“Sent out,” even from a hospital bed

May 29, 2005 | Non categorizzato

  When my illness became worse, I had to be confined to the hospital again. I was quite weak and everything I did demanded almost unbearable effort. The continual check-ups and treatments were attempts at a cure, so I had to make a leap in the dark again and again, and put myself in God’s hands as I followed the doctors’ instructions each time they had a new idea for me. One weekend, I found myself alone in the ward: I could finally rest and take a breather! I knew that the next Tuesday, the room would be full again. So I prepared myself, promising Jesus to see and love Him alone in the new patients, whoever they might be. I wanted to immerse myself in the Word of God, since to be able to proclaim the Gospel I first had to be evangelized myself. And God did take me at my word! The ward filled up. At the beginning I panicked; it was worse than I expected. There was never a single moment of silence and I went through sleepless nights. Had I not known the value of the present moment, I would never have made it! I felt like someone “sent out”: even from my hospital bed, I could let God’s love reach the doctors and patients around me. Slowly, I learned to discover their positive side, the values they possessed, beyond their intimidating appearance which used to be so hard for me to take. Out of the blue, one of them remarked how important it was for her to have good relationships with her roommates, and then she said to me, “But we do get along very well, don’t we?” She had no inkling therefore that I was having a hard time, and she felt at ease with me. I realized how important it is not to stop at one’s personal limitations, but take courage and love, trusting that God will take care of the rest. I experienced how much one grows and gets stronger spiritually. My three – week experience had its fruits. My physiotherapist was amazed at seeing me so cheerful. The doctors appreciated me because they felt free to prescribe the treatments they deemed useful for me. An ex-roommate came to bring me a gift and told me she had gone to church to pray that I might not have to undergo chemotherapy, as was forewarned. Now I’m back home, experiencing a new peace and serenity. (M. – Germany) Translated from “Quando Dio interviene. Esperienze da tutto il mondo” – Città Nuova 2004

[:it]Messaggio di Chiara Lubich

May 24, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Introduzione del prof. Giuseppe M. Zanghì

May 24, 2005 | Non categorizzato

“Love of God and neighbour in the Jewish and Christian traditions”

May 24, 2005 | Non categorizzato

  Not a conflict of cultures but “a harmonious composition of differences” where the inexhaustible and infinite richness of God are brought to light, and greater commitment to dialogue and to getting to know one another more deeply is pledged.” This was the message read at the first international Jewish-Christian symposium promoted by the Focolare Movement, from May 23-26. The participants met at Castelgandolfo, on the theme “Love of God and neighbour in the Jewish and Christian traditions.” Addressing the symposium, Cardinal Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, defined the developments in Jewish-Christian dialogue as “amazing.” After recalling the gestures of John Paul II, he mentioned how, immediately after his election, Pope Benedict XVI declared his intention to continue to pursue this dialogue. “I’ve known Pope Ratzinger for 40 years now,” Kasper said. “He has written much about Jewish-Christian relationships and made many important theological contributions. He has this dialogue very much at heart.” For the future, Pope Ratzinger pointed out three challenges to be faced: “We must do all we can to know each other,” deepen theological research, each on the other’s faith, and ‘collaborate’ in efforts to alleviate poverty, and uphold human values and the family.” All that has been accomplished needs to be transmitted to the new generations. The symposium started on May 23 with Chiara Lubich’s welcoming message. The Focolare foundress related her personal experience. “I assure you,” she said, “that to me, it seems the Holy Spirit hovers over such meetings; and even more so in this one for Jews and Christians!” Giuseppe Zanghì, co-director of the Focolare Center for Interreligious Dialogue – observed that the “tone” of the symposium is one of “reciprocal openness in a listening attitude which leads to knowing one another at the very source of love,” that love among us where “the prophets’ promises of peace find their fulfilment.” On the Jewish side, Ibraham Skorka, rector of the Latin American Rabbinic Seminary of Buenos Aires (Argentina), elaborated on “The concept of the human being.” Jack Bemporad, director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding of New York, and Gerard Rossé, biblical theologian, dealt on the theme “God’s presence and God’s silence.” Among the Catholic exponents were Piero Coda and Jesús Castellano. The Focolare Movement’s dialogue with the faithful of the Jewish religion began several decades ago. Particularly important was the meeting of 1998 in Buenos Aires between Chiara Lubich and one of the largest Jewish communities of Latin America. The participants of the symposium attended the General Audience at St. Peter’s Square. Fabrizio Mastrofini – Avvenire – May 25, 2005

[:it]Un dono immenso l’annuncio dell’immediato inizio della causa di beatificazione di Papa Wojtyla

May 19, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Una famiglia di popoli fratelli[:es]Tiempo de fraternidad

May 15, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Vite vissute all’insegna di un mondo più unito[:es]Vida vivida tras un mundo más unido

May 15, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Un e-mail per risalire la china

May 14, 2005 | Non categorizzato

“Flying high is possible” with the sharing factor in business

May 3, 2005 | Non categorizzato

“Flying high is possible”
A group of young people experienced this when they met together to exchange ideas with seasoned entrepreneurs in several fruitful workshops. The entrepreneurs shared their past experiences in the business world, even the painful ones, and the youth with enthusiasm and curiosity encouraged them to live the ideals of the Economy of Communion (EoC) in an even more radical way. “From the youth we received more than what we gave,” was the comment of one of the entrepreneurs.

Fraternity is the “plus” of the EoC manager
The workshops were based on the talks delivered by Cecilia Cantone Manzo, president of EoC s.p.a., the society that manages the Lionello Business Park, and by Prof. Luigino Bruni, who described the ideal EoC manager, pointing out that fostering fraternity should be one of his or her positive traits along with all the other qualities required of an entrepreneur, namely the ability to risk, to innovate, and to carry out a project.

A push to do business innovatively
A group of experts presented the typical problems that can arise, considering them from the point of view of the “culture of giving.” The subject proved to be of great interest to the young participants, who were struck by the novelty of such an entrepreneurship. A student from Naples remarked, “Coming here reinforced our will to do business, to do something new.” The youth expressed the request that a similar appointment at Loppiano be repeated every 6 months.

Unexpected progress in business management
On April 24, the meeting opened its doors to other entrepreneurs. One of them, a native of Piedmont, Italy [a province known for its business-minded population] shared his experience saying, “In spite of the difficulties and the general economic crisis, we have seen a continuous and notable increase in sales. It’s been my experience that the Gospel’s ‘hundredfold’ never comes in a big, cumbersome package (the kind that winning a lottery would mean, for example), which can also ruin the harmony of normal daily life. The ‘hundredfold’ arrives in a very discreet way. Many times our financial officer – at about mid-year, for example – would warn us of a borderline situation. We would just go on working, with renewed sprint, and at year-end, to our real surprise, he would announce that beyond our every expectation, our business had made progress.”

The experience of Islamo-Christian dialogue in the Focolare Movement

Apr 26, 2005 | Non categorizzato

This experience began around 40 years ago in Tlemcen, Algeria, where the focolarini received the gift of an abbey built in Arabian style by the Benedictine fathers with the intention of making it into a center of dialogue with the Muslim world. From the initial contacts, both Christians and Muslims were impressed by the affinity between the two religions which have their origins in Abraham, for example on such points as believing in only one God, most clement and merciful, total dedication to the will of God, high esteem for Jesus and for Mary, his mother.

In close contact with the focolare centers are over a thousand Muslims in many countries of the world. Among them are Imams, practicing believers and other Muslims who, due to their meeting with the Movement and in sharing its spirit of unity, have gone back to the practice of the five pillars of Islam. In fact, the effect of dialogue is not syncretism, but the rediscovery of one’s own religious roots, of that which unites us.

Pope John Paul II once said at Madras in 1986: “Through dialogue, we let God be present in our midst, because while we open ourselves to dialogue with each other, we also open ourselves to God. The fruit of union among human beings is union with God.” Dialogue also strengthens the commitment to bring unity and peace especially wherever violence and racial and religious intolerance try to create a breach among the components of society.

[:it]Chi è Dio per noi "Ma’ Arifatu Allahi Bialnisbati Lana"

Apr 26, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Familyfest 2005… al Papa della famiglia[:es]Familyfest 2005… al Papa de la familia[:pt]Mensagem de Chiara Lubich às famílias

Apr 25, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Familyfest 2005 … to the Pope for the family Family  11/05/2005

Dearest families gathered in Rome and in many parts of the world for FAMILYFEST! After a long absence, through this brief message I want to be present with you all today. Thank you for your generosity and your active participation in this event, which you want to be a tribute to our unforgettable Pope John Paul II, who, in our mind, is already a saint. Our meeting today is also an opportunity, among other things, to give maximum visibility to the model of the family that John Paul II envisioned and taught us to live, that is, a family based on values drawn from the Christian faith. The source of these values is authentic love, which comes from the very heart of God. It is therefore a love that never ends, is the first to love everyone, knows how to forgive, is fruitful and is open to life, to those who are the weakest, to the full sharing of goods and to solidarity with all. These values can also be found in the major world religions and cultures, and therefore, reflect the deepest aspirations of every man and woman on earth. Thus the family, which is called to live mutual love in all cultures and in every environment, becomes the source of social relationships, promoting basic human values and universal brotherhood. My hope is that you may all be like this, that you may always and everywhere be witnesses to the love that builds peace. In this way, we will draw closer to the day when “all will be one” on earth. Let’s live for this great Ideal together! Dearest families all over the world, I hope to see you very soon

[:it]Familyfest 2005… al Papa della famiglia

Apr 25, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Familyfest 2005 … to the Pope for the family

Apr 25, 2005 | Non categorizzato

“Love builds peace,” the guideline of John Paul II’s pontificate, was the leitmotif of the Familyfest 2005. At Campidoglio, two mothers from Jerusalem shared their experience of how friendship is possible between opposing factions such as Israelis and Palestinians. Along this theme, one of the 9 link-ups during the broadcast was dedicated to the Soweto district of Johannesburg, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela’s struggle against apartheid was launched, and another link-up to Zagreb, in Southeastern Europe, a flash point which the Pope twice visited. The Familyfest audience of 4,000 in Zagreb consisted not only of Croatian Catholics but also of Muslims from Bosnia. When love burns out – The Familyfest was not only a festive international event which also focused on solidarity. It also dealt with the winter of crisis, one of the sorrowful “seasons” that many families are going through. “Through marriage a man and a woman are no longer two but one. To divide after having been so united means to make each other bleed to death. It means death.” These are the words of Igino Giordani, writer, journalist, politician, father of four, and first director of New Families, which resounded in the square. “To conserve married love, there is no more cohesive force than love, the kind of love that comes from the love of God, which is superior to nature’s vicissitudes and human moods… Spouses who lose time not loving each other are two persons who lose time dying.” A Spanish couple shared their struggle towards rebirth after the drama of division.

The experience of suffering – A couple of journalists – the husband an Italian, and the wife an American – shared their precious experience of a relentless illness from which their life now draws a new fullness, as John Paul II wrote in his testament. “To live life to the full,” the woman said, “one must be constantly aware of death…. We have learned to look suffering in the face, and that face has a name for us: Jesus who accepts being nailed to the cross and feeling abandoned by God, in order to unleash his gifts onto the world.” Gifts that turn into a living experience of “light, joy, and serenity, into a quality of life superior to the quantity of time I may have left in my life.” “We do not want our marriage to be a closed door to the rest of the world; we want to share happiness with the less fortunate.” This was the witness shared by a young couple (ages 21 and 24), who spent their honeymoon among the orphans of AIDS in Tanzania, who were the beneficiaries of the sum of money which represented the wedding gifts the couple would have received.

Solidarity – No, it’s not a sporadic fact. For 25 years now, New Families has facilitated 14,000 adoptions-at-a-distance. Another solidarity project was now launched at Familyfest 2005: “One family, one house project,” which aims to give a home to needy families in the Philippines, as well as to tsunami victims in Thailand and Sri Lanka. The project was an idea which came from the poor families themselves. Contributions can be sent through Bank Account no. 888885 under the name of Associazione Azione per Famiglie Nuove, Banca Intesa: CIN T ABI 03069 CAB 05092. Chiara Lubich’s message – The last word of the Familyfest was reserved for Chiara Lubich’s message: “Indeed, the spring of true love wells up from God’s love, which in turn makes of the family a source of social life, a seedbed of universal brotherhood.” Chiara’s wish for all is “to be witnesses of this love everywhere, so that the time when ‘that all may be one’ may soon come.”

