Encyclical ‘Deus caritas est’. From the communion between Bishops and Movements we can expect the emergence of a valid impulse toward the renewed commitment of the Church to the proclamation and testimony of the Gospel, of hope and charity, in all corners of the world. The Focolare movement, drawing on the heart of its spirituality, that is Jesus Crucified and Abandoned, highlights the charism and service of unity, which it puts into effect in various social and cultural fields, for example the world of economics with “the economy of communion”, and through ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. The Saint Egidio Community, placing prayer and liturgy at the core of its own existence, wishes to be close to those suffering distress and social marginalisation. For a Christian, a person, thought distant, is never a stranger. Together we can face with greater fortitude the challenges we are presented with in such a pressing way at the start of the third millennium: I am thinking primarily of the search for justice and peace, and the urgent need to construct a more fraternal and united world, starting with the countries from which a number of you come, wracked by bloody conflicts. I make a special mention of Africa, a continent that I carry in my heart and that I hope may finally see a period of stable peace and real development. The forthcoming synod of African bishops will surely be an appropriate moment to show the great love that God reserves for the beloved people of Africa. Dear friends, the innovative fraternity that exists between you and the movements with whom you are friends, urges you to carry together “the burdens of one another” (Gal 6:2), as the Apostle recommends, above all in everything that concerns evangelisation, love for the poor, and the cause of peace. May the Lord make your spiritual and apostolic endeavours ever more fruitful. I am with you in prayer and willingly impart an Apostolic Blessing to you here present, to the Focolare Movement and to the Community of St Egidio, and to all the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care».
Feb 2, 2007 | Non categorizzato
Eighty-five bishops from all five continents – from Lebanon on the brink of war, from Sudan and the tragedy of Darfur, from Pakistan and the fight against terror – are coming to take part in the 31st meeting of Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement. Benedict XVI will receive the Bishops in a special audience on the morning of February 8. On the same morning, they will meet journalists and speak of their commitment, and that of their local churches, in some of the most troubled areas of the world (at 1300 in the Augustinium Hall, Via Paolo VI, 25) The title of the meeting is “The crucified and forsaken Christ, a light in the cultural night”. Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, moderator of the meeting, explains: “There are particular challenges today to the life of humanity and the journey of the church, in a period that John Paul II had no hesitation in calling an epochal “dark night”. The situation poses not only risks, but also, as Pope Benedict XVI has said, the opportunity of a new beginning, a new and efficacious proclamation of God as Love, that can lead to a new vision of humanity based on the gift of self and sharing. A key contribution to the this debate has been prepared by Chiara Lubich. Another important theme is the collaboration of Movements and Communities of the various Churches in a common witness. This will be highlighted on May 12 at the second day meeting “Together for Europe” to held in Stuttgart, and simultaneously in many other European Cities.
Jan 31, 2007 | Non categorizzato, Word of
This is the most intelligent way to live: to place our lives in the hands of the One who gave life to us. Whatever may happen, we can trust in him totally because he is Love and wants the best for us.
When the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed this “blessing,” he added an image that is frequently used in biblical tradition: a tree planted on the banks of a stream of running water. It does not fear the summer heat, for its roots are well nourished, its leaves are always green and it bears abundant fruit.
On the contrary, those who put their hope outside of God—perhaps in power, in riches, or in influential friends—are likened to a bush on land that is dry and salty, on which nothing grows and nothing bears fruit.
«Blessed are those who trust in the Lord»
We turn to the Lord when we find ourselves in difficult situations, when we are desperate because of an incurable illness, a huge debt, or a close brush with death. This is all very understandable. We know, however, that what is impossible for human beings is possible for God. But if “for God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26), why don’t we turn to him in every moment of our lives?
This Word of Life invites us to live in continual union with the Lord, going beyond the many things that we have to ask of him, because we are always in need of his help. “Blessed” – that is, having the joy and fullness of life – is the one who builds a relationship of trust and intimacy with the Lord that comes from faith in his love.
He, the God who is closer and more intimate to us than we are to ourselves, walks with us and knows every beat of our hearts. We can share our joys, sufferings, worries and plans with him. We are never alone, not even in our most dark and difficult moments. We can trust in him completely. He will never disappoint us.
«Blessed are those who trust in the Lord»
Chiara Lubich tells us that a good way to express this intimate relationship is “to work as a team.”
At times we become deeply troubled because we are not able to intervene directly in situations and in people’s lives so that it is difficult to do what seems to be the will of God for us in that moment. We would like to be close to a dear person who is suffering, who is going through a moment of trial, who is ill. We would like to be able to resolve every dilemma, to go to help those peoples at war, the refugees, the hungry, and so on.
We feel so powerless! This is the moment to trust fully in God, even sometimes in a heroic way. Chiara gives some suggestions: “I can do nothing in this case…. Well then, I will do what God wants of me in this moment: study well, sweep well, pray well, take care of my children well…. And God will see to the untangling of this knot, comforting the one who is suffering, sorting out that complicated situation.”
Chiara concludes: “It is a job done in two in perfect teamwork which requires great faith on our part in God’s love for his children and that makes it possible, through our action, for God to have trust in us.
“This reciprocal confidence works miracles.
“We will see that what we could not do, Another has done, and has done far better.
“The heroic act of confidence will be rewarded; our life limited to one field only will acquire a new dimension, we will feel in contact with the infinite…. The reality that we are truly children of a God who is Father, who can do everything, will become clearer to us because we also have experienced it.” (1)
«Blessed are those who trust in the Lord»
“The telephone rang,” recounted Rina, who has been confined to her home for years, “and it was an old lady like me, to whom I have been sending the Word of Life for some time. Her brother was dying and she didn’t know what to do. It was vacation time and she didn’t know whom to call to care for him. Also in the last few years he had become homeless and was forced to live on the streets. I felt my friend’s suffering as my own; I felt totally powerless, like her. What could I do, living so far from her, restricted as I am to my chair? I wanted to share at least a few comforting words with her, but I just didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t even able to do that much! I could only tell her that I would remember to pray for her and her brother.
“That evening, when my friends came back from work, together we entrusted this situation to God and we placed all our fears and doubts in his heart.
“That night, I woke up and imagined that homeless man, alone and dying. I fell back asleep but again woke up a short time later. Each time, I turned to the Father and said: ‘He is your son; you cannot abandon him. Take care of him!’
