Not only freedom and equality. Twenty years after the collapse of the Twin Towers, Chiara Lubich’s comments on the attack that changed the fate of the world are more relevant than ever, reminding us of the only possible way to peace. On the day after September 11 [2001], many of us felt the need to reflect deeply on the causes, but above all to work towards a true, responsible and definitive alternative to terrorism and war. … Today, whether we are in New York or Bogota, in Rome or Nairobi, in London or Baghdad, many of us are asking if it is possible to live in a world of peoples that are free, equal and united; peoples that not only respect one another’s identity but are also mindful of each other’s particular needs. … In many places around the world today, a cry of forsakenness rises up from millions of refugees, millions of people who are hungry, millions of people who are exploited, millions of workless people who are excluded and seemingly “cut off” from the body politic. It is this separation, and not only the hardships and economic difficulties, which makes them even poorer and increases their desperation. … Considering the challenges of the present and future of humanity, liberty and equality by themselves are not enough. Our experience teaches us, and we believe that there is need for a third, long forgotten factor in political thought and practice: fraternity. Fraternity can generate projects and action in the complex political, economic, cultural and social fabric of our world. Fraternity brings peoples out of their isolation and opens the door to development for those who are still excluded. Fraternity shows the way to peacefully resolving differences and relegates war to history books. Fraternity in action allows us to dream and even hope for some kind of sharing of goods between rich countries and poor countries, since the scandalous economic inequality in today’s world is one of the main causes of terrorism. The deeply felt need for peace in humanity today shows that fraternity is not only a value, not only a method, but is a global paradigm for political development. This is why a world that is ever more interdependent needs politicians, businesspeople, intellectuals and artists who put fraternity – as a tool for unity – at the centre of their thought and action.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, Message for the first World Interdependence Day, Philadelphia, USA, 12 September 2003 in Discorsi in ambito civile ed ecclesiale, [Talks given in civil and ecclesial contexts] edited by Vera Araujo, Città Nuova, Roma, 2020, pp. 111-113)
Solidarity shared on 9/11 by Catholics, Muslims in Indianapolis (USA) continues In the days following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many American Muslims experienced an angry and sometimes violent backlash from their fellow Americans because the men who hijacked the airliners that day had been Muslim extremists. The Nur-Allah Islamic Center in Indianapolis had multiple bombing threats made against it in the days after 9/11. So, when the Muslims of the center gathered for prayer on the Friday after the attacks, they knew that they could become the victims of an attack themselves. But they weren’t alone. Joining them that day were some of their Catholic friends who were members of Focolare, an international lay ecclesial movement in the Church that, among other things, promotes greater unity in the broader human family. “It was a very emotionally moving experience,” said Nur-Allah member David Shaheed, who has also served as a Marion County judge since 1996. “They felt connected to us. They felt that we were friends and neighbors. They put their lives at risk to be with us at such a historically tumultuous and scary time.” John Mundell, a member of St. Pius X Parish on 9/11, was part of the Focolare group that came to Nur-Allah on Sept. 14, 2001. “That experience was probably one of the most sacred moments of my life,” he said. “When we walked in as a group and they saw us, you could tell by the look on their faces that they realized that what we had established was real. There was nothing fake or superficial about it.” The Focolare members knew that choosing to stand with their friends at Nur-Allah after bombing threats had been made against their center potentially put their lives in danger. But their mutual relationship was important enough to them that they accepted that risk. “Our Catholic faith called us to be there with them,” said Mundell, now a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Indianapolis. “This was where the rubber met the road. In your gut, you know what the right thing to do is, but you then have to say, ‘Yes, we’re doing it.’ ” Thankfully, no attacks happened on that day. But some members of Nur-Allah so appreciated the solidarity shown to them by their Catholic friends that they joined them for Mass two days later at St. Pius X Church. “It was reciprocal love,” said Mundell. “You reached out in love and then received this kind of wave [of love] back. It was a sacred feeling. Somehow there was the presence of God in this relationship we had established.” That relationship had started in 1997 and followed the example of Chiara Lubich, the Italian foundress of Focolare, who had reached out to W.D. Muhammed, the leader of a branch of Islam in the United States made up primarily of Black Americans. In the years that followed the start of the relationship in Indianapolis, the members of Focolare and Nur-Allah hosted meetings of Catholics and Muslims that drew people from across the Midwest. One had taken place in Indianapolis less than two months before 9/11. But the events of that day quickly deepened their relationship in ways that they could not have imagined. “There are times when God calls us to unity through pain,” said Michael Saahir, the resident imam of Nur-Allah. That, for him, is an enduring lesson of 9/11, one that he is concerned is being forgotten as the years pass. “Too often, when the pain subsides, we forget,” Saahir said. “We tend to forget too easily. Or we don’t even take time to study the lessons that come from it. And the oneness of the human family is the main one.” In recent years, members of Focolare in Indianapolis have become more aware of the pain experienced by their Black Muslim friends because of their race. “We’re not perfect as Americans, as Catholics in embracing this idea of universal brotherhood and sisterhood,” Mundell said. “We have a long way to go. There’s a racial aspect that we need to continue to work on and listen to.” Focolare and Nur-Allah members are making efforts so that the lessons of 9/11 and other lessons are remembered. In the months and years that have followed that day, people from both faith communities have been invited to parishes across and beyond the archdiocese and to universities to speak about their interreligious experience and relationship. When Mundell started receiving these invitations, he began to recognize a significance to the simple personal bonds that had been created with his Muslim friends in 1997. “It made us realize the uniqueness of that relationship and that it was no longer meant for just us,” he said. “It was meant to be shared with everyone.” “People need to see a model or example,” said Saahir. “I’m grateful that our relationship with Focolare is a model, not just for Muslims and Catholics, but for anyone to see that this is doable and has longevity.” Mundell and Saahir hope that the longevity of the relationship between their two communities will continue into the next generation. “It’s like passing on your faith,” Mundell said. “The next generation has to take it on as their own. They have to have their own experience. “This is something that we’ll be doing for the rest of our lives. The relationships have to be continually renewed and rebuilt”.
Even though the disciples had many frailties and fears, Jesus had confidence in them and called them to follow him and to share his mission – to serve everyone. To serve, not so much as a slave who is forced into work but as a free person who generously offers his or her skills and strength.Solidarity in support of the Roma people The pandemic has exacerbated the social problems in our area. One of the most serious challenges is housing: many people do not know what to do and live in situations of distress and even serious degradation. When, as a parish, we helped a Roma family to move from a damp, dilapidated shack into a more dignified home, the action helped to overcome certain preconceptions.The gesture seemed to communicate the idea that if Fr Peppino and the other parishioners welcome Roma foreigners, it means that they are people like us whom we can and must help. This created a sense of solidarity and there was almost a “competition” to find ways to help. Some people donated furniture, others transported and assembled it, other people took care of the contract for the house and others the utility supplies. When M., a Roma mother of two beautiful children, came back from the hospital where she had been admitted for Covid-19, she told me: “I am touched and I wanted to thank you because I have never felt as loved as I do by you and the whole community.” (Don Peppino – Italy)Do unto others… At school, I had a classmate who never made any effort and very bad at maths. I repeatedly urged him to study harder but to no avail: nothing changed. He failed his first semester exam and was humiliated in front of everyone, so he cried. Although he had not listened to my advice and it was his own fault, I kept thinking of the sentence “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and I decided I would help him. I offered to tutor him in maths. He was surprised and delighted and immediately accepted. It was not easy to bring him up to an acceptable level, but a small miracle happened: he achieved a high mark at the end of the second semester! (Radu – Romania)Proximity About ten years ago, when living in Syria had become difficult for us Christians, we asked ourselves whether we should stay. Many relatives and friends had chosen to leave, and from the news we had received, they seemed to have found peace in other countries and were far from the noise of combat, terror and danger. Yet, even if we do little,we felt that that our presence here, day after day, corresponds to a real mission. It is not so much a matter of witnessing to faith or fidelity to one’s homeland, but of proximity, the proximity of which Pope Francis speaks. We are certain that for our children, too, this situation, even if it is not easy, will prove to be a great teacher of life. (V.M. – Syria)
by Maria Grazia Berretta
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, n.4, September-October 2021)
The Focolare Movement is involved in various countries around the world in welcoming Afghan refugees. In Italy, to date, about 400 people have offered to open their doors to the refugees. There has been an immediate response from individuals, families and entire communities, from the cities of Milan to Ragusa.The Focolare Movement in Italy has launched an appeal to welcome Afghan refugees brought to our country by the first air bridges. Since 26th August, through the local Focolare communities and many people involved at various levels in local or national networks, an invitation was issued for the reception and accompaniment of immigrants. The appeal calls for: an assessment of the possibility of opening not only the Centres of the Movement, religious institutes, rectories, parish buildings, but also private homes; the identification of those who would be willing to collaborate for this emergency by supporting the arriving refugees; collaboration with local authorities and organizations. It’s all work in progress, which aims to combine private initiative with the reception systems set up by the Ministry of the Interior, and which is already taking its first concrete steps in line with what Pope Francis expressed in the Angelus on Sunday 5th September, that all Afghans “whether at home, in transit or in the host countries”, may “live with dignity, in peace and fraternity with their neighbours”. It did not take long for responses to arrive: some people offered their professional experience, others their own homes, or empty houses. Among the first to respond to the appeal was a nurse from Bergamo who said: “In between my shifts, I am available to help in any way”. Others offered their legal, health, or education-related skills. A family from Lombardy, with five small children, offered to host a child. Not just families, but entire communities are responding to the Pope’s invitation to open rectories and churches. Religious orders are discerning how to participate: for example, a group of religious from the Vesuvian countries. Then there are entire focolare communities, such as in Pesaro, Milan, Cosenza, who have come together to join forces and find a suitable place where they can welcome people. Contacts continue with some organizations and cooperatives with similar ideals, which can support and sustain this family-like welcome with relevant means, such as the “Fo.Co. Cooperative” (Chiaramonte Gulfi, RG) and the “New Ways for a United World Association” (Rome). In Marino, (Lazio), reception is already underway by the cooperative and non-profit organization One city is not enough, which acted immediately. Since the very first days of the emergency, some Afghan families have been hosted at the Mariapolis Centre of Castelgandolfo. On 28th August, people in several cities in Italy took part in the initiative promoted by the Economy of Francesco in favour of the rights and freedom of Afghan women. Alongside all these actions, funds are being raised, small and big amounts: one person unable to open their home had their family jewels evaluated so as to contribute to associations that could use the money locally for specific needs that cannot be covered with State contributions. The bank account is the one already in use for the Covid Emergency. Contributions can be made with the indication, WELCOME AFGHANISTAN.
