TOGETHER FOR EUROPE, to give Europe a soul

Jan 25, 2004 | Non categorizzato

European unity is in the making; Eastern and Southern European nations are being included. And now, for the first time in history, Movements, communities and groups of various Christian denominations, have embarked on a unified journey towards fellowship and collaboration. Together they want to contribute to the continent’s spiritual unity, to building a kind of Europe which lives up to its universal vocation of peace and unity among peoples.

Movements, Communities and groups would like to render visible existing realities such as: – a network of brotherhood which has already been extended throughout the continent and is breaking down false nationalism and historical barriers; – spiritual renewal which is growing out of putting the Gospel into practice and is manifesting itself in different sectors of social life; – the contribution of the nations towards building a Europe that belongs to its citizens.

The venue of this grand assembly will be Stuttgart (Germany), at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Sports Palace, and will be linked up by satellite with meetings to be held at the same time in over 100 cities of Europe. The program includes presentations by founders and leaders of different Movements, Communities and groups, among which are: Chiara Lubich, Andrea Riccardi; Evangelical – Lutheran Pastors Friedrich Aschoff, Ulrich Parzany, Orthodox Fr. Heikki Huttunen. The audience can also look forward to hearing Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, and Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, as well as Johannes Friedrich, Bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Baviera. Many experiences of life will be shared by members of various Movements, Communities and groups as to how they respond to the basic questions of today: namely, questions about peace, about a new lifestyle which puts Europeans in dialogue with one another, how to integrate different cultures and peoples; family values, solidarity with Europe’s and the world’s disadvantaged. The youth, too, will have a word to say about their commitment and their “vision” of Europe. The program will also include artistic pieces to express Europe’s cultural riches. Among the participating artists are: Judy Bailey, Albert Frey, Beatbetrieb, Gen Rosso, Gen Verde, as well as the Ballet Company of Liliana Cosi and Marinel Stefanescu. Bishops of different Churches, a large number of political representatives of different European countries, and personalities of the cultural sphere are also expected to attend.

How the idea came up

Jan 25, 2004 | Non categorizzato

During a meeting in Rome in May 2002 of founders and leaders of different Catholic and Evangelical Movements and Communities, the idea came up to promote a large-scale assembly in Germany, as a contribution to giving Europe a soul. Present at this meeting were representatives of the: St. Egidio Community, Convention of Evangelical Leaders, Cursillos de Cristiandad, Focolare Movement, Schoenstatt Movement, the Italian section of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, the Evangelical Charismatic Renewal Movement, and the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association)

The assembly entitled ‘Together for Europe’ is the result of an itinerary which had its beginnings among the Evangelical-Lutherans in 1969, and has been taken up by over 120 Movements, Communities and groups in Germany. Also Catholic groups have begun to meet together since the Vigil of Pentecost 1998 with Pope John Paul II, and the effort now involves over 240 Catholic Movements and Communities all over the world.

Since October 31, 1999 – date of the historic signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation – on the occasion of a meeting of leaders of Catholic and Evangelical-Lutheran Movements, Communities and groups at the Ecumenical Center of Ottmaring, near Augsburg, a new experience of fellowship and collaboration has been flourishing and is spreading among Orthodox, Anglicans and other Christians as well. About the Christian Movements, communities and groups that will participate in Stuttgart: � They have originated in different European countries before and after World War II, and most of them have spread all over Europe and in other parts of the world; � They differ in nature, expansion, areas of commitment; they are predominantly lay, and involve people of all ages and categories; � They are widely open to dialogue at various levels; � What they have in common is the aspiration to return to an authentic life of the Gospel and the awareness that they are not a product of a human project but of a gift of the Spirit as a response to the challenges of today. The Stuttgart event takes place within the framework of a week that is very important for Europe � May 1: extension of the European Union with the inclusion of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus. � May 8: anniversary of the end of World War II (May 8, 1945) � May 9: celebration for Europe, on the occasion of the anniversary of Robert Schuman’s historic declaration of 1950, which proposed the formation of a community at the service of peace, herald of the European Union.

Schoolmates: from the school desk to the world

Jan 24, 2004 | Non categorizzato

Schoolmates offers two alternatives KNOWING an internet site for schools so that young people from different countries will be able to meet and form a worldwide net to share cultures, languages and traditions. HELPING a solidarity fund will be used for scholarships for young people from disadvantaged countries who otherwise could not attend school.

Building peace in daily life

Jan 19, 2004 | Non categorizzato

Some time ago, some young men and women from Poland moved into an apartment close to my house. They all lived in one room, and when they weren’t out looking for a job, they were drinking. One of them, a shy young girl, sought help from the nuns who also lived in our neighborhood. In her broken Italian, she confided that she no longer wanted to stay with her friends because she was afraid of what might happen to them all in the future. The Sisters gave her room and board while they worked at obtaining the proper documents for her stay in Italy. After many months, the official who had been asked to work on her papers had not succeeded in obtaining a permit for her. The Sisters asked me to help them find a solution. Even if I knew nothing of the existing laws, I thought this was the chance for me to give a hand to a foreigner. I went to the employment office to find out about the procedures: the request had to be posted there for 15 days, after which it had to be posted at their office in Rome for another 15 days. Because it was holiday season, the office was often closed or the employee concerned was not present. In brief, I had to take 2 afternoons off work to go to the embassy, the police headquarters, the messenger service to send to Poland the required documents for her visa, and then to the bureau of income tax to get her taxpayer’s code number… What a tough job! One day the girl asked me, “But why are you helping me?” I replied that as a Christian, I want to do things out of love and that I was not expecting anything in return. I truly felt that by assuming the problems of the person next to me, a stranger though he or she might be, I was actually helping to lay down the foundations of a spirit of brotherhood among all. After a month, the girl was employed and her situation legalized. In these times when there’s a lot of talk about immigration, I can’t help but think of the endless difficulties faced by foreigners due to bureaucratic red tape, and how they might easily be led to discouragement. I understood how love, instead, is a key which opens every door. L. – Italy The regime which my country, Albania, has lived under for 50 years left deep scars in the life of all Albanians, leading them to economic, and above all, spiritual ruin. In spite of such dark trials, the deep-rooted values of my people have remained alive and my family transmitted them to me, together with their faith in God. The fall of the Communist wall in 1989 provoked a socio-political upheaval here, too. We young people were confused and disoriented. We did not know in whom to believe nor in what truth to hold on to. We were scarred by passivity, pessimism and hopelessness. Deep within me, I believed that the past should not have enslaved our dreams. Actually, I felt that the hope for a new life was my soul’s strongest desire. It was right during this period that I met some young people. Through them I discovered a new aspect of Christianity: believing in God’s love for each one of us and living accordingly. In God I found the answer to all my aspirations and I began to live the “art of loving” which the Gospel teaches. However, in spite of my yearning for peace and unity, I still had a large knot inside. The mere thought of the people who led my country to ruin aroused within me a fierce sense of rebellion. How can I forgive them? But the love of God which has penetrated the depths of my soul, helped me learn to respect and even understand them. Little by little I stopped seeing them as my “enemy”, as I decided to love other people without expecting any return and without differentiating. I believe that it was my first step in acquiring a peace-building mindset I can spread to those I meet. R. – Albania

Humanity needs bridges, not walls

Dec 25, 2003 | Non categorizzato

An experience of unity

“Bombs and missiles continue to sow suffering and hatred. Together with my co-Bishop brothers, I want to hear other voices, bombs and missiles – the spiritual ones, which are stronger and which sow love, concord, understanding and unity.” These are the words of Iraqi Bishop Shlemon Warduni, auxiliary patriarch of Baghdad. Gathered together were 34 Bishops from the Orthodox, Syro-Orthodox, Anglican, and Evangelical-Lutheran Churches as well as from various rites of the Catholic Church. They came from different countries of Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Their annual meeting, held at the international center of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa (Rome), ended on December 1.

The Meeting was transferred from Istanbul to Rome due to the tragic attacks

Originally, the Meeting was scheduled to take place in Istanbul, and important meetings had been scheduled with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Armenian Apostolic Patriarch Mesrob II, and other religious leaders. However, due to the terrorist attacks, the latest of which took place just three days before the scheduled opening, the Meeting was moved to Rome. “We have been preparing to go to Istanbul for some time now,” says the Evangelical-Lutheran Bishop emeritus of Stockholm, Henrik Svenunggson, “and the Orthodox Churches there had prepared a warm welcome for us. Then all of a sudden everything changed. But we’ve already decided that the venue of the next meeting will certainly be Istanbul.” “Hatred destroys programs and closes roads, but love creates new programs and opens new roads,” remarked the Meeting’s main organizer, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk. “Born out of a great suffering, this meeting has borne abundant fruits,” he said.

Message of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

Bartholomew I sent a heartfelt, much-anticipated message, in which he quoted the Pope, reiterating that “humanity needs bridges, not walls.” He went on to say, “We would have wanted to be among you and speak ‘face to face’ with you, for our joy to be full… Unfortunately this chance was denied us all of a sudden, and violently.” He underlined the particular context in which the Meeting was taking place, saying, “During these times which are characterized by lack of stability and security (…) it is a very promising and joyful fact that there are individuals, organizations or movements, such as our beloved Focolare Movement, which have come to the awareness that unity among them and of the world in Christ is the basic element of truth and life. But it is an even more promising fact that they have made the fulfilment of this unity the principal motive of their activity.”

Chiara Lubich’s theme, “The presence of Jesus in the midst and the ‘dialogue of life’” was the central point of the Meeting

Day by day, the Bishops lived the “dialogue of life” and experienced how this could strengthen the various aspects of ecumenism, in particular the “common prayer” during the liturgical celebrations of the different Churches, which disclosed the respective spiritual treasures of the various Christian traditions. There was also the dialogue of charity and of “mutual acceptance.”

The theme of the Meeting was for the bishops an encounter with “Jesus spiritually present in the community where two or more are united in his name, that is, in his love.” Chiara Lubich spoke in-depth about this reality, with her programmatic address, “The presence of Christ in our midst and the ‘dialogue of life’.”