“A few days later, I got a phone call from my friend; she told me that after having spoken to me that day, she felt a great peace. Then she said: ‘You know, we were able to bring him to the hospital! They were able to help him by giving him some medication for pain relief. He had been purified by his suffering and was ready. He died serenely, after having received Jesus in the Eucharist.’
“In my heart I had a deep sense of gratitude and a greater trust in the Lord.”
Edited by Fr. Fabio Ciardi and Gabriella Fallacara
1) Chiara Lubich, Yes Yes No No, New City London, 1977, pp. 113-114.
![“Us together with others”: toward a solidarity school]()
Jan 29, 2007 | Non categorizzato
“The Gen Movement was born to make the world rehope in Someone who never deceives”. In a live message launched on worldwide level, Chiara Lubich recalled the duty of the “Gen” – ‘new generation’ of the Focolare Movement – born 40 years ago, amidst the youth protests of late 1960’s.
With Chiara’s handover, year 2007 is not a simple recurrence of the 40th anniversary but marks a new stage in the Gen life: “You are on a journey. ‘Always on the way.’ But the Way is Jesus. “May this 40th anniversary bring the Gen Movement to a greater commitment in living with Jesus as your travelling companion,” “By reliving him, you will set in motion from your corner of the world that necessary and decisive turn-around that humanity needs to experience.”
This worldwide event linked youth that live the spirituality of unity. Among the 44 countries linked via satellite into one network there was: Holy Land, Philippines, Brazil, South Africa, Korea, United States, Egypt, Uganda and Tanzania; 23 simultaneous congresses were being held aside from the over 2,000 youth, from all over Europe and representatives of other continents, were gathered in Rome.
The Gen from all over the world answered with enthusiasm and generosity to the challenge in becoming “athletes of God, heroes of the Gospel, witnesses of truth, evidence that God is fullness, peace, beauty, richness, abundance, love, mercy, trust.”
Some flashes – From Cairo: “It’s the first time that I participate to such a historical event as this!”; from Venezuela: “my heart expands on seeing the whole world linked up, not only via satellite, but above all spiritually”; from Hong Kong: “Though it is difficult, I want to say my Yes to Jesus: a ‘yes’ which is forever, immediate and with joy”; from Italy: “He fills every void. But he demands all my heart and all my soul: what a great Ideal!” A very joyful moment was the greeting of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to a group of Gen that participated at the public audience on Wednesday 10th January 2007, after the conclusion of their congress.
The Gen Movement is born in 1967, proposing to the youth of the whole world a peaceful revolution, that changes hearts, and from there, making a difference in society, renewing its structures, bringing everywhere the life of Gospel: “This is the revolution we want to bring about: we do not like neither the west nor the east, neither capitalism nor communism; we like Christianity; we like the capital of God,” this was one of the founding mottoes of the Gen Movement.
Not only Christians – As the Focolare Movement spread, among the Gen there were Christians of other denominations and faithful of other Religions. They belong to areas of the world in conflict, such as in the Holy Land, Iraq, Colombia, and they are ready to witness a life based on the culture of peace. There are around 18,000 Gen scattered all over the world. They are the animators of the Giovani per un Mondo Unito (Youth for a United World Movement)and together with them and with many more youth, they commit themselves in building “fragments of fraternity”, thus giving life to actions that can influence the public opinion, and they strive to give an answer to social inequalities present in their countries.
Jan 25, 2007 | Non categorizzato
Jan 23, 2007 | Non categorizzato
Jan 22, 2007 | Senza categoria
Jan 11, 2007 | Non categorizzato
Jan 11, 2007 | Non categorizzato
Jan 9, 2007 | Non categorizzato
Jan 3, 2007 | Non categorizzato
Dec 31, 2006 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Umlazi is one of the many townships formed in the 1950s for the black population gathered on the outskirts of the big cities in South Africa. About 750,000 people live in Umlazi, but they lack schools, hospitals, and suitable housing; they don’t even have a field to play soccer on. The unemployment rate is above 40%. Their poverty generates violence, abuse of every type, and a high incidence of AIDS. Many people feel isolated and they are afraid to speak up about their sufferings and their countless problems.
“What can be done?” the leaders of different Christian communities of Umlazi asked themselves. “We need to ‘break the silence,’” they said to each other. “We need to open a real dialogue so we can work on our problems together.” They started with the young people, trying to build a constructive dialogue and deeper relationships with them.
Strengthened by this experience, the Christians of Umlazi made a proposal for the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” which is being held this month in many parts of the world. They suggested a passage in Mark’s Gospel from which this Word of Life is taken.
The Guide for the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2007 recommends that the intentions for the week include both the striving for unity among Christians and the Christian response to human suffering.
This Word of Life has its roots at a time when Jesus was traveling and “people brought a deaf man who had a speech impediment to him” and he healed him by saying the word “‘Ephphatha!’ that is, ‘Be opened!’” The people, in seeing this, “were exceedingly astonished” (Mk 7:32-39) and exclaimed:
«He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak»
The miracles performed by Jesus are an expression of his love for all those he met on his journeys. They are also “signs” of the new world that he came to announce. The healing of the deaf and mute man is a sign that Jesus came to bring us a new ability to understand and to speak.
“Ephphatha” was the same word pronounced over us at the time of our Baptism.
“Ephphatha” calls us to open ourselves to hearing the Word of God, so that we allow it to penetrate deeply in us.
“Ephphatha” is his invitation to us to be open and to listen to all those with whom he identified himself—every person, above all, the children, the poor, the needy. He invites us to begin a dialogue of love with all of them, a dialogue that leads to sharing our own Gospel-based experience.
Grateful to Jesus for all that he continues to work in us, let us proclaim with the crowds of his time:
«He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak»
How should we live this Word of Life?
By breaking through our “deafness” and silencing the noises that block out the voice of God within and around us, as well as the voice of our conscience and the voice of our brothers and sisters.
We often receive requests for help, sometimes tacit ones, from many different people: a child asking for attention, a married couple in crisis, a person who is ill, an older adult, a prisoner, all those who need assistance. We hear the cries of citizens asking for better living conditions, of workers who demand more justice, of entire peoples whose existence is denied. Distracted by a thousand interests and pleasures, our hearts and ears are too often not tuned in to those around us. Or perhaps, focused on our own needs, we may find ourselves pretending not to hear.
