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Seventy times seven

1 Jan 1999 | Non categorizzato

  A youth from Ivory Coast narrates how she succeeded, during her teens, in not giving way to grudge and hatred. I was born in Man, a little city built on green hills in the most picturesque area of the Ivory Coast. From my house, I have a clear view of Mount Toukoui, the highest peak in my country. I grew up here with my parents and nine brothers. I had a very serene childhood… at least until my father sought a relationship with another woman and began to neglect the family. From that moment, the atmosphere at home became intolerable, full of tension and ill feeling which often exploded in violent quarrels. My mother often cried. We children were disoriented in the face of this situation which was so unexpected and, for us, unacceptable. We all lived under the strain of a growing oppression. In this troubled period, when I was about thirteen years old, I made some new friends. They were my age and they wanted to put the Gospel into practice. They wanted to do this with simplicity, more with actions than with words. They tried to look at the events of their daily lives, and the people around them, in the light of the love of God. When I was with them, I really felt at home, valued, loved, and the load of bitterness that weighed on my heart became easier to carry. The situation in my family, however, worsened because my mother, exasperated by the difficult relationship with my father, decided to leave home. This was a traumatic moment in my life. I felt so alone and discouraged and I asked myself how I could possibly see God’s love in what was happening and how I could continue to love my father and help my mother. I knew that Jesus loved me and was close to me, but I wasn’t able to think a single thought that didn’t end up as a giant question mark. Something within me was crushed. The only word which hammered away in my head and in my heart was ‘Why?’. My father’s new wife came to live with us but neither myself nor my brothers were able, or willing, to build a relationship with her or accept her. The older ones among us, especially, rejected her and quarrelled constantly with her and with our father. In this situation of conflict, my father became more and more unhappy. He started to drink, neglecting little by little to look after himself and the rest of the family. He cut himself off from everyone. Sometimes we felt as though we were living in a nightmare. In order to give a bit of relief to our family, and allow us to continue with our schooling, some of our uncles invited us to take turns to stay with them. As the years passed, two separate clans were formed within my family. On the one hand there was my father, his wife and their children, and on the other, my brothers. I tried very hard not to take sides with either of these groups or to be involved in their arguments. The only thing I really wanted was to have a family and to live in an atmosphere of real affection. Instead, I was always alone, powerless, asking myself over and over again, the same question, ‘Why?’ In the very darkest moments, it was my relationship with my friends with whom I tried to live the Gospel which gave me the strength to keep on loving both of these clans. Whenever we met together, and shared the steps we made in living the words of the Gospel, that atmosphere of unity gave new light and strength to all of us. One evening, when I felt really at rock bottom, completely blocked by the suffering caused by my family problems, I rediscovered with the help of my friends, how close Jesus was to me when, on the cross, he cried out to the Father, “My God, why have you abandoned me?” That was the moment of his greatest suffering. Through this new understanding, every ‘why’ I uttered, acquired a much deeper meaning for me, since I too felt torn within. United to the cry of Jesus, my ‘why’ became a precious pearl to be transformed into love for others, through a greater and more practical love. During the year I lived with my uncles and I worked as hard as possible at school. Every holidays I went back home and I tried to do all I could to help, starting from the humblest domestic jobs. Often in the evenings, I found my father drunk, asleep on the doorstep of our house. It used to break my heart to see him in this condition, so I used to take him to his room, put him to bed and do everything possible for him so that he might feel loved, even in those moments in which he himself wasn’t loving. When I finished secondary school, I enrolled in the University of Abidjan situated on the coast, a modern city almost 500 kilometres from Man. The relationship with my father deteriorated. I no longer managed to find an opening to talk to him or to rebuild our communication and affection. I blamed him and his wife for all the suffering of my adolescence. I felt hurt and betrayed, robbed of the affection of a family, forced to grow up alone in those years when I most needed the support of my parents. Finally, I decided that I never wanted to see my father again. The next time I met with my friends, I couldn’t contain myself any longer and all my anger flared up: “I want to take revenge for all the pain that he and his wife have caused me. I’m going to go home and destroy everything she owns, because she’s the one who broke up my family and forced my mother out “. I was out of my mind with the pain I had endured for so long in silence. I had lost the truest part of myself, my relationship with Jesus who in so many moments had given me the joy and strength to react with love to the difficulties and misunderstandings I encountered. My friends listened to my outburst with profound attention. While participating in what I was saying, they did not judge me in any way. This was a very strong moment for me. I suddenly discovered that the weight, previously unbearable, was now being carried together with them. The fire of love which had gone out in my heart was lit up again in me more strongly than before. I thought again of that phrase of Jesus to “forgive seventy times seven”. It was much more difficult to live these words than to take revenge, but I wanted with all my strength to truly forgive my father. It wasn’t easy. I made many efforts and had many failures, but it was all worthwhile. When I got my degree I couldn’t bring myself to tell my father. I still lacked the courage to face him. I found a good job in a business. That was when my mother, with whom I had a beautiful relationship, urged me to call my father to let him know. I hesitated, but then I understood that the moment had finally come to take a real step towards him. I rang him up. He was happy to hear my voice and proud of my exam results. He sent me a jar of honey and from that moment on he began to give me a weekly update of himself and his life. I felt very moved by the experience of finally gathering the unexpected fruits of my suffering, through my small gesture of true forgiveness. When I finally set aside the yoke of bitterness, everything, even the smallest things became full of light, more beautiful and easier. I understood that when Jesus comes into our life, he transforms it and never leaves us on our own. Then my father came to visit me. We spoke at length and he confided his problems and his efforts to free himself from the slavery of alcohol. He entrusted to me a large sum of money to support my brothers during their studies. By the time he left I couldn’t say which of us was more uplifted, my father or myself; we had re-established our relationship and our hearts were filled with warmth. With the excuse of the money I was administering, I was able to reunite my brothers. Together, we decided to bury the past. We planned a big surprise for my father and all of us went to visit him at his home. From that moment we all started to look at him with new eyes so that through us he could find the strength and the affection that he lacked. Now I am truly peaceful and I have rediscovered the will to live. S. F. (Ivory Coast)