[:it]La gioia di Chiara Lubich e del Movimento dei Focolari per l’elezione del nuovo Papa

Apr 20, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Igino Giordani: the wellspring of love

Apr 19, 2005 | Non categorizzato

 Igino Giordani, writer and journalist, politician, husband and father of 4 children, was also the first director of New Families and is considered a co-founder of the Focolare Movement. His cause for beatification began last year. Two commissions were set up to examine his writings (over a hundred books and four thousand articles): a historical commission and a theological one. We want to remember him today, 25 years after the end of his earthly life, with one of his prose works, which was recited during the live broadcast of Familyfest 2005 by RAI International last April 16. The wellspring of love – Igino Giordani “Through marriage a man and a woman are no longer two but one. To divide after having been so united means to make each other bleed to death. It means death. To conserve married love, there is no cohesive force other than love, but the kind of love that comes from the love of God, which is superior to nature’s vicissitudes and human moods.

Looking at my own life, I have to conclude that the success of marriage depends on the measure in which this kind of love is achieved. The value of marriage lies primarily in this, and not in a bank account, not in well-being or success, and not even in physical attractiveness. Marriage becomes love’s tomb when the physical attractions exchanged out of love are exhausted and its vivifying spirit is lacking.

To love each other more and more each day, to ignore each other’s defects, to ignore the wrongs one has been subjected to, to forgive always, to love each other over and over again… Then life becomes a joy. What purpose do indifference and selfishness serve? They only create hell on earth. Spouses who lose time not loving each other are two persons who lose time dying. Instead, if they love one another, then God passes between them. It is then that the home becomes a dwelling place of happiness, even in the midst of the greatest trials.

Ecumenical dialogue: one of the priorities of Pope John Paul II’s pontificate

Apr 13, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Since the death of John Paul II, Christians of different traditions who are in contact with the Focolare Movement have continued to express deep feelings for him. Ecumenical dialogue was indeed one of the priorities of his pontificate. Orthodox ITALY “He was a charismatic person, a man of inestimable worth who was loved by all. The Holy Spirit enlightened him and us as well, in following the will of God along the same line: “That all may be one.” (Metropolite Gennadios Zervos, Orthodox Archbishop of Italy, ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) SLOVENIA “He was an extraordinary person. The Serbian Church is in mourning, too.” (Protoierei Boskovic) ARGENTINA “Torch of living light, tireless traveler in his search for visible unity among Christians … As a Greek-Orthodox, I have met him and loved him: a saintly man, a Pope, “elder brother” of His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I – as the Patriarch himself said.” (Lic. Elias Crisostomo Abramides, Buenos Aires, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) Armenians UNITED STATES “All Christians can be proud of him.” (Fr. Khatchadourian, parish priest, Los Angeles) Evangelical Lutherans GERMANY “In his speeches and Apostolic Letters, John Paul II always based himself in Sacred Scriptures, and this made him closer to us. Also the Pope’s openness towards the Movements and new ecclesial communities is admirable.” (Pastor Gottlob Hess, Common Life Fraternity) “With growing evidence we could see that Pope John Paul II wanted to accelerate the ecumenical process. Ecumenism for him was not a secondary issue; and to this he had borne a convincing witness.” (Walter Pollmer, Fraternity of the Cross) “I am grateful to John Paul II for his profoundly Biblical anthropology, which gave justice to the human person.” (Günter Rattey, Fraternity of the Cross) “After the historic encounter with the Pope in 1998, his affirmation that the charismatic dimension (which is significantly expressed by the movements) and the institutional dimension are co-essential to the constitution of the Church has given an impulse to spiritual ecumenism. When some of the leaders of Evangelical movements in Germany were informed of this, they exclaimed, “So the Pope understands us!” (Konrad Herdegen, YMCA of Nuremberg) “It is with immense gratitude that we remember the past years with appreciation for the initiatives of the Holy Father, which has led to the marvelous witness of the Stuttgart event, “Together for Europe,” on May 8, 2005.” (Helmut Nicklas and Gerhard Pross) GUATEMALA “This man is really a saint.” (Edna Cardona de Morales) Swedish Lutherans SWEDEN “Perhaps his most significant testimony is that of these last years and weeks, when he bore his physical weakness with unceasing love for his people and his Church. Thus he set an example… With great gratitude Christendom can bear witness to the fact that the Pope had truly lived for God’s glory with his faith, his conviction and his piety.” (Archbishop emeritus, Gunnar Weman) Christians of the Reformed Church SWITZERLAND “In his unique vocation he was brother and father also for us, a model of courage in speaking and acting according to God, and nothing else. Thus he became a crystal-clear incarnation of our Christian conscience in society.” (Atty. Kathrin Reusser, Zurich) RUMANIA “I was fortunate enough to meet him personally, even if only for a few moments. The audience at St. Peter’s at least 20 years ago was unforgettable. We were a group of participants in a meeting organized by the Centro Uno (the ecumenical center of the Focolare Movement) and we were in the front row when the Pope passed. He recognized our group. “We believe the unity of the Church will come about,” I said. The Pope answered, “I hope so, too.” He went on walking, and with a louder voice I said, “We firmly believe it!” He stopped, he turned again, looked at us and said, “You have to be the ones to do it.” You have to be the ones to do it. The Church’s unity was certainly one of his most impassioned aspirations. The way of unity needs the impetus of the Holy Spirit at the grassroots, among the people. This is what I felt beneath his words. It is a task he entrusted to many people in many ways. (Prof. Stefan Tobler, Sibiu). Anglicans USA “He was truly a fascinating leader. He faced topics which nobody else wanted to face. It’s not that I agreed with him all the time, but I have never doubted his good faith, his desire to reach out to others and seek what is good, going beyond doctrinal differences. He leaves us with a most precious legacy.” (Rev. Chuck Kramer, President of the Clergy’s Ecumenical Association, Hyde Park, New York) “He has encouraged me to live a better life.” (Dr. Shirley Jones, Albany, New York) URUGUAY “We live these moments with you with prayer in our hearts for this great Pope who worked so hard for unity,” (Bishop Miguel Tamayo) GREAT BRITAIN “The Pope had a very important role in ecumenism as well. He brought about a big change: he lived the Papacy as a world authority. When he gathered the leaders of different religions, we saw in him the universal Pastor. This image is more acceptable than the image given in the past. (Rev. Callan Slipper, ecumenical delegate of the Anglican diocese of northwest London) Methodist SOUTH AFRICA “I feel a great gratitude for the Pope in a special way for all he did for ecumenism. Some years ago I had the chance to greet him in Rome. From then on, I felt that John Paul II did not belong only to the Catholic Church, but that he belonged to all of us. I think he has fulfilled God’s plan on him completely.” (Em Beardal, volunteer) “After attending the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, my wife and I began to see the Pope in a positive, new light. We began to pray for him. During these last days we accompanied him by reciting the “Our Father,” the prayer of unity. (Dr. Welile Shasha – director of the World Health Association for South Africa) USA “I cannot find the words… certainly, he is in our thoughts. One of the legacies he has left, worth remembering, and which I particularly appreciate, is his constant effort to build bridges of dialogue with other Christians and with members of other religions.” (Pastor Jim Moore, Hyde Park, New York) Presbyterians BRAZIL “What a great man! I admire him for the way he worked for peace.” (Pastor Marcio Moreira, Sao Paulo) Mennonites GUATEMALA “Let us thank God for John Paul II’s life, his vision of how to strengthen ecumenical dialogue in order to cancel the scandal of division and insist on the urgent need for Christian unity.” (Prof. Mario Higueros)

John Paul II: a great Pope, a great saint!

Apr 2, 2005 | Non categorizzato

John Paul II: a great Pope, a great saint!

The charism of the Pope

03/04/2005

A great Pope, a great saint has truly left us! Oh how I long for the return of a time when sanctity was proclaimed by popular demand. The young people would be first in line!

His holiness. I too can testify to this from personal experience. Often, after an audience with him, I felt that heaven had opened up. I felt that I was directly linked up to God in the most profound union with Him and without any intermediary. And this is because the Pope is a mediator but when he has joined you to God he disappears. He uses the keys to open up heaven for us not just through cancelling our sins but also through facilitating our union with God.

How else can you perhaps explain that joy, that enthusiasm, that appeal that the Pope has always exerted on young people, on the millions of men and women of every race, culture, religion and creed that he has met all over the world? How else can you explain the complete turnabouts in history for which he has been instrumental over the last 27 years? This Pope communicated God and He “makes all things new”. As he became more and more burdened by suffering, this communication of God’s presence became stronger and stronger right to the last moment of his life.

However in this moment I have to also express my deepest thanks for the many other doors opened by those keys: the Pope has always thrown the doors wide open to the novelties of the Spirit which he has recognised too in our Movement, by giving his continuous encouragement and support and by acknowledging the Movement as a gift of God and hope for humanity.

[:it]Infinita gratitudine

Apr 2, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Gratitude and great warmth towards John Paul II from Jews, Muslims and Buddhists

Apr 2, 2005 | Non categorizzato

 Following the Pope’s death, reflections about him continue to arrive from the Focolares all over the world. The way in which our Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist friends have shared closely in this moment, expressing their gratitude towards John Paul II, has been particularly significant. Below are some extracts: The Jewish world Thoughts from our Jewish friends in Argentina and Uruguay – “The Pope’s approach built bridges” (Rabbi Daniel Goldman – Buenos Aires) – “There will be a “before and after” in history thanks to John Paul II” (Rabbi Arian Herbst – Buenos Aires) – “The Pope was the one who most worked for Judaeo-Christian dialogue. His greatness lays in asking forgiveness for the errors committed in the past and since he defined us “older brothers”, today we can say that “our older brother John Paul II is dying” (Abraham Kaul, the President of AIMA, the Mutual Jewish Argentinean Association) – “The Jewish people have never had such strong feelings for a Pope and for what he has done for us” (a Jewish friend from the Commission of Women Jewish Associations, Uruguay). The Muslim world Thoughts from Turkey, Algeria and the United States Our Muslim friends were the first ones to contact the focolare of Istanbul in Turkey. – A woman who was very moved said: “It seems that my soul, part of me, has left”. – A student: “I pray to God not to leave us bereft of people like Him…Like all the people in the world I too am close to you in this suffering and I pray with all my Christian friends”. From Algeria: A Muslim couple remembered that the Pope had been to Morocco and that he had struck people because of his openness in front of 10,000 young people in Casablanca. This morning they said to us: “The Pope is a saint! He has done so much for the world and he had so much courage. He did what God wanted. He was against divisions and wars. He has been a Father to us”. Reflections have reached us from some Imams in the United States with whom the local focolares are in contact: – “The “essence” of Christ lived in John Paul II. He served all people, not only Catholics, extending his hand to all so that they could live a better life. He knocked on the doors of the consciences of world leaders so that they could acknowledge their duty to do more for people suffering in every part of the globe. This really appealed to me and I have communicated it to my followers” (Imam W.D. Mohammed – leader of 2 million Afro-American Muslims. – “I felt that I had a personal relationship with this Pope. I especially appreciated his words to the world after September 11th when he said that what had happened had nothing to do with religion. This was very encouraging and moving. I looked on him as a brother, a friend, a member of the family. I will miss him, but I know that what he has started will live forever”. (Imam Sultan Salahuddin, Chicago) – “I cannot think of a person in recent history who was so great and made such an impact on society and the world. He worked to draw the best out of humanity”. (Imam Bilal Muhammed, Kansas City) – “His life, what he accomplished and his actions have changed the way that the world looks on the different ethnic groups. I have been observing him for years and I have seen the changes that occurred have been like a chain reaction in the whole of humanity. I appreciated the fact that he embraced Islam during a time when it was not very acceptable to approach us”. (Ijlal Munir, a Muslim and manager of a firm of W.D. Mohammed, Chicago) – “John Paul had a spiritual strength which went beyond religious barriers. He had a phenomenal, spiritual influence which touched everyone” (Dr Imam Mikal Ramadam, Chicago) – “Pope John Paul II is one of the great marvellous signs in history of the love for humanity of the Great Merciful, Great Benefactor. With his courageous defence of liberty, justice and equality among the members of the human family, John Paul II helped us recall our individual and collective responsibility to use the resources which God has given us for the service of humanity”. (Imam Malik Shabazz, Imam of the Beacon mosque – New York): The Buddhist world Thoughts from Japan and Thailand: From the focolare of Tokyo: “Our Buddhist friends are living this experience with us in such a warm and intense way”. – “Now the whole world is praying for John Paul II, a very great figure in history, an exceptional leader for peace because in him they see God” (Rev. Nissho Takeuchi, of Nichirensu, Myokenkakuji Temple – Osaka) – A Buddhist who has been to Rome and met the Pope: “My little girl is 9 years old now and when she was tiny the Pope caressed her head. I can still see before my eyes the figure of John Paul II who made us feel his warmth even if we were not Christians. As a man, me too I want to live my life following the heart of the Pope. The only words that come to me are “thank you”. And may he rest in peace.” (Koichi Kawamoto, of the Risso Kosei Kai Movement) – “The figure of the Pope has been a model of life for me. I saw the Pope during a public audience in St Peter’s Square. He greeted the sick people first or those in wheelchairs and he seemed to have all the time in the world for them. I saw that he did this with such love that I realised the existence of these people was something “precious” for the Pope. When I got back to Japan I wanted to do the same thing and follow his example: I called the disabled or sick people of the Buddhist temples who were entrusted to me to greet them and get to know them”. (Rev. Yasuo Koike – responsible of the Rissho Kosei Kai of Chiba, near Tokyo) Our Buddhist friends of the Focolare Movement in Thailand are united to the Christian world in praying for the Pope with affection and deep respect and they make us aware of their spiritual closeness. – In the hall of the Grand Master Ajhan Thong, in Chiang Mai, there is a huge photograph of him together with the Holy Father during an audience in the Vatican. Since that moment he has often spoken to his followers of the spiritual greatness of the Pope for the whole world. He prayed for the Pope in a special way over the last few days. – In a telephone call, the monk Phramaha Thongrat said to us: “The Pope is not just a big brother, he is my Father!” (The Thai Buddhists call people of great spirituality who are important guides for their lives “father” or mother”). And he wanted to dedicate a poem to him: My father left for Paradise