The Word of Life asks us to “listen” in order to help others to carry their worries and problems, and also to share in their joys and dreams with a new-found solidarity. It invites us not to be “mute,” but to find the courage to speak: to share our deepest experiences and convictions; to intervene in defense of those who have no voice; to bring about acts of reconciliation; to propose ideas, solutions, new strategies.
And when we feel that we are not able to rise to the occasion, what will make us ready for the task and give us support is this certainty: Jesus, who opened our ears and our mouths:
«He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak»
Here is an experience of Lucy Shara from South Africa. When she moved with her family to Durban, she found herself facing life in a big city and having to take on a new job with considerable responsibility. Those were the years of apartheid when it was quite unusual for a black African woman to hold a position of leadership.
One day she realized that a form of acute asthma was spreading among the workers and that it was caused by poor working conditions. Many of them would suddenly not show up for work and then would take months off to recover. She spoke with the assistant director about it and proposed a solution: install a machine to purify the air in the environment. But since the machine cost a great deal, at first the company rejected her proposal.
Lucy, however, found strength and light in the Word of Life that she had been trying to live for some time. She felt a fire within her that gave her courage and kept her calm in the midst of all the discussions and helped her to listen with sincerity to the opinions offered by the management. “At a certain point,” she recounted, “my mouth seemed to blossom with just the right words to defend those who had no voice of their own. I was able to show the directors that the initial high cost would pay off with the improved health of the workers who would no longer need to take off because of illness.”
Her words were so convincing that the air purifier was installed. Soon the cases of asthma decreased from 12% to 2%, and the absenteeism also decreased by the same amount. The directors of the company thanked her, and even gave her an extra bonus in her salary. Joy spread among the workers as they breathed a new atmosphere in the factory, in every sense!
Chiara Lubich
Dec 27, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
«The Gospel message, lived out by persons who have shared everything with us and together, they have searched for us every means of support, has opened a new horizon, that has helped turn our life into a “holy journey”, and it has made us “subjects” of the transformation carried out in our social environment.” I was born and I presently live on an island which is now called St. Terezinha, on the outskirts of Recife, a city located in North East of Brazil. More than thirty years ago, this island was called the “Island of hell”, because of its serious degraded condition. Since then, the Focolare Movement carries out activities to promote the social situation of this community as well as its spiritual and cultural aspects. From this experience which we have lived out together, an Association of the inhabitants of the island of St. Terezinha has come to life and I have been the president of five consecutive mandates. The target has been to bring the inhabitants to live this communitarian experience, thus becoming protagonists of their own development. We have chosen one Gospel sentence as a motto: “First of all, look for the Kingdom of God and its justice…”. Entrusting our strength to God, the Gospel became like a compass in our life because at that time we were living in a country run by a capitalist system and still under a military regime. Therefore, almost all the communities were oriented toward parties which had opted to struggle, as the only way to overcome these social inequalities. We, instead, were always open to dialogue with the public administrators, notwithstanding the current practices, exposing clearly our positions as a community. Conquests and steps ahead followed: land reclamation of an area which was previously always flooded due to the rain and the high tide; the construction of houses, also with the support of the State, thus solving the problem of lack of habitation; the institution of a primary school, with a strength of over 600 pupils, to combat illiteracy. In order to stop the infant mortality rate we have opened a clinic in collaboration with the Recife Municipality and the support of German organizations. We have also opened a centre for under nourished children. In order to combat unemployment, we have setup an enterprise dealing in concrete construction material, thus employing 7 fathers. Through the initiative of “adoptions at a distance”, a support association also emerged, through which, infants and adolescents are occupied during their free off-school hours, in human formation and civil education. Respect and acknowledgment from competent authorities reached us without delay: they did not know of the evangelical experience that lied “behind the scenes”, instead, they considered us as an organized community and capable of struggling. It is love that spurs us on and invites us to grow and improve. We cannot be contented with what we have lived the day before. With the advent of democracy new systems have emerged, such as the “Balance Sheet & Budget-Participation.” The community, represented by its own elected members, discusses with the Municipality, the use of certain financial resources that are decided by the Mayor and committee. The city is divided into 6 areas, or “Political-Administrative Regions”, and representatives are elected as delegates for the “Balance Sheet & Budget-Participation”: all in all, they are 470. In the course of an assembly, I have been elected region delegate for these negotiations, not only as a representative of my community but also of various villages in the zone. Even throughout the exercise of this mandate, I had the opportunity to force myself in seeing Jesus in the other person, in accordance with the words of the Gospel: “Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to me.” It is easy to put into practice with persons who belong to my community, however far more difficult, with someone who does not always act according to the aspirations of the less fortunate. My duty was to work for my community, but at the same time, I had to maintain a rapport with them, and not only out of diplomacy. One day we were at a reunion and we were discussing the allocation of funds. The delegates present at this meeting wanted to include only those localities of the participating delegates present at the reunion. Keeping in mind that we have “to love another person’s homeland as our own”, which in this case means, to love the other person’s community like our own, I said that it was not right to sacrifice a community just because its representatives were not present. I added that we should not only look at our needs but also at the needs of others, and they accepted my proposal. On another occasion, for which I happened to be absent due to my work, it was brought to the attention that the funds allocated to a square in the Island of St. Terezinha, were not sufficient. Even though I was not present, the other delegates allocated a part of their resources to our square. This work has reaped various fruit: we have managed to asphalt the main roads of the Island, besides the construction of a square; we have obtained equipment for our Health Centre and sponsorships for our cultural shows. Then, in other villages and communities of the zone of Recife, we have succeeded in launching various works of construction, together with other delegates of “Balance Sheet & Budget-Participation.” (J. – Brazil)
Dec 19, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
The celebration, on December 7th, which took place in the House of Deputies at the Parliament in Brasilia, was attended by more than 200 federal deputies. This was only a few weeks after the recent inauguration of the new government and legislative body. The President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Hon. Aldo Rebelo sent a message. The news of the solemn session in honour of the Movement for Unity in Politics (MppU) appeared on the official website of the House, within the official working timetable. “At this special historical moment for Brazil, faced with crucial political choices for its people both at a national and an international level, as for many emerging countries, we lived a truly important day”. That is how Hon. Lucia Crepaz, President of the International Mppu described it, on her return. “During the session I listened to deputies from different parties questioning and taking positions on the subject of universal fraternity, the principal idea behind the MppU. I must say that while in the political arena fraternity is seen as a fragile concept, unsuited to the painstaking process of bringing interests together, there on the contrary it emerged with the ability to plan, to be the content and the method of politics, and a guide for personal daily actions, as well as large scale political transformation.” The story of the Mppu was traced by Hon Luiza Erundina, who first of all called to mind the message of Chiara Lubich to parliamentarians delivered in 1998 by Ginetta Calliari – one of Chiara Lubich’s first companions and cofounder of the Focolare Movement in Brazil. After that the Movement for Unity in Politics was founded in 2001, followed by an expansion in the different states of Brazil, with a series of political initiatives throughout the country and in the institutional political centres, finally involving also the Parliament in Brasilia. 