Running through the 60 years of the Movement’s history, the Focolare foundress put into light that since the beginning, the people who had lived through this adventure tended to give rise to living cells of the Mystical Body everywhere. “In this way, blocks of Christians united in the name of Jesus were formed and are being formed in the Catholic Church and in the other Churches, as well as among the different Churches, as we await the possibility, when God wills it, of drawing from the ulterior bond of unity which is the Eucharist.” It is an experience of the “dialogue of life,” “the ‘’people’s’ dialogue,” “for we feel that we are building ‘just one Christian people’ which includes the laity, as well as the men and women religious, deacons, priests, pastors and bishops.”

Jesus in the midst of his own was indeed the great experience of this Meeting.

The promise of Jesus’ presence among his own, contained in Matthew 18,20 also appeared to be the way by which to see our times through the eyes of hope, the key to bringing the Gospel spirit to mankind today – to families and youth, into the fields of politics, mass media, economics, academic and cultural circles – as was proven by the significant number of experiences shared.

To cite one of the comments, Evangelical-Lutheran Bishop Helge Klassohn remarked, “Here I met the Focolare Movement for the first time. I consider this ecumenical environment very important. It is not only a confirmation of our service as bishops, but also a sign that indicates the way the Church should go.”

Delegation goes to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople for the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle

Dec 25, 2003 | Non categorizzato

Since the appointment at Istanbul had to be postponed for another year due to the danger of further terrorist attacks, the Bishops friends of the Focolare Movement wanted nevertheless to show a visible sign of solidarity to the Christian community of Constantinople by sending a small delegation. For this reason Cardinal Miloslav Vlk and Lutheran Bishop Henrik Svenungsson left Rome on November 28 to partecipate on behalf of all the Bishops friends of the Focolare, at the ceremony marking the Feastday of St. Andrew the Apostle, considered founder and patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

They were received by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
They also had meetings with Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II, with the Vicar of the Syro-Orthodox Patriarchate, Cetin, and with the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Edmund Farhat. They spent hours of warm ecumenical exchange against the background of a city which, unfortunately, bears the deep scars of recent events. The delegation coincided with the official Vatican delegation led by Cardinal Kasper, as well as that of the World Council of Churches Geneva-based, represented by Dr. Konrad Raiser.

A rich exchange of “gifts”

Dec 25, 2003 | Non categorizzato

The Meeting opens at the Greek Byzantine Abbey of St. Nilo 60 Bishops had been booked for the meeting originally scheduled to take place in Istanbul. Of these, 34 were able to make the last-minute change needed when the meeting was moved to the Castelli Romani in the suburbs of Rome where a special welcome awaited them, with the solemn and joyful opening celebration at Grottaferrata’s historic St. Nilo Abbey, of Catholic Byzantine rite, founded in the year 1004.

The Pope’s message and dialogue with Cardinal Kasper Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, received the Bishops at his Vatican headquarters. He immediately read the message addressed by the Pope to the assembly, which states among other things: “… it is with great affection … that the Church of Peter and Paul in Rome welcomes you and offers you the hospitality reserved for our brothers in Christ.” With reference to the theme of the Convention, he said: “You are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3,24), adding: “It is a theme which is more up to date than ever; it can give a valid answer to the grave divisions afflicting today’s world.” Cardinal Kasper and the Bishops enjoyed a profound and very open exchange, which brought to light an interesting over-all view of the Catholic Church’s ecumenical relationships. These relationships appeared to be founded not only on theological dialogue, but also upon a strong spirit of sharing in the joys and sufferings of the other Churches. Cardinal Kasper emphasized that, notwithstanding difficulties, what comes into relief are the countless ecumenical efforts being made and the contribution given by the Focolare Movement in this sense. Cardinal Kasper then encouraged the Bishops to bring ahead the “dialogue of life,” which characterizes the Focolare Movement and its spirituality. He also said that theological dialogue should always go hand in hand with an intense ecumenical spirituality. “This dialogue of life is essential for us,” he affirmed, “because we are not only divided by doctrine, but we do not even know each other. We must live together to get to know one another and become friends. I am most grateful to the focolarini for offering a model of this kind of ecumenism of life and friendship.” Message of the Archbishop of Canterbury and visit to the Anglican Center in Rome Another significant appointment was the visit to the Anglican Center at Doria Pamphili Palace in Rome. The new director of the Center, Bishop John Flack, also a participant of the Meeting, welcomed the Bishops saying that his link with the Focolare is essential for him especially in his present assignment. He read a message sent by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, to the Bishops. The message affirmed, among other things: “Needless to say, it is more necessary than ever to feel God’s love expressed in a tangible way, in a world that is so disturbed and divided.” He then gave the assurance of his prayers “for your collective reflection on the continuing relevance of Chiara Lubich’s inspiring ideals.” Vespers on St. Andrew’s feastday at the Greek Orthodox Church in Rome and visit to the center of the Swedish Lutheran community. There were still other occasions for getting to know one another better, such as participating in the Vespers that commemorated the feast of St. Andrew, founder and patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The ceremony took place at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Andrew in Rome. Successively the Bishops visited St. Brigid’s House, where the saint had lived during the 12th century and that is now the site of the Swedish Lutheran community Church. Visit to the Catacombs of St. Domitilla and Pact of reciprocal love Another significant moment of the Bishops’ Meeting was the visit to the Catacombs of St. Domitilla, site of our common roots with the Church of the early Christians. It was a very touching moment when the Bishops made the Pact of reciprocal love in a solemn atmosphere of deep recollection. In this very place they promised to love each other in the same measure that Jesus did, such that the cross of one be the cross of the other, the joy of one be the joy of the other, to the point of loving the other’s Church as one’s own. One could say that in this moment, what was written about the first Christians of Antioch was being relived: “the multitude of believers were of one heart and one soul” (cf Acts 4, 32).

Message of John Paul II to the bishop-friends of the Focolare Movement

Dec 25, 2003 | Non categorizzato

 Venerable Brothers,

1. I joyfully extend my cordial greeting to each of you, Bishop-Friends of the Focolare Movement, who are taking part in the 22nd Ecumenical Congress which, in light of the tragic events of the past days, has been transferred from Istanbul to Rocca di Papa.
Although you were unable to visit the venerable Church of St Andrew in Constantinople, the Church of Sts Peter and Paul in Rome welcomes you with great affection and offers you the hospitality reserved for brothers in Christ.

2. The programme of your annual meeting is centred on the Sacred Scripture phrase: “You are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3: 28). You are dealing with a theme more current than ever: it can provide a legitimate response to the serious rifts that plague today’s world.
Your Congress can strengthen you in the ecumenical duty to hasten on the road towards that full unity for which Jesus prayed to the Father and for which he offered his very life!
You know well that Christian unity is dear to my heart, and that from the beginning of my Pontificate it has received my constant attention.

3. I repeat to you, dear Brothers in the Episcopate, what I recently wrote to the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: “The force of love impels us towards one another and prepares us for listening, dialogue, conversion and renewal (cf. Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 1)”. And again: “Only an intense ecumenical spirituality, lived in docility to Christ and fully open to the promptings of the Spirit, will help us live with the necessary dynamism this interim period in which we must sum up our progress and our defeats, with the lights and the shadows on our journey of reconciliation” (Message, 3 November 2003; L’Osservatore Romano English edition, 3 December, p. 6).

4. With fraternal affection I encourage you in the apostolic work you have undertaken and, while I assure you of my prayers for your pastoral activities, I impart a special Apostolic Blessing to you all, which I gladly extend to Miss Chiara Lubich, who has welcomed you, and to those who are part of the Focolare Movement Centre.

From the Vatican, 25 November 2003

JOHN PAUL II

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a New Year of Peace!

Dec 23, 2003 | Non categorizzato

A proposal for inventing Peace

For humanity to carry on we need to have the courage to “invent peace”.

Of course we’ve asked ourselves: Where do the kamikazes get the radicality such a terrible choice as theirs requires? Shouldn’t we be ready to give even our life for the great ideal of love of God and love of neighbor. Every person can love because brotherly love is written in our DNA. The brotherhood that Jesus brought on earth would then flower everywhere. He became our brother, and made us all brothers and sisters to one another. Perhaps Divine Providence makes use of destructive situations to spark an unexpected moral jumpstart and unleash unimagined energy with which to build a whole new peace and allow humanity to breath again. Chiara Lubich

A Christmas in giving

An anniversary filled with surprises: greetings from the Pope

Dec 12, 2003 | Non categorizzato

An experience of union with God – December 7, 2003 commemorates the beginning of the Focolare Movement in the city of Trent 60 years ago when Chiara Lubich, then in her early twenties, pronounced her “yes forever” to God. On a number of occasions she has said that just the thought that a Movement would then come to life would have spoiled her choice of “God alone”.

Now, after 60 years, she spoke of union with God to the 1500 women focolarine gathered from around the world for their annual meeting at Castelgandolfo from Dec. 5-8. Chiara’s talk was interspersed with moments of personal reflection.
“When there is union with God, you feel wholly imbued with the divine: it is something new, which you see, not with your physical eyes, but with the eyes of your soul. A light enters your mind, the light of the Holy Spirit which is more than the intelligence and uplifts it. Love enters your heart. While before, there was only human love, limited to your relatives and friends, now God’s very own love enters, and expands your heart to embrace the whole world. Together with supernatural life comes a new strength. Your physical strength, too, is upheld by God’s grace.”

The Pope’s greetings for the 60th Anniversary of the Focolare Movement were brought not only by a message to Chiara Lubich read by His Excellency Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, during the meeting at Castelgandolfo. To add to the joy of receiving this message was the unexpected phone call to Chiara the following day (December 7th) from the Holy Father.

Archbishop Rylko, during his visit, spoke of the “precious gift of the charism”. Being a gift of the Holy Spirit, a charism gives rise to continual surprises, he said.
Among the other highlights of the meeting were Chiara’s recollections of December 7, 1943; the testimonies of 5 of her first companions; as well as the “yes forever” pronounced by over 100 women focolarine from all over the world.

During this 60th anniversary it was also announced that the conditions for the building of a Center for Spirituality and Studies in Jerusalem, near the place where – according to tradition – Jesus pronounced the “priestly prayer for unity” were very favorable. This important Center will be in addition to the already existing Focolare centers in Jerusalem and Haifa in the Holy Land, this troubled region where the Movement is committed to help in bringing peace and unity.