During the long years when my father dwelled in the Vatican Beauty shone and joy reigned. Today without him the city is empty. Dismay, pain and tears: everything speaks of his immense love. Yes, love is the word, which he proclaimed to the whole world. His message has changed the course of every man. His inheritance will endure for all time, reaching the ends of the earth: The foundation for true peace, for a world, which will never know evil again. Today my father left for Paradise; he finished his earthly journey and he has gone away. But his heart will always be full of overflowing joy. My father has shown us the way of the wise that leads to eternal wisdom. Phramaha Thongrat, Buddhist monk

[:it]Chiara Lubich e tutto il Movimento dei Focolari nel mondo in queste ore si stringono intorno al Papa

Mar 31, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Le nuove barche dei pescatori

Mar 24, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Happy Easter of the Resurrection

Mar 23, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Each year, a special atmosphere seems to envelop us. And it cannot be otherwise, because in the space of just a few days we recall and re-live many of the mysteries of our faith. In fact during these days, that which we call to mind is all love. Holy Thursday The priesthood is love; it possesses a ministerial character – which means service – and is therefore concrete love. The Eucharist is love; here, Jesus gives all of Himself to us. Unity, which Jesus asked of the Father with the priestly prayer, “That all may be one as you and I are one,” is love, an effect of love. Love is the commandment which Jesus kept in his heart through his whole life, only to reveal it the day before his death: “Love one another as I love you. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We cannot let this day pass without remembering to tell Jesus of our desire to adhere completely to “his” and the “new” commandment; a commandment which did not remain unexplained, because he added: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Good Friday It is with his death on the cross on Good Friday that Jesus teaches the most sublime, divine, heroic lesson of what love is. He had given up everything: a life lived beside Mary amidst discomfort and in obedience; three years of preaching in which he revealed the Truth, gave witness to the Father, promised the Holy Spirit, and did all sorts of miracles of love; three hours on the cross from which he pardoned his executioners, opened Paradise to the Good Thief, gave his mother to us and, lastly, his Body and Blood which he had already given to us mystically in the Eucharist. All that remained to him was his divinity. He ceased feeling his union with the Father, which had made him so powerful on earth as the Son of God and so regal on the cross; he had to be disunited, in a way, from the one who, he said, was one with him: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10,30). In him love was annihilated, light was darkened, wisdom was silenced. We were detached from the Father. It was necessary that the Son, in whom we all were present, experience detachment from the Father. He had to experience being abandoned by God, so that we may never be abandoned again. Jesus was able to overcome such an immense trial by re-abandoning himself to the Father: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23, 46). In this way, he recomposed the broken unity between God and humanity and men and women among themselves. He was now manifesting himself to be the remedy to every disunity, the key to unity. Now it is our turn to cooperate with this grace and do our part. Since Jesus assumed all that is negative, behind each suffering, each separation, we can discover Jesus himself, one of the “faces” of his abandonment. We can embrace him in those sufferings and divisions, say “yes” to him just as he did when he completely accepted the Father’s will. Then he will live in us – even though we may be in pain – as the Risen Jesus; the peace we regain will be the proof. Easter of the Resurrection Jesus is faithful to his promise: “… where two or three are gathered together in my name [that is, in my love], there am I in the midst of them.” Yes, where two or more are united in his name, the Risen Jesus is present, and he brings with him the gifts of the Spirit: light, joy, peace, love. This was the awesome experience made with my first companions during the Movement’s beginnings in Trent, during World War II, when we made the commandment, “Love one another as I love you,” our own, and formulated a pact among ourselves: “I am ready to die for you, I for you…” The Risen Jesus is just what the world is waiting for! It is waiting for witnesses who can truly say: we have seen him with the senses of our soul, we have discovered him in the light with which he enlightened us, we have touched him in the peace he gave us, we have heard his voice in the depths of our hearts, we have tasted his unmistakable joy. In this way we can assure everyone that he is the fullness of happiness and we can make the world hope again.

[:it]Scienza & Vita

Mar 22, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Familyfest 2005 … al Papa della famiglia

Mar 21, 2005 | Non categorizzato

90 bishops, friends of the Focolare, pray for the Pope

Mar 5, 2005 | Non categorizzato

 A solemn Eucharistic concelebration to pray for the Pope’s complete recovery was said by 90 bishops coming from 47 different countries, gathered at Castelgandolfo for their annual meeting. The news of the Pope’s unexpected additional confinement reached them just before the conclusion of their meeting which began on February 19. Before leaving for their respective dioceses, they sent the Pope a message of gratitude, assuring him of their prayers for his prompt recovery: “United with the whole Church, we ask for extraordinary graces for you.” The bishops expressed their deep gratitude to the Pope “for your luminous example of faith and love in facing this new trial and for your ministry which is wholly a gift!” Indeed, the outstanding characteristic of those days was the exchange of messages with the Pope. An unexpected letter from the Pope, addressed to Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, arrived right before the Congress started. In reply, the bishops wrote: “Holy Father, truly you are the one who ‘loves most’ and ‘confirms his brothers’.”

John Paul II in his message made special mention of Chiara Lubich, expressing his “gratitude for the evangelical witness which the Movement gives in many parts of the world.” With reference to the theme of the meeting he encouraged the bishops “to give witness in today’s society to the presence of the Risen Christ, the center of the Church” and “vital principle” which cannot but give rise to a “renewed apostolic vitality” and “missionary audacity” responsive to the challenges of our times. He therefore invited the participants to be “eloquent signs” of the love of the crucified and risen Lord, present in the Eucharist and “artifices of his peace everywhere.”

Chiara Lubich, in her message read by Natalia Dallapiccola, one of her first companions, underscored that “The Risen Jesus is not a static presence;” but he is a “‘unifying principle,’ and is therefore active: love.” She went on to say, “This, however, requires the response of the human being.” “Every division in the community … alters the profound identity of the Church… This is why, at times, the Church is not loved.” “It is reciprocity, communion, which renders the Lord ‘visible’.” A number of bishops from different countries shared moving experiences of fruitful initiatives in the area of evangelization, of establishing peace between different ethnic groups and among politicians in nations suffering from conflict, such as Burundi, or in regions of Central America. There were also experiences of bishops, priests and lay people on “renewed apostolic vitality,” fruit of the presence of the Risen Jesus, in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue as well as in political and social fields.

Solemn concelebration for the Pope

Mar 5, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Surprise and trepidation was the reaction of the Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement, at the news of the Pope’s additional confinement in the hospital. They received the news just before the conclusion of their meeting held from Feb. 19-25, 2005 at the Mariapolis Center of Castelgandolfo (Rome). Before leaving for their respective dioceses, they sent the Pope this message: “Dearest Holy Father, before leaving Castelgandolfo, we are sending you our warmest greetings together with our heartfelt wishes for your prompt recovery. United with the whole Church in unceasing prayer, together with Mary Most Holy, we ask for extraordinary graces and comfort from the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, for you. Thank you, Holy Father, for your luminous example of faith and love in facing this new trial. Thank you for your ministry which is wholly a gift!” Indeed, the outstanding characteristic of those days was the exchange of messages with the Pope. A letter from the Pope to Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, promoter of the meeting – a completely unexpected gift during these days of the Pope’s infirmity – gave a powerful and incisive tone to the days together. In reply, the bishops wrote: “Holy Father, truly you are the one who ‘loves most’ and ‘confirms his brothers’.” John Paul II in his message made special mention of Chiara Lubich, expressing his “gratitude for the evangelical witness which the Movement gives in many parts of the world.” With reference to the theme of the meeting – “The presence of the Risen Jesus in the midst of his people: a vital principle for the Church of the 3rd millenium” – the Pope encouraged the bishops “to give witness in today’s society to the presence of the Risen Christ, the center of the Church.” He also said that a “renewed apostolic vitality and missionary audacity,” responsive to the challenges of our times cannot but spring forth from a gathering based on this “vital principle.” He therefore invited the participants to be “eloquent signs” of the love of the crucified and risen Lord, present in the Eucharist, and “artifices of his peace everywhere.” The presentations offered throughout those days marked by the warmth of brotherhood among all, reiterated the Pope’s appeal, as they presented the numerous sufferings of humanity: wars, hunger, sickness, precarious political and economic situations. At the same time, they transmitted an even greater faith in God’s intervention, inspiring firm and enlightened action. For example, Bishop Simon Ntamwana of Burundi spoke of the efforts done by his country’s episcopate to create a culture of peace and reconciliation after these difficult recent years. A bishop from Central America related how, strengthened by the experience he had made in last year’s meeting, to his surprise, he was able to act as a peacemaker among politicians. Bishop Desiderius Rwoma of Tanzania spoke of the spreading of the spreading of the Gospel as a result of constituting small spiritually formed Christian communities which are now attracting even a large number of non-Christians. Chiara Lubich, in her message read by Natalia Dallapiccola, one of her first companions, dealt in depth on Jesus’ promise to be present there “where two or more are united” in his name (see Mt 18,20). She underlined that “The Risen Jesus is not a static presence; rather he is a ‘unifying principle,’ and is therefore active: love.” She went on to say, “This, however, requires the response of the human being.” “Every division in the community, therefore, is against nature,” rather, “it creates an alteration in the profound identity of the community, which is Christ present there… This is why, at times, the Church is not loved.” It is, therefore, necessary to lead the believers’ interrelationships ever more closely towards “reciprocity, towards communion, which renders the Lord ‘visible’.” Conscious of the current world situation, the bishops manifested a deep sensitivity to these concepts, which were elaborated on in the succeeding days through a series of cultural reflections. These were offered by philosopher, Giuseppe Maria Zanghì, who spoke on the turnabout of this epoch and on the developments of academic dialogue with the Hindus and the Buddhists; by Hubertus Blaumeiser and Brendan Leahy – two theologians – who dealt on how the comprehension of the presence of the Risen Jesus and giving him the central place can affect various aspects of the life of the Church; Brazilian sociologist, Vera Araujo, who spoke on the human person in the context of a global society. These reflections were reinforced by the experiences shared by bishops, priests and lay people on the “renewed apostolic vitality” that comes from the presence of the Risen Jesus. The ecumenical aspect was presented through experiences on the dialogue of life, offered by bishops of different Churches. They also spoke of the growth in communion among movements and communities, made manifest in the great meeting at Stuttgart last May, entitled “Together for Europe”. Evangelical Pastor Friedrich Ashoff elaborated on this meeting. The political dimension was illustrated by Lucia Crepaz, president of the “Political Movement for Unity”. Tracing the ten-year experience of this Movement, she explained the characteristics of a political action that aims at being service to society, whose method is dialogue, and is therefore able to create “a network made up of different elements.” The planned “Familyfest” of April 16, 2005, announced by Annamaria and Danilo Zanzucchi, directors of the New Families Movement of the Focolare, drew the special interest of the bishops. At a time when the family as an institution is undergoing a serious crisis, the event hopes to put into light the family according to God’s plan in the context of today’s challenges. A large number of bishops expressed their desire to cooperate in making the Familyfest a reality in their respective countries. There are in fact 120 spots all over the world, which will be linked with Rome on live by television. “Here I experienced the freshness of the Gospel,” remarked Bishop Jean Ntagwarara from Burundi, one of the 20 bishops from Africa present. Expressing the conviction shared by many of his co-bishops, he said: “The spirituality put into practice is the remedy that can heal the many wounds of our people.” Bishop Giovanni Dettori from Sardinia (Italy), had this to say: “Unity gives me strength: one can feel that we are all one heart and one soul.” The most frequent observation of the participants was, in fact, that of having experienced “the living Jesus” throughout the time together, Jesus who today continues to touch the hearts of people and to move minds and arms to act in accordance with his Gospel and to express the gift of his love among people. In the context of this year dedicated to the Eucharist, particularly meaningful was the concelebration presided over by Bishops grouped according to different continents, who used elements typical of their respective cultures.