In the following two days, the MppU Convention welcomed dozens more politicians and administrators, functionaries, interested citizens and students, coming from 25 states of Brazil, who reviewed everything that followed, from 2001 until today. 
For the occasion, messages of support came from the national centres of the MppU in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, where this experience has been developing in a similar manner for some years. The Movement for Unity in Politics – Started by Chiara Lubich in 1996, could be described as an international laboratory for political dialogue which brings together politicians from different tendencies working throughout the whole range of social and political situations, who find in the Charism of unity a source of inspiration, and a universal motivation for working together for the common good.
Dec 18, 2006 | Non categorizzato
“… This wealthy world has “kidnapped” Christmas and everything around it, and evicted Jesus! It loves the poetry, the atmosphere, the friendships, the presents, the lights, the stars, and the songs. It looks to Christmas for the best profits of the year. But there is no thought of Jesus”. These words of Chiara Lubich, from the meditation “They have evicted Jesus”, gave rise to a very novel idea, promoted by the Gen 4, the youngest members of the Focolare Movement. Every Christmas since 1996, they have braved the winter cold and rampant consumerism, to offer statuettes of the child Jesus in big city squares and shopping centres. 
This year’s project has taken them to Central Park, New York, Piazza del Popolo in Rome, to the heart of Turin in via Po… Eight thousand small baskets were despatched from the world Gen 4 centre to be used as cradles for the child Jesus, to be welcomed into homes from Spain to Japan, from Africa to Sweden. Here are some stories from different parts of the world: Turin – Taking many “child Jesus” When Margherita, a little girl from Turin, saw on the TV news that some supermarket chains had stopped selling cribs because they were “not commercially viable”, she exclaimed, “this year we will have to take many, many (statuettes of) the child Jesus!” Germany – He came back with two envelopes The German Gen 4 put their stall in a Christmas market. A man came up and took a statuette in his hands, looked at it, then went off without taking it. The Gen 4 decided to give it to him as a gift. They caught him up and said, “We want to give this to you as a present!”. His eyes lit up. He told them that he had lost his job and had no money to buy a statuette, then said goodbye and went home. After a while he came back with two envelopes. He wanted to give them a gift too. In the first envelope there was a prayer written out for them, and in the second a letter that said, “Ciao, dear children! I want to thank you for the biggest gift that there is. I’ll never forget it. You gave me a big surprise! I wish you all a Happy Christmas and beautiful presents.” Dallas (Texas) – No time to stop 
For the first time, the Gen 4 in Dallas had permission to offer the statuettes of the child Jesus outside a big office block. But it was not easy: people passed by, muttering “No thank you”, or asking, “What are they? Biscuits?” The Gen 4 were quite dismayed, and asked themselves, “How come all these people don’t even have the time to stop and take Jesus home with them?” So they asked Jesus to help them to bring all his love to these people: it didn’t matter if they didn’t collect any money for the poor, they knew they were there to bring Him into the world. They didn’t give up: they prepared coloured posters offering the statuettes as a gift for Christmas, and sang carols. The people began to stop and take the statuettes. A lady who wanted to take one realised that she had left her purse at home. Without hesitating, the Gen 4 gave it to her, and she went away happy and touched by the gesture. The Gen 4 were happy too: Jesus had found yet another home. When they came to count the money, they remembered that they ought to have given 10% to the company that owned the office block. They went together to the director’s office, where he told them that he didn’t want anything: in fact he wanted to make his contribution too, so that through the Gen 4 the money would get to those who needed it most. Trent – You are all invited to my house Silvia and Monica met together to make the plaster statuettes of the child Jesus. They decided to invite their friends too. Silvia wrote the invitations: “On Saturday afternoon you are all invited to my house, to make statuettes of Baby Jesus”, and the day afterwards gave them out to her classmates. On Saturday ten of them turned up to work! Before starting, Silvia and Monica showed them all a video where the Gen 4 explain their action “they have evicted Jesus”. No one wanted to go home at the end, and they promised to meet again soon. Pisa – I can do acts of love too! A very distinguished gentleman, finding himself in front of Lorenzo, who offered him a statuette, answered, “ I’m not interested, I’m an atheist.” Lorenzo answered, “I’m a Gen 4. What is an atheist?”. “And what are the Gen 4?”, asked the man. “The Gen 4 are those who do acts of love”. “Well, even if I don’t believe, I can do an act of love too!”, he concluded, and taking a statuette, left a very generous offering. (Other stories may be found in the book “Hanno sloggiato Gesù (They have evicted Jesus)”, Città Nuova, 2005)
![“Us together with others”: toward a solidarity school]()
Dec 18, 2006 | Non categorizzato
Christmas, and the Invisible made itself visible. The Word became flesh. The Light shone in the darkness. If God came down from heaven for us, There is no doubt that he loves us! If God himself loves us, everything on this earth is easier for us, everything makes more sense: behind the obscure passages of our existence we can read the loving hand of God; the reasons may often be unknown to us, but they are reasons of love. Chiara Lubich
Nov 30, 2006 | Non categorizzato, Word of
The poet who composed the Psalm from which this Word of Life comes had been on a pilgrimage to the temple of Jerusalem. He wanted to remain there, just as the sparrows who had built their nests there, but he had to return to his home (or: to his land). He remembered with nostalgia the “lovely … dwelling place” of the Lord where he experienced the presence of God. He then decided to go back again and so he set off on the journey to Jerusalem. It would be a “holy journey” that would once again put him “in front of God.” As in all cultures and faiths, the journey was a metaphor for life.