December 7, 1943: the beginning of an experience scripted on High

Dec 12, 2003 | Non categorizzato

  First Archbishop Rylko read the Holy Father’s message to Chiara Lubich for the 60th anniversary of the Focolare Movement. This was followed by a long applause. Then the President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity developed some of John Paul II’s ideas, in particular, the reason why he was giving thanks to God “for this enormous gift called a ‘charism’.” He defined charism as “the most precious thing ever entrusted to you [Focolare members] through the foundress of the Movement, Chiara.” “To the Lord,” therefore, our gratitude “for all that he has done with you during these 60 years, for God’s wondrous deeds,” together with a sense of responsibility which the gift demands: faithfulness and total acceptance, “with complete openness to God by allowing ourselves to be guided by the grace of the charism, by continually deepening this gift in order to make it bear fruit in our personal lives, in the life of the Church and of the world.” Archbishop Rylko noted that “a charism is already complete from the beginning, but the founder does not know the details. If you ask Chiara whether or not she wanted to found a Movement on that 7th of December 1943, she would answer: absolutely not!” That date – Archbishop Rylko recalled – “was the beginning of an adventure which was wholly planned by Someone Else. It is the same Holy Spirit who, little by little, reveals the immense richness that a charism contains.” “The guarantee of a charism’s youthfulness and perennial freshness,” he specified, “ lies in the fact that it always amazes us by the new things it unveils before our eyes,” for “when the Holy Spirit intervenes, he always stupefies.” Archbishop Rylko went on to underscore the importance of remembering “the initial events” from which the Movement arose. He concluded by saying that “in this kind of memory you will find the strength and light to move forward, certain that the Lord is with us.” Archbishop Rylko wished Chiara “much strength to last for many years.”

Plans made for a Center for Spirituality and Studies in Jerusalem in the place where, according to tradition, Jesus pronounced his “priestly prayer for unity”

Dec 12, 2003 | Non categorizzato

 During the Focolare Movement’s 60th anniversary, plans for the building of a Center for Spirituality and Studies in Jerusalem are moving ahead. It aims to be a sign of unity, as it will rise beside the stone stairway where – according to tradition – Jesus invoked the Father for unity on the First Holy Thursday of history. For this anniversary celebration, the members of the Movement all over the world contributed to a fund for the realization of said project. The contract was signed in November with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who thereby conceded to the Focolare Movement the permanent use of a piece of land adjacent to this “stairway”. It marks the fulfilment of a dream of almost 50 years ago, when in 1956 Chiara Lubich visited the Holy Land for the first time. In that very page of the Gospel of Jesus’ prayer for unity, read in a bomb shelter during World War II, Chiara and her first companions discovered their reason for being. The Focolare Movement has been present in the Holy Land for 25 years, with focolare centers in Jerusalem and Haifa, committed to promoting peace.

A hymn of thanksgiving to God for the Work which He gave life to, out of a “Yes forever”

Dec 6, 2003 | Non categorizzato

Dec. 7, 2003 marks 60 years since the Focolare Movement began in Trent. On that famous day, December 7, 1943, Chiara – then in her early 20’s – was all alone as she said her “yes forever” to God. Never could she have imagined the fruits that would bear. Today there are thousands of people of all ages, backgrounds, languages, races and creeds, in 182 nations worldwide who live to create portions of brotherhood, as a way of contributing to the unity of the human family, that today more than ever yearns for peace.

Chiara writes for the newspaper “Vita Trentina”:

“What do I feel? What is in the depths of my heart on this particular occasion?
A wave of emotion, even just at the thought of what I see in front of me – a new people born from the Gospel, spread all over the world; an immense work which no human force could have made. It is, in fact, “a work of God,” for which I was chosen as the first instrument, “useless and unfaithful” though I may be.
Then a hymn of thanksgiving to God for all that I – with all my brothers and sisters – was able to see, experience, build and lead onwards, with God’s help, up to this point.
A deep, heartfelt gratitude for everything, my God!

Thank you, first of all, for letting me be born in your Church, making me a child of God;
for having nourished me day after day with the Eucharist;
for having lit up my life, since childhood, with signs of the divine charism you would have put within me for the good of so many others;
for having made me experience the truths of the Gospel and its ever-faithful promises;
for having given me the joy of the “hundredfold” in all senses;
for having revealed to me the secret of unity in your Son, Crucified and Forsaken;
for having permitted sufferings which always led to a deeper union with you;
for having gifted me with an entirely new spirituality, which is both personal and communitarian;
for having broadened my view, and that of all those who stand with me, onto the whole of humanity, including Christians of other traditions, faithful of other religions, people who are not yet your own and yet are full of good will;
for the fatherly love of your Vicars on earth, especially Paul VI and John Paul II, and for their blessings on the Work of Mary over the years;
for having blessed me with a long life;
for having forgiven my sins.
Thank you for allowing me – through my specific mission – to work with the Church for the fulfilment of your Son’s priestly prayer: ‘That all may be one,’ and to prepare for you large groups of people intent on living universal brotherhood.
Thank you, thank you. To you be praise and glory.”

This is how Chiara recalled some years ago that December 7, 1943:

“I woke up that morning at around 5. I put on my best dress, plain though it might be, and I crossed the whole city on foot to reach a small college. A storm was raging, and I had to push my way ahead with my umbrella. This fact was not without meaning. It seemed to tell me that the step I was about to take would comport obstacles.

I went back home running, I think. I only stopped to buy three red carnations to put in front of the Crucifix in my room. They were the signs of our celebration – His and mine. I had married God. From Him, I could expect just anything.”

To be a blessing one for the other

Nov 17, 2003 | Non categorizzato

Like one great song of praise to God and with one’s soul rejoicing – this was how the International Convention of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement began and ended. It was convened with the aim of “questioning ourselves about the challenges posed by maturity and how to be a blessing one for the other”. The Convention was held at the Mariapolis Center of Castelgandolfo, from September 18-30.
The participants – over 1,000 – came from 72 different countries all over the world, carrying with them their typical charismatic enthusiasm.

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa who guided the retreat, spoke about the demanding challenge of sanctity faced by the Charismatic Renewal Movement, in the light of John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter “Novo Millenio Ineunte”. The Pontifical House preacher also answered a series of questions regarding faithfulness to the Spirit and institutionalization, highlighting the profound change which Charismatic Renewal continues to operate in the lives of many people:

“I see the same effects in a large number of people, a radical change which – naturally – needs to be nurtured by the Sacraments and the Magisterium so that it may reach the perfection of Christian life. I have seen changed persons; right here we listened to the experience of a couple who were coming from a desperate, broken and lost life and who now live a saintly married life which shines forth in such a fascinating way.
“The same thing can be said of our priests and married people. There is no denying that all this is the work of the Holy Spirit. My wish is that this grace may be shared by all, that the Church may not see Charismatic Renewal as an island of some people who are particularly inclined to emotionalism, but who see that this is a norm for Christian life. Jesus wanted his life, that life which he gave up on the Cross for us, to be lived in the Spirit.”

“Twelve days of blessings”was the promising theme of the meeting, which took place in a climate of deep spiritual communion, such that one could almost touch what the convention wished to express: that in Christ Our Lord and Savior, Love took form in our midst. The greatest blessing is that which is put into life in the “spirituality of communion” which the Pope encourages so much, as well as Chiara Lubich, one of the guest speakers of the Convention.

Prof. Andrea Riccardi, founder of St. Egidio Community shared the experience of love which is translated into aid for the poor.

[:it]Vivere la speranza nella società globale del rischio

Nov 15, 2003 | Non categorizzato

Living with hope in a risky global society

Nov 15, 2003 | Non categorizzato

Every year, the Italian Christian Laborers Associations, a union of Italian Catholic associations operating in the social sector, organizes a national convention with the objective of tackling the cultural, economic, and political challenges of the present world, and providing Catholics with answers to specific issues. This year’s appointment was entitled: “Living with hope in a risky global society.” Held in Orvieto, Italy, from September 5-7, the convention gathered 400 representatives of the world of culture and international politics. Stating his motives for inviting Chiara Lubich, Luigi Bobba, ACLI president remarked: “When it comes to hope it’s impossible not to think of Chiara, a woman who personifies the virtue of hope.” In her message Chiara said among other things, “The paradigm of unity, when put into action, proves to be an enormous resource for the ongoing trend of globalization, since it contains the seed which can make all forms of integration among peoples possible and offers the method for achieving it, namely mutual love.(…) “As a consequence the need will be felt to put the goods of creation—God’s gift to all—at the service of all peoples. The underdevelopment of some nations and the overdevelopment of others will find its proper balance. This would be the idea of ‘communon,’ of universal brotherhood in action.”

New impetus in the journey towards communion

Nov 14, 2003 | Non categorizzato

The Extraordinary National Assembly of Catholic Action (Italian Chapter), attended by 837 delegates representing 214 dioceses, marked a turning point towards greater communion and a renewed missionary thrust within the framework of the diocesan character of its activity and structure. These are the very points highlighted in the new Statute approved by the Assembly. In his message to the Assembly, Pope John Paul II stressed that “the Church needs you. It needs lay people who have found in Catholic Action a school of holiness where they learn to live the radicality of the Gospel in the normality of daily life.” National president Paola Bignardi stated in her interview with Città Nuova magazine that there is a need for renewal in relationships among Catholic Movements and ecclesial communities which should lead them not only “to live in peace with one another but also to find the way of living one for the other and one with the other.” This was one of the reasons why Paola Bignardi and general assistant Bishop Francesco Lambiasi invited Focolare founder Chiara Lubich and Andrea Riccardi, founder of St. Egidio Community, to offer remarks to the Assembly. “I am very familiar with Catholic Action,” said Chiara, “because I spent a good part of my youth among its ranks. They were special years for the Association, when Armida Barelli and her companions were still active in it. They were joyful years for me, since I took part in many of Catholic Action’s meetings held in my city, Trent, and in its conventions for young students, where I received a solid Christian foundation.” Chiara then noted the progress made in the spirit of exchange among Movements and New Communities ever since the Feast of Pentecost 1998. In her conclusion Chiara posed this question: “Might this be the moment to begin to actualize what the Holy Father wants from Catholic Action, the Focolare Movement and other Movements as well? On behalf of the Focolare Movement which I represent, let me assure you that we are at your disposal. May the Holy Spirit suggest to you, dear brothers and sisters, when and in what way this might come about.” The expression of acceptance offered by the president and the applause from the Assembly embodied the positive response to Chiara’s offer. Andrea Riccardi then spoke of “the debt which we owe to this great Christian laboratory known as Catholic Action,” and expressed his wish for “a deeper communion, lived in the awareness of our mission today.” “Thank you both for offering your friendship in this new season of exchange and dialogue, which does not mean suffocating our differences but rather enriching the spiritual wealth we all possess,” Paola Bignardi remarked in closing.