The therapeutic community of Mario Giostra

Mar 4, 2005 | Non categorizzato

 For almost twenty years I have been working as a social worker in the area of drug addiction. At the moment I am working with clients with double diagnoses and I am also collaborating on a research project to establish criteria for the empirical revision of results for therapeutic communities. My involvement in this profession happened almost by chance, since I had been majoring in mathematics. The fact is that I was working as a volunteer, and tried to apply in a very simple way some of the intuitions that Chiara Lubich had on the way to love one’s neighbor. In doing so, I was able to establish a profound relationship with these young people and I was amazed to experience that their therapeutic and educational development was enriched by this approach. A few years ago, the results produced by this approach were beginning to merit attention and I gradually became convinced that this was not just an isolated experience of my own. Rather there had to be a precise relationship of cause and effect that brought about those results. I had the impression that I had hit on something new which would have significant potential in this field. Therefore, I felt the need to study what was happening and try to express it in a theory, in a model with a certain structure, and then to formulate appropriate strategies of intervention. Over these years I have reflected a lot on these ideas, but perhaps the sociological concept that has been most useful in this research is that of empathy. The sociologist Achille Ardigo’, for example, describes empathy as the capacity of a person who intentionally puts himself in front of another human being with the purpose of creating a relationship, a rapport. Therefore, this person has to become deeply aware of what the other person is living, not comparing it on his or her own experience and not reducing it to one’s own frame of reference, but rather recognizing it from the other’s point of view. Empathy, therefore, is not seen as a mental act, but rather as an experience through which a social being goes beyond his or her own daily experience and opens up to other experiences, including the relationship with other people. Carl Rogers is the person who has contributed the most to the understanding of this term. He describes empathy as “the capacity of living the life of the other person at the moment.” In 1959 he states that this means “to perceive the inner frame of reference of the other person with accuracy, and with the emotional components and meanings which pertain thereto, as if one were the other person.” It’s almost impossible not to see the evident similarities between empathy, as described here, and what Chiara Lubich expresses in her spiritual expression, “make yourself one,” which is a fundamental idea in the relationship of reciprocity that she has understood. It is an expression that is already present in several authors, especially those of the school of phenomenology and yet, in this context, it is enriched by new significance. Among the many talks in which Chiara Lubich explains this concept and the technique for living it effectively, I have chosen a few quotes: “To love the other person ‘as yourself.’ The other person is me. And so I love the other as myself. The other is hungry, I am hungry. The other is thirsty, I am the one who is thirsty. The other needs advice, I am the one that needs advice.” Another quote: “You need to stop and feel with your neighbor: to become one with him or her until you take on their painful burden or experience together the joyful event… This making yourself one demands a continual death of ourselves.” And another: “To make yourself one with every person that we meet: to share their feelings, to carry their burdens; to feel in us his or her problems and resolve them as if it were our own, made one out of love…” “To make yourself one it’s necessary to be totally detached from yourself, for the whole time you are with the other. In fact, we know that there are those who don’t listen right to the end, because they are attached to themselves or to something else. This person does not die totally in the neighbor and instead wants to give answers as soon as they come into their head… In this way, it is easier to explain what Carl Rogers and his school of thought call the “techniques of empathic understanding,” which to date are still very widely used in counseling and applied by many social workers. It would take a great deal of time to describe them adequately, and so I will only underline some of the essential characteristics. Empathic understanding is based on three fundamental suppositions, which are empathy, congruence (the therapist is congruent in the relationship) and positive regard toward the other. These assumptions are not only very present, but even indispensable for whoever wants to make themselves one with another person. The approach of Rogers also considers a whole range of nonverbal attitudes that serve to put the other person at ease, to make him or her feel relaxed, to make them “feel important.” These gestures include one’s posture, one’s facial expressions, and even the interior silence that makes room for the other. These nonverbal expressions, as we said, are indispensable, and are especially evident in someone who is “making themselves one” with another. We could go on at length about this…. However, we need to emphasize a fundamental and profound difference [between Rogers and Lubich] and that is the need for the “death of one’s ego” which Chiara repeats every time, describing it as a necessary, obligatory passage. In this way she develops a vision that we can call “other-centered,” a vision for which it is not enough to merely put oneself in the shoes of the other, but requires instead a revolutionary operation of self-annulment. I believe that this is the first time that the relationship with the other is based on removing one’s ego from the first and primary place. Many modern approaches to social work insist on the idea of reciprocity, which can run the risk of being a bit inflated. However, I dare say that none of them come close to the purity and profundity of Chiara’s concept of reciprocity. However, in my opinion, we cannot fall into the error of considering these reflections solely from the speculative point of view, since these ideas can be applied in numerous ways in daily life, and even more so, therefore, in the professional activity of a social worker. In my case, for example, these ideas made me change totally my way of carrying out an interview with a client, helping me to develop techniques that are very effective and easy to apply. I experienced many times that the very act of removing my ego, as we just described, allows the individual in front of me to give of him or herself, because they find an emptiness in a person who is open to them, an emptiness waiting to be filled. In this way, the person who needs help loses, so to say, the feeling of being in an inferior position, with respect to the person who is helping them. He or she feels they are the protagonist of their life, and this can help them set aside their reticence and defense mechanisms and open themselves spontaneously and with greater depth. Very often, when people who are defensive and closed in on themselves meet with someone who is empty out of love, they seem to “melt” and manage to open up. I think it’s important to add that this process does not in any way diminish the role of the therapist as someone who supports the other, but actually, through this type of communicating that is so effective, the role is reinforced, since annulling one’s ego out of love is not a way to disappear, but rather a deep expression of “being.” Besides, I have experienced that it’s possible to draw a relationship between these methods, or to use a term that’s not quite exact, to “fuse” this new approach that we are describing with theories or techniques that already exist, and thus reach very interesting results with great value for the sociologist and the therapist. In this case, we cannot speak of one way being superior to the other, but rather of a fusion of two paradigms that gives rise to a “third way” so to speak, which includes both, enriching both with new beauty and new meaning… In our case, for example, “making yourself one” can enrich and facilitate the application of the techniques of empathic listening, which on the other hand, can offer very effective instruments to the act of “making yourself one.” Another aspect to be underlined, one at the basis of all we’ve said, is that these techniques and approaches, which before were the exclusive patrimony of a few experts can now be transformed, with due caution, into effective instruments in the hands of many. To explain myself better, I’ll tell you something that happened to me a couple of months ago. It had to do with the grandson of one of my friends, who had lost his father at an early age and had started to show signs of being a troubled child. He had left school, seemed totally indifferent to his future, was completely closed in on himself and was demonstrating the first symptoms of the use of “light” drugs. When the mother’s relatives, worried about how quickly the situation was deteriorating, tried to open her eyes to what was happening, the woman, as often happens in these cases, reacted violently against them, rejecting what they said. She accused them of passing false judgment on a situation they didn’t understand and of ordering her around. She insisted that the boy was just going through a normal crisis of adolescence and didn’t need anyone’s help. She accused them of being spiteful, devious, etc. More or less this is the picture I got of the situation. It seemed obvious that any intervention on my part or of any other social worker would run the risk of an even bigger explosion. What could I do at this point? My experience led me to think that probably the best way to reassure the woman would be to use the method that is often used in these cases, which would be to express one’s point of view not through an objective truth, which could sound like an accusation, (using phrases like “you son has a problem”), but rather from a very personal point of view (through expressions that are undoubtedly true but are subjective, like “you know, I’m worried and this worry is making me sick”). Having said this, I would still need to explain this technique to a person who normally doesn’t engage in this kind of counseling. And therefore, I thought it could be important to start by advising him about how to “make himself one” with his sister, and in this I was helped by the fact that he already knew what I was talking about when I said “make yourself one.” In doing so, he could say he was sorry for what had happened, have his heart open to receive her pain, and listen to her right to the end, without giving any advice. Only after doing all this could he eventually bring up the problem of the son, but presenting it as something that worried him, and not as an objective situation. Here, too, the fundamental passage had to be the act of “stripping oneself” of one’s ego so as to lose completely any attitude of a “wise and brave person” in order to present himself to her with great humility and give her the possibility of expressing herself freely. The result was amazing, because in front of this unexpected attitude of interior emptiness, his sister felt the impulse to fill this void with her own love and as a consequence she opened up, pouring out all her worries and her desperation as a mother, seeing the situation of her son slipping out of her control. I think that in this case what happened is exactly that dynamic that I spoke of a moment ago. The empathic approach was understood and effectively applied because the person who used it started off with the attitude of “making himself one.” At the same time, however, the person who wanted to make himself one right to the end was able to due so in the best way by applying intelligently the technique that was explained to him. The result was a new technique, which included the strengths of both approaches, and resolved the problem. One important element to emphasize is that this was the experience of a person who had no previous experience in helping other people in this kind of relationship. However, since he was an “expert” so to say, in the art of “making himself one” with others he was able to use this spiritual resource, and also (and in this case, above all) his educational background that helped him to understand a methodology which he was not familiar with, successfully applying it and creating a rapport of reciprocity, based on empathy. Encouraged by the first results, I decided to keep going along this way. The next step was to form groups, which would urge the participants to aim at an experience of sharing and mutual help, based on the success of what I just described. This project began with young people who have often lived for years in a state of total isolation, closed in on themselves, filtering every relationship with others through those forms of self -gratification that are typical of drug addiction. The literature and the various experiences that already exist in this area came to my help, furnishing me with particularly valid instruments. I am referring in particular to several groups that utilize interactive games proposed by the school of bio-energetics, and other groups that use the approach of Rogers, or those who follow what is commonly known as the socio-emotive approach. My idea was basically very simple: to choose several of these instruments and put them together in a socio-therapeutic course to propose to the youth I was following. However, the fundamental idea would be that of sharing, based on that particular interpersonal relationship of the empathic type we just described. Here, too, several of the ideas of Chiara Lubich helped me to enrich these methodologies with new content. I am referring in particular to some “passages” that she advises and that are particularly effective to help small groups of individuals who want to bring ahead a way of sharing and growth, towards a reciprocal relationship of brotherly love. The first phase of this course was to make a “pact,” which can be described as a “pact of solidarity and mutual aid.” This requires a fundamental passage, which has the purpose of helping the individuals who are involved in the process to cement interpersonal relationships with one another and to remove any egocentric attitudes, in order to be actively interested in the others. In this phase, which might take more than one meeting, it might be opportune to insert moments in which there is the use of classic instruments, such as sociograms or other interrelational activities, which are adapted and formulated into interactive games that help the participants get to know one another better and enter into more profound relationships. Enriched by the spirit of reciprocity and mutual sharing, these activities acquire new life and new significance. To give an example, one idea that might appear very simplistic but which, however, has very interesting results is a “game” in which each one draws the name of someone else in the group and during the week tries to give special attention to this person, getting to know them better, being close to them and sustaining them in moments of difficulty… In this way, each one is transformed into a “tutor” so to say, a supervisor of the life of the other (or as a child would say, to be the “guardian angel” of the person). He or she is urged to go outside of his or her own world to leave space to the other. Besides, the name of the person is kept secret and so that contributes to creating a stimulating atmosphere of curiosity. It would be too long to describe in detail all the results obtained, but the amazement and enthusiasm often demonstrated by the participants, not to mention the way in which they managed to concretely help one another, to my mind merits great attention. One aspect to underline is that, no matter what techniques we decide to use, if the “pact” we talked about happens to become “shaky,” or for any other reason the will to help one another diminishes, these groups, and also subsequent meetings, will be almost totally emptied of significance and lose all its effectiveness. Proceeding in this way, it was then possible to structure other meetings, based on a very intense exchange of feelings and experiences of life. Here, too, the goal is to help these young people emerge from the prison made up of their egocentric attitudes and to urge them to share their interior world with others. This can be done in a variety of ways, on the condition that the exchange of experiences is not an end in itself, but rather a mutual gift between those who speak and those who listen. Here, too, I will limit myself to just one example. It is a technique that, among the many, has proven to be very effective. It consists in asking each member of the group to give as a gift to the others a “postcard on his or her life,” recounting an event that was emotionally significant. This creates an atmosphere of empathy that allows the others to re-live that experience together with the person. Normally these groups deal with strongly emotional topics. Sometimes, however, it can happen that the empathic atmosphere does not “take off.” In these cases, when we asked why, it was almost always because of unresolved conflicts among the youth themselves. This is just another confirmation of the therapeutic importance of having everyone in the group adhere fully and sincerely to the “pact” mentioned before… Finally, in the moment in which, through this process, the relationship among the people involved has matured sufficiently, it was possible to take a further step ahead, using more demanding techniques. I am referring in particular to a new type of group meeting in which the participants, urged by the will to help one another (which is obligatory), choose a person and under the guidance of a moderator, tell that person with respect, but very clearly, which are the person’s defects and those areas that need to be improved for the person to grow and progress, and then which are his or her good qualities and strong points. It is a moment (which we could call a “moment of truth”) to be done with great attention and care, since it is so delicate and because of the possible fragility of the people involved. Similar methodologies are present, with some differences, in various classical approaches, but what makes it different in this case, is exactly this effort to go out of oneself to concentrate on the characteristics and the problems of the other. I have to admit that I am often moved by the results of these groups. I could never have imagined developments of this type. These youth, who are hardened and corrupted by life circumstances, distrustful of others and reluctant to establish relationships with others, began to soften, creating this empathic atmosphere, which is so difficult to describe. The amazement and enthusiasm they showed facilitated communication with me and among themselves, in a way I have never experienced before, and was too obvious to be merely a random happening. I repeated this process various times, with different types of participants to be sure that the results do not depend on a particular component of persons, and yet the results were more or less identical. It’s clear that an experience repeated so many times with the same results cannot be the fruit of accidental circumstances. We are certainly considering a topic that needs further development, since we are dealing with instruments in the embryonic state. However, in my opinion, these first timid results show forcefully the effectiveness, and the revolutionary aspect, of the socio-cultural patrimony that comes from the experience of universal brotherhood proposed by Chiara Lubich.