The “holy journey” is the symbol for the roads we need to take to reach God. We are in fact headed towards a final end that we should not call “death” but rather an “encounter” because it is not an ending but the beginning of a new Life with God. We are all called to this by him.
Why not then plan our whole lives with this goal in mind? Why not turn the only life we have into a journey, a holy journey, because the one who is waiting for us is the holy One?
Yes, we are all called to become holy: “This is the will of God, your holiness” (1 Thes 4:3). God loves each of us, individually, with an immense love. He has thought up and planned a specific itinerary for each of us to follow, with a precise finish line to reach.
«Happy are those who find refuge in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrim roads»
Certainly we are children of our time, a time with a predilection for activism – at times unbridled – and for efficiency, which values certain occupations and undervalues others, which quietly neglects some of the challenges of life out of fear and with the illusion that they will just go away.
Perhaps we too, influenced and blinded by similar tendencies, may uselessly waste our energies. Perhaps we too might consider taking days off to rest as unnecessary, setting aside moments for prayer as superfluous, and viewing our illnesses and various difficulties – which God permits in his plan of love for us – as merely obstacles along our path.
How can we begin or get back in step seriously with our own holy journey? It is not difficult to discover how: by not doing our own will, but doing the will of God. We can do this by following him in each present moment of our lives, knowing that – and this is a huge gift – we are accompanied by a special grace in everything that we do in this way, by the “actual grace” that enlightens our minds and helps us to direct our wills and sensitivities to what is good.
Even those who do not embrace any religious creed can make a masterpiece of their life by embarking with uprightness on a journey of sincere moral commitment.
«Happy are those who find refuge in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrim roads»
If life is a long “holy journey” traced out by the will of God, our itinerary demands that we progress every day. Love urges us to keep growing, to improve always. We cannot be content with how we lived yesterday, so we should regularly tell ourselves, “Today, better than yesterday.”
And what should we do when we stop, or when we go backwards by falling into our old ways or by just giving in to laziness? Should we remain discouraged by our mistakes and give up our goal? No, in these moments, our motto should be: “start out again,” first of all by entrusting our past, with all its mistakes and sins, to God’s mercy.
To start over again, by trusting completely in God’s grace, rather than counting on our own strength. Doesn’t the Word of Life tell us that we can find our refuge in him? We can start over each day as though it were the first day of our holy journey.
Above all, let us journey together, united in love, by helping one another. Then The Saint will be among us and he will become the “Way” for us. He will help us to understand the will of God better, and he will give us the desire and the ability to carry it out. If we are united everything will become easier and we will experience the beatitude promised to those who embark on the holy journey.
«Happy are those who find refuge in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrim roads»
These verses from the Psalms remind me of how a friend of mine lived. His name was Enzo Fondi.
In 1951, when he was twenty-two years old and living in Rome, Enzo decided to follow God completely within the recently formed Focolare Movement. After he received his medical degree as a surgeon, Enzo began his practice behind the “iron curtain” in a hospital in Leipzig, then East Germany. There he wished to bear witness to a love that is rooted in the Gospel. He was later ordained a priest. After a number of years he journeyed to the United States to continue to spread the same message.
During the latter part of his life his journeys did not let up. His work for the interreligious dialogue promoted by the Movement brought him to different places with various commitments, but the project was always the same: to follow God’s will. He concluded his long “holy journey” on New Year’s Eve 2001. That evening he was found in front of his computer as though still at work, with his head leaning on the table, his face serene and without a trace of suffering. More than having passed on, he seemed to have simply passed from one “room” to the next.
Fifteen days before his death, he had written, “My last will and testament: for me, the last will of God is the one he wants from me now. There is no other. To accomplish the last will of God perfectly, whatever it may be, this is my last will. I don’t know what the last will of God will really be for me, but one thing I do know is this: I will have the actual grace to do the will of God at the end of my life in so far as I have tried to take advantage of this grace by living each present moment well.”
Chiara Lubich
Nov 28, 2006 | Non categorizzato
Chiara Lubich’s health is steadily improving. Taken into the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli hospital in Rome on November 2nd with breathing difficulties caused by a lung infection, Chiara Lubich has now been discharged from intensive care. The Director of the unit, prof. Massimo Antonelli, stated, “her positive response to treatment has allowed her to reach a stable and satisfactory clinical condition”. The Movement is extremely grateful for all the care received, and for the availability and competence of the Director and his associates. On November 21, the Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, visited Chiara, after celebrating Mass for the inauguration of the new academic year at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. Giving her another blessing from the Pope, he also gave her a rosary on his behalf. The following day Chiara was visited by prof. Lorenzo Ornaghi, Rector of the Catholic University. Among the messages that arrive each day: One from the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, and others from members of the European, Italian, and Brazilian Parliaments of various parties, from the Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, and Alberto Pacher, Mayor of Trento, Chiara’s birthplace, who expressed the city’s concern for her health. The head of the Italian Government, Romano Prodi, sent a wish that “her stay in hospital be very short”, because, he adds, “we need you too much….”. Warm wishes and assurances of prayers have come from the General Secretary of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP), Dr William Vendley, and from Jewish friends. including Rabbis and leaders, from Israel, Argentina and the United States. The Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo di Segni, wishes that “her body be as strong as her spirit and manage to overcome this crisis”
Nov 12, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