[:it]Intervento di Chiara Lubich

Nov 14, 2003 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Un popolo nato dal Vangelo, Chiara Lubich e i Focolari

Nov 10, 2003 | Non categorizzato

Message from Chiara Lubich, President of Focolare Movement

Nov 9, 2003 | Non categorizzato

 
Mr. Edward Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania, Professor Benjamin Barber, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honor for me to address such a distinguished audience gathered today in Philadelphia to declare their commitment to building a world that is more united, more just and more fraternal. I would have liked to be present in person, but since this was not possible, allow me to offer you a brief, personal reflection through this message. When Professor Benjamin Barber informed me of this first World Day of Interdependence during a long and cordial meeting in Rome last June, it was a joy for me to support it right away. Actually the reality of interdependence calls to mind an ideal which is very dear to me, an ideal for which I decided to give my life, together with many people of good will involved in politics, economics and different fields of action and study, the unity of the human family. On the day after September 11, many of us felt the need to reflect deeply about the causes, but above all, to work towards a true, responsible, resolute alternative to terrorism and war. For me, it was a little like reliving the devastation and feeling of human powerlessness that I experienced in the Italian city of Trent as it was bombed during World War II. And yet it was precisely beneath the bombs that my first companions and I discovered in the Gospel the light of mutual love which prompted us to be ready to give our lives for one another. It was in the midst of that debris and destruction, convinced that “Love wins everything”, that we felt the strong desire to share this love with all our neighbours, without discriminating among persons, groups, peoples, and without paying attention to social conditions, cultures or religious convictions. Likewise, many of us are asking today, in New York as in Bogota, in Rome as in Nairobi, in London as in Baghdad, if it is possible to live in a world of peoples who are free, equal and united, not only respecting one another’s identity, but also attentive to their particular needs. There is only one answer: not only is it possible, but it is the very essence of the political plan for humanity. While respectful of thousands of different identities, the unity of peoples is the very goal of politics. This is put into question today by the violence of terrorism, war, the unjust distribution of the world’s resources and social and cultural inequities. In many places in the world today, a cry of abandonment rises from millions of refugees, from millions of people who are starving, from millions of people who are exploited, from millions of unemployed who are excluded and seemingly “cut off” from the political body. It is this separation, and not only the privations and economic difficulties, which makes them even poorer, which increases their desperation, if this is possible. The goal of politics will not be reached; its vocation will not be fulfilled unless this unity is rebuilt and these open wounds in humanity’s political body are healed. But how is it possible to reach such a demanding goal, a goal which would appear to be beyond our strength? In front of the challenges of the present and future of humanity, liberty and equality alone are not enough. Our experience teaches us and we believe that there is need for a third element long forgotten in political thought and practice: brotherhood. Without brotherhood, no person and no people are truly free and equal, deep down. Equality and liberty will always be incomplete and precarious until fraternity is an integral part of the programs and political processes in every part of the world. Dear friends, doesn’t the name itself of the city you are in – Philadelphia – evoke a program of brotherly love? Brotherhood can give new meaning today to the reality of interdependence. Brotherhood can give rise to projects and actions in the complex political, economic, cultural and social tissue of our world. Brotherhood brings peoples out from isolation and opens the door of development to those who are still excluded. Brotherhood shows the way to peacefully resolving differences and relegates war to history books. A lived brotherhood allows us to dream and even to hope for some kind of communion of goods between rich countries and poor countries, since the scandalous inequity in today’s world is one of the main causes of terrorism. The profound need for peace expressed by humanity today indicates that brotherhood is not only a value, not only a method, but it is a global paradigm for political development. This is why a world that is always more interdependent needs politicians, entrepreneurs, intellectuals and artists who put brotherhood – a tool of unity – at the center of their actions and thoughts. Martin Luther King dreamed that brotherhood would become the order of the day for businesspersons and the password for statesmen and women. Dear friends, what a change would take place in relationships among individuals, groups and peoples if only we would recognize that we are all children of one Father, God, who is Love and who loves each one personally and immensely and who takes care of everyone! This love, translated into infinitely many forms, including politics and economics, would lead to overcoming narrow-minded nationalism and limited perspectives, opening the minds and hearts of peoples and their governments, urging everyone – as I affirmed in a speech to the United Nations in New York in 1997 – to love the others’ country as their own. This is the decades-long experience of the Focolare Movement, present in 182 countries of the world by now, with millions and millions of adherents around the globe. My wish for this first World Day of Interdependence then, is that it will be an opportunity for all those supporting it, to have a new commitment to live and work together for the unity of the whole human family, always helping one another out with dedication and trust. Translated from Italian

Citizens of the world for building the future

Nov 9, 2003 | Non categorizzato

“We the people of the world do herewith declare our interdependence as individuals and members of distinct communities and nations. We do pledge ourselves citizens of one CivWorld …” Just a few yards from Philadelphia’s Independence Hall which witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in the historic Benjamin Franklin Hall of the American Philosophical Society, 350 noted figures in politics, business, academia and the arts gathered to inaugurate the first annual “Interdependence Day.” Sponsored by the CivWorld Citizens Campaign for Democracy at the University of Maryland, the initial idea for Interdependence Day was rooted in the conviction that citizens themselves can be agents for building a more democratic society. Benjamin R. Barber, Professor of Civil Society at the University of Maryland, and fomer presidential advisor, played a key role in organizing the event aimed at focusing attention on the importance of passing from an attitude of ‘independence’ to one of ‘interdependence’ on the local and global level. To open the event, well-known personalities helped to capture the essence of the project. The message from United Nations’ Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that the Declaration of Interdependence is similar to the beginning of the UN Charter, “We the peoples.” He defined the current challenge as moving towards a process in which decisions are taken no longer by single nations alone, but together. The message from former Czech President Vaclav Havel warmly encouraged all to develop “new networks of commitment to the common good”—to build up an interdependent world on the basis of responsibility and solidarity. Focolare founder Chiara Lubich was also present through a message which conveyed a powerful challenge to build a truly interdependent world by focusing on that third element which is often forgotten in political theory and practice: “Without fraternity, no person and no people is truly free and equal.” She encouraged, “doesn’t the name itself of the city you are in—Philadelphia—evoke a program of brotherly love? Brotherhood can give new meaning today to the reality of interdependence”. Then, beneath the watchful gaze of the classic portraits of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, lively exchanges and artistic presentations all expressed the profound reality of our interdependent world, and the commitment to work towards creating positive alternatives to war and violence. From the participants’ responses, and from the fact that Interdependence Day’s initial spark already enkindled parallel celebrations in Budapest, Hungary, and on several college campuses throughout the United States, it is clear that the time is ripe for the step ahead, from independence to interdependence. Plans are already underway for Interdependence Day 2004 – possibly in Rome, Calcutta, Johannesburg, Beijing, and many other global cities!

Loving in silence

Nov 7, 2003 | Non categorizzato

I was one of two doctors assigned to do night duty at a local hospital. My co-worker was a Christian, but not a practicing one. Since he saw me go to Mass almost everyday, he would often tease me. We were supposed to be available the whole night, but in the late afternoon he would usually disappear and leave me all alone. This meant that I did most of the work. It didn’t seem right, but the words “Blessed are the poor in spirit …” kept coming to my mind. I tried to keep an open, non-judgmental attitude towards him. This went on for a month, then two months … One day he said he wanted to go to Mass with me. “It’s because I’ve learned a lot from the way you silently put love of neighbour into practice all these months,” he added. From that day on, not only did he stop leaving the hospital when we were on duty, but he also tried to be sure I did not get overly tired. At one point I began to share my room with a Muslim doctor. Our conversation sometimes focused on our religious practices: Lent and Ramadan, for example. One day I learned that his mother had died the year before, and he had no one to help him fix his clothing or personal belongings. Actually, I noticed that his surgeon’s uniform often needed to be washed and mended. One evening I thought of washing his uniform along with mine and sewing on a few buttons. Naturally, the next day he noticed and asked who had done it. When he found out it was me, he embraced me, saying, “Now I understand. The way you silently loved the other gives much more meaning to the practice of self-denial than I had imagined.”

[:it]Quella fedeltà del presente che cambia la vita

Nov 3, 2003 | Non categorizzato

The Gospel revolution

Oct 19, 2003 | Non categorizzato

P. (from Great Britain) has two classmates who always pick on him. “I’ve tried not to fight back,” confided P. to his grown-up friend, C., “but they still keep picking on me!” “Let’s ask Jesus to give you the strength to love them even more,” suggested C. One day, P. brought a huge tray of sweets to school to celebrate his birthday. The teacher told him that he may go to the other classrooms, too, to offer the sweets. “Choose two of your classmates to come with you,” she added. P. would have wanted to call his two best friends. The words, “… love your enemies,” came to his mind. “May T. and L. come with me?” he asked the teacher. They were just the ones who were bullying him. P. told C. all about what happened. “See?” said P., “Jesus gave me the strength to do it, and you know what? They’ve stopped bullying me.”