Words such as perfection and holiness may seem like unattainable goals, but Chiara Lubich, starting from a statement by St Bonaventure, reflects on how it is possible to walk towards them, starting from the simplest gestures of everyday life. I found a thought on holiness attributed to St. Bonaventure, which many of us know, but perhaps we have not yet lived to the full. (…) This thought aroused in my heart a great desire to put it into practice with all of you. Aren’t we striving to become saints together? I’m referring to a statement made by a saint who was well versed in different ways to go to God. He boldly affirms that a person will go further on the way to God in forty days if they never stop, than another in forty years, who stops every now and then ‘in the vale of imperfections and venial sins’. Isn’t it wonderful? Of course, I asked myself: “What do imperfections and venial sins consist in?” We could make a long list of them. Undoubtedly, they are the opposite of perfection. And what does perfection consist in? In living charity: “Charity is the bond of perfection,” says Paul (Col. 3:14); “May they be perfect in unity,” we find in John (17:23). If charity is lived together, it becomes mutual: “I give you a new commandment,” says Jesus, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn. 13:34). And so this is the way we should always live, so as not to remain in the vale of imperfection and venial sins, and if we forget or fail to do so, we can begin anew. (…) Where should we begin? At home. Yes, at home, starting in the morning so that we begin the day well. At home, also because at times we make the effort to live mutual love with others, at meetings and congresses, but then, when we go home, because we are tired we are sometimes impatient with our brothers or sisters. We lose control and… good-bye mutual love! Let’s keep it in mind. If we do this, then in forty days, on November 30th, we will certainly have progressed spiritually and made a noticeable contribution towards our holiness and that of the people.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, Conversazioni in Collegamento telefonico, Rome 2019, p. 561-562)
An interview with Stefania Papa, the new head of EcoOne, the Focolare’s environmental agency. She describes the Focolare’s participation in ‘Season of Creation” anche…’ and various ecology projects. From 1 September to 4 October, ‘Season of Creation’ will be held throughout the world. It features both prayer and concrete actions to safeguard and protect our common home. Stefania Papa is the new head of EcoOne, a cultural enterprise from the Focolare Movement that promotes a network of teachers, academics, researchers and professionals working in the environmental sciences. We interviewed her about the Focolare’s commitment to ‘Time for Creation’ and various ecology projects. What is ‘Season of Creation’? It is a specific period that goes from 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. It will be a time in which various churches around the world come together to pray and promote concrete actions to safeguard and protect our common home. This year’s theme is: ‘A home for all? Renewing God’s Oikos.’ And Oikos in Greek means home. Why is it important that it becomes more and more an event for different churches? To answer this question, I am reminded of an ancient African proverb that goes like this: ‘If you want to go fast, run alone. If you want to go far, do it together with others.’ Pope Francis himself in the encyclical ‘Laudato sì’ says, ‘We need a confrontation that unites us all, because the environmental challenge we are living, and its human roots, concern us and touch us all.’ We need to ‘unite the whole human family in the search for sustainable and integral development’.[1] We can only do this by coming together, seeking ever-closer collaboration and communion among the various Christian churches in the world. It’s been six years since the pope’s ‘Laudato si’’. Yet there is still a long way to go… Many other actions have been started and carried out, but much remains to be done. The task at hand may seem difficult, but we can still reverse some negative trends, adapt to minimize damage, restore crucial ecosystems and better protect what we have, starting with rethinking housing solutions and social mobility, sorted waste collection and in many other fields. But the road taken is the right one. And Pope Francis’ encyclical marks the point of no return. There is also a petition to sign. What does it include? It is an important opportunity that is offered to us to strongly ask world leaders to urgently commit to the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. In fact, two very important events will be held soon: 11–24 October 2021, the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15), where world leaders will set significant goals to protect creation; and 31 October–12 November 2021, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), where countries will announce their plans to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Focolare Movement is a partner in the Laudato Si’ Movement. How does Focolare commit to ‘Season of Creation’? The Focolare Movement has always been committed to the environment. For the ‘Season of Creation’ in particular, it has participated and is participating in the initiatives of the Catholic Church, such as the Laudato Si’ action platform of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development (through the New Families Movement) and in events promoted by the Laudato Si’ Movement, formerly the Global Catholic Climate Movement, to which it adheres. In addition, the last General Assembly of the Focolare concluded in February 2021 and relaunched ecological changes for members and structures, with small, medium and large activities (such as financing international projects, and development partnerships with Action for New Families, United World Action, etc.). At the same time, there is an ongoing commitment by all Focolare members to divest from fossil fuels. Just this year, in fact, the youth of the movement committed to pathways entitled ‘DareToCare’. It’s a campaign that means to take charge, take an active interest and give importance to the most fragile, the planet, institutions, our city, our neighbours and the problems of our society. Last May, the NGO New Humanity was also accredited as an observer at the United Nations environmental governing body, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the United Nations agency that deals with all global environmental issues. New Humanity carries out its environmental protection activities in particular through the EcoOne cultural enterprise. In addition, I would like to mention the partnership created between the Focolare Movement and FaithInvest, an international organization that works to help religions develop long-term strategic plans for the environment. In the cultural and educational field, there are several conferences planned that are promoted by EcoOne. There is also EcoOne’s participation in the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) and projects in schools, such as the one recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education called ‘Giving to safeguard the environment’.
Lorenzo Russo
[1] Pope Francis, encyclical letter Laudato Si’, 13–14.
The pandemic is still ongoing, while the economic and social crises generated by it are worsening. The environmental situation in the world is dramatic and conflicts in some areas of the globe do not seem to diminish. And so, what can be done? For Chiara Lubich there is only one remedy: universal fraternity. To make humanity a single family and to do so by starting from the small, concrete, daily steps that each of us can take. In the face of the multiple difficulties in the relationships among people with such different mentalities, among peoples that are so different, cultures that are so distant from one another and religions distorted by the presence of extremists, there is only one remedy: universal brotherhood, to make humanity one family in which God is the Father and all people are brothers and sisters. How can this be done? Who is qualified for this task? There is no doubt about it: there is someone who also died for his ideal, but who then rose and made it possible for everyone. It’s Jesus. We must aim at bringing him back on earth, through us, by being another Christ, another incarnate Love, Holiness, Perfection, as he is. Now is the time in which to resolutely strive for perfection. But what does perfection consist in? Recently I re-read a paper on the spiritual life in which there were wonderful words of great Church Fathers and saints. Perhaps we already know these things, but it will be helpful to remember them now. All these eminent figures in the life of the Church agree that perfection consists in never stopping our growth, because whoever does not go forward, goes backward. And, considering that we are on a journey of love, perfection consists in always growing in charity. Let’s love, then and always love better, always better. How? By keeping before us our perfect model: … God who is Love. … St. Francis de Sales says: “St Francis de Sales says: “Whoever does not gain, loses; whoever does not ascend, descends; whoever does not win, is defeated”* We are struck by the radicalness demanded by love. But everything in God is radical. … Is it difficult? Is it easy? Try it and see. Give yourself to the will of God in each moment, to others, to the brother or sister you must love, while working, studying, praying or relaxing, while doing any activity. And we must continually improve in this: otherwise we will go backwards. To help us do this, we can say with every action, even the most simple and commonplace: “This is the most beautiful thing I can do in this moment.” … In this way we too will train ourselves for the task that awaits us and which is typically ours: universal fraternity.
Chiara Lubich
From “Conversazioni in collegamento telefonico” [Telephone link up conversations] Citta Nuova ed. p. 620 – Castel Gandolfo, 27 September 2001* St Francesco di Sales, Trattato dell’amor di Dio, [Treatise on God’s love] III, 1, Città Nuova, Roma 2011, p. 222.