January 1999

31 Dec 1998 | Non categorizzato, Word of

During the month of January, Christians throughout the world join together in prayer and special meetings to celebrate their common faith. The theme chosen for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is taken from the book of Revelation. Let’s read the entire passage:

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his people,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away” (Rev. 21:1-7).

This month’s Word of Life is an exhortation: if we want to be part of his people, we must allow him to live among us.
But how is this possible, and what can we do in order to foretaste something, while still on earth, of the endless joy we will have in seeing God?
This is exactly what Jesus revealed to us, this is the very meaning of his coming: to communicate his life of love with the Father, so that we too can live it.
We Christians can live this phrase even now and have God among us. To have him among us requires certain conditions, as affirmed by the Fathers of the Church. For Basil, the essential condition is living according to the will of God; for John Chrysostom, it is to love our neighbor as Jesus did; for Theodore the Studite, it is mutual love; and for Origen, it is accord in thought and in feeling, so as to arrive at that concord which “unites, and contains the Son of God.”
The key for allowing God to dwell among us is found in Jesus’ teachings: “Love one another as I have loved you” (cf. Jn. 13:34). Mutual love is the key to the presence of God. “God remains in us,” (1Jn. 4:12) “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20), says Jesus.

«God will dwell with them; they will be his people.»

In this light then, the fulfillment of all the promises of the Old Covenant – “My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Ez. 37:27) – is not far off and unattainable.
Everything is already accomplished in Jesus who continues, beyond his historical existence, to be present among those who live according to the new law of mutual love, that is, the norm which makes them a people, the people of God.
This Word of Life is therefore a pressing call, especially for us Christians, to witness through love to the presence of God. “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:35). Living out the new commandment sets forth the conditions for the presence of Jesus among all people.
We cannot do anything unless this presence is guaranteed, a presence which gives meaning to the supernatural brotherhood that Jesus brought on earth for all humanity.

«God will dwell with them; they will be his people.»

First of all, it is up to us, Christians, even though we belong to different ecclesial communities, to let the world see “one people” made up of every ethnic group, race, and culture, adults and children, unwell and well. One people to which we can apply the words said of the first Christians: “Look at how they love one another and are ready to give their life for one another.”
This is the “miracle” humanity is waiting for in order to regain hope. It will also give an essential contribution to progress in ecumenism, the journey towards full and visible unity among Christians. It’s a “miracle” within our reach, or better, of the one who, dwelling among his own united by love, can change the destiny of the world and lead all humanity towards unity.