F. d. M. (from Guatemala): “The other day, Mom and Dad had a fight. That made me very sad. I wanted them to be happy and I wondered what I could do. Then I went to my younger brothers. We cut out paper flowers and hearts and stuck them on the wall. Mom and Dad were sitting in silence watching TV. We turned off the TV and sung them a song about how we should love one another. Mom and Dad were so touched they apologized to each other. Mom was so happy she cried. I was happy, too. We all went to bed very happy. ‘Thank you,’ I said to Jesus.” E. (from Trent) received some money from her grandparents when her baby teeth fell out. She was very happy because she had something to give to the poor who are getting help from the Focolare Movement. “Why don’t you keep some of the money to buy yourself that pair of shoes you need?” her Dad asked. “But Dad,” replied E., “the poor children don’t have shoes!” Her Dad understood. A short time afterwards, E. received a gift from her uncle and aunt: it was the pair of shoes she needed. E., 5 years old (from San Paulo, the biggest city of Brazil). Mr. C. takes E. to school everyday. He does not believe in God, and he is known to be a person who is hard to deal with. One morning, as Mr. C. was driving E. to school, she asked him, “Do you know what an act of love is?” “No,” he answered, “what is it?” “An act of love is when you see Jesus in everybody and treat every person the way you would treat Jesus,” she explained. Mr. C. became very pensive. A few days afterwards, at dinner time, E.’s father said that he noted that Mr. C. seemed different. He did not get upset so easily anymore. “When people ask him what happened, he answers, ‘Ask little E.’. I think we’ve got a lot to learn from children.”

Every obstacle a springboard

Oct 19, 2003 | Non categorizzato

“My dear young people, never let difficulties stop you. They exist and they will always exist. Instead, turn every obstacle into a springboard for an ever greater, ever deeper, ever truer love!”

This was the core of Chiara Lubich’s message, launched during a telephone link-up with thousands of young people in 105 cities all over the world, gathered on Sunday, October 12 for the conclusion of the World Unity Week (WUW).

Chiara’s message was followed by experiences of life – lived in conditions of war, discrimination, poverty and injustice – shared by young people from Jerusalem, New York, Ivory Coast, Cebu, Uganda, Central Africa Republic, Recife (Brazil), and so on. These experiences helped the youth, especially the European youth, to overcome the crushing sense of helplessness they often feel in the face of the world’s evils. They were brought to see that love is the strongest force there is, and that, united together, young people can lift up the world. Youth from Burundi, presently living in a refugee camp in Tanzania, also shared their experiences. For the first time Medan, Indonesia – where 50 Christian, Buddhist and Muslim youth bound by one ideal of a united world were also gathered – also took part in the conference call.

“If you continue with renewed energy to bring God’s love to the world (…) then you will be truly free of yourselves! Then, yes, you will go against the current; actually you will create an entirely new current on our planet – the current of love, of fire…” This was Chiara’s challenge to the youth.

What is WUW all about: It is an opportunity for the youth, national and international organizations, and public and private institutions to appreciate the different existing initiatives aimed at promoting unity in all levels of society. During the week of October 5-12, in cities and towns, a series of activities were held – solidarity projects, concerts, sports events, prayer vigils, and open forums – all of which had as their principal theme “how brotherhood can be a way to build a united world”. Many interviews were broadcast on radio and published in newspapers at local and national levels to spread the message of the WUW.

Initiatives worldwide

Rosario (Argentina) – the municipality declared the WUW to be an event of public interest and advertised it on the city’s bus and rail tickets, even several months after it was held.

San Paulo (Brazil) – 70,000 daily planners were distributed that offered a “peace-building” motto to put into practice during each day of the WUW. The response from numerous students, teachers and authorities of public and private institutions was beyond all expectations.

New Caledonia – countless youth activities were held which joined together all ethnic groups, usually in conflict with one another.

Kampala (Uganda) – the young people visited the city orphanage where children sick with AIDS are housed. They also worked to gather clothes and other needed items for the people of Gulu (northern Uganda) which is in grave need due to guerrilla warfare occurring there.

Sicily (Italy) – the calendar of activities was packed. The Italian daily “Avvenire” published the following press release: “’In the name of brotherhood’ – this is the title of the initiative undertaken by The Youth for a United World – a youth sector of the Focolare Movement which is dedicated to carrying out activities aimed at world peace and brotherhood. Since yesterday hundreds of Youth for a United World in Sicily launced 16 initiatives in different cities and provinces – Palermo, Caltanisetta, Messina, Catania, Syracuse and Ragusa.

The funds will help finance scholarships for youth from the Middle East, Argentina and the Congo, and to support Project Africa which Chiara Lubich initiated in 2000 and which, this year, plans to sponsor activities aimed at providing work and training for the 60,000 people in the refugee camps of the Great Lakes and Tanzania.”

New hope is born

The outcome of the World Unity Week was well-expressed by one of the participants from Uganda: “Sometimes, just when love, brotherhood, and even God seem so distant, signs like this appear and give you the push you need to continue pursuing your goals.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, “admirable teacher of the art of loving”

Oct 19, 2003 | Non categorizzato

My fondest memory of Mother Teresa is that final very warm embrace that we exchanged the last time we met, which was in May 1997.

She was sick in bed. I went with the intention of staying only a few minutes but at one point Mother Teresa started to talk about the work of God entrusted to her. It was her Magnificat, and it was something wonderful! She was radiant. That embrace has remained with me as a sign, a promise that she would continue to love us in a preferential way, because that was how she had always loved us. Ever since she left this earth I have counted her among our holy protectors, and I was certain, as everyone else was, that she would be declared a saint.

She fulfilled to perfection what the Pope describes as the “feminine genius”, something that Mary characteristically personified. She was not invested with a ministerial position. She was invested with love, with charity, the greatest gift, the greatest charism heaven created.

Mother Teresa is our model. She is the admirable teacher of the art of loving.

She truly loved everyone. She didn’t ask people whether they were Catholic or Hindu or Muslim. They were people and in that humanity rested all their dignity.

Mother Teresa took the initiative in loving. She went out to look for the poorest of the poor. She had in fact been sent by God for them.

Perhaps more than anyone else She recognized the presence of Jesus in them. “You did it to me,” in fact, was her motto.

Mother Teresa “made herself one” with everyone. She made herself poor with the poor, but she especially made herself poor “like” the poor. And in this her actions were very different from those of a social worker or a volunteer. She didn’t want to have anything that a poor person couldn’t allow himself or herself to have. It is well known, for example, that she and her sisters refused to accept a simple washing machine. Many people couldn’t comprehend her refusal. “But in this day and age!” they said. But since the poor couldn’t have one she didn’t want one either.

She took upon herself all the misery of the poor, their sufferings, their illnesses, their deaths.

Mother Teresa loved the others as she loved herself to the point of offering them her very ideal of life. For example, she invited the temporary volunteer workers who assisted her to look for their own ‘Calcutta’ when they returned home. After all, she wisely observed, “The poor are pretty much everywhere.”

Mother Teresa undoubtedly loved her enemies. She never wasted time responding to the absurd accusations made against her. Instead she prayed for her enemies.

After her death I learned even more about her and I eagerly read books about her. I admired Mother Teresa especially for her determination. She had an ideal: the poorest of the poor. And she remained faithful to it. Her whole life was aimed in that direction. In this aspect too she is a source of inspiration to me to remain faithful to the ideal that God has entrusted to me.

A “Thank you” to the Pope, craftsman of the Church of the future: the Church as communion

Oct 15, 2003 | Non categorizzato

Q. – Among the different prophetical aspects of John Paul II’s pontificate, one would have to include the new page he opened on the vigil of the Feast of Pentecost in 1998, that first historical gathering of hundreds of thousands of members of ecclesial movements and new communities. He publicly recognized them as “significant charismatic expressions of the Church” and he re-affirmed the co-essentiality between the petrine-institutional dimension and the Marian-charismatic dimension. What perspectives are opened up by this vision the Pope has of the Church?

A. – On that day the Pope ignited in us a dream, the dream of the Church of the 3rd millenium, the Church as communion. In this time of re-discovery of the charisms working in unity with one another and in deep communion with the Pope and with the Bishops, I feel great hope that the work of the Holy Spirit will shine forth and will lead the world to Jesus. From that day on, in order to respond to the wish the Pope expressed for communion among the Movements, I assumed the task of initiating a journey of exchange among the people of the movements and new communities. I never would have imagined the developments that we’re seeing today. The Pentecost event was repeated in countless dioceses all over the world, with many bishops present, gathering together hundreds of movements and communities. The result? New vitality and great hope. News of the progress of this journey reached persons of movements and communities of dozens of different Churches, for example, in the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Germany. I don’t believe such a phenomenon existed before this. And ever since 1999, there has been such friendship, such brotherhood, that the idea came to us to render this brotherhood visible, for example in a wide-scale meeting, and on May 8, 2004, such a meeting will take place in Stuttgart. Through this event we will try to bring through our different charisms a contribution to that reality of the “spirit of Europe”. Q. – Could you describe your relationship with the Pope? A. – My relationship with the Pope has increased in depth over the years. As a matter of fact, on one or two occasions, I experienced something extraordinary. For example, after an audience with him, in which I experienced a moment of great unity with the Pope – daughter to father, one could say – I had the feeling that Heaven had opened up, and I experienced a very special union with God. What made it unique was the fact that I felt there were no intermediaries. The Pope is an intermediary. But when a mediator has fulfilled the function of helping the other reach union with God, then that mediator disappears. I sensed that this depends also on the fact that the Pope received the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Scripture says: “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom”. Perhaps he uses these keys not just to cancel our sins, but also to open us up to a deeper union with God. This might explain certain profound changes of heart and changes in the course of history that he has operated over these past 25 years. He communicates God and God is the one who makes all things new. It is a Presence that becomes stronger and stronger the more it is refined by suffering. Q. – Do any particular episodes with the Pope come to your mind? A. – Many special moments come to my mind. They mark milestones in the history of our Movement and beyond. One such moment was on Sept. 23, 1985. An audience with the Pope was concluding and I was about to leave. I had in mind the future of our Movement and I dared to ask the Pope, “Would you think it possible that the President of the Focolare Movement (of this Work of Mary, which is “of Mary”), would you think it possible that the President might always be a woman?” “Yes,” he answered, “if only it could be so!” His words, the sentiments that motivated that “yes,” opened up for me for the first time a new awareness about the Church in its two dimensions – the petrine or institutional dimension and the Marian, charismatic, dimension. “Both were present in the early Church,” he said, citing the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, “and they need to remain!” And this is the new element that the Pope has mentioned on several occasions since then. What’s interesting to note is that the Holy Father doesn’t see the Marian profile of the Church as simply a spiritual or mystical reality. He sees it as an historical reality as well, and he bears witness to this conviction with facts, opening up the doors to all the new things that the Holy Spirit wants to work. Q. – And another episode? A. – Over the years, the same vocations that exist in the Work of Mary among the Catholics came to life also among the youth, families, persons of various backgrounds, Anglicans, Lutherans, Orthodox and persons of other Churches,. This is something new, and the canonists needed to study it over the years. At one point I thought we would never find the solution. Then I spoke about it with the Pope. He was very open to the idea! During the second audience on this topic, again just as I was about to leave, he said to me with his characteristic intuitive sense, “I understand. It should be said. ‘Don’t interfere with the Work of Mary. It is Mary’s work’!” With that the situation turned around. That very night, a thought came to me: if there is a point which is an obstacle in the ecumenical journey, it’s the magisterium of the Pope. Yet who is the one “welcoming” these focolarini of the other Churches? The Pope. This will remain in our history. The Holy Father then went even further: he was the one who suggested that even the bishops of other Christian traditions meet regularly as they have been now for years, so as to undergird their ministry with the spirituality of unity already shared by many Catholic bishops. The Pope approved that bond, not a juridical one, but a spiritual bond, with the Work of Mary.