Loving first, selflessly, always, immediately and joyfully. This is an opportunity to incarnate the Art of Loving in our lives. It is from there that – as if drawn to it – fraternal communion springs forth, bringing new life and changing our world.Physiotherapists In the centre where I work, the number of requests decreased because of Covid, and many hours of the day were empty as a result. I obtained permission to help in a department of infected people. Other colleagues later followed my example. One day, one of them confided to us that his way of serving had never been so humane and engaging. “Only now have I realized what a gesture of solidarity means, a caress, even if you have gloves on. I feel like I’ve discovered a more human dimension to my work. I would like my children to do this service, because it is a real school of life.” (H., Czech Republic)Staying close When Pope Francis speaks of “closeness”, it seems to undo all the rules we have made for ourselves to live a certain way. For him, it’s all about the other person and our capacity to welcome them. I was talking about this once in the office. One of my colleagues was contrary to the idea, since according to her it is precisely this no-rules attitude that is ruining the Church. I listened to her, astonished and discouraged by how certain she was in condemning the pope, despite being an intelligent woman and, in her own way, a practicing Catholic. Since that day I avoided the subject, and whenever she would attack me with some article about the pope, I would try to deflect the conversation. The day before yesterday, on the phone, she told me that she couldn’t come to work because of problems with her anorexic daughter. As soon as I could, I went over. In fact, the girl’s life was at risk. My wife is a psychologist and, using various tricks, managed to spend time with her. Now the daughter is better, and she is often at our house. My colleague wrote me a message. “Now I understand what the pope means by the word ‘closeness’.” (C., France)I’ll go My elementary school teacher told us about a soldier, perhaps in the Alps, who was a bit exceptional: he would do any job, even the most unrewarding, saying to his superiors, “Vago mi” (I’ll go). This went on until “Vago mi” (as he was now nicknamed) never came back, killed in action. That death, the end of a life lived with altruism, struck my imagination as a child. I wished I could have been like him. In short, “Vago mi” became my model of someone who spends his life for others. And this was many years before I came across the one who gave his life for us and meaning to mine. (Joseph, Italy)
Edited by Lorenzo Russo
From “Il Vangelo del Giorno,” Città Nuova, year VII, n.4, July–August 2021).
Prof. Sureshchandra Upadhyaya has recently passed away. Indian teacher and scholar, profound connoisseur of Hindu culture. He met Chiara Lubich in 2001. The face adorned with a white beard that reached his belt. A small man from whom clear and essential thoughts emanated. Prof. Sureshchandra Upadhyaya was a person with a vast culture and profound spirituality. He was an expert in Sanskrit and Hindu culture which he continued to study and spread also through his teaching activity. The meeting with Chiara Lubich and her charism in 2001 marked the beginning of a deep spiritual and intellectual friendship which included other Indian academics. Prof. Upadhyaya was a leading exponent of the “Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan” of Mumbai, the Institute of Indian Culture, present throughout India. He joined it in 1960 at the age of 28 as a Sanskrit teacher, then, in 1972, he was promoted to academic director and continued his career with great passion, guiding many students with their PhDs. He received numerous awards, including: the “Eminent Vedic Scholar” award of the University of Mumbai (India), the “Certificate of Honour” of the President of India, the “Eminent Sanskrit Scholar” award of the Government of Country and the “Best Teacher Award” of the Government of the Indian State of Maharashtra. On 5th January, 2001 in Coimbatore (India) in the hall of the Nani Kalai Arangam College, the award ceremony of the prestigious “Defender of Peace Award” to Chiara Lubich took place. There were 500 people present, mostly Hindus, a qualified audience including Prof. Upadhyaya. After listening to Chiara, he said, “As long as there are people like this, God is with us and one day the earth will become heaven. All faiths seek the truth and truth is nothing but love and peace as Chiara tells us ”. Another time he said: “Chiara Lubich tangibly reveals to me that God can be experienced through profound unconditional love. As soon as you love God, you also love yourself and others as God loves the whole of creation. As you spread your love, your experience of God deepens within you and overflows out of you. Loving then becomes your very nature, like the flowers that emanate their fragrance all around. Driven by love and compassion, it flows effortlessly, self-forgetful, like waves that dance in the divine ocean. Let us be inspired by Chiara’s commitment to live by loving one and all, to experience the presence of God inside and outside of us and to feel happy beyond all measure ”. On 12th August, 2021, Prof. Upadhyaya finally reached the bliss of “Ananda” (the pure state of joy and happiness) about which he often spoke.
A.M.A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ID42kDSgrY Here is the memory of Prof. Upadhyaya written by Roberto Catalano, professor of theology and practice of interreligious dialogue at the Sophia University Institute in Loppiano (Italy) http://whydontwedialogue.blogspot.com/2021/08/uppadhyaya-ji.html
Chiara Lubich reminds us that we are all called to dialogue. And if we spend parts of our day alone, we can do everything for the sake of our brothers and sisters, like true “apostles of dialogue”. … Each time we are in contact with one or more brothers or sisters, directly or indirectly, by means of a telephone call, a letter, a job carried out for their benefit or prayers said on their behalf, we all feel that we are involved in an unending dialogue, that we are called to dialogue. How? By being open to our brothers and sisters, by listening, empty of ourselves, to what they want, to what they say, to what worries them, to what they desire. Once we have done this, we give what is desired and what is appropriate. And if there are times and hours that I must dedicate to myself (eating, resting, dressing, and so on), I can try to do all these things in view of my brothers and sisters, always mindful of those who await my love. In this way and only in this way, by continually living the “spirituality of unity” or “of communion”, can I effectively contribute towards making my Church “a home and a school of communion”; I can further the unity of the Church with the faithful of other Churches or ecclesial Communities; and I can achieve, together with people of other religions or cultures, ever larger spaces of universal fraternity. … Let’s feel that we are “apostles of dialogue” and live accordingly. A 360 degree dialogue, certainly, but starting out on the right foot: by loving every neighbour we meet, and the measure of our love is the gift of our life.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from: “Conversazioni in collegamento telefonico” Citta Nuova ed. pag. 667, – 2004
A reflection by Anna and Alberto Friso. For decades they worked alongside Nedo in his generous and hugely competent commitment to serve the world of family life as a married focolarino.“Two driving ideas conditioned my life growing up: the need to consecrate myself totally to God and an instinctive creative love for beauty and art, combined with the unshakeable conviction that I would do something truly important with my life”. This is how Nedo Pozzi described his ambitious life-project, which he confided to us too during the almost forty years we shared at the Focolare’s international centre. Firstly we worked together in the field of “Family Life”. Then his distinctive gifts as a communicator, man of culture and of rare sensitivity, led to him being entrusted with other even more arduous and complex tasks. In 2000 he played a key role in developing a Focolare network (NetOne) for those active in the field of communications and media. Later, he was asked, with Vera Araujo, to coordinate the Focolare Movement’s dialogue with contemporary culture. Throughout this period, he wrote articles and books for Città Nuova publishing, he contributed research for Focolare founder Chiara Lubich’s public discourses, and delivered presentations at numerous international conventions. Nedo was born in Mantova, Italy on 6 July 1937 and grew up along the shores of Lake Maggiore. He never lost his capacity to dream bold dreams. At barely 20 years of age, he met Angela and thus began a passionate love story. Years later, at the many courses for engaged couples they animated, Nedo would candidly declare that quite obviously it was he and Angela who had invented falling in love! They got married early one morning with only 2 witnesses present. No need for expensive tastes, their wedding banquet was two sandwiches and a beer at Milan station! In this way their life’s adventure together joyously took off under the station’s arcades, which still today evoke the feeling of a cathedral in the world. All too soon, however, reality failed to live up to the dream and the first signs appeared of a crisis to threaten everything. At this point Nedo was introduced to Focolare by a married couple he knew. This proved to be the discovery of true Love, with a capital ‘L’. Love which gives of itself freely, a love composed of forgiveness, of living for the other person, a love with God at its root. From this moment on, the ideal of unity became the essence of their love for one another. They discovered how giving oneself to God and to their neighbors can open up the possibility for married people too to consecrate themselves to God. At separate times, both Nedo and Angela responded to the calling to become married focolarini. And this marked the fulfillment of the first of Nedo’s two yearning desires: to be all for God. He seemed to let go of his second passion – beauty, because he couldn’t imagine how to reconcile these two apparently contradictory callings. His life became a crescendo in love as he daily dedicated himself to others and humanity. He found himself called “directly and vitally to pay in person in each moment”, as he described it. And it was precisely through this process that Nedo’s thirst for beauty became satisfied, in the discovery that Beauty with a capital ‘B’ is hiding within every neighbor, be they famous or forsaken. All of us who have been fortunate enough to be around Nedo and penetrate, through his intuitive reflections, the mystery of his and our own life, can testify that in Nedo the profound contrasting passions which dominated his adolescence have truly been reconciled. With his departure on 12 August, 2021, after eight years of an illness which gradually eroded his intellectual and relational capabilities, we have lost a giant of wisdom and of charity, a man of profound faith and passionate openness to others. But we, like Angela and as their daughter Paola declared on behalf of siblings Pierpaolo and Daniela, will remember him as the tenderest spouse and father, loyal friend and an intellectual who lived and worked, as he himself said, to open up “a glimpse of the Absolute”.