Chiara Lubich

December 1998

30 Nov 1998 | Non categorizzato, Word of

This is the great news that Jesus announced to humanity: that we have the possibility of becoming children of God through grace.
But how and to whom is this grace given? “To those who did accept him” and to those who will accept him in the course of centuries. We must accept Jesus in faith and in love, believing in him as our Savior.
But let’s try to understand more deeply what it means to be children of God.
It is enough to look at Jesus, the Son of God, and at his rapport with the Father: Jesus prayed to his Father as in the “Our Father.” For him the Father was “Abba”; which means Dad, a Person he turned to with infinite trust and limitless love.

However, since he came on earth for us, it was not enough for him to be the only one in this privileged position. By dying for us, redeeming us, he made us children of God, his own brothers and sisters. And through the Holy Spirit he also gave us the possibility of being introduced into the bosom of the Trinity, so that we too have the possibility of repeating the same divine invocation: “Abba, Father!” (Mk. 14:36; Rm. 8:15). “Dad, my!, our Dad.” This invocation implies the certainty of his protection, confidence, trustful surrender to his love, divine consolation, strength, ardor, the ardor you experience when you are certain of being loved.

«But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God.»

What makes us one with Christ and, with him, sons and daughters in the Son, is baptism and the life of grace that comes from it.
Moreover, this passage from the Gospel also reveals to us the profound dynamism of being children of God, which we need to live out day after day. In fact, it is necessary “to become children of God.”
We become, we grow as children of God, by corresponding to his gift, by living his will which is all summed up in the commandment of love: love towards God and love towards neighbors.
To accept Jesus means to recognize him in all our neighbors. And they too will have the possibility of recognizing Jesus and of believing in him if they are able to discern in our love for them, a glimmering, a spark of the boundless love of the Father.

«But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God.»

During this month in which we celebrate Jesus’ birth on earth, let’s try to accept one another by seeing and serving him in one another.
A reciprocity of love, knowledge, and life like that which links the Son to the Father in the Spirit, will be established also between us and the Father, and Jesus’ invocation: “Abba, Father,” will ever be on our lips.

Chiara Lubich

November 1998

31 Oct 1998 | Non categorizzato, Word of

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” This sentence, as you probably recall, is from the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus revolutionized our human way of thinking by calling “blessed” and “happy” those who, at first glance, could seem anything but happy: the poor, the persecuted, the meek, those who spend their lives bringing peace to others….
With this particular statement, he even seems to be affirming the absurd: declaring “happy” those who are in tears, “blessed” those who are afflicted with suffering. How can such an affirmation be justified?

«Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.»

The Messiah came to fulfill the words of Isaiah who had prophesied that a time would come when all who suffer would be consoled and all who mourn would be comforted (cf. Is. 61:1-3).
He knows that those who suffer are really fortunate and blessed because they are more disposed to welcome his words and, therefore, to enter his kingdom. He knows that through him the world’s many afflictions can be transformed into a life of joy.
In speaking of those who “mourn,” Jesus intends not a particular category of people, but all who suffer – regardless of age, sex, race or nationality – for whatever reason: a misfortune, a natural disaster, an illness, the death of a loved one, or the loss of possessions or reputation. He is also referring to the pain of those who are disillusioned, and of those whose unspoken suffering is deep within their hearts. He is speaking of these, and of you too, if you are suffering at this moment.

«Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.»

“They shall be comforted.” By using the future tense, Jesus is certainly referring to the times to come when God himself will reward all those who have borne their suffering well, and “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more” (Rev. 21:4). Knowing that all this will come about when Christ’s kingdom is established, fills our hearts with hope, and hope mitigates suffering.
However, Jesus is not merely trying to lead those who are unhappy to resign themselves to their condition with the promise of a future reward. He is thinking of the present as well.

His kingdom, in fact, is already here, even though it is not yet in its final form. It is present in Jesus himself, who, after undergoing a death accompanied by great suffering and sorrow, arose and thus conquered death.
As Christians we also have the kingdom present in our hearts, because God lives within us. The Trinity itself dwells in our hearts. And so the blessed happiness Jesus proclaims can already be ours.

«Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.»