I had been regional Attorney in Colombia, specialized in antinarcotics, for about 11 years. In my position, I have had to deal with numerous criminal charges against organized crime, winning 98% of the cases. I have always known that every crime touched the life of a person or a family, that every criminal had the right to respect, love, consideration, despite the serious nature, legally speaking, of the wrong committed. I felt happy in doing a task that gave me the chance to live constantly with God. I also felt personally rewarded and professionally fulfilled, besides having a secure financial base. I had an excellent team that I could count on; all expert investigators with real values and professional conduct. Corruption, however, was trying to filter into all aspects of public life, especially among those who work in the legal arena. My integrity and attitude of “no-half measures” influenced the whole team, and this made it so that the investigations always took place with respect and within the limits of justice. One day we “touched” someone who thought he was beyond the law. The offer was made immediately: various millions that could have guaranteed us real financial security. I could not accept, I could not give in or pretend that nothing had transpired. From that moment on, things changed for me, in my family and in my daily life. After I refused the offer, I began to be threatened. I was pressured by my higher-ups and then was finally let go, together with one of my best investigators who, like me, had not given in to corruption. Inside I felt very bitter, full of mistrust and disappointment. I lived alone with my two children because my husband had abandoned me years ago. Looking at my sons, so defenseless, I thought that God permits everything to happen for our sanctification and that I was paying the price to remain on the narrow road. Together with my children, we decided to cut back on everything. We felt peaceful because we felt sure that God loved us immensely. I asked God to give me the strength I needed to forgive those who were forcing me to change the usual tenor of our life. In making the effort to have “complete amnesty in my heart,” I found true freedom and the strength to begin again. With the money I had left from the sale of our home and a few savings, I bought a school bus. As a bus driver, my day began at 4:45 in order to bring all the children to school on time. It was difficult for me to drive through areas where I knew I could meet my old colleagues or my supervisors. The news spread quickly that “the Attorney General, called the steel woman, is now a bus driver.” Some of the laughter and comments even reached my ears. After about one year, a professional I knew from the UN office asked me to collaborate with him on a project against drugs. This allowed me to get back into my specialization even though in a minor role, thus collaborating with all professionals in Latin America and the Caribbean. The International organization appreciated my professional conduct and matter-of-fact manner and they hired me with a decent monthly salary. I am now giving work also to some of my colleagues from the regional Attorney’s Office. At the beginning, knowing the dishonest methods of some of them and how they thought about me, I was rather afraid to face them. I asked Mary to give me the necessary humility to forget about the past and not judge. It was not easy but I can now tangibly feel the love of God for me and my family. (D. L. – Colombia)
Nov 2, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Nov 2, 2006 | Non categorizzato
The Objective of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, on the 20th anniversary of the “Day of Prayer for Peace” on October 27 1986, was to hand on to the next generation the “Spirit of Assisi” proposed by John Paul II on that memorable day, when the leaders of all the religions of the world gathered in the city of St Francis. The meeting brought together young people of different religions with the aim of helping to rediscover and keep alive this spirit, a reason for hope in the future. About one hundred young people from 27 countries responded to the invitation: Christians from many churches and ecclesial communities, Jews and followers of many religious traditions: Hinduism, Jainism, Islam and others. The programme included plenary sessions, group debates and round table discussions, and pilgrimages to sites of importance in Franciscan spirituality. In the Sacred Convent, separate locations were made available for prayers and meditations of the various religious groups; the catholic youth will take part in the Sunday Eucharist and other moments of prayer. The programme – The meeting will come alive on November 5 with an inaugural session opened by the Bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino. After that there will be a reflection on the “Impact of Assisi 1986”, followed by a Eucharistic Liturgy at the Sacred Convent. In the afternoon there will be testimonies from groups who have over the last twenty years cultivated and spread the “spirit of Assisi”: the community of St Egidio, the Tendai Buddhists, Communion and Liberation, and the Focolare Movement. On November 6th, Kathryn Lohre, of the World Council of Churches, will address the young people on the theme “Supporting common values and respecting differences”, while on Tuesday 7 Cardinal Paul Poupard will assess the present situation of interreligious dialogue, emphasising the role of young people in a multifaith and multicultural world. The young people have been given the task of producing a message of hope and encouragement for the whole world, as a sign of their adhesion to the “Spirit of Assisi”. The meeting will end in Rome, on the morning of November 8, at the General Audience of the Pope.
Oct 31, 2006 | Non categorizzato, Word of
In everyday language, we find the word “justice” applied when referring to respect for human rights, the desire for equality, the equitable distribution of the world’s resources, the institutions that exist to uphold the law.
Is this the justice that Jesus speaks about in the Sermon on the Mount, where he explains the beatitudes? Yes, but it comes as a consequence of a more comprehensive justice that has to do with harmonious relationships, with concord, with peace.
Hunger and thirst remind us of the basic needs of each person; they symbolize that profound yearning of the human heart that is never fully satisfied. According to Luke’s Gospel, Jesus simply had said: “Blessed are you who are now hungry” (Lk 6:21). Matthew explained that the hunger of a human person is a hunger for God, the only one who can fully satisfy it. Saint Augustine understood this well; on the very first page of his Confessions he wrote this famous sentence: “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
Jesus himself said: “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37). He, in turn, nourished himself on the will of God: “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me” (Jn 4:34).
Justice, in the biblical sense of the word means, therefore, to live in conformity with the plan God has for humanity, which he envisioned and wished to be a family united in love.
«Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied»
The desire and the quest for justice have always been carved in the person’s conscience. God himself placed them in the human heart. But despite the conquests and the progress made in the course of history, we are still a long way from seeing the accomplishment of God’s plans. The wars that are being fought even in our day, as well as the terrorism and the ethnic conflicts, are signs of social and economic inequality, of injustice, and of hate.
The obstacles to world harmony are not only of a juridical nature, that is, due to a lack of laws to govern our common living. The obstacles come from deeper moral and spiritual attitudes, from how we value the human person, from how we treat each other.
The same holds true for the economic order. The widespread under-development and the growing gap between rich and poor, with the unequal distribution of goods, are not merely the result of faulty systems of production; they come first and foremost from cultural and political choices. These are basic facts.
When Jesus invites us to give also our cloak to the one who asks for our tunic, or to go the extra mile with whoever asks us to go one mile (see Mt 5:40-41), he indicates “something more,” an even “greater justice” that goes beyond that of legal practice, a justice that is an expression of love.
Without love, without respect for human persons and attention to their needs, our personal relationships might seem quite appropriate, but they might also become so bureaucratic that they cannot provide satisfying responses to people’s real needs. Without love, we will never attain true justice, a sharing of goods among rich and poor, an attentiveness to the uniqueness of each man and woman and to the concrete situations in which they find themselves. Goods cannot move from one place to another on their own: people’s hearts must be moved and made to move the goods.
«Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied»
How should we live this Word of Life?
By appreciating each of our neighbors for what he or she really is: not only as a human being with his or her rights and basic equality with everyone else, but as a person who is the living image of Jesus.