Anna and Alberto Friso
formerly responsible for the New Families Movement
When in suffering, you recognize the face of Jesus abandoned on the Cross by his Father and, with all your limitations, accept it, then that suffering is transformed into joy. Life takes on another meaning; it improves, because it is lived with love.Losing your father I was already an adult when my father left home to have another family, yet the loss of your father always leaves you with a void that nothing can fill. Memories, words come back to me and I remember him. The saddest thing is when you don’t know who to share a joy or a success with. Now I’m married, we’re expecting a child, but that sense of being an orphan persists. My wife, on the other hand, resents her father who left the family when she and her little sister were little. For this reason, talking among ourselves about the father figure brings out our great diversity. But precisely because we know what love and its absence mean, we are committed to being sources of true love for our future children. This is one of the things that the parish community which we are joining emphasizes a lot: the nature of true love, the kind of love that overcomes self-centeredness and which is explained to us by Jesus, who with his life and death gave us the measure. (PI – Switzerland) My humorist friend In my opinion, compared with the limited, deficient, sometimes tragic aspect that man finds in his fellow men, as well as in himself, humour is the new vision of life from God. For years I collaborated as a designer with Nino, a dear friend, on some of his comical publications. Everyone, absolutely everyone, stumbles as they walk. As for Nino, every time he stumbles, he stops to think about it for a moment and then starts laughing about it. Then he tells us and everyone smiles. If you think about it, this is the pattern of his humour. A humour that has become more and more refined over the years, without the grit of satire, yet penetrating; an amiable mockery not of people, but of the “old man” who is always lurking in everyone. Nino himself wrote about it a few years ago: “According to me, humour is an unexpected dimension, which in addition to the four traditional measures of a person: height, length, width and depth, reveals four anti-measures: shortness, lowness, narrowness and superficiality”. (Vittorio – Italy) Irina and Ecumenism I am Orthodox, born in Russia, and married to an Anglican priest. There were never any theological difficulties between my husband and I; he loved the Orthodox Church very much. As time went on, we discovered how much we also have in common with the Catholic Church. My husband directed an Ecumenical Centre in Rome, to which he dedicated all his energy. After his death, I taught Russian at the Gregorian University for five years. Then I returned to England, and took on the role of President of an Ecumenical Centre in Oxford. In my book entitled “The path of unity” I speak about my husband and about the contacts I had with important personalities of different Churches who appreciated our ecumenical work. Of course, there is still a lot to do for unity to be achieved, but there is no lack of prophetic spirits who work for this aim. They are a minority, it is true, but they exist and they are the great strength of the Church. Even if it saddens me to see that there are still many prejudices to overcome, we must continue to work and hope, because the commandment of Christ is “that all be one”. For me the Church is already one.
Compiled by Lorenzo Russo
(Taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, Year VII, no.4, July-August 2021)
Chiara Lubich reminds us that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children. This is because children trustingly abandon themselves to their father and mother: they believe in their love. In the same way, an authentic Christian, like a child, believes in God’s love, and throws him or herself into the arms of the heavenly Father. Jesus’ way of acting and speaking is always a little puzzling. In this case, he breaks with the commonly held view of children as socially insignificant beings. The apostles don’t want them around him in their “adult” world, where children are only a nuisance. Even the chief priests and the scribes seeing the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” become angry. And they ask Jesus to scold them (see Mt 21:15-16). Instead, Jesus has a completely different attitude towards children: he calls them to him and embraces them; he lays his hands on them and blesses them; and he even holds them up as models for his disciples. “For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” In another passage of the Gospel, Jesus says that, “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3). Why does the kingdom of God belong to those who are like children? Because children confidently abandon themselves to the care of their father and mother; they believe in their love. When they are in their arms, they feel safe and unafraid. And when they sense danger, they hold on even more tightly to their mum or dad, and immediately feel protected. At times, we see a parent put a child in a high place, for example, and then tell him or her to jump. And the child jumps with complete trust. Jesus wants the disciples of the kingdom of heaven to be like that. Authentic Christians, like children, believe in the love of God. They throw themselves into the arms of their heavenly Father, and trust him unconditionally. Nothing frightens them anymore because they never feel alone. Even when a time of trial comes along, they believe in God’s love, for they believe that everything that happens is for their good. Are they worried about something? They put it in the Father’s hands, and with child-like trust believe that he will resolve everything. They abandon themselves completely, as a child does, without calculating the risks. Children are totally dependent on their parents for their food, clothing, a home, care, education, and so on. So, too, do we “children of the Gospel” depend completely on the Father. He nourishes us just as he nourishes the birds of the air. He clothes us as he adorns the wild flowers. He knows what we need even before we ask him for it (see Mt 6:26), and he gives it to us. The kingdom of God, too, is not something that we ourselves achieve; we receive it as a gift from the hands of the Father. Furthermore, children do not do evil, for they don’t even know what it is. … The “children of the Gospel” believe in God’s mercy, and, forgetting the past, they begin a new life each day in openness to the promptings of the Spirit, which are always creative. Children do not learn to speak on their own; they need to be taught. The disciples of Jesus do not follow their own reasoning; they learn everything from the word of God to the point of speaking and living according to the Gospel. Children are inclined to imitate their father. If you ask them: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” they often say that they want to follow their mother or their father’s profession. The same applies to the “children of the Gospel.” They imitate their heavenly Father who is Love, and they love as he does. They love everyone because the Father makes the sun rise and the rain fall on the just and unjust alike (see Mt 5:45). They are the first to love because He loved us while we were still sinners (see Rm 5:8). They love freely, without selfish interests, because this is what the heavenly Father does… This is why Jesus likes to be surrounded by children and puts them before us as models. …
Chiara Lubich
The Word of Life, October 2003From: Parole di Vita, a cura di Fabio Ciardi, Opere di Chiara Lubich, Città Nuova, 2017, pag. 702
St Augustine said, “Once and for all, I give you this one short command: love, and do what you will. If you hold your peace, hold your peace out of love. If you correct someone, correct them out of love. Let the root of love be in you: nothing can spring from it but good”.Put love … I could never have believed that my husband would turn into a stranger. His behaviour demonstrated such selfishness that he alienated all those around him. Actually this hid a deep sense of inferiority on his part. But it got to the point that I couldn’t even celebrate our two children’s successes without offending him. Yet when we first met, I had felt so supported by him! But now I felt my world had fallen apart and I was at crisis point. Around this time, I heard from an old school friend who had entered the convent but had just decided to leave. I went to see her and she shared her experience of loneliness, of disappointed idealism, of jealousies within the community, a community which existed for the best of humanitarian aims. As she spoke, I seemed to see myself in a mirror. We began to meet regularly and a phrase she quoted from St John of the Cross illuminated me on what I needed to do to try to save my family: “Where there is no love, put love and you will find love”. I decided to try. It wasn’t easy. But today things are different, both for me and for my friend. (M.d.A. – Albania)Staying in Syria Ten years ago, as life was becoming very difficult for us Christians, we asked ourselves if it was really the case to stay in our own country. Many had chosen to flee, and apparently had found safety, far from the sounds of gunfire and from the fear. However, even if we can’t do much, we realise that our presence here has become a true mission. Not so much about giving a witness of loyalty to the land or keeping the faith, but rather of being close to people, as Pope Francis has described. We’re sure that this situation, difficult as it is, is offering a great life lesson to our own children. (V.M. – Syria)Learning from the smallest Kanna comes from a Christian family and goes to a nursery where the teacher and many of the other children belong to different religions. At the end of the year, the teacher greets each of the children one by one. When she reached Kanna, she said, “Thank you because you’ve taught us about Jesus. When you speak about him, we can feel he’s close to you. You taught us the prayers you learned at home and they’re beautiful. This morning I saw you when you gave the prize you’d won to one of your friends. This gesture really moved me! I’m about to get married, but before I do I want to be baptized. I’m taking preparation because I want to believe in Jesus like you do.” (Z.J. – Japan)
Edited by Lorenzo Russo
(translated from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, anno VII, n.4, luglio-agosto 2021)
Sister Antonia Moioli departed this life on 30th July, 2021. She was calm, had a beautiful smile and was surrounded by affection and prayers.Born in Alzano Lombardo (Bergamo, Italy) on 13th June, 1949 to a deeply Christian family, at the age of 19 Antonia Moioli got to know the Focolare Movement: the discovery of God Love inspired her to love everyone: from the members of her family to those at the nursery school. “I was wondering what God wanted of me. A priest advised me not to worry, to continue living the Ideal and to trust Jesus who said: To those who love me I will manifest myself. I trust him and I count on that. In the meantime, I realize that many of my colleagues at work were lively, free nuns. They gave me a book of their Founder. When I read it, I experienced a joy as it was so much in harmony with the Ideal”. In 1971 she entered the Institute of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus. She made her first vows in 1974 and her perpetual vows in 1980. She threw herself into education with enthusiasm; everyone remembers her for her vitality, love and passion for children and young people. In 1977 she went to Rome, to the school of Santa Maria degli Angeli where she taught and became Head of the Institute. She was a reference point for many students. Her institutional duties did not distance her from the students, they allowed her to show them the beauty of following Jesus. In 1993 she was the only nun in the youth ministry consultancy for the Diocese and the Prefecture. A former student testifies: “Sister Antonia was a real woman, able to give an example to the Church of the wonderful vocation of women: she knew how to be a mother, constantly generating her children to the faith, to the encounter with Jesus. … as a mother who knows potentiality of her children, she did not stop at our complaints. … She was a strong woman, able to show her humanity. In the year 2000, welcoming the pilgrims who came to Rome for the World Youth Day, Sister Antonia said to me: “you will clean the bathrooms in the gym”. I would have preferred to engage in other activities. Before starting, Sister Antonia, told me that to truly serve people you had to get your hands dirty. And then I realized the most beautiful thing that made me recognize that she was a true educator: she started cleaning the bathrooms with me. … I was faced with a strong woman, happy to be a nun and educator, a complete, fulfilled woman ”. She hoped that everyone could experience that to love is to give life, moment by moment. Another trait of her, typical of her congregation’s charisma was love for the poor and she was sensitive to those who struggled, the simplest people. She also had a great love for her older sisters. In 1996 she was responsible for Italy and she inspired the communities with the same enthusiasm as ever. At the end of her mandate, for two years, she dedicated herself to the service of the International Centre for Sisters of the Focolare Movement and thereafter continued to hold other positions. Celebrating 25 years of consecration she wrote: “In these 25 years I have experienced His fidelity stronger than my infidelities. God’s immense love heals, encourages, supports, it is Paradise”. And even more: “In starting over all the times I have struggled or failed, I have always felt enveloped by an immense love, Mary and the charism of Unity were essential to make me a true daughter of my founder, with a heart open wide to all the aspects of the Church and humanity ”. In recent years she encountered weakness and illness; she was spared nothing, she was asked to give up everything! What her founder Nicola Barré said was realized in her,: “This night is a splendid day”. As Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, wrote, “Sister Antonia leaves an example of a true disciple of Jesus, faithful to living the Word and constantly following Him. She worked tirelessly at many levels for the realization of “May they all be one ”.