[:it]Economia di comunione in dialogo con istituzioni politiche e civili

Mar 3, 2005 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Scuole di formazione all’Edc

Mar 3, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Our “giving” race

Feb 28, 2005 | Non categorizzato

This ‘people’ born from the Gospel, and now present all over the world, also includes children who share the spirituality of unity and live it out in their daily lives. During their most recent International Meeting, a young Korean girl asked Chiara Lubich: “You teach us to give generously, but I do not really have many things to give away. What should I do?”

The answer developed into a colorful booklet that illustrates the many ways of giving:

Lending a pencil; giving a hand to your mother or father; teaching a new game to someone; listening to someone who is talking; giving an answer kindly; giving a piece of your snack to someone; saying “Good morning” and meaning it; forgiving; giving a smile; giving help to someone in need; keeping someone company; giving a gift; giving a hand; giving joy; sharing some good news. Flash experiences:

Sharing some good news

In Mexico City, Cecilia, Martina and Alejandra were invited to talk about their experiences at a local radio station. They prepared themselves and asked Jesus to help them. Cecilia spoke about the art of loving, and Alejandra shared her experience of loving one’s enemies. Martina added: “We decorated a piggy bank where we collected money for children in need. When I receive money, I save it and buy candy which I then sell to earn more money for someone in need, because Jesus is in each of them and one day He’ll tell me: ‘You did it for me’. This year, with our savings, we bought some blankets and sweaters for the poor.”

Give consolation

One day I was playing with my youngest brother while my other brother was asleep. Then my mother sent me to the market to buy bananas and vegetables. When I got home, my brother who was asleep woke up and was crying. “It’s Jesus,” I thought, and I brought him to play with me. To make him happy we played marbles which is the game he likes most. I was happy and our game went very well. (T. – Madagascar)

Keeping someone company

One afternoon, it was very hot and I felt tired. Some of my friends invited me to play ball with them, but the sun was so hot I really did not want to go. Then I thought that I could love them, so I went. After a while, seeing that I was sweating a lot, one of my friends brought me an orange drink. (A. – Pakistan)

[:it]Nuova Umanità – Gennaio-Febbraio 2005

Feb 24, 2005 | Non categorizzato

I had the impression of meeting a saint, A memory that will never be erased

Feb 22, 2005 | Non categorizzato

The memories I have of Rev. Mons. Luigi Giussani will never be erased. I met with him in Milan in November 1998, shortly after the historic meeting of the Movements with the Pope in St. Peter’s Square on the eve of Pentecost of that year. It was one of the few times I had the sensation I was meeting a saint, a sanctity which was gained also through much suffering. I also deeply sensed that I had encountered an authentic charism, and I shared this impression when I later met with his collaborators.

During that particular Vigil of Pentecost, the Holy Father had asked from us ‘communion and commitment’. This was why I went to Milan. For all of us, and for Mons. Giussani as well – as he had written in a letter to the members of his Fraternity – that meeting with the Pope was ‘the greatest day of our history.’ He also added, ‘I remarked to Chiara and Kiko (who were sitting beside me in St. Peter’s Square): on these occasions, how can we help but proclaim our unity?’ ‘Unity is our responsibility, to the point that we need value even the smallest good there is in the other.’

From then on, there were many occasions to grow in our knowledge and understanding of one another, personally and as a Movement, in Italy and in other countries. What remains in my heart is an immense gratitude for this person; his life was one spent unsparingly at the service of a charism that has given to the Church a new wave of intense spiritual life, which gave thousands and thousands of men and women all over the world a way to encounter Jesus personally. It also sparked many activities that respond to the needs of our times. Now, my and our prayers go not only for him, but for his Work, which will certainly bring forth new and abundant fruits of the Spirit. Chiara Lubich

Chiara Lubich’s Message

Feb 12, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Ladies and gentlemen, civil authorities,
all who are taking part in this conference,

I am very happy to greet all of you and to express some of my thoughts on the theme of this conference: “Social interactions and brotherhood: a sustainable model or a paradox?”

Right from the beginning of the Focolare Movement, the charism which we had received from on high revealed to us anew that God is Love. Our eyes were opened to this reality and even though the war was raging all around us (we were in Trent in 1943), we perceived God’s presence everywhere with his love: throughout our days, in the joyful and comforting events, in the sad and difficult ones…

This deep and sterling faith in God as Love immediately created a new and unshakable bond among us first focolarine and focolarini. We felt that we were sons and daughters of a Father who is in heaven, and because of this, brothers and sisters to one another.

Besides, the commandment that Jesus called “mine” and “new,” “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34), seemed to be a concentrate of God’s desires and it was logical for us to promise to be its fulfilment and to make it the norm of our life.

A new lifestyle was thus born in the Church, an individual spirituality, yes, but also a communitarian one, suitable for the needs of our times, characterized by strong interpersonal relationships and by those of interdependence among peoples.

God, who manifested himself to us in his essence as Love, revealed himself as love also in his interior life: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And the dynamics of his intra-Trinitarian life appeared to us as mutual self-giving, mutual dying to oneself out of love, total and perennial communion. In the Gospel of John, it is written: “Everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine” (Jn 17:10) between Father and Son in the Spirit.

An analogous reality was expressed by God in his rapport with human beings. As the Father in the Trinity is all for the Son and the Son is all for the Father, in the same way – it seemed to me – I too have been created as a gift for my neighbor and my neighbor as a gift for me. For this reason, the relationship between us is one of love, it is Holy Spirit: the same relationship which exists between the three divine Persons of the Trinity.

Immersed in this light, we saw how on this earth all created things are linked to one another by love, each thing with each thing.

Our human reasoning or sensibilities rarely succeed in grasping this truth. We often see only a partial side of reality in which the difficult aspects of our human relationships are more pronounced, marked as they are by contradictions and conflicts. It then becomes an arduous task to individuate, especially in today’s complex societies, harmonious relationships of communion.

Our charism showed us that brotherhood is a spiritual principle which is also an anthropological, sociological, and political category… capable of triggering a global process of societal change and renewal. Brotherly love establishes positive social relationships everywhere, capable of rendering our human consortium more cohesive, more just, and happier.

Our more than 60-year-old experience tells us that these relationships of brotherhood lived out on a daily basis and on a personal level, both in the family and society, in political forums and economic structures, free up untapped moral and spiritual resources.

They are new types of rapports, full of meaning, which give life to the most varied projects, which inspire structures that are for the good of individual citizens and of the community as a whole.

Based on this experience, we can thus state that universal brotherhood is not merely a utopia, a wonderful and hoped-for outcome, but something which is still beyond our reach. Instead, it is a reality which is making headway in the history of humanity.

We can observe how contrast and conflict are present in relationships within every sphere of society. This is surely a consequence and fruit of the mystery of evil which touches not only our personal life but also invests our common living.

But our charism, right from its inception, gave us a key for understanding that mystery and with it, a model for overcoming every difficulty. This key is found in he who recomposed the bond between God and humanity and unity among all human beings.

It is Jesus who on the cross cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34). In that terrible cry of a God who felt abandoned by God, every pain, every suffering, every disunity is expressed and assumed… to then be transformed into love by him.

Jesus, in fact, came on earth and offered his life so that all could be one (Ut omnes unum sint). Jesus, in his abandonment, paid so that this could become a reality, but he needs a hand from us to bring it about in today’s world.

I wish that all of you present at this conference may build true relationships of brotherhood in these days, so that your intellectual efforts may be sustained by an authentic experience of life of communion.

May Mary, the Mother of Beautiful Love – she who was the first to learn from her Son the message of universal brotherhood, she who went to Elizabeth to help her in her need, she, who as the true “social person,” created with the Word made flesh and his disciples, a family where love united, grew, circulated and overflowed unto everyone – may she guide and illumine our entire conference.