In the kingdom brought by Jesus we can experience this consolation every day. Of course, there is a prerequisite: that we live as citizens of this kingdom, conforming our lives to its laws and to what Jesus asks of us.

He has said that we must accept the sufferings that come upon us, in the same way that he accepted his own.
He wants you to “take up” your cross; he does not want you to hate it, to reject it, to push it away, or to simply drag it along. You must love it! Jesus wants you to set it squarely on your shoulders. And even more – he wants you to brandish it like a torch, like a banner.
Then you will experience the miracle of the kingdom; God will make your cross seem lighter, and you will be able to carry it. You will even be able to smile amidst the tears. You will have a strength that is not yours, a strength that comes from him. And you will understand why he says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:30).
The sufferings may remain, but we will experience a new vigor that will help us to bear the trials of life and that will enable us to help others who are suffering to overcome their pain and to view their suffering as Jesus viewed and accepted his: as a means of redemption.

Chiara Lubich

October 1998

30 Sep 1998 | Non categorizzato, Word of

How often in life have you felt the need for somebody to give you a hand, and at the same time realized that no person is able to remedy your situation! It is then that you unconsciously turn to Someone who can make the impossible possible. This Someone has a name: He is Jesus.
Listen to what he tells you:

«Were your faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.»

Obviously, this image is not to be taken literally. Jesus did not promise his disciples the power to perform spectacular miracles simply to amaze the crowds. To uproot and plant in the sea is a hyperbole, that is a rhetorical exaggeration, intended to instill into the minds of the disciples the fact that with faith nothing is impossible.
The purpose of every miracle that Jesus worked, directly or through his followers, was always to further the kingdom of God or the Gospel, or the salvation of humanity. Uprooting the mulberry tree would not serve this purpose.
The comparison with the “mustard seed” is used to show that what Jesus requires of you is not a great amount of faith, but an authentic faith. The characteristic of an authentic faith is that it is rooted solely in God and not on one’s own strength. If you are assailed by doubts or reservations about your faith, then that means that your faith in God is not yet authentic. It means that you have a faith which is feeble and somewhat ineffective, which is still anchored upon human strength and human logic.
The one who trusts entirely in God lets God himself act and… to him nothing is impossible.
The faith that Jesus wants from his disciples is a totally trusting attitude which enables God to manifest his power. And this faith is not reserved for certain exceptional people. It is possible and dutiful for all believers.

«Were your faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.»

It is traditionally held that Jesus said these words to his disciples when he was about to send them out on their mission.
It is easy to get discouraged and frightened when you know that you are a small, unprepared flock, with no particular talents, faced with a great crowd of people to whom you must carry the truth of the Gospel. It is easy to lose heart because you realize that you are facing people whose interests are entirely different from the kingdom of God.
It seems an impossible task.
It is then that Jesus assures his disciples that by faith they will “uproot” the indifference and apathy of the world. If they have faith nothing will be impossible for them.
Furthermore, this expression can be applied to all circumstances of life, as long as these serve the progress of the Gospel and the salvation of people.
At times, when we are confronted with insurmountable difficulties, we might even be tempted not to turn to God. Human logic says to us, ‘Give up; it’s no use anyway.’
It is then that Jesus exhorts us not to be discouraged, but to turn to God with trust. In one way or another he will answer us.
That was what happened to Lella. Some months had passed since the day when, full of hope, she first reported to her new job in another country. But now a sense of dismay and loneliness have taken hold of her heart. It seemed as though between her and the girls with whom she lived and worked there was an insurmountable barrier. She felt isolated and estranged among those people whom she wanted only to serve with love. It was all because she had to speak a language which was neither hers nor those to whom she was speaking with.
They had told her that everybody spoke French and she learned it. But coming in direct contact with those people she realized that they studied French only in school and generally spoke it unwillingly.
Many times she tried to “uproot” this segregation that kept her apart from the others, but in vain. What could she do for them?
She could still see in front of her the face of her companion Marie, full of sadness. That evening Marie went up to her room without touching her supper. Lella tried to follow her, but she stopped in front of her door, timid and scared. She would have wanted to knock… but what words should she use to make herself understood? She remained there for a few seconds, then she gave up.
Next morning she went to church and stayed at the back behind the last pews, her face in her hands so that no one would notice her tears. It was the only place where no other language needed to be spoken, where no explanations were required, because there, was Someone who understood beyond words. It was the certainty of being understood that gave her courage and, her soul in anguish, she asked Jesus: “Why can I not share the cross of the other girls and tell them what you yourself had made me understand when I found you: that every suffering is love?”
There she was in front of the tabernacle, almost expecting an answer from him who had brought light into every darkness of her life. She turned her eyes to the Gospel of the day and read: “Trust – have faith – I have conquered the world” (cf. Jn. 16:33). These words were like balsam on Lella’s soul, and she felt a great peace.
When she went back for breakfast, she met Agnes, the girl who took care of the house-cleaning. She greeted Agnes and followed her into the storeroom; then, without a word she started to help her prepare breakfast.
The first one to come down from the rooms was Marie. She came to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, quite in a hurry to avoid seeing anyone. But there, she stopped; Lella’s peace had touched her soul in a manner which was stronger than any word.
That evening, on the way home, Marie pedaled her bicycle beside Lella’s, and trying to speak in a way Lella would understand, she whispered, “Your words are not necessary; today your life said to me: “Start loving, you too!”
Faith had won.