Chiara Lubich invites us to look at Jesus as if he were a mirror, just as St Clare of Assisi did when writing to her sisters in religion. This mirror reflects divinity in its humanity. Today we can ask ourselves: are we, in some way, mirrors of Jesus? Are we this for others? In St Clare’s letters to Agnes of Prague*, that form part of several writings in which she speaks of her need to be radically faithful to the Gospel, she invites the sisters to look at Jesus as if they were looking in a mirror, a mirror that in its humanity reflects back divinity. She wrote: “Fix your eyes on the mirror of eternity, (Jesus)… and be totally transformed in the image of his divinity” (FF 2888). Saint Clare was inviting Agnes to look to her Spouse, and also to imitate him, making the same choices he made, doing his same actions, his same deeds. … Today, we could ask ourselves: are we in some way a mirror of Jesus? Do we mirror Jesus also for others? In this regard I’d like to mention one of our dreams from the early days of the Movement. We used to say: “If, for some absurd hypothesis, all Gospels were destroyed, we would like to live in such a way that, by seeing how we behave, people would in some way see Jesus in us and could therefore re-write the Gospel”: … ‘Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mt 19:19); ‘Give and gifts will be given to you (Lk 6:38); ‘Do not judge’ (Mt 7:1). ‘Love your enemies’ (Mt 5:44); ‘Love one another’ (Cf Jn 15:12); ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Mt 18:20).”
Chiara Lubich
The Mirror – Feast of St Clare, Berne, 11 August 2002* A religious sister in St Clare’s Order
Jesus asks us to become small, like children, who confidently entrust themselves to their father and mother and believe in their love. Chiara Lubich said, “We too, “evangelical children”, depend on the Father for everything . He knows what we need, even before we ask him and he gives it to us”.Adoption at a distance In January 2017, I remotely adopted a girl from Kenya. However, for about a year my life took an unexpected turn and I did not have a fixed income, so sometimes I wondered if I would be able to continue supporting the child. The words of Jesus, “Whatever you do to the least, you do to me”, were always a stimulus to continue to take care of her. Then, like a confirmation, after each moment of hesitation, I was offered a new work project. I thank God who loves me immensely and proves this to me all the time. (Anny from Romania)An innovative model I was in my last year of Dentistry, the most challenging. I shouldn’t have been thinking of anything else but to graduate quickly. Instead I agreed to give tutorials to Fabio, who was not doing well at school, as a favour for his mother, a lady I met by chance. I’m was doing it for free, because their finances were not good. One day when we were studying science, by chance, I had to teach him about teeth! To help him understand the masterpiece that is our chewing system, almost without realizing, I invented a model with a technical device which was simple but very practical for teaching. I communicated the discovery to the Professor of my thesis. He was very enthusiastic about it. Even more, he offered to include it in a lecture he was going to give at the University of Caserta, describing not only the technical aspect, but also the circumstance that made me think of it. In the following months, I was also given the opportunity to talk about it to 70 students. The latest news from the Professor is that a book will also be published about my discovery. And all because I listened to a mother’s request. (Tonino – Italy)Temptation I’m married and have three daughters. I am a carpenter. I have a small bank account, but our financial situation is not thriving. One day, when I went to make a deposit, I found a credit in my account of 235 bolivares: an amount we would really have needed! I ignored it and with my wife, we decided to wait for a week. While waiting, I imagined the most bizarre things about that money; maybe someone was suffering or could lose their job because of me. A few years ago, I didn’t think about love of neighbour at all, but now! Back in the bank, I explained the situation to the person in charge, who said to me, “You are the most honest person I have met”. Since they needed to investigate to see what had happened, she gave me an appointment three days later. When I went back to the bank they had discovered the error. I was relieved to learn that the money belonged to a man who participates in the Word of Life meetings in my very Parish. Luckily I hadn’t succumbed to that moment of temptation. (Jose from Venezuela)
Compiled by Lorenzo Russo
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, no. 4, July-August 2021)
Chiara Lubich quotes St Francis and his “perfect joy”. When faced with the pain of something we must give up, a detachment, a trial or an illness, she invites us to experience the full meaning of the words, “You are Lord my only good”. One day St. Francis, who was truly in love with his Lord, while traveling barefoot and half frozen towards Assisi, explained to Brother Leo where “perfect joy, perfect happiness” could be found. It was not so much in working miracles and raising the dead; nor was it in prophesying and speaking all languages. It was to be found in keeping charity while bearing with the abuse they would receive from their brothers in the Friary they were going to. Because, he said, “Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, is that of overcoming oneself and suffering willingly, for the love of Christ, all pain, abuse and hardships”. That, for him, was “perfect joy”. Let’s try to do the same. When we realize that a suffering is approaching (something we must give up, a detachment, a trial, an illness) let’s say with St. Francis, “Here is perfect joy”. This is the fullness of what we mean when we say, “You, Lord, are my only good.” It’s a very challenging thought, isn’t it? But it is with actions such as these that we can make progress, indeed, we can fly ahead in life, leaving behind a trail of light and bringing many others with us.
Chiara Lubich
Perfect joy, CH Conference Call – Castel Gandolfo, 17th December 1998
With regard to the case of child abuse at the hands of J.M.M., a former consecrated member of the Focolare Movement, on July 26, 2021 the Movement appointed a Supervisor to play the role of an Independent Oversight Function (IOF) on the ongoing investigation carried out by the company GCPS Consulting, an independent body appointed by the Focolare Movement in December 2020. Focolare President Ms. Margaret Karram and Co-President Fr. Jesús Morán appointed Mr. Alain Christnacht as Supervisor in the role of Independent Oversight Function. This function was set up primarily to guarantee the victims and to supervise the proper conduct of the investigation by GCPS Consulting, to whom the movement renews its total confidence and who remains the only body authorised to carry out the investigation. For those who wish to contact the Independent Oversight Function regarding the ongoing investigation, this is the email address: superviseurac@gmail.com By the end of December 2021, GCPS Consulting will produce a public report detailing its findings and recommendations as the Independent Investigating Commission. In this line, the supervision of the Independent Oversight Function, external both to the Focolare Movement and to GCPS Consulting, is an additional guarantee for the victims and an additional support in the search for the truth. Who is Alain Christnacht Alain Christnacht, French citizen, is a senior State official; he has held positions at national level as Prefect and State Councillor. Today, he is president of Samusocial of Paris, a public interest organization that helps homeless people. A former president or administrator of youth organisations, since 2016 he has chaired an independent national commission of experts on paedophilia, made up of magistrates and medical doctors, consultor of the French Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
The Earth’s resources for this year run out on July 29. How can we reverse all this waste? Luigi Muraca, a member of the international Focolare youth formation team, appeals to us to face the challenge.Overshoot Day is a symbollic date indicating when we, the inhabitants of this planet, have consumed all the resources the Earth can regenerate within one year. To take a simple illustration: just say there were 100 new trees growing each year, and we humans cut down more than 100 a year.. Overshoot Day marks the day we cut down tree number 101. This year, Overshoot Day falls on 29 July. So from this date until the end of the year, we’ll consume more resources than we should allow ourselves. Despite this, I predict it won’t feel any different to yesterday. As you read this you’re probably not too worried about it, and I guess you’ve not noticed the people around you so far today anguished about this fact, nor the people you’re still to meet. I just want you to know one thing: it’s not your fault. It’s not that you’re insensitive, or that you couldn’t care less about the environment or the planet. You’re not too worried because, like me, you’ve got used to this kind of news on climate crises. And when you get used to something, you stop experiencing it as an emergency. News about the climate crisis has more or less become part of our daily routine. And there’s the real danger that getting used to hearing about it, makes us lose the will to change things. It happens to me too and that makes me sad. But it’s not all bad news. Not everyone remains passive in the face of these uncomfortable facts. Some actually try to change things. Here I’d like to draw attention to two projects launched by the youth of the Focolare Movement, striving to contribute to tackling the issues of ecology and our use of resources. PATHWAYS – People, planet and our ecological conversion The first project, called PATHWAYS – People, planet and our ecological conversion is an awareness and action campaign, launched as part of the 6-year Pathways for a United World program. In the year 2021-22, those behind the initiative – Teens for Unity, Youth for a United World and New Humanity NGO – are launching actions at local and global level, in a three-phase program: 1) Learn – study and get informed, as a solid foundation to any action 2) Act – moving for change 3) Share – using the hashtag #daretocare ZERO HUNGER The second project is directed at our planet’s food resources. For several years now, the youth of the Focolare Movement have collaborated with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a shared commitment towards achieving “Zero Hunger”, supporting the goal of reducing famine in the world. While an international team works to coordinate global activity, local actions and initiatives are underway in many local territories. Luigi Muraca – Redazione Teens