157 Marian congresses all over the world – Mary rediscovered as a model for one’s life

Oct 14, 2003 | Non categorizzato

“In a world stricken by terrorism, war, and vengeance, the Marian Congress heralds the dawn of a world of hope, peace, love and holiness,” was the spontaneous remark of a participant in Taiwan right after the event held there. A young Austrian said, “It was all so very new, nothing old-fashioned. To offer Mary like this is a stroke of genius!” .“I discovered that the rosary is indeed a peace prayer, an antidote to war!” they wrote from the Philippines. From Argentina: “Today I discovered Mary as a woman of peace, a strong woman who is a model for the whole human race!” . And from Uganda, “It’s marvellous to understand Mary in a new way. This encourages us to bring her home with us, to live with her in our changing society.” These are just a few of the many comments received after the 157 Marian Congresses which took place all over the world during the Year of the Rosary. Mary was rediscovered particularly in her role as mother and model for one’s life. She showed the way for many people who now want to follow in her footsteps.

The peak moment was the International Marian Congress held at Castelgandolfo (Rome), which served as a model for the numerous Congresses which later studded the globe, almost as a chorus of praise to Mary on a planetary scale.

Participants at some of the Congresses: Milan – 9,000; Slovakia – 1,900; Korea – 2,250; Manila (Philippines) – 1,800; Malaysia – 1,300; Mexico – 1,200; Buenos Aires (Argentina) – 3,400; Paraguay – 2,000; Congo – 1,500; Burundi – 3,000. Wherever a Marian Congress took place, it proved to be a remarkable experience of the life of the Church. In most cases the Congress was organized jointly by the members of various Movements and associations of an entire diocese or region. In this way, the event highlighted the charismatic and marian dimension of the Church.

News of the Congresses appeared in newspapers or in some cases on television. Bishops, politicians, artists, representatives of ecclesial Movements and personalities of the cultural sector offered their significant contribution. Another characteristic note was the presence of brothers and sisters of different Christian denominations. In some cases they also shared their experiences.

Some followers of the Great Religions spoke about the idea of Mary in their respective faiths.

Since November 2002, “Città Nuova” magazine offered a column entitled “The Year of the Rosary”. A new book by Chiara Lubich, Mary – Through her God shines, was printed, and for children a small, colourful volume entitled, “She was so very beautiful”.

On October 16, 2002, in St. Peter’s Square, Pope John Paul II handed a letter to Chiara in which, among other things, he wrote, “I wish to entrust the prayer of the Holy Rosary ideally to all the Focolarini (…) Give your contribution so that the following months may be an occasion of inner renewal for all Christian communities.” Chiara immediately adhered to the Pope’s request, and soon ideas and initiatives came up on how to concretize the Focolare Movement’s response to the Pope. Messages of thanks from all over the world were later sent to him for the many fruits of new, unexpected spiritual life born thanks to the Marian Congresses

[:it]La riscoperta del Padre

Oct 7, 2003 | Non categorizzato

No matter what, don’t give up!

Sep 16, 2003 | Non categorizzato

My new job as a dental aide could not have started any better: a good salary and a bright future. After a few months, the rosy horizon darkened. “You’re too slow and the colour of the patient’s teeth doesn’t come out as it should be,” my boss started telling me – at first once in a while, then almost daily. I couldn’t understand. Every morning when he distributed the jobs, he would almost ignore me and it seemed that he was always on the verge of firing me. In the evening when we reported after a hard day’s work, almost always I had to do everything all over again. I lived through days of inner tension and struggle. I felt tempted to rebel; judgements against by boss started piling up within me, but I kept trying “to cut” and “start again” each day. One morning, I went to work under the pouring rain. The storm was like a picture of what I felt inside. Then I remembered the image of Jesus crucified which I have kept in my room for years; in those days I would gaze at it without getting a reply. I realized that I was like him when he cried out and then entrusted himself to the Father, believing in his love. And slowly, an idea made its way inside me: “Keep on loving, and no matter what, don’t give up!” When I got to work, I tried to interiorize all the suggestions my boss had given me, setting aside the subtle mistrust which had been with me for months. I then regained the inner freedom I had lost. A short time afterwards, my boss called me. He said he had just had a check-up with his eye doctor, who discovered that he had a defect in his vision. This was what caused him tension and altered his ability to distinguish colours. So that was the cause of our arguments! and of all the over-time work! Some days later, during a conversation with him, he said among other things: “I’m getting close to retirement age. I thought of proposing that you take over my clinic, because I saw that in the face of difficulty, you don’t give up.” F. L.  

Can religious leaders be partners on the pathway towards peace?

Jul 28, 2003 | Non categorizzato

“Without brotherhood there is no peace” On the surface, religious pluralism, seems to be a source of division and war. In reality religious pluralism is- Chiara Lubich said in her address -a challenge: all religions are called to work together to re-established the unity of the human family, because in all religions “the Holy Spirit is present and active in some way”. The phenomenon of terrorism, which cannot be fought with conventional means, shows that religions can make a significant contribution for reaching peace. “The root cause of terrorism” is “grievous suffering” in a world where the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, Chiara Lubich emphasised. There is a great need for more equality, more solidarity, and above all for a more equal distribution of goods. “But, as we know, goods do not move by themselves: we need to first move people’s hearts.” “From whom, if not from the great religious traditions, could there begin a strategy of brotherhood capable of marking a complete turnabout even in international relations?”. In fact without brotherhood- Chiara affirmed -there is no peace. Without losing one’s identity The idea of unity and love is rooted in all religions: “In practice, this means that we are partners on the road to brotherhood and peace.” Chiara underlined that persons of great religious traditions of humanity can meet and understand one another without losing one’s identity. The founder of the Focolare Movement indicated the way of love as the principle means for reaching understanding. “If we begin to dialogue with one another, if we are therefore open with one another in a spirit of good faith, of reciprocal esteem, of respect, of mercy, we are then open to allowing God – as John Paul II once said – to be present amongst us.” Chiara Lubich expressed conviction that it is really with the presence of God that we can find viable solutions to the present problems. The secret of dialogue The Focolare Movement has a wealth of experience in interreligious dialogue: “In an atmosphere of reciprocal love it is possible to establish dialogue with one’s partners. In this dialogue one tries to empty oneself in order to ‘enter’ the other. This ‘making ourselves one with the other,’ Chiara indicated, is the secret for establishing that dialogue that leads to unity. It requires true poverty of spirit: “We need to empty our heads of our notions, to free our hearts of our affections, and our will of its inclinations” in order to be at one with the persons before us and truly understand them. The other remains touched by such an attitude and he or she starts to ask about it (such is Chiara’s experience). “And so we could pass on to a ‘respectful announcement’, and, out of loyalty to God and to ourselves and also in all honesty to our neighbour, explain what our faith upholds regarding a given topic without imposing anything on the other, without intending to convert the other, but simply out of love. It is the moment when, for us Christians, dialogue leads to the announcement of the Good News.” A great simplicity Afterwards, Cornelio Sommaruga, president of “Initiatives of change”, underscored the “extreme simplicity” with which Chiara Lubich shares her message of love. Rajmohan Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’ grandson, professor at the University of New Delhi, and co- promoter of the seminar, added: “This woman reaches people’s hearts. Not with a loud voice, as many others do, or a forceful manner, but with softness and passion. The interreligious dialogue promoted by Miss Lubich is of great importance, especially in our times”. Rabbi Marc Raphael Guedj, founder of “Racine et Source” (Root and Source) spoke of being very impressed by Chiara, a person who speaks of love by being love, wisdom, the wisdom of daily life,… love that transforms the world”. by Beatrix Ledergerber-Baumer for KIPA agency, 3 agosto 2003 (our translation)

Can religious leaders be partners on the pathway towards peace?