We must love our neighbors even if they are our enemies, with the same love that the Father has for them, to be ready to make sacrifices for them, even the greatest one: “To give one’s life for one’s friends” (John Paul II, Sollecitudo rei socialis, 40).
This means to live with them in mutual giving, sharing our spiritual and material goods, so that all will become one family.
Then our yearning for a united and just world, as God has envisioned it, will become a reality. He himself will come to dwell in our midst and he will satisfy us with his presence.
«Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied»
A man who works in an office told us how he almost lost his job. “The firm that I worked for recently merged with another similar firm. After the merger, the managers asked me to examine our list of employees because with the restructuring of the new company three of them would have to be let go.
This whole proceeding did not seem well thought out to me. It looked like a rather rushed decision that failed to consider the consequences it would have on the three people and on their families. What was I to do? Then I remembered the Word of Life. The only thing to do was what Jesus would have done: to take the initiative in loving. I handed in my resignation and explained to the managers that I could not sign the papers to lay-off those three employees.
My resignation, however, was not accepted. In fact, the managers then asked me how I would go about finding places for these employees in the new organization. I had already worked out a new personnel plan, a plan that offered an easy and useful way of inserting all these employees into different departments. They accepted my plan and we all kept our jobs.”
Chiara Lubich
![“Us together with others”: toward a solidarity school]()
Oct 30, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Card. Antonelli: “The Economy of Communion is definitely not utopian” The Archbishop of Florence, Card Antonelli gave a speech during the opening ceremony of the first European Industrial Estate, that houses the businesses of the Economy of Communion and is situated near Loppiano, the small international town of the Focolari, that stands on the Tuscan hills near Florence. He quoted the pope and said, “Benedict XVI has said several times that history is guided by creative minorities”. He highlighted the roots of this: the love of the Gospel, a love that “does not only involve individuals, charity and voluntary work, but one that involves the culture, the structures and the dynamics of society. This is what is needed to change the world” as Vatican Council II affirms. He continued saying, “ I think that tonight we are understanding better what all this means”. And he defined the idea of the Economy of Communion as certianly “not being utopian” but “it needs great spiritual energy and a lot of motivation. Yet it is so fascinating that it may be contagious and attract many other businesses”. President Prodi: “The estate that is being inaugurated is a model for society”. “In every society we need models that help us to keep on developping”. This is what the President of the Italian Parliament said in his surprise visit to the opening ceremony.. He said he was grateful for such a realisation , for the commitment taken to achieve “transparency in balance sheets, respect for laws and for freely sharing profits to create a net of solidarity”. And he confirmed that, “Every society needs to have models to imitate, for otherwise it will become stale; everything becomes standard repitition. Here we have an example. Here we have something which is even more and not everyone is called for it, but it is a sign of progress.” The Estate is a visible sign of a road that can be followed in the business world to bridge the gap between rich and poor. As soon as one arrives at the Industrial Estate, one is struck by the original way it is built. It stands on 9600 square metres of land but it does not look like an industrial shed. There are 5621 shareholders; and pensioners, housewives and students are also involved. Being shareholders in the Economy of Communion Company, they feel protagonists of a project that embraces the world. From the experiences shared by the businessmen here, one could see that it has not been easy to transfer their businesses or to set up new subsidiary branches. But as they themselves said, they were fascinated by the idea of coming over here to be a community of businessmen that renders visible its share towards business ethics and towards the dream of bridging the gap between rich and poor. Prof. Zamagni: “To make the business flourish, man has to be placed at the centre of everything”. Cecilia Manzo, president of the E of C Company, that runs and promotes the Estate said that “the aim of these businesses is make the employees participate in the running of the business”. And this aspect was highlighted by Prof. Zamagni, lecturer of Political Economy at the Bologna University. He said, “Today, in this post-industrial era, the strategic factor is no more the machine or the capital, but it is the human person. If we want our businesses to flourish, we have to place man at the centre of everything. It is more important to act on the motivations of those who work than on giving them incentives.” And this is what happens in the businesses of the Economy of Communion: the employees know why the business has been set up and give their share towards its aim. “A brilliant idea, that has played its part in advance”. Chiara Lubich – The motto given: “God always works” In the message sent by the foundress of the Focolare Movement, who launched the Economy of Communion 15 years ago, she expressed her hope that the Industrial Estate will be “an answer to today’s economical problems.” And she gave a motto to the Industrial Estate: “God always works”. The ceramic plate on which this motto is written and made by the sculptor Benedetto Pietrogrande, was uncovered during the opening ceremony. “And this is to remind us of the value that God gives to work, of the creative ability of man”. She also spoke of another aspect of this project: it is actually part of the small towns of the Moviment that are called to be “a model of a new society founded on the Gospel”.
Oct 16, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 15, 2006 | Non categorizzato
Oct 15, 2006 | Non categorizzato
Oct 14, 2006 | Non categorizzato
Oct 13, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Paraguay has a rich history gifted with great potentials. It is a mosaic made up of a wide variety of people, a nation divided in two: countryside and city, poverty and development. In my own life, I have gone through different stages: in the beginning, the passion for mankind: I got my first job when I was 14, then the University halls and the encounter with youth of the Focolare Movement; then the marches against the dictatorship and the first steps in a political party. Then came the second stage, “disappointment”: betrayals, inconsistencies, and my own political inability. The feeling that it wasn’t really possible to change anything. The third stage was fundamental, “choice”, the choice to love always, which led me to viewing political activity as a means for transforming society. In the year 2000, after a long troubled period, I set up an organization together with a group of friends who were already involved in the field of sustainable development. It was the beginning of the “Fundación Yvy Porã” (Beautiful Land) which in the past six years has promoted the development of dozens of projects throughout Paraguay, sustaining communities of small entrepreneurs, farmers, craftsmen, indigenous people, in urban and rural centers. However, I was still not satisfied. I wished to do something more. And so together with other politicians, I started preparing for the Latin-American meeting of mayors, which was held in Rosario, Argentina, 2-3 June 2005, and promoted by the Movement for Unity in Politics. (link) We felt it was the opportune moment to present brotherhood as a political doctrine to the Paraguayan society. We looked over the list of mayors to invite to this event. From the replies and consensus obtained we said: “It’s a new Paraguay, a risen nation working in silence, and we want to bring it to light!” This very reality was highlighted by a widely-read national newspaper that devoted a page to this meeting with the headline: “The other Paraguay.” More than a thousand politicians participated in the meeting, including 119 mayors, 168 councilmen and women, members of parliament, local and national government officials. They came from many countries of South America. The 16 mayors of Paraguay who had participated, impressed by the spirit of the meeting, proposed to other mayors a project of collaboration among the various municipalities. And on the “Paraguay Friendship Day” – July 30, 2005 – they established a protocol of understanding and fraternal twinning in order to support and promote an exchange of local development policies. This agreement was signed by 22 municipalities, an unprecedented fact in Paraguay. After these meetings we began periodic appointments to examine the doctrine of brotherhood among politicians, and we are now building a Paraguayan School of civic and political formation for young people. (C. R. – Paraguay)
Oct 12, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 12, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 11, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 9, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 8, 2006 | Non categorizzato
Oct 3, 2006 | Non categorizzato
Oct 3, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 1, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Oct 1, 2006 | Focolare Worldwide
Sep 30, 2006 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Throughout the whole Gospel, Jesus invites us to give: to “give to the poor” (Mk 10:21). “Give to the one who asks of you and… one who wants to borrow” (Mt 5:42). “Give them some food yourselves” (Mk 6:37). “If anyone wants… your tunic, hand him your cloak as well” (Mt 5:40). “Without cost you are to give” (Mt 10:8).