Every day large numbers of Venezuelan migrants try to reach Chile via Peru. The solidarity of the Focolare community in Lima with concrete gestures thanks to Providence that doesn’t wait.“A few small gestures are enough to save the world,” says the writer and poet Edith Bruck. And this is what we try to do every day to help those in need, especially the Venezuelan migrants who pass through the Juan Carlos Duque Centre linked to the Focolare community in Lima, Peru. On the way to Chile C. is one of those who helps out at the Juan Carlos Duque Centre. A few evenings ago she was able to embrace her sister again after not having seen eachother for four years! She is on her way to Chile with her husband and child, hoping to cross the border through the really cold desert. We were able to give them a suitcase of warm clothes, which we received through Providence. There are many Venezuelans trying, not without risk, to get into Chile to join their relatives. The solidarity among these people is so strong despite the suffering that accompanies them. So we can clothe Jesus Another person who works at the Juan Carlos Duque Centre told us about a Venezuelan couple who were in Peru for four years and have been in Lima for almost three months. All they had was a mattress to sleep on, a bedspread that was not warm enough for this season’s cold weather (winter has started) and a small cooker they borrowed but needed to return. They needed sheets, dishes, glasses, clothes and size 12 shoes! To our amazement, amongst the Providence that had arrived we found a pair of size 12 shoes! We received so much Providence and it was just what they needed. “Now we can clothe Jesus so that he doesn’t suffer from the cold…” we said. Thanks also to donations from UNHCR (UN refugee agency) we have been able to meet this family’s needs. You can imagine their joy. Just 40 minutes after their request for help, we were back in contact with them and able to give them everything they needed. Barbara, one of our group dies But then we received a phone call from Arequipa: ‘We are really having a very hard time. Our tenant and great friend Barbara from Venezuela has died unexpectedly. She was about to turn 29. We were in shock but my mother, my brother and I immediately said our YES to God’s will in that moment that was so difficult when it is not easy to understand God’s plans. It was about loving this suffering and being able to pass on the Father’s Mercy and Love to her brother and cousins”. Barbara had visited our Arequipa office just a few days earlier to collect a heavy blanket and a kitchen kit donated by the UNHCR, and we had added something else. She was delighted with the Providence and we were sure that He would continue to help us from up there with His Providence that is never lacking. And as we were speaking of Providence, the Juan Carlos Duque Centre’s bell rang again unexpectedly. It was the UNHCR giving us much more than what was requested for our migrants: 100 washable face masks; 216 bars of soap and 5 parcels with 72 blankets… the hundredfold!
Extract from the talk given by Chiara Lubich in Lucerne, Switzerland on 16th May 1999, on the occasion of the 19th International Congress on the Family If we observe the situation of the society that surrounds us all over the world, our brief reflections on what the family is and should be may appear to be a naïve utopia. The Western world is permeated by an individualistic culture that is particularly focused on categorizing and defining men and women according to what they use and need. … In a cultural context marked by individualism and the pursuit of profit, the family has become very fragile. And those who are socially marginalized are the ones whose families most often break up.”[1] … Faced with the overwhelming mystery of suffering, we often feel bewildered and lost. There is a passage in the Bible that describes a person who reached the climax of suffering, and cried out to heaven, “Why?” The evangelist Matthew, who recounts the passion and death of Jesus, wrote: “At about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice (…), ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mt 27:46). … In experiencing the abandonment, which was the final and greatest sign of his love, Christ reaches the point of total annihilation of self. He reopens for every person the path to unity with God and with one another. In that “why,” to which he received no answer, every man and woman finds an answer to his or her own cry. Is not the person in anguish similar to him? And the one who is alone or a failure or condemned? Is not every division within the family and among groups and peoples, a reflection of him? Can’t we see his countenance in those who have lost all sense of who God is and of his plan for humanity, or in those who no longer believe in love and instead accept whatever surrogate comes their way? There is no human tragedy or failure within a family that is not contained in that dark night of the God-Man. … Through that emptiness, that nothingness, grace and the life of God flowed back to humanity. Christ re-established the unity between God and creation, he restored the design, he made new men and new women and, therefore, new families. The great event of the suffering and abandonment of the God-Man can therefore become the reference point and the secret wellspring capable of transforming death into resurrection, shortcomings into opportunities to love, and family crisis into stages of growth. How can this be done? … If we believe that behind the events of our lives there is God with his love, and if, strengthened by this faith, we recognize in our small or larger daily sufferings, and those of others, a shadow of the pain of the crucified and forsaken Christ, a sharing in his suffering that redeemed the world, then it is possible to understand the meaning of the most absurd situations and put them into perspective. I would like to mention two real-life examples that illustrate this. Claudette was a young French woman abandoned by her husband. She had a one-year-old son. The narrow-minded environment of the province she lived in and of her family convinced her to ask for a divorce. In the meantime, she came to know a couple that spoke to her about God, who is especially close to those who suffer. “Jesus loves you,” they told her. “He, like you, was also betrayed and abandoned. In him you can find the strength to love and to forgive.” Little by little, her feelings of resentment dissipated and she began to behave differently. Her attitude also had an effect on her husband. In fact, when Claudette and Laurent presented themselves before the judge for their first hearing, they looked at one another in a new way and agreed to put off their decision for six months. Having reopened the lines of communication between them, when they were called back to court to finalize the divorce, they said, “No!” and walked down the steps of the courthouse hand in hand. The birth of two more daughters gave new joy to their love, which had become deeply rooted through their experience of suffering. And another. A beautiful Swiss family one evening learned from their son that he was addicted to drugs. They tried in vain to cure him. One day he did not come home. They were overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, fear, shame and the sense of being unable to do anything about it. It was the encounter with Jesus Forsaken in a “wound” that is so common in our society. Embracing Jesus Forsaken in this suffering they seemed to comprehend: “True love makes itself one with others, it enters into the reality that they are living…. ” In a spirit of solidarity, they opened themselves to others who were suffering because of drug abuse. They organized a group of families who would bring sandwiches and tea to all the youth of the Platzpitz, which at the time was known as the drugs hell of Zurich. One day they found their son there, dressed in rags and exhausted. With the aid of other families, they were able to help him embark on, and complete, his long journey to freedom. … Sometimes the traumas are resolved and families are reunited, but at times they are not. Externally the situations may remain as they were, but the pain takes on meaning, the anguish is eased and the fracture is overcome. At times, the physical or spiritual suffering lingers on, but it acquires meaning because the family unites its “passion” to the passion of Christ, who continues to redeem and save the family and all of humanity. And thus their burden becomes lighter. Therefore, the family can attempt to reacquire its original beauty in its creator’s design by drawing from the source of love that Christ brought on earth.
Chiara Lubich
[1]Chiesa Locale e Famiglia, (CLEF) Agenzia di informazione e documentazione di pastorale familiare, 49, anno XIII, marzo1995, p. 15.
Pope Francis instituted this day on July 25 to highlight the vocation of the elderly, which is ‘keeping the roots, transmitting faith to the young and taking care of the little ones’. For the occasion, we collected some experiences of grandparents and grandchildren that bear witness to the love between generations. ‘When everything seems dark, like during these months of the pandemic, the Lord continues to send angels to console our loneliness and to repeat to us, “I am with you every day.”’ In his message for the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, to be celebrated on July 25, Pope Francis aimed to give a message of hope and closeness to grandparents and the elderly around the world. I would like ‘every grandparent, every elderly person, every grandmother – especially those among us who are most alone – to receive a visit from an angel’ through a grandchild, a family member, a friend. During these times of pandemic, we have realised how important hugs, visits, gestures of love are. These signs are experienced daily between grandparents and grandchildren or with elderly neighbours. Martin, for example, is 8 years old and is a Gen 4 – the youngest children of the Focolare – who lives in Uruguay. He lives near an elderly grandmother who grows flowers in her garden. Some children sometimes throw a ball in her garden, making her angry, then laugh at her. Martin thought that this was not good, so he decided to help the lady. He got a wheelbarrow and took the weeds and trash out of the garden. The lady thanked him, and every time he helps her, she gives him some money, which he donates to the poor in the community. Nicola, on the other hand, is a grandfather of eight grandchildren. One day he was invited by a Gen 4 to speak at catechism class about the family. On his way to the meeting, he asked himself how he could interest the children in this topic. While walking, his gaze was drawn to a nest that had fallen from a branch and was now abandoned. He picked it up and brought it to the class. What a nice idea; he was able to explain how a nest is made, as well as how a family is. Everyone had something to add, and the hour of catechism passed quickly. Rosaria is 70 years old and a grandmother, who is so dedicated to both her grandchildren and the Gen 4 of her local community. ‘I always feel like I’m doing very little,’ she says, ‘but I notice that something is happening – they’re having experiences I didn’t expect. ‘For example, Tommaso received a scratch on the cheek from a little girl at school. When the teacher noticed it, she asked why he hadn’t told her. He answered by apologising for his classmate because she hadn’t done it on purpose. When the teacher told his parents, they were positively amazed because such behaviour had never happened before.’ Grandma Rosaria has a secret: she prays every day for all Gen 4 and all the children of the world. ‘I think this is the most important thing.’ Grandma Mary from New York tells Living City, ‘A few years ago before Christmas our granddaughter Cecilia, then 11, came home from school with a bag full of gifts she bought with money her mom had given her. She was so happy as she showed us what she had gotten for a couple of friends and some family members. I marvelled at how lovingly she had chosen those gifts! ‘I started to tell her what my Christmas was like when I was a little girl living in the Philippines. We were quite poor. After midnight mass, we went to our neighbours’ house to have dinner together. We each received a delicious red apple as a Christmas present. It was something really special! ‘Hearing this, Cecilia said: “Really? A delicious red apple?” ‘“Yes,” I said, “a delicious red apple!” ‘And as soon as her dad came home, she told him: “You know what Grandma got for Christmas? A delicious red apple!” ‘On Christmas Day, we were celebrating in our New York home with some of our children and their families. My daughter-in-law brought a basket marked “Happy Holidays” with a dozen apples in it, saying, “Cecilia called me and asked, ‘Would you buy 12 apples for Grandma so she doesn’t just have one but 12 for Christmas?” ‘What a Christmas gift! We have found over and over again that we don’t need many gifts to love God and others at Christmas. Sometimes all it takes is one red, delicious apple.’