Jul 28, 2003 | Non categorizzato

“First of all I would like to express my joy in being here today in this Center of Caux, which abounds in initiatives aimed at reinforcing the moral and spiritual foundations of society, and at promoting the peaceful encounter of cultures, civilizations and religions. I especially thank Dr. Cornelio Sommaruga who invited me to give my contribution to this important interreligious seminar. The subject I have been asked to address today is “Can Religions be Partners on the way to Peace?”  We all know how extremely important and relevant this question is today. Many interpret the violence of terrorism and the wars raged in response, the ongoing tensions in the Middle East as symptoms of a “clash of civilizations”. They say that it is marked and even intensified by the different religious affiliations. However, in considering the facts more attentively, this viewpoint provoked by various forms of extremism and fanaticism which distort the religions proves to be very partial. Never as in this hour of the world have believers and leaders of all religions felt the duty to work together for the common good of humanity. Organizations such as the World Conference on Religion and Peace or initiatives such as the day of prayer for peace in Assisi promoted by John Paul II in January of 2002, are a confirmation of this. On that occasion the Pope stressed, on behalf of all those who were present, that “whoever uses religion to foment violence contradicts its most authentic and profound aspiration” and that “no religious goal can justify the practice of violence on the part of one person against another” because “the offence against the human person is ultimately an offence against God.” On September 11, 2001 humanity discovered, in shock and horror, the nature of the great, enormous danger of terrorism. It is not a war like others – we still have about 40 on our planet today – which are usually the result of hatred, of discontent, of rivalries, of personal or collective interests. Instead, terrorism, as affirmed by the Pope, is the fruit also of the forces of Evil with the capital “E”, of Darkness. Now, forces of this kind cannot be opposed only by human, diplomatic, political and military means. The forces of Good with the capital “G” are needed. And Good with a capital “G”, we know, is God and all that is rooted in Him. Therefore, we can combat terrorism with spiritual forces, with prayer, for example, with fasting, as the representatives of the world religions did in the city of St. Francis. However, we feel that we must say that prayer is not enough. We know that the causes of terrorism are many, but one, the deepest, is the unbearable suffering in the face of a world divided in two: the rich part and the poor part, which has generated and continues to generate resentment which peoples have been harbouring for years, violence, revenge. More equality is needed, more solidarity, especially a more equal sharing of goods. We know, though, that goods do not move by themselves, on their own. We need to move hearts, we need a communion of hearts! This is why we need to spread the idea and practice of brotherhood, and given the vastness of the problem, of a universal brotherhood among as many people as possible. Brothers or sisters know how to look after one another, they know how to help one another, how to share what they have. To meet this unprecedented challenge, the contribution of religions is decisive. Where, if not in the great faith traditions can a strategy of brotherhood start, a strategy capable of determining a turning point even in international relationships? The enormous spiritual and moral resources, the contribution of idealities, of aspirations to justice, of commitment in favor of the needy, along with the political leverage of millions of believers, all springing from religious sentiments and channeled into the field of human relations, could undoubtedly be translated into actions capable of having a positive influence on the international order. Much is being done in the field of international solidarity by non-governmental organizations. Now the various States must in their turn take up those political and economic choices suited to building a fraternal community of peoples committed to realizing justice. In the face of a strategy of death and hatred, the only valid response is to build peace in justice. But there is no peace without brotherhood. Only brotherhood among individuals and peoples can guarantee a future of living together in peace. Besides, universal brotherhood and the consequent peace are not new ideas that have emerged today. They were often present in the minds of deeply spiritual persons because God’s plan for humanity is brotherhood, and brotherly love is written in the hearts of every human being. The golden rule,” said Mahatma Gandhi, “is to be friends of the world and to consider as ‘one’ the whole human family.” And Martin Luther King: “I have a dream that one day…” we will realize that all men were created to live together as brothers and that brotherhood will become the order of the day for businessmen and politicians alike. Along the same lines, the Dalai Lama, commenting what happened in the United States two years ago, wrote to his followers: “The reasons (for the events of these days) are clear to us. (…) We’ve forgotten the most basic human truths. (…) We are all one. This is the message that the human race has greatly ignored. Forgetting this truth is the only cause of hatred and war.” In spite of the destruction then, one great, age-old truth can emerge even from the debris of terrorism: that all of us on earth are one big family. But the one who indicated and brought this essential gift to humanity was Jesus, who prayed for unity before he died: “Father, may they all be one” (Jn 17:21). In revealing to us that God is our Father and consequently, that we are all brothers and sisters, He introduced the idea of universal brotherhood. In doing so he knocked down the walls which separated “the same” from the “different”, friends from enemies. Now undoubtedly each one of us, prompted by our own religious faith, has had positive experiences which can be useful towards the solution to problems similar to those of our present-day situation. And because this is a moment in which – as a bishop, expert in this field, said – “religions must draw spiritual strength from their deepest recesses so as to help humanity today and to lead it toward solidarity and peace”, allow me to offer you my experience in contact with people of all ages, languages, races and especially different religions in every corner of the world. It is an experience of dialogue that can provide a key for a brotherly and peaceful living together, an experience which I think is also in the spirit of the sessions of Caux, which favor personal witness to theoretical statements. The Art of Loving The Focolare Movement, which I represent, has sixty years of experience, and yet we are always surprised to see that God has led us along a spiritual pathway that intersects with all the other spiritual ways of Christians, but also of the faithful of other religions. In practice, we become partners along the journey of brotherhood and peace. While maintaining our own identity, it enables us to meet and come to a mutual understanding with all the great religious traditions of humanity. In other words, as we listened in obedience to the Spirit, we were taught how to successfully put into practice that word which is inscribed in the DNA of every man and every woman, because each one was created in the image of God who is Love, God who is our Father: to love, to love our neighbor, to love our brothers and sisters. This word is the only one that can make all humanity one family. Love, not as we might generally think of it, but as a way of behaving which has indispensable requirements. For Christians, this love is a participation in the very love which is in God, but it is not lacking in the Sacred Books of the other religions. The first step for us, the first illumination with regard to this new lifestyle dates back to World War II. Face to face with the crumbling of ideals and the loss of all our material goods, we felt that we had to cling to something that would not pass and that no bomb could destroy: God. We chose Him as the only ideal of our life, believing, in spite of everything, in His love as our Father, His love for all men and women on earth. But obviously it was not enough to believe in God’s love; it was not enough to have made the great choice of Him as the Ideal of our life. The Father’s presence and loving care was calling each person to be a daughter or son, to love the Father in return, to live, day by day, according to the Father’s loving plan for each one; in other words, to do His will. And we know that a father’s first desire is that his children, all his children, treat each other as brothers and sisters, that they care for and love one another. He wants us to love as He does, making no distinctions. We cannot choose between the pleasant and the unpleasant, the beautiful and the no so beautiful, the white, the black or the yellow, the European or the American, the Christian or the Jew, the Muslim or the Hindu…. Love knows no form of discrimination. We found this same faith in God’s love for His creation in many brothers and sisters of other religions, beginning with those that trace their roots back to Abraham, religions which affirm the unity of humankind, God’s care for all humanity and the duty of every human being to act, like the Creator, with immense mercy toward all. A Muslim maxim says: “God forgives a hundred times, but He reserves His greatest mercy for those whose piety has spared the smallest of His creatures.” And what shall we say of the boundless compassion for every living being taught by Buddha, who said to his first disciples: “Oh Monks, you should work for the wellbeing of many, for the happiness of many, moved by compassion for the world, for the wellbeing… of men and women”. For a Christian, everyone must be loved because it is Christ whom we love in each person. One day He Himself will tell us: “You did it to me” (Mt 25:40). To love everyone, then, without distinction. But this love has another characteristic which is known by many because it is related in all the sacred books. If it is lived out, this rule would be sufficient in and of itself to make of the whole world one big family: To love each person as ourselves, to do to others what you would have them do to you, and not do to others what you would not have them do to you. It is the so-called “golden rule”, also mentioned in the presentation of this seminar. It was very well-expressed by Gandhi when he affirmed: “You and I are one and the same thing. I cannot hurt you without harming myself.” In the Islam tradition it is known in these terms: “None of you is a true believer until you desire for your brother or sister what you desire for yourself.” The Gospel announces it in this way: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Mt 7:12). And Jesus comments: “This is the law and the prophets” (Ibid). Thus this simple norm, sowed by the Spirit in all religions, contains a concentrate of all God’s commands. Great importance should be given to it then in interreligious dialogue. From this rule – which is rightly called “golden” – flows a norm which, if applied, could on its own provide the greatest impetus towards bringing harmony among individuals and groups. Another way which teaches how to practice true love towards others is expressed by a simple formula, made up of only three words: make yourself one. “Making ourselves one” with others means making their worries, their thoughts, their sufferings, their joys, our own. “Making ourselves one” applies first of all to interreligious dialogue. It has been written that: “To know the other’s religion implies putting yourself in the shoes of the other, seeing the world as he or she sees it, grasping what it means for the other to be Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, etc.” This “living the other” embraces all aspects of life and it is the greatest expression of love because by living in this way we are dead to ourselves, to our ego and to all attachments. We can achieve that “self-nothingness” to which the great spiritualities aspire and that emptiness of love which is accomplished in the act of welcoming the other. “Making ourselves one” means relating to others always with an attitude of learning, because we really do have something to learn. A further requirement of this love is perhaps the most demanding of all. It tests the authenticity and purity of love, therefore, its real capacity to generate unity among all people and universal brotherhood. It is to be first in loving, that is, not to wait for the other person to take the first step; to be the first to move, to take the initiative. This way of loving lays us open to risks, but if we want to love in the image of God and to develop this capacity to love, which God has put in our hearts, we must do as He did. He did not wait for us to love Him in return. Rather, He showed us always and in thousands of ways that He loves us first, whatever our response might be. We have been created as a gift for one another and we fulfil ourselves by striving to love our brothers and sisters with a love that makes the first move before any gesture of love on their part. This is what all the great founders of religions teach us with their lives. Jesus gave us the example, He who said: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13). He really did give His life. And He gave it for us who were sinners, certainly not lovers. Furthermore, when two or more persons live this being the first to love, we have mutual love, the premise and most solid foundation for peace and unity in the world. We know from experience that whoever wants to move the mountains of hate and violence in today’s world faces an enormous and heavy task. But what is beyond the strength of millions of separated, isolated individuals, becomes possible for those who firmly believe and put into practice mutual love, understanding and unity as the guiding force of their lives. There is a reason, a secret key, and a name for all this. When we enter into dialogue among ourselves of the most various religions, that is, when we are open to the other in a dialogue made of human kindness, reciprocal esteem, respect, mercy, we are also opening ourselves to God and, in the words of John Paul II, “we let God be present in our midst.” This is the great effect of our mutual love and the secret force which gives vigor and success to our efforts to bring unity and universal brotherhood everywhere. It is what the Gospel announces to Christians when it says that if two or more are united in genuine love, Christ Himself is present among them and therefore in each one of them. And what greater guarantee than the presence of God, what greater opportunity can there be for those who want to be instruments of brotherhood and peace? This mutual love and unity gives great joy to those who practice it. However, it calls for commitment, daily application and sacrifice. And this is where one particular word, in the language of Christians, appears in all its brilliance and power. It’s one that the world does not want to hear, a word it considers foolish, absurd, futile. This word is the cross. Nothing good, nothing useful, nothing fruitful for the world can be achieved without meeting and accepting weariness and suffering; in a word, without the cross. Committing oneself to live mutual love always, to bring peace and promote brotherhood is not something to be taken lightly! It calls for courage, knowing how to suffer. What I have explained is not a utopia. It is a reality that has been lived for more than half a century by millions of people, a pilot experience of that universal brotherhood and unity we all long for. Loving in this way has given rise in our Movement to fruitful dialogues: with Christians from many Churches, with believers of various religions, and with people of the most varied cultures. Together we move toward that fullness of truth we all strive for. Now I would like to say something more about encounters we have had, from the beginning of the Movement, with brothers and sisters of other religious faiths. Our first noteworthy experience was in contact with the Bangwa people, a Cameroon tribe rooted in the traditional religion. They were on their way to extinction because of the high infant mortality rate and we had begun to assist them. One day their head, the Fon, and thousands of members of his people, gathered for a celebration in a large open space in the middle of the forest to offer us their songs and dances. Well, it was there that I had the strong impression that God, like an immense sun, was embracing us all, them and us, with His love. For the first time in my life I sensed that we would have something to do also with people of non-Christian traditions. But the event which in some way “founded” our interreligious dialogue took place in London in 1977 at a ceremony for the conferral of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. After I had delivered my speech and was about to leave the hall, the first people who came up to greet me were Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus…. The Christian spirit I had spoken about had made an impression on them. And so it became clear to me that we would have to devote ourselves not only to people of our own Church and of various Churches, but also to these brothers and sisters of other faiths. This marked the beginning of our interreligious dialogue. Two years later, in fact, there was the encounter with a great Buddhist leader, Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, founder of the Rissho Kosei-kai, who invited me to Tokyo to speak of my spiritual experience to ten thousand Buddhists. Afterwards, a great brotherhood began between the focolarini and the followers of the Rissho Kosei-kai wherever they meet in the world. But the most surprising meetings with Buddhism came about with outstanding representatives of Thai monasticism. During an extended stay in our international little town of Loppiano, in Italy – where 800 inhabitants seek to live the Gospel faithfully – two of these Buddhists were deeply touched by the unity among all and by Christian love, which they were not familiar with. Thus the obstacles fell which up until then had prevented a true dialogue between them Buddhists, and us Christians. When these monks returned to Thailand, they missed no opportunity to tell thousands of faithful and hundreds of monks about their experience in meeting with the Focolare Movement. This gave life to a Buddhist-Focolarino Movement, if we can say this, that is, to a Buddhist-Christian Movement which is a segment of brotherhood that we are building up in the world. Later on, I was invited to Thailand to address one of their Buddhist universities and in one of their temples to speak to nuns, monks and many lay men and women. Here again, they showed considerable interest, while we, in turn, were edified by their characteristic detachment from everything, by their asceticism. And the dialogue with Islam? Currently 6,500 Muslim friends belong to our Movement. Again, what links us to them is our spirituality, in which they find incentives and confirmations for living out and adhering more deeply to the heart of their Islamic spirituality. We have held a number of meetings with Muslim friends which have been characterized above all by the presence of God. One is aware of this especially when they pray and it gives us great hope. I personally saw hope become a reality in the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque of Harlem (USA), six years ago, while I was in front of 3,000 African-American Muslims, to whom I was invited again to present my Christian experience. Their welcome, beginning with that of their leader Imam W. D. Mohammed, was so warm, sincere and enthusiastic that it opened our hearts to the most promising dreams for the future. I returned to the United States, to Washington, three years ago, to tell many others about our collaboration at a Convention which they organized and which gathered seven thousand people, Christians and Muslims. In an atmosphere of joy and celebration which was more than simply human, in a sincere embrace, with unending applause, we promised one another to continue our journey in the fullest union possible and to extend it to others – thus other segments of brotherhood. I cannot help but speak of the evermore frequent meetings with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel and in various parts of the world. The last meeting I personally had with them was in Buenos Aires, where I met with one of their largest communities there. Other members of the Movement continued these contacts on different occasions. It was with great emotion that we exchanged a pact of mutual love, so profound and sincere that it gave us the impression that we were suddenly overcoming centuries of persecution and misunderstanding. Three years ago a promising dialogue began in India also with Hindus. We have friendly and frequent contacts with Gandhian Movements in the south of this immense nation. In Mumbai, a profound dialogue was born with professors of the Somaiya University and with the Indian Cultural Institute. More recently, a relationship began with the very large Swadhyaya Movement, which has our same goals of unity in diversity and brotherhood. A year ago, for the first time, we held a Hindu-Christian Symposium. The atmosphere created was so beautiful and profound that we were able to share with them many truths of our faith. The impression we had is that of a new unexpected horizon opening up before us. A few months later I returned to India and we were able to continue this dialogue on the level of spirituality which – to use the words of the authorities of my Church – “is the culminating point of the various forms of dialogue and meets the deepest expectations of people of good will”. We are planning to have other similar symposiums: Buddhist-Christian and Islam-Christian. Due to the universal expansion of our Movement, we are now in contact with all the main religions of the world. Approximately 30,000 members of these religions share, insofar as it is possible for them, the spirituality and goals of the Movement. Our interreligious dialogue had such a rapid and fruitful evolution because the decisive and characteristic element was the art of loving which I spoke of earlier. In an atmosphere of mutual love kindled by the “golden rule”, we can in fact establish a dialogue with our partner, a dialogue in which we seek to be nothing so as to “enter”, in a sense, into who they are. “Making ourselves nothing” or “making ourselves one” with the others, which is synonymous. In these three simple words, which I already mentioned, lies the secret to that dialogue which can generate unity. Actually, “making ourselves one” is not a tactic or outward behavior; it is not only an attitude of benevolence, of openness and respect, or the absence of prejudices. It is all this, yes, but with something more. This practice of “making ourselves one” demands that we remove from our minds the ideas, from our heart, the affections, from our will everything, in order to identify with the other person. We cannot enter the soul of others in order to understand them, to share their suffering or joy if our own spirit is rich with a worry, a judgement, a thought… with anything at all. “Making ourselves one” demands that we be poor, poor in spirit in order to be rich in love. And this very important and indispensable attitude has a twofold effect: it helps us to inculturate ourselves in the world of the others, to become familiar with their culture and terminology, and it predisposes them to listen to us. We noticed, in fact, that when someone dies to himself, really in order to “make himself one” with others, they are struck by this and ask to know more. Then we can pass on to a “respectful announcement” in which, faithful to God, to ourselves, and sincere with our neighbor, we share what our faith affirms on the subject we are discussing, without imposing anything, without any trace of proselytism, but only out of love. For us Christians, this is the moment in which dialogue flows into announcing the Gospel. Our work with many brothers and sisters of the major religions and the brotherhood we experience with them has convinced us that the idea of religious pluralism can shed its connotation of division and conflict, and emerge to represent for millions of men and women, the challenge of recomposing the unity of the human family, so that the Holy Spirit may in some way be present and active in all religions, not only in the individual members but also in the inner workings of each religious tradition. In speaking of the wonderful event of Assisi, John Paul II described it as “a splendid manifestation of the unity which links us together beyond the differences and divisions.” Let us fill our hearts then with true love. With it we can hope for all things, for unity among the faithful of the major religions and for brotherhood lived by all humanity. May God embrace us all with His love.” Chiara Lubich