«Were your faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.»

Chiara Lubich

EUROPEAN PRIZE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS 1998 awarded by the Council of Europe to CHIARA LUBICH

21 Sep 1998 | Non categorizzato

Press Conference – September 22nd at 14:30 at the Palais de l’Europe with the participation of the prize winners. This year in which we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the conferring of the 7th European Prize takes on particular importance. This award is given every three years to an individual or an organization which have distinguished itself in the promotion or defense of human rights, in accord with the principles of individual and political freedom and the respect for human rights. On Tuesday, 15 September, at 7 p.m. Chiara Lubich will also speak to a group of members of parliament at the European parliament. The gathering is organized by the European People’s Party but is open to members of other political groups. On that occasion Ms. Lubich will speak about the Focolare Movement’s experience in the areas of politics and economic solidarity. For the first time the Prize is being awarded to a woman. It was instituted in 1980 and it is honorific. Among others it has been awarded to the Medical Section of Amnesty International (1983), to former Presidents Raul Alfonsin of Argentina (1983), Lech Walesa of Poland and the International Federation of Human Rights (1989), to Médecins sans Frontières (1992). The Council of Europe official communiqué, announcing the assignment of the price, reads: Born on January 22, 1920 in the city of Trent in Northern Italy, Chiara Lubich has given life to the Focolare Movement in 1943. Working for unity among peoples through dialogue and concrete actions in favour of peace without frontiers, the Movement is now present in 180 countries and inspires the life and the action of millions of men and women of different religions and convictions. The defence of individual and social rights is at the heart of the Movement’s action in Europe and throughout the world. Young and adults, civil and religious authorities are involved in the action promoted by Chiara Lubich fostering the cause of Human Rights, peace and unity among individuals and peoples”. After the announcement many sent congratulatory messages: Daniel Tarshhys, Secretary General of the Council of Europe; Msgr Courtney, Special Envoy of the Holy See to the Council of Europe; The Hon. Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, President of the Italian Republic; The Hon. Romano Prodi, Italy’s Prime Minister. The Fondation des droits de l’homme de Turquie, an N.G.O. founded in 1990, has played an exceptional role in the defence of Human Rights in Turkey in the last seven years. Its purpose and its task are fostering and practising the universal values recognised by the international conventions and contributing to the abolishment of torture and other violations of Human Rights. Two are the main objectives of the organization: a project for a Centre of Documentation and Centres for treatment and rehabilitation. Recently several activities in the field of Education to Human Rights have been promoted by the Foundation. The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) was created in 1981. It is an intercommunitarian group dedicated to the defence of the highest judiciary norms in Northern Ireland. The CAJ checks that the Government respects its obligation to comply with international law. It has unceasingly and impartially worked towards the implementation of Human Rights throughout Northern Ireland. According to CAJ problems of justice and equity lye at the heart of the conflict in Northern Ireland; it deems solving such conflict intrinsically important and essential believing that it should be done by appealing to Human Rights violations in view of putting an end to them. The Council of Europe was founded in 1949. It works to strengthen democracy and Human Rights on a planetary level. It elaborates common answers to social, cultural and juridical challenges existing in its 40 member states.