Lorenzo Russo
You can see the pope’s video message for the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly at youtu.be/1qhzDGFl-6w.
Like an anchor takes hold of the seabed, guaranteeing sailors’ safety, hope holds us firm to God and strengthens our faith.French class High school French class – and the teacher wasn’t coming. We were two classes together that didn’t know each other, and the waiting grew uneasy. At this point, overcoming any fear of being judged or laughed at, I took the initiative to share a few sheets of poems in French with my classmates, a language I am quite fluent in. Then I began to write the ‘Our Father’ on the blackboard, once again in French. Meanwhile, the others began to copy the text. I had just finished writing when the teacher came in and, seeing the students silently at work, was surprised and almost moved. As a result, she gave an A (the highest grade) to the entire class. Ralf, RomaniaA son’s suicide Luca was 19 years old and far too sensitive. He found it hard to accept the evil that seems to prevail in the world at times. When he committed suicide, the only thing that brought comfort and hope to our family was anchoring ourselves in God and the support of the community. As a couple, we found ourselves on a higher level in our relationship. Our other son, Enrico, reacted by making himself useful to others and now works in a community for young misfits. Of course, as time went by, we continued to feel Luca’s absence, but one fact gave us strength. A friend of ours told us about a young man suffering from cancer. Fed up with everything, he refused chemotherapy and preferred to let himself die. Our friend told him about Luca, who had attended the same institute as he had, and how his tragic death had ‘woken up’ many people to be more sensitive to others. That young man, in the end, agreed to resume treatment. This episode made us realize that life goes on. It inspired us to be strong and to sow hope in all those we meet. Maurizio, ItalyMy real ambition After working for years in a successful music group, as my family grew, I took a job in a cultural agency that organized concerts. But with the raging pandemic, many things changed for me: few contracts, few shows. With an increasingly uncertain future, I wondered how I could get by. Then I got a phone call from someone I had met because he had helped me load and unload instruments. He asked how things were going for me and if I needed work, since the supermarket where he worked was short staff. I accepted. So I went from dealing with philharmonic orchestras to pointing out to disoriented elderly ladies which shelf to find eggs or vinegar… The great lesson of the pandemic was precisely this: love comes through small, silent gestures, not deafening proclamations. In my youth my real ambition was to become rich… now I am rich on another level. I have discovered a truer and more beautiful dimension of humanity. M., Czech Republic
Edited by Lorenzo Russo.
Excerpted from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, no. 4, July–August 2021.
On the outskirts of the capital of the Central African Republic there is a school that was founded by members of the Focolare Movement. Today it welcomes more than 500 children, many of whom have missed out on many years of education because of long periods of war.We are in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, a landlocked state in the interior and central part of the African continent. The capital is located in the south-west, in an area that borders on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Four years ago, a kindergarten and primary school called Sainte Claire was founded in a suburb of Bangui. It currently has 514 pupils. It was opened in response to an appeal that both Pope Francis and MariaVoce, president of the Focolare Movement at the time, had made: to go out to meet people’s needs, particularly those living on the margins of society. “For us the most urgent need was education,” explains Bernadine, a member of the Focolare and headmistress at the Sainte Claire school. “After long periods of war, many children had missed several years of school. We could then help them catch up and reach the level of their peers.” The school is located in a suburban neighbourhood and so has welcomed many children from families who had fled the city when the war had destroyed their homes. “They come here to start a new life – it’s like a rebirth,” Bernadine continues. The Sainte Claire Institute is Catholic and, founded by members of the Focolare Movement, seeks to transmit teachings based on the culture of unity. The director explains: “Each day begins with morning prayers; then we throw the dice of love: on the different sides of the cube we read short phrases which help us live the day well. The next day, before rolling the dice again, we share the experiences of the day before. Some children helped their mother to wash the dishes, others made peace with a friend after a fight, …” At the moment, the war in the country has been suspended and the political situation is more stable. However, there are still many consequences that have an impact on the population, including the curfew from 8pm to 5am. Then there are numerous complications related to economic and social factors. Bernadine explains: “A few days ago, for example, there was a big rainstorm that damaged the electricity cables. Since then we only have electricity for 2-3 hours a day. This changes people’s lives a lot – starting with food, which cannot be stored. Not to mention all those who work relies upon electricity: they haven’t been able to work at all!” The pandemic has obviously effected our lives too. In 2020, the Sainte Claire institute had to end the year in March instead of June and this has had an impact on the education of the pupils who were once again left without a school. But the economic consequences for the whole country were also harsh: borders were closed and the Central African Republic, with no access to the sea, had difficulties with the delivery of goods from abroad. Prices have risen sharply. Despite these current difficulties, the school’s activities have resumed During this year’s United World Week (1 – 9 May), the children helped prepare an area that will be used for activities by planting grass seeds for the lawn. In a few months time, this area will be used for a variety of sports. Education, therefore, does not stop, not even in the midst of difficulties: it still allows new seeds of hope for a better future to be planted.
It is a partnership of perfect fellowship, which requires from us great faith in God’s love for his children. This mutual trust works miracles. We will see that, where we cannot do anything, Someone else has been at work, who has done immensely better than we could. The greatest wisdom is to spend our time living the will of God perfectly in the present moment. Sometimes, however, such nagging thoughts assail us, either about the past or the future, or about the present, but concerning places or circumstances or people, to which we cannot directly devote ourselves, that it takes a huge effort to steer the rudder of life’s ship and stay on course by doing what God wills of us in the present moment. A perfect response on our part requires of us a will, a decision, but above all a trust in God that can border on heroism. “I can do nothing in that particular case, for that person dear to me who is sick or in danger, for that complicated situation… “So I will do what God wants of me in this moment. I will study hard, I’ll sweep the house well, pray well, take good care of my children.… “And God will attend to unravelling that tangled knot, comforting the sufferer, resolving that unforeseen problem.” This is a partnership of perfect fellowship. It requires of us great faith in God’s love for his children and this enables God, then, through our response, to have faith in us. This mutual trust works miracles. We will see that, where we could do nothing, Someone else was truly at work and did immensely better than we could. Our heroic act of trust will be rewarded. Our life, limited to a single field, will acquire a new dimension. We will feel we are in touch with the Infinite, that which we yearn for, and our faith, gaining new vigour, will strengthen our charity, our love. We will no longer know the meaning of loneliness. We will see, more clearly than ever, because it is our experience, that we are truly children of a Father who can do all things.
Chiara Lubich
Cf. Chiara Lubich Essential Writings New City Press, Hyde Park New York, 2007, pp 70-71
The experience of the Manaus focolare in helping the homeless. A way of being a Church that reaches out and going to the existential peripheries to seek out the most needy A few months ago, a focolarino from the focolare in Manaus, Brazil, felt the desire to do something to help people in difficulty. So, he got in touch with various priests and nuns to make himself available. After about a month, the possibility arose to help with the “pastoral care of the street people”, that is to help the homeless. The whole focolare was involved: Renzo, Daniel, Francisco, Valdir and Junior. Every Sunday evening in the square in front of the church “Nossa Senhora dos Remedios”, in the historic centre of the city, one of those places that is very crowded during the day and very dangerous at night, we help with a short Celebration of the Word, then we give the homeless a meal and stay with them to listen to them. They pray with us and share what they experience during the week. Other volunteers give them a meal and quickly leave. The homeless recognise us and thank us because for them, being together, praying, talking, sharing their lives, being listened to, fills their souls as much as meals fill their bellies. They have told us this on several occasions. Our presence is shaped by love, by always being available to exchange a few words and build relationships with everyone, including the pastoral team. But all this is not enough. So, every Friday afternoon, we offer to help the homeless with a shower or a change of clothes, donated by generous people. We have also involved the Focolare Community to collect clothes, shoes, slippers… and it is great to see the understanding towards this action and to receive very positive echoes every time we communicate this experience: many encourage us to continue or come to help. Unfortunately, with the lockdown for covid, various activities to help the poorest people have stopped. So, we met online to work out what to do, and Archbishop Leonardo Steiner was also present. He was impressed by the situation and donated a sum of money to continue to offer one meal a day, for 20 days, for two hundred people, divided between two large squares in the city centre. Of course, working for two or three hours with all the necessary safety equipment and the heat of Manaus is tiring, but it is also a concrete way of going to the existential peripheries, to seek out the neediest, the Father’s favourites, offering the pain of being able to do so little in the face of these Abandoned Jesuses with so many needs, and we cannot do more for them than to give them a smile, a listening ear and our love. Providence is not lacking: the authorities of the Public Ministry (of Labour) have sought us out to give us money and resources to guarantee three hundred meals for 15 more days. This means more work for us volunteers, but you can’t say no to such providence and then we believe that God will manifest Himself to give us the energy and health or other volunteers to help us.