Jesus was the first to give: he came to bring the sick back to health, to forgive sinners, and “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).
To counteract our instinct to hoard, Jesus put generosity; for our inclination to worry about our own needs he shifted the focus to our neighbors, and in place of the culture of having he put the culture of giving.
It does not matter if we can give a lot or a little. What counts is “how” we give, how much love we put into even a small gesture of attention for someone. At times, it is enough to offer them a cup of water, “only a cup of cold water” is how the Gospel of Matthew (10:42) puts it, an offering appreciated and needed especially in a country as hot and dry as Palestine.
«Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward»
Giving a cup of water is a simple gesture and yet it is great in the eyes of God if it is done in his name, that is, if it is done out of love.
Love has many nuances and knows how to find the most suitable ways to make its effects felt.
Love is attentive because it forgets about itself.
Love is thoughtful because in seeing someone’s need, it does the impossible to meet it.
Love is essential because it knows how to draw close to another person simply by being ready to listen and to serve, by being available.
How many times when we are with others, especially when they are suffering, we think that we are doing them an important service by giving them advice, not always opportunely however, or by carrying on a lengthy conversation which can either bore them or tire them out.
Instead, it is important “to be” a presence of love for each person we come in contact with. By being love, we will discover the most direct way of entering into the other’s world and of lifting him or her up.
«Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward»
The Word of Life for this month can help us to discover anew the value of everything we do: from doing housework to working in the fields or in the garage, to doing paperwork at the office, to doing our homework for school, as well as carrying out our civic, political, and religious duties. Everything can be transformed into attentive and thoughtful service for others.
Love will help us see what the other needs, and love will show us how to respond with creativity and generosity.
What will the results be? Gifts will circulate, for love calls forth love. Joy will be multiplied since “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35).
«Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward»
I remember that during World War II there were some very poor families in certain parts of Trent, our city. We went out to share what we had with them; we wanted to improve the conditions of their lives so that we would all be on a more equal economic level.
Although these were simple acts, they brought about incredible results: food, clothing, and medicines began to arrive in surprising abundance. We became more and more convinced that the Gospel contains the answer to every personal dilemma and every social problem.
And it was not a utopia. Today thousands of businesses are involved in the Economy of Communion in Freedom, as it came to be called. They strive to carry out their business activities according to the culture of giving and to use their profits for social goals, such as to helping disadvantaged people by creating employment for them and meeting their basic needs.
But the poor are many and the profits from these businesses cannot meet all their needs. Thus since 1994 many of us have pledged to give at least a small amount each month to aid the needy.
We currently help 7,000 people in 55 nations.
We have received many testimonies on how the “cup of water” has been given and received; it almost seemed like a contest to see who could be the most generous. Here is one experience from the many we have received from the Philippines: “Our small butcher shop was going bankrupt because of the outbreak of an epidemic among the livestock. We had to go in debt and we were not sure how we could keep on going. Through your timely and constant support, we have managed to eat a decent meal every day. Before long I began to realize that I too had to help those around me who were in even greater need than I. One of my neighbors fell ill with a disease that made her suffer greatly and she also had real material needs. I assisted her until she left for the next life. Since her husband was much poorer than we were, he was not able to take care of their fifth son. So I took care of him too.”
Chiara Lubich
![](http://ldap.focolare.org/layout/fotodefault/070310-03.jpg")
In 1964, the first group of people from Paraguay participated in the summer meeting (the Mariapolis) of the Focolare Movement in Argentina, accompanied by a priest from Asuncion, who had met the Movement in Rome. After the experience of those days, they returned home with their hearts set on fire. From that moment on, they started meeting regularly in order to share their experiences on the Gospel which they tried to live. In 1968, the Mariapolis in Paraguay was organised by the same Paraguayans with the help of those persons who regularly followed-up the community. In July 1981, Chiara Lubich sent a group of focolarinas and the first Focolare of Asuncion was started. Shortly afterwards, the focolarinos also followed and the communities (present in about 30 different cities) spread all over the country, experienced a new development, thus creating a network which became ever more tightly knit, year after year. By and by, various branches (families, youth, etc.) were born. Even expressions of the Movement which are more committed in the social field, as well as, the Political Movement for Unity, were developed. The commitment to favouring the social development of the country is very much alive. In the economical field, the first production enterprises, inspired by the Economy of sharing, came about. A share of their profits is assigned to social development. Others like “San Miguel di Capiatà” are committed to give their support to the birth of a new quarters on the suburbs of Asuncion, where twenty years earlier some families were evacuated from a permanently flooded degraded area. Besides, there are many members of the Movement who animate the local parish communities. Most recent developments: the new Mariapolis Centre “Mother of Humanity,” formation house of the Movement members, open to all; the inauguration of the Paraguayan New City Publishing House, official organ of the Movement; and the “Youth Home,” in the vicinity of the Mariapolis Centre.