In fraternal love,

Chiara Lubich

Social Relations and Fraternity: A Paradox or a Sustainable Model?

Feb 12, 2005 | Non categorizzato

In the history of the disciplines that have for their formal objective the analysis of society or social themes, the research of an approach to a spirituality is certainly not customary. Obviously I’m not referring to a study of religion as a factor of social change or as an integrating element of social formation in different historical periods. The formulation that I intend to offer is more ambitious: can a spirituality in its entirety, or in one or more of its elements, act as the inspiration for our social disciplines in their theoretical reflections, in their models of practical application, in their methodology? I’m perfectly aware that I have stepped on very steep ground, filled with obstacles, controversies, heated debates. In no way do I intend to pursue this type of discussion. Very simply I would like to tell our experience which, like every experience, is limited. It must be placed within a certain context and undoubtedly lay itself open to a thousand analyses and objections. All this notwithstanding, I consider it worthwhile to take this risk, and at the same time to offer some of the first fruits of our efforts. I hope that these incomplete reflections can be perceived and accepted for what they are: an effort and an attempt to communicate something which we believe, which we live and which we are because we recognize its validity ever more clearly. The context from which we start is the spirituality that the Focolare Movement offers, a spirituality of unity; therefore, a communitarian spirituality—and constitutively with influence in the social order—that constitutes our inspiration, our source of study and research. A spirituality is a complete vision of existence, a way offered to everyone, a reality to contemplate, to understand and to live starting from a religious reference; a Christian spirituality looks, understands and lives reality from the angle of one or more elements of the Gospel message, of the message of Nazareth. The perspective of the spirituality of the Focolare is unity, that unity which is the fruit and fulfilment of love-agape; that is of love which has those characteristics of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, with all its riches, which are not only theological but also anthropological and social. “Unity, writes Chiara Lubich is the word that synthesizes our spirituality. For us unity encloses in itself every other supernatural reality, every other practice and commandment, every other religious attitude.” Unity is understood, therefore, as a spiritual value and not only as such. It is seen as a force capable of effectively composing the human family by overcoming all divisions; not just territorial, but also those which are the fruit of political choices, and of ethnic, linguistic, social and religious conditions. (cf 1 Cor. 12) Therefore we can accept and understand the testament of Jesus – “That all may be one” (Jn. 17:12) –as an enormous resource for relations of every kind. It contains in itself the seed of every form of integration and unity, in the refusal of every discrimination, war, controversy, nationalism, etc. Unity comprises every relationship among persons, groups, communities, and countries. It impacts, in the integration of various social actors, a set of values that gives it meaning and significance. In its social sense unity is called fraternity, an important concept that is not only Christian but universal: “You are all brothers and sisters”(Mt. 23:8). “Jesus, our model—the conviction we hold since the early days of the Movement—teaches us only two things that are really one: to be children of one Father and to be brothers and sisters of one another.” Chiara Lubich further affirms: “ In revealing that God is our Father and that all men and women are brothers and sisters, Jesus introduces the idea of the “human family” made possible by universal brotherhood in act. Consequently, he knocks down the walls which separate those who are “the same” from those who are “different,” friends from enemies. And he loosens all people from every unjust relationship, thus carrying out an authentic existential, cultural and political revolution.” Down through the centuries there is a history of fraternity with its intention to inform and penetrate religious, social and political life, as well as the institutions. This history knows moments of theoretical and practical success. (We can’t but recall the monastic fraternity that determined the rebirth of Europe between the fifth and the sixth century; or the “Reduciones” of the Jesuits in Paraguay, a true example of a cultural meeting in the work of evangelization, of economic and social liberation and growth). But there is also failure and bitter betrayal (it’s enough to recall the wars of religion in Europe with their consequence of suffering and death, the crusades in the Middle East, the pillaging of Africa during the colonial era). And yet it’s possible, and even necessary, to individuate a path of growth and maturity in brotherhood, no matter how uneven and winding it is. Fraternity emerges in modern times as a social and political category in the triptych of the French Revolution: liberty, equality and fraternity. We read in the Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen (1789): “All men are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and must act toward one another in a spirit of fraternity.” Truly this triptych expresses and gives a face to the dynamism of a humanity that is one and multifaceted. One: in the recognition of the dignity of each person and in the affirmation of equality on the level of relationships; many-sided: in the diversity of its cultural, social and political expressions, etc. The ideological reading of these values gave life to varied historical mediations which contrasted—at times harshly and with conflict—among themselves. The bourgeois spirit interpreted liberty predominantly as an increase of economic power and individual liberties. In fact it favored the holders of capital and the means of production to the detriment of the rising proletariat. Equality found its place as a solemn affirmation in juridical codes and gradually became more formal than real. Fraternity was reduced to a narrow accord of interests of the privileged class, and in reality remained without compliance. It was far removed from every social and political reflection and practice. The reaction to all this was socialist or scientific collectivism with its interpretation of liberty understood almost exclusively on an economic level, to the detriment of a deeper and more profound liberty. Equality became egalitarianism, and fraternity was enclosed in the restricted space of the classes. Perhaps today a more complete and richer interpretation of the triptych is possible in order to find a new equilibrium among the three elements. The very lesson of history seems to indicate that fraternity is the foundation of the entire edifice, the amalgam that binds the other two and gives them meaning. Why? Fraternity is the fullness of reciprocity which, in turn, offers us a perspective for a further comprehension of authentic equality and liberty. “Fraternity is the basic element of the triptych, which is its vital guarantee. Liberty is the conditioning element which has the capacity to promote another. Equality is the verifying element and the universal application.” The comprehension of social relations throughout the history of sociology is made possible by the different paradigms that have enlightened it, often times in opposition among themselves. The knowledge of relational dynamics passes through the analysis of integration (Durkheim), of competition (Weber) of alienation (Marx) of conflict (Dahrendorf) and the like. In turn the paradigms are based on a postulate that has to do with an anthropological vision. Without this base, an explanation of the same social reality, which if not clear is at least intelligible, would be very difficult if not impossible. In addition there is almost unanimous consent that these paradigms were influenced by , and therefore they are indebted to, the social-cultural context in which they were conceived and in which they were developed and actualised. This relation between sociological theory and the historical-social context has already been made clearly evident by Professor Iorio in his presentation. Currently we find ourselves in the midst of a structural-cultural change of noteworthy importance and of unknown outcome. The rapidity of changes taking place, their influence on lifestyles, on knowledge and on culture, not to mention on social-political organization, is such as to predict a new type of society. A society whose contents, value aspirations (or anti-value), principal lines of thought, systems of communication and political-social order are unimaginable at this time. The noted philosopher of science, Thomas Kuhn, affirmed that every scientific revolution—and there’s no doubt that the actual change has this connotation—not only transforms the scientific imagination, but also the same world in which the scientific work was accomplished.7 Can we think that this new situation already in motion, can generate or require or attend new paradigms which are capable in turn of producing new social theories? Or can we say that the rise of a new paradigm indicates that the society that is coming to be needs a new point of reference, a new perspective to illuminate, to explain its own features, clarify its own aspirations and reach out towards new goals? While in the actual panorama of the social sciences new interpretive models are appearing, such as the network (Barnes –Bott), the gift (Caillé, Godbout) and the same social relation (Touraine, Donati, Bajoit), all searching for a new way to read and interpret this latter period of modernity, we believe that the binomial: unity-fraternity can constitute a paradigm or an innovative model capable of leading the social sciences along uncharted and unexplored paths. It is especially so in the case of sociology and the field of social politics and social existence. This conviction doesn’t arise only from a theoretic fact, but from the observation of the incisiveness of unity-fraternity on the behavior and on the choices of millions of individual and collective social actors that operate in the most varied sectors of social life, a planetary dimension. The Focolare Movement with its eight million members and adherents—in its branches, mass movements, social projects, little towns of witness, dialogue on all fronts—represents a formidable laboratory where one experiments what it means to consider and live “unity-fraternity” as the inspiring principle of social life together. Such a reality is no longer a marginal bit of news but is recognized today, also by scientists, as a social phenomenon with definite influence on society. On the occasion of the conferral of an honorary doctorate in social science to Chiara Lubich by the University of Lublin (Poland), Professor Adam Biela—at the time dean of that faculty—affirmed in his Laudatio: “The action of the Focolare Movement constitutes an actual living example of the application in social relationships of the paradigm of unity, so necessary for the social sciences so that they acquire a new force of application—capable of curing and preventing social pathology, conflicts, psychogenic illnesses, manifest aggression, wars and crimes (…) The social activity of Chiara Lubich, impregnated by the charism of evangelical unity, constitutes a vital inspiration and an example for the social sciences. It urges them to create an interdisciplinary paradigm of unity, as the methodological foundation for the construction of theoretic models, of strategies of empirical research and of designs of application. Chiara Lubich, together with her collaborators (first women and then also men) has created a new social phenomenon, that by indicating the possibility of application for the new paradigm of unity, can play an important inspiring role. It is my conviction that it could be at the foundation of the social sciences and signify as much as the Copernican revolution signified for the natural sciences.” These words are very challenging, but not for this less true, if we think of them not as mirroring a finished work, but as the potential of a charism that seeks and aspires (and has already begun for a long time now) to become a concrete fact. Therefore words that invite one to a fascinating work of study and research! Now with some fear and a sense of limitation in what I say, I am ready to offer a few initial indications of the contents that are implicit in the model “unity-fraternity.” Obviously we’re not talking about a rough draft of a theory, much less of an articulated thought. These are only points of reflection, indications, departure points for further in depth work that we hope to continue now, and for what is possible also in the future, together with all of you. Unity-fraternity as relation One could think that our discussion on the value of the person in a certain sense would have us distance ourselves from holistic approaches, and have us prefer those of methodological individualism that put the social actor and his choices at the center of theoretic construction. But it’s not like that. First of all the category of the individual can be meager, abstract, closed, while the idea of the person seems rich in identity, in values, and above all, in societal and communitarian relations, in a word, rich in history. According to Horkheimer and Adorno, “Affirming that human life is essentially, and not only casually, life together, one again questions the concept of the individual as the ultimate social atom. If in the very foundation of his existence man is through others, who are also his similar, and only because of them, what he is, then his ultimate definition is not that of an original indivisibility and singularity, but rather that of a necessary participation and communication with others. Before being—also—individual, man is one of his “similars.” He relates to others before referring explicitly to himself. It is a moment of relationship which he lives before he eventually is able to be self-determining. All this is expressed in the concept of the person…” Person means relationship, the possibility and the capacity to put oneself before the other and be recognized by the other. “The person emerges towards all of us and towards each one only when the recognition contains in itself both the designation – an empiric, cognitive indication and the reaction of the same designation-indication. Through the designation-indication I recognize that the other is a plumber, a faculty colleague, a fruit vendor. The person emerges when the designation triggers a moral reaction, and therefore the other is included in the moral universe of the self placing him within a responsibility free of sanction and of exchange. Persons form relationships which envelop them, comprehend them, transform them, conditioning them from the outside and stimulating them from the inside. The relationship then becomes a reality among two or more, that is born and nourished by their being and acting. It in turn nourishes their being and acting. It helps them to grow and mature in a given way and with an increasing depth of life. A primary quality of unity-fraternity inspired by a Christian perspective is its universality. This means that fraternal relations stretch beyond the bonds of family relationships to reach and embrace every human being: man or woman, citizen or foreigner, of my or another race, country, ethnic group, and religion considered and welcomed as a brother, a sister. One can also assert that all are brothers and sisters because the entire human race is gathered together by Christ as a unique family. Fraternity is a value so constitutive of humanity and so universal that one finds it affirmed to some degree in all the major religions. To remain within a Christian framework and bring it to its ultimate consequences, it’s necessary to add that the prayer of Christ before he went towards his passion and death, “So that all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be one in us.” (Jn. 17:21), indicates the Trinitarian relationship among the three Divine Persons as the foundation and model of the relationships between human beings. The mutual giving of the Three in an agape-relationship constitutes their being Person. Analogously this occurs among human beings. “The more you give, the more you are fulfilled, the more you are; because one has what one gives. What one gives makes him be.” Unity-fraternity requires unity and distinction In order for the relationship of unity-fraternity to be fulfilled it contemporaneously requires action of unity and of distinction. To recognize the simultaneous presence of both elements is not only important but necessary. A well-conceived unity reinforces and realizes a healthy symbiosis between the parts of the relations even though they remain distinct. Distinction, in turn, sustains, preserves and guards the identity of each one. It impedes any absorption, dependence, or submission, and at the same time maintains it in unity. Then thanks only to distinction, each one becomes an actor and takes the initiative to nourish and enrich unity. The distinction brings about a differentiation that in a certain way