Initiatives of change

Jul 28, 2003 | Non categorizzato

   The former president of the International Red Cross is now the president of the Swiss Foundation “Caux- Initiatives of change” as well as of the International Association for Initiatives of Change. Both emerged from the former Oxford Group which was, Sommaruga said, like the Focolare Movement, a product of World War II.” In 1938, when countries were preparing for war, the founder of the Movement, Frank Buckmann, encouraged a “moral and spiritual rearmament” for “a world without hatred, fear and greed”. Towards the end of the war, the Movement, under the name “Moral Rearmament,” (MRA) promoted the process of reconciliation of old enemies, first of all between Germany and France. Today “Initiatives of Change” comprises a network of persons of different backgrounds, religions and generations who are dedicated to working at the ever necessary process of “renewing the world.” Every year in Caux, near Montreux, Switzerland, seminars on different themes are held. This year the themes included “From conflict to encounter”, “The spiritual-religious factor in a lay society,” “Initiatives for peace,” and “Human safety for the prevention of conflicts.” by Beatrix Ledergerber-Baumer for KIPA agency, 3 agosto 2003 (our translation)

I may be an atheist, but you are crazy!

Jun 17, 2003 | Non categorizzato

One day a friend of mine came to see me to talk about a sorrowful situation that had struck his family: his parents were on the verge of a divorce because of his father’s unfaithfulness. My friend suffered because he saw that the love between his parents had grown cold, but what he could not bear was the thought that somebody else was going to decide which son would go with which parent. This meant that he was going to be separated from his only brother, to whom he was very attached.
I was deeply affected at hearing this news and I had a hard time overcoming the sadness I felt. What was more, my friend did not practice any particular religious faith and I feared I would only make things worse if I mentioned God. I felt sure I would be misunderstood; nevertheless I also felt that, as a Christian, it was my duty to try to be an expression of God’s love for my friend in some way.
This realisation helped me to see beyond the painful circumstances and recognise that this was a countenance of Jesus crucified and forsaken who had taken upon himself every human suffering. I offered this thought to my friend saying, “In your place, I – as a Christian – would give my suffering to God; I would put my problem in his hands so his will be fulfilled for the greater good. I would trust that whatever he has reserved for my future is the best thing for me.”
His answer was: “I may be an atheist, but you are crazy!”
Far from getting discouraged, I insisted: “Come on, it’s worth trying. Simply say to Jesus, ‘I put this suffering of mine in your hands;’ then be at peace and wait for things to develop.”
As he was leaving, I assured him that he could call me anytime, whenever he needed help. I could see that he was still struggling.
The next day, to my great joy, he phoned me saying that out of desperation, he was “forced” to follow my advice and put his suffering in God’s hands. I could tell that he felt a little better. After another couple of days, he called again saying that things had settled down; for the moment there was no talk of divorce and he would not be separated from his brother. His mother had forgiven his father and they were reconciled.

S.D. (Italy) – from Fioretti di Chiara e dei Focolari
St. Paul Publications