signifies “opposition”, not in the sense of counter position, contrast or conflict, but in the sense that each one “being the other” becomes more fully himself. How is it possible that this happens, that this being in relationship doesn’t lead to mutual exclusion? The true inter-subjectivity such as unity in distinction or in difference is possible when one has a deep cognitive and affective experience both of one’s self and that of the other to the point of accepting oneself and the others as autonomous centers of being: conscious of self, free; equal in one’s dignity and at the same time, different. Difference also means the awareness that one has something unique to offer the other or to offer all together. It’s this awareness that gives rise to the dynamic and the necessity to know how to take the initiative, to give new impulse to unity and the readiness to lose one’s eventual gifts if it is not the moment to offer them. And so, not only is each one not the other, but also each one is himself only through the other. On the one hand unity produces a very intense fusion and an intimate community of feeling, yet on the other hand, it never annuls the distinction. One can also hypothesize a fraternal relationship that involves unity-distinction not only at a micro level but also at a macro level: among communities, peoples, nations, religions, institutions. The process of globalization would require it as a necessary dimension of the new social reality that is being envisaged. Fraternity would be able to activate a new and innovative plus in international relations. It is certainly difficult and complex to articulate and realize, but it is feasible and decisive for the future of humanity. In fact, seen in this light history offers examples that cannot be disregarded. Unity-fraternity as reciprocity One of the dynamisms of social action is that of being reciprocal. Weber indicated reciprocity as an dynamism of social action. Simmel did the same He defined all that comes about in a social relation as reciprocal action. Social relation is the fundamental theoretic category that must be understood as interaction, or reciprocal action. “For Simmel the social phenomenon is not the emanation of a subject nor even of an abstract system more or less situated a-priori. It is the relation in itself, that is the reciprocal action in as much as it is inter-action that produces; it is incorporated and is manifested in something that, even though it is not visible, has its “solidity.” Simmel himself explains how this process, that gives life to a new reality that has its own life beyond the elements from which it is derived, is constituted among individuals. “The life of society consists in the reciprocal relations of its elements—mutual relations which in part are developed in momentary actions and reactions, and in part are consolidated in definite structures: in duties and laws, statutes and properties, language and means of communication. All these reciprocal social effects arise from the base of determined interests, purposes and impulses. At the same time they form the matter that is used socially in individuals’ being together: one next to the other, one for the other, or one with the other.” Both Weber and Simmel seek to explain this reciprocity: dictated by the meaning given to the subject (Weber), or in view of determined purposes (Simmel). We can say that unity-fraternity generates reciprocity in love, that is agape, a mirror and reflex of Trinitarian Agape (“God is Love” 1 Jn. 4:8). “The God of religion is the God of relation: unity conceived as interaction.” We find ourselves in front of a particular type of love that is not added to human loves (paternal, maternal, filial, that of friends, of spouses) but that moulds them, and sustains all the possibilities of love in their varied nuances. And so every type of human love is fully such in the measure in which it is modeled on fraternity. Reciprocity, according to the Trinitarian model, in the concretization of Jesus’ commandment: “I give you a new commandment: Love one another. Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for each other.” (Jn. 13:34), means mutual indwelling, or mutual containment, being mutually one in the other and the other in the one. The subjects, who are so contained in one another, unite by distinguishing themselves and distinguish themselves by uniting. Fraternal relationship is essentially reciprocal, as a movement that goes out and that returns It is enriched with values such as trust, welcome, listening, gift and sharing. It is oriented to overcome and resolve contrast, conflict, opposition and breakdown. The consequence is the full, authentic realization of the inter-subjectivity of the actors involved in the relation when they live a reciprocal commitment toward one another. In this way there are the conditions for a full realisation of the person. Unity-fraternity as gift Besides the paradigms of methodological individualism and collectivist holism, today the gift is presented directly as the “third paradigm” that responds to the preceding paradigms with a logic of liberty and gratuity in its three constitutive moments: to give, to receive, to return. From a sociological point of view, the gift appears as a strong concept of reference for the description, the comprehension and the interpretation of the dynamic of social relations. “The gift contains a non-eliminating implication of sociality and relationship; there is a concretization of expressions and of consequences present in it, which is independent of the interior or internal orientation—for example, charitable, philanthropic or “interested”—of the one who places it in being. The sociologists of MAUSS—Anti-utilitarian Movement in the social sciences—define gift as “every form of goods and services effected without guaranty of restitution, with the purpose of creating, increasing, or recreating the social bond among persons. The problem of restitution as a constitutive and indispensable element of gift was already proposed by Marcel Mauss in his “Essai sur le don” in 1924, without however resolving the question. In fact, according to many authors the problem remained an open one. An attempt at a solution was made through the research for a logic of reciprocity as an explanation of the necessity of restitution. Reciprocity would be the reason of the counter-concession in all situations. The interrogative that persists is: does the responsibility of the actors still remain in the act of giving, receiving and of exchanging? Recently in a conference in Germany, the philosopher Paul Ricouer, under the influence of M. Henaff (“The price of truth”) indicated a new solution: “(If the actors) must be truly the actors of reciprocity, the only way open is to say that the gift is the pledge and the substitute of a reciprocal recognition that in fact is not acknowledged; therefore the recognition cannot be vouched for except in the pledge of the gift.. (…) “The gift is without price: it’s not that it didn’t have a cost; but in the act of exchange its price doesn’t appear—it is without price. And it is in the non commercial experiences that we have the possibility of the gift as a pledge and as a substitute for a reciprocal recognition.” Here is how Simmel explains the reciprocal action of giving and the acceptance of the gift: ”In every giving, beyond the intrinsic value of the gift, a spiritual value is inserted. We absolutely cannot dissolve nor annul the interior bond that was created by the acceptance of the gift, with another gift which exteriorly is its equivalent. The gift’s acceptance is not only a passive enrichment, but also a concession of the giver. Just as in giving so also in receiving a predilection is shown that goes far beyond the value of its object.” In unity-fraternity the gift is lived in an even greater and more profound dimension that envelops our very being. “I myself sensed,– Chiara Lubich wrote– that I had been created as a gift for those who are near to me and that those who are near to me have been created by God as a gift for me, as the Father in the Trinity is everything for the Son and the Son is everything for the Father.” Moreover fraternity reveals and explains in what the essence of the gift consists. “Man gives origin to societies thanks to a radical generosity that he finds inscribed in his being, in his life, in his intelligence and love, which permits a dialogue with others and a superabundance of the gift of self.” A human being, therefore, is a being made for giving, and this quality is transferred to all the bonds and to all the relationships in which he is involved. Gift then, is synonymous with love. The gift is none other than love in act. Not only does it not close in on itself, but in itself is diffusive. Love requires the gift. It asks every social agent, individual or collective to be transformed and to act as a giver. “To love means to give oneself: to think of one’s brother (or sister) by stepping into his shoes…(Lubich, Unedited Writings). The fraternal relationship, completed symbol of love-agape, is thus weighted with substance. It’s a pure gift but doesn’t disdain exchange and reciprocity; on the contrary it requires it, but with a noble profile. It doesn’t include what one can buy, sell, possess and consume, but it rises towards liberty and love. The gift of self to the other is also manifested in giving spiritual and material goods, as a sharing and communion of goods. “In this way love circulates and (through its inherent law of communion) like a river of fire, naturally caries along with it, all that the two possess in order to achieve a communion of both their material and spiritual goods.” The sharing and the communion of goods reinforce fraternal bonds and create a true art of giving which is abundant in other expressions that are very precise: gratuity, oblation, broadmindedness, joy, and reciprocity. Unity-fraternity as communion The category “communion” is not used much in sociology. As a matter of fact I would say it is distant from sociological language and, in a certain sense, almost unknown. And yet today it is gaining ground and emerging as a very rich concept with many valences. Obviously, it is above all a category that is widely used and is at home in the realm of spirituality and Christian theology. In fact, in this sense, one can assert that communion finds its generating font from the communion of life of God himself in his being Trinity, a communion of love among Persons. Trinitarian communion is therefore the ontological foundation of every form of communion, as substance and as life. And it is thus that it also becomes an anthropological category. John Paul II in the encyclical letter, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis affirms: Beyond human and natural bonds, already so close and strong, there is discerned in the light of faith a new model of the unity of the human race (… ) This supreme model of unity, which is a reflection of the intimate life of God, one God in three Persons, is what we Christians mean by the word communion” (n. 40) The eminent theologian Klaus Hemmerle, former bishop of Achen, emphasizes and explains this relation between divinity and humanity: “Our personal being is assumed into the communion of life and love among the Father, Son and Spirit; but with that I, and I only, can no longer represent the point of departure and the final point of my being, but I can live the Trinitarian existence only in reciprocity, in “we,” that nonetheless doesn’t dissolve the I and the you, but constitutes it.” It is evident that, even if we do not consider this spiritual foundation, the social relationship implicit in our common living understood as interaction, is completed in communion. It is thus that communion gives rise also to an economic category with the “Economy of Communion.” This economic project launched by Chiara Lubich in 1991 in Brazil rests on two major tenets: the sharing of the enterprise’s profits with the needy and the insertion of communion in economic relationships. If the first element demands surmounting the culture of having to assume the culture of giving, the second implies overriding the formal or instrumental rationality and the assumption of an “expressive” rationality that is not instrumental. The businesses that adhere to the Project of the Economy of Communion are enucleating the lines of conduct for the enterprise that revolve around the concept of communion as the essence of business relationships both internally (with the workers, clients, suppliers, etc) and externally (with competitors, governing bodies, the surrounding environment, etc). This approach implies that one gives priority to the motivations and values in interpersonal relations, and emphasizes themes such as trust, reciprocity, etc. The economy of communion offers economic science a new stimulus and new possibilities for resolving its own contradictions with its negative effects; it forms a “virtuous” circle where new elements that are more positive and that offer new proposals find their place. Communion also finds space as a juridical category within the so-named Social Law that derives directly from the functioning of social groups. Georges Gurvitch was the one who best completed the work of establishing the tradition that widened into Social Law, which he named the Law of Communion. According to Gurvitch “Social Law” is an autonomous right of communion that integrates in objective form every active real totality, and that incarnates a positive extra-temporal value. This right is derived directly from the “totality” in question in order to regulate its interior life independently from the fact that this “totality” is organized or in-organized. The “Right of communion” permits a participation in the “totality” directly through the juridical relation that emanates from it without transforming this “totality ” into a subject separate from its members.” Therefore we can say that the “Right of communion” and communion find their own justification, the one in the other, respectively. This social “totality”—for the theorists of social Law—has the significance of an “immanent communion,” therefore of a reality both ethical-juridical and formal-juridical. In the formal-juridical meaning this “immanent communion” indicates both the human community that constitutes it and the fact that we find ourselves in front of something that Gierk has named a “complex juridical person.” It is characterized by the fact that the “totality” is not transcendent in respect to the members that comprise it, but neither can it be equated with the members in question, not even with their sum. We can therefore define communion in ethical and juridical terms that are coherent with the spirit of fraternity. In short, and even more to the point, communion is a sociological concept. In one of his fundamental works Gurvitch did a profound analysis of the manifestation of sociality derived from the partial fusion of the subjects. According to the degree, the intensity and the depth of this fusion, he distinguishes three forms of sociality, which he calls a “We”. These three forms are the Mass, the Community and the Communion. He then amply describes the relations that the I, the He and the Others form internally within the “We.” “A we” (such as “we French,” “we militant union members,” “we students,” “we parents”) constitutes a totality that can’t be reduced to the plurality of its members, a new unity that cannot be taken apart. Nevertheless the whole tends to be immanent to the parts, and the parts immanent to the whole. This reciprocal indwelling, which could also be defined as a mutual participation of unity in plurality and of plurality in unity can assume varied forms in the different “We.” Communion represents the maximum degree of intensity of participation, of the force of attraction and of the depth of fusion of the “We.” If we look at the heart of the “We”, where the fusion is the greatest and “reunites the most personal and the most intimate depths of the I and of the Other, no aspect remains outside the participation and the integration of the “We.” Gurvitch’s reflections are developed in the field of micro sociology and are of unquestionable interest for a greater understanding of face-to-face relationships. In the case of fraternal relations a series of correlated dynamics are expressed that enrich, give singleness of purpose and further meaning to the relation itself. In fact it includes being one with the others, where liberty and the absolute choice to enter and to participate in the relation come into evidence. Being one for the other brings into evidence the “how” of the relation, that is, its modality. Being one in the other underlines the capacity to be and to make a gift of self to the others. Being one thanks to the other, where what comes to light is that the identity of each one can best be expressed in the reciprocal communion among them. In the fraternal relationship we can further assert that the depths of the relations, the intensity of the interaction and the sentiments of love, esteem, affection, trust—raised to a universal level—form relationships of communion. They are able to inspire on all levels in social reality a positive current which fosters harmony, equilibrium, order–and because of this–progress, development and perfection to a considerable degree. All elements particularly requested by a society characterized by social instability, alienation and contrasts.

Social relations: paradox or sustainable model? A perspective of the social sciences

Feb 12, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Many participants of the Sociology Congress were of the opinion that in this period marked by rapid changes, there is an urgent need for social scientists to focus their attention not only on contradictory and conflictual social relations but also on relations of concord and communion currently operating in society. This concept was highlighted by Chiara Lubich in her message to the assembly, in which she affirmed that “fraternity” is a spiritual principle which, at the same time, is also an anthropological, sociological and political category, capable of unleashing a process of global social renewal.” Such a proposal is the fruit of decades of experience on the personal level as well as on the level of political institutions and economic structures.

The Congress was particularly characterized by dialogue – in the sociological discipline this is the typical relationship between theory and practice – as illustrated by experiences made in the most varied social and cultural contexts. The experiences shared were those of representatives from the La Pira Cultural Center in Florence (Italy), which welcomes foreign students of different cultures and religions; from an Italian drug rehabilitation center; from the international center for families at the Focolare little town of Loppiano (Incisa Valdarno, Florence). The experience of integration between Europeans and Africans was also presented through the life of Fontem, a little town situated in a forest in the Cameroon, and home of the Bangwa tribe, a people deeply rooted in its traditions.

A sociological analysis of the different experiences put into evidence possible new models, new schemes of application such as the “paradigm of unity.” This was the subject matter of the talk offered by Polish professor, Adam Biela, former Dean of the Faculty of Sociology of the University of Dublin and now senator. The same sociological category was elaborated on by Brazilian sociologist, Vera Araujo, who called it the paradigm of unity-fraternity, which is capable of recognizing relations of unity and distinction, reciprocity, gift and communion. At the end of the Congress, as Vera Araujo remarked, an “initial scientific community was created. It has adopted these paradigms, these new strategies of research, in its common search of new perspectives for the sociological sciences.”

[:it]Il Potere dell’Amore

Feb 9, 2005 | Non categorizzato

Fontem-Cameroon as a laboratory of human relationships – a sociological analysis

Feb 9, 2005 | Non categorizzato

      Fontem – Cameroon: A Laboratory of Human Relationships A sociological analysis of the political, anthropological and spiritual evolution of the Bangwa people: from near extinction to a model of progress Presentation of the first Italian translation of the classic volume “The ways and power of love” by Pitirim Sorokin published by Città Nuova Castelgandolfo (Rome, Italy) February 12, 2004

Africa – A forty-year experience lived out within the heart of a forest in Cameroon is the object of a particularly interesting sociological study presented at the First International Congress on Sociology, promoted by Social-One, the Focolare Movement’s expression in the sociological field. The above-mentioned theme was one of the most significant moments of the Congress, held at the Mariapolis Center of Castelgandolfo (Rome) on Feb. 11-13, under the title: “Social relationships and fraternity: a paradox or a sustainable model? From the perspective of the social sciences.” The study analyzes the political, anthropological and spiritual evolution of an African tribe, the Bangwa, from the stage of near-extinction to its present development. It points out that such a development has taken place under the influence of the Bangwa people’s encounter with a modern charism, that of unity, brought by the doctors, teachers, and young European focolarini who went to Fontem in the early 1960s to bring aid. The study also analyzes the effect of the encounter with the Bangwas on the Europeans. The theme was introduced by Belgian sociologist, Prof. Bennie Callebaut, and developed by scholars of Bangwa origin, such as Prof. Martin Nkafu, professor of Philosophy of Cultures at the Pontifical Urbanian and Lateran Universities, as well as by other university professors now resident in the United States and Great Britain. An essential part of the presentation were the experiences shared by the first focolarini who went to Fontem, such as Dr. Lucio Dal Soglio, as well as by those who are currently working there. A typically African celebration was held in the evening, with the participation of African youth from Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Angola, South Africa, Uganda, Congo, and of course, Cameroon. Another significant part of the Congress was the presentation of the first Italian translation, published by Città Nuova, of the book “The Ways and Power of Love,” written by Pitirim Sorokin, a Russian sociologist who emigrated to the United States. Considered a sociological classic, the volume analyzes the causes and effects, as well as the human and universal significance of the creative and therapeutic powers inherent in selfless love. Speakers on the subject included such distinguished sociologists as professors Raffaele Rauty, a specialist in American sociology; Arturo Parisi of the University of Bologna and Michele Colasanta, Director of the Faculty of Sociology of the Catholic University of Milan. The Congress opened on Feb. 11 with a message from Chiara Lubich. A presentation entitled “Challenges of a complex and globalized society” was then be offered by Prof. Vincenzo Zani, followed by experiences of life shared by a social worker from the Ministry of Social Politics of Argentina; a member of the La Pira International Cultural and Interreligious Center of Florence, Italy; a doctor working in an Italian drug rehabilitation community; and representatives of the families’ international center of the Focolare’s little town, Loppiano (Incisa-Valdarno, Florence). On the second day, Saturday, Brazilian sociologist, Vera Araujo, presented the main theme of the Congress: “Social relationships and fraternity: a paradox or a sustainable model?”. The theme on social relations is very timely – The growing interest in the relational aspect and the challenges of globalization call for a better understanding of the complex and multiple relationships existing in today’s world. Social scientists are at work to formulate a theoretical development in their discipline. There is a general demand for new models, new research strategies, new schemes of application, which would highlight not only conflictual realities but positive and constructive new phenomena as well. Congress objectives – From discussions and dialogue on the studies and achievements gained so far by the social sciences, the Congress aims to bring to light new perspectives by proposing fraternity as a conceptual category that could form the basis of a new scientific paradigm. The proposal of “Social One” –“Social One” brings together professionals and students involved in the field of social services throughout the world, and it is precisely towards verifying the above-mentioned proposal that their efforts are geared. Through the dynamics of dialogue and inspired by the cultural heritage which is drawn from the vital experience of universal brotherhood made by the Focolare Movement and its foundress, Chiara Lubich, Social One brings to light ideas, guidelines, research proposals, analyses and interpretations of social realities and social action projects which highlight the new concepts and new methodologies. For further information: Focolare Information Service – Carla Cotignoli – tel. 39-6-947989 – 348.856.33.47

A network of love to bring about social change in Latin America

Feb 8, 2005 | Non categorizzato

 Lia Brunet met Chiara Lubich in Trent, Italy in 1945. In 1958, together with Fiore Ungaro, a focolarina from Rome, and Marco Tecilla, the first focolarino, she made the first trip outside European boundaries. They were years of great social unrest throughout Latin America. During that trip the first knots were tied of a network of love that would produce spiritual and social renewal in those countries where Lia went on to spend 44 years of her life in limitless self-giving. On Christmas Day 2004 Lia turned 87. On the following February 5th she left for the next life.

The first trip to Latin America was a leap into the unknown. Visiting the poor districts of Trent together with Chiara, Lia had experienced the Gospel’s transforming and propelling force on society. During their first12 intense months in Latin America, Marco, Fiore and Lia visited Recife, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago, Chile. Lia described their strategy in her book “Diario di un Viaggio” (translated as “Diary of a Journey”) with these words: “Ours is also a revolution, which makes use of the most powerful weapon – the Love brought by Jesus on earth. As did St. Paul, we speak of putting on the “new man,” and doing away with our “former selves.” Ours too is a matter of life and death: its aim is: “that all may be one.”

[:it]E’ on-line il nuovo portale dei Giovani per un Mondo Unito!

Feb 7, 2005 | Non categorizzato

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Adoptions-at-a-distance in Tamil Nadu, Indonesia and Sri Lanka

Feb 6, 2005 | Non categorizzato

 The New Families Movement, an expression of the Focolare Movement at the service of the family, currently reaches out to about 14,200 children through 96 development projects being implemented in 45 countries. There are numerous requests and offers for adoption-at-a-distance, and new projects are underway to respond to the Southeast Asian Emergency. India – Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu,with its capital in Madras, is situated in the southeastern part of the Indian peninsula. It is one of India’s 32 states and is among the most densely populated. The coastal population, which suffered the devastating effects of the tidal wave, has poured into the interior region creating an urgent demand for aid centers all over the State. However, adequate assistance is impossible due to the poverty of the area, aggravated by the effects of the catastrophe. Hence, there is urgent need for immediate financial aid. – “Ilanthalir” Project ‘Ilanthalir’ is the name of an association created by Fr. Susai Alangaram, a Focolare priest with whom New Families has been collaborating since 1997. The Ilanthalir Association’s objective (see www.ilanthalir.org) is to offer education to poor or orphaned children in the villages. New Families is already supporting 600 minors with its support-at-a-distance program, and has offered to help 200 additional children who are victims of the tsunami. – “Bala Shanti” Project In Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, the Gandhi-inspired association called ‘Shanti Ashram’ has been operating since 1987, reaching out to the population of about 30 villages. Shanti Ashram aims to form people of peace in a pluralistic society like India, which is characterized by diversity of culture, religion and caste. It offers the children nutrition and health care. Shanti Ashram also took in the families and children who took refuge in Coimbatore from the damaged coastal villages. New Families has offered to help about 100 children, in addition to the 180 already being supported for several years now.

– “K. Gandhi Kanya Gurukulam” Project Also the ‘K. Gandhi Gurukulam’ Association has been operating in Tamil Naddu (particularly in Nagapattinam) since 1946, offering educational and social activities in favor of poverty-stricken and orphaned girls. The association assists 1,700 girls of different religions, by educating them in various trades that will enable them to earn a living. Since 2003, New Families has been collaborating with the association by giving support-at-a-distance to 49 beneficiaries. After the disaster, the association has requested ongoing support for an additional 200 needy children.

Projects in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands – In Indonesia, a project to offer continuing support to 600 minors is taking shape; it is being managed by one of the Focolare centers in Medan (Sumatra). – In Sri Lanka, 150 children, victims of the tsunami, are being helped through a partnership with the Apostolic Carmel Congregation (which has houses in various parts of the country and has been collaborating with New Families for infancy and childhood projects for many years now).

– Emergency aid is being sent to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands through the Bishop of Port Blair, a friend of the Focolare, who is housing about a thousand people in the parish courtyard, until a support-at-a-distance project can be implemented.

Those who are interested in supporting the projects could send a contribution of €216. The sum may be sent, preferably in its entirety, to the following bank account: – Postal Account n� 48075873; or – Bank Account n� 1000/2497 –Bank of SAN PAOLO – IMI – Grottaferrata branch (Rome) – ABI 01025 – CAB 39140. – beneficiary: Associazione AZIONE PER FAMIGLIE NUOVE Onlus – Via Isonzo 64 – 00046 Grottaferrata (RM), Italy Famiglie Nuove Please specify the motive for the money order.