The first World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, called for by Pope Francis on 25th July 2021 is approaching. Grandparents Sarah and Declan O’Brien tell us how they live their dialogue with grandchildren who don’t know anything about God.I was deeply influenced in my faith journey by my grandfather. He came from a traditional Irish family who settled in Yorkshire in the late 1800s. Eventually, thanks to his hard work and his honest nature, he became a respected and successful businessman in Bradford. Essentially, he was a man of God and he loved the Church, but he didn’t talk much about these things. The thing I noticed about him was his love for everyone and his kind love for me, his granddaughter. His way of life had a great effect on me and greatly influenced the decisions I made later on. Now my husband Declan and I are grandparents! The parents of our four grandchildren have chosen not to educate their children to faith in God. We respect their decisions as we seek to discover new ways to convey the values of faith, offered with creativity, fun and love. One way is to spend time with our grandchildren where they live in Paris. Pope Francis tells us: “Time is greater than space”. Since our four grandchildren live abroad, the time we spend with them is even more important. In this time together, we try to love our grandchildren with patience, tenderness, kindness, mercy and forgiveness. We too experience their love and mercy. Of course, we are far from perfect and make a lot of mistakes along the way, and in family life we can’t hide behind a mask. Our grandchildren can see our authenticity or lack of it. When we visit them we all sit together around the dinner table. But sometimes our son, a person who impresses us with his love for everyone, engages in controversial discussions with us. Our grandchildren can see how we respond to these situations, if we are just trying to score points over each other or if we try to have a real dialogue. Often we fail, but when we try to put ourselves in our son’s shoes, listening well, forgiving him for some outrageous remarks, pouring him another glass of water, bringing a positive light to the discussion, when we succeed in these things, and our actions are inspired by love, we hope this will be noticed by our grandchildren. A second way to convey our faith is to share important things with our grandchildren. Spending time with them allows us to talk, when the time is right, “about important things with simplicity and concern” (Amoris Laetitia 260). We try to have the courage to say what is truly important to them. And they too can talk to us, if we are there to listen to them, about important things. And so we are able to live short moments of dialogue with them, as between friends. Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare said, “No long sermons, just a few words are enough”. A third way is prayer. We are unable to pray with our grandchildren, but of course we can pray for them. When we go out for a walk together, we can sometimes visit a church. Once we happened upon a Eucharistic adoration where they received a blessing. We enjoyed the silence of being in church with them. They realize that we go to Mass and sometimes they have asked to come with us. Our grandchildren don’t read the Bible stories, but at Christmas we received a nice pop-up children’s book and I read the story of Christmas, which they had never heard, to two of our grandchildren. Perhaps the only Bible they can read is through us. Our hope, our joy, our love can be their good news, “a source of light along the way”, as Pope Francis wrote in Amoris Laetitia (290).
Sarah and Declan O’Brien
First published in Living City and shared at the World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin
“In faith, man clearly shows that he does not rely on himself but entrusts himself to the One who is stronger than him,” writes Chiara Lubich, meditating on a passage from the Gospel. Moments of darkness, apathy, painful memories can become an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, to show Him our trust in Him, even in difficulties.The need for a father Since my parents separated when I was three years old, my life has always been marked by the absence of a father. I became introverted and rebellious, picking on everyone; I didn’t know who to turn to to talk about my problems. It even seemed as if my mother no longer understood me. I was 15 when my religious studies teacher, without lecturing me, put me in touch with a group of committed young people. I started taking part in some of their activities with children in poor neighbourhoods. I got on so well with them that I never left them. A few months’ experience in O’Higgins, the little town of the Focolare, opened up new horizons for me. It gave me something to live for: contributing to making the world more beautiful. The idea of loving everyone slowly gave rise to a thought within me: “What about Dad? What will he be doing now? Has he missed me after all these years of silence?” I couldn’t rest until I had gone to see him in our old house. He almost didn’t recognise me. He had aged, a tired man. We looked into each other’s eyes, and all the past just melted away. (Luis – Argentina) I was falling in love As an unsuccessful singer-songwriter, I had plunged into a state of total apathy. In that dark period I gave up everything I had believed in. I saw God as a ball and chain for me as a musician and a woman, so I got rid of Him by living as if He didn’t exist. That was until I received a phone call from Carmine, an actor friend of mine who needed my help with a play he was working on. As he was about to leave for Bologna, he convinced me to take the train with him to talk about it during the journey. I ended up telling him my whole life story. I so wanted to open up, and he listened to me so well, so well that… I fell in love. That year we worked together. I wrote the music and he directed. Then all of a sudden Carmine became ill. Afraid of losing him, I found myself face to face with the God I was pretending to ignore but now I no longer felt He was a stranger. Love had melted my heart and that pain irrigated it and gave it all the fruitfulness I had before to sing my songs. (Chiara – Italy) Freed from a burden An offence I received years ago but later forgot came back to my mind when I met the “guilty” person. It wasn’t so much the man that came to mind but my husband who had not defended me at the time. Feelings of pain and humiliation were still smouldering under the ashes and I could not help my outburst. Then a thought came to my mind: “Be merciful as your Father is merciful”. It was as if Jesus was saying to me: “How do you intend to give me everything if you are still full of these painful memories?” Strong words, but true. Finally by the grace of God I was able to take the step of forgiving. The Father’s mercy freed me from this burden. (Bernadette – Switzerland)
Edited by Lorenzo Russo
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, n.4, July-August 2021)
He was playing his music in the airport lounge as people walked by with an air of indifference. There was a “game” of glances and smiles happening. These are the mysteries of good relationships, capable of generating reciprocity. Small gestures that make you share something with the other person and feel part of the same humanity.I was returning to Paraguay after many years in Europe. I felt moved when I first glimpsed the red earth and green areas that are so typical of the country as the plane began its descent for landing. The international airport, Silvio Pettirossi, had not changed much. The first impression as I stepped out of the aircraft was the suffocating heat that brought back distant and much-loved memories. Instead of feeling asphyxiated, I took it as a warm hug from the many loved ones I would find there. I waited for my luggage in the baggage reclaim area of the arrivals and departures hall and I noticed the duty free shops and a bar but then my ears were invaded by the wonderful notes of a Paraguayan harp. I looked around to see where the music was coming from. And there he was, sitting in front of the bar, as if totally embraced by his large musical instrument, a man with a serene face and indigenous features: the Paraguayan harpist. His music spread through the room, filling it with harmony and the joyful notes of a Paraguayan polka. I was struck by his discretion and the indifference of the people, as if they were so used to the harpist’s music that they were not aware of it. It was as if it were part of the scenery, like the bar, the shops or the area for collecting luggage. The man seemed resigned to producing such beautiful notes, without anyone – apparently – noticing his presence. I instinctively reached into my pockets and remembered that I had set aside five dollars for a tip to give to whoever would offer to carry my suitcase to the car that would pick me up on the way out. (There were usually boys who did this). I approached the harpist discreetly, looked at him gratefully, and left the five dollars in the hat in front of him, fearful of hurting his feelings, knowing that his music was worth much more. It was a simple gesture, but my intention was to thank him and recognise his talent, even on behalf of those who didn’t seem to notice him. Three unforgettable weeks passed by, full of encounters with people who I loved a lot, and then, once again, I found myself in the same area in the airport, but this time waiting to take the plane back to Montevideo, where I was staying. My friends were still waving goodbye to me over the glass barrier when, to my great surprise, my ears could hear the notes of “La Cumparsita”. This was the tango that gained popularity thanks to the incomparable voice of the French-Argentinian singer, Carlos Gardel. But what had happened? We were in Paraguay and it was usual to hear Paraguayan music. But where were the notes of that tango coming from? I looked around and there he was again, in front of the bar. He was sitting with his harp and gave me an almost complicit smile. It was as if he was saying, “Did you like that surprise?” I said, “That I was delightful,” and gave a similar smile back again but with a questioning look. I wondered how he had managed to recognise me – among so many people passing through that room – and again, how he had guessed that I was Argentinian! These are the mysteries of good relationships, capable of generating reciprocity. They are small gestures that make you share something with another person and feel part of the same humanity. Since that time, whenever he saw me in the arrivals and departures hall, with the luggage area and duty free shops…. he stopped his polka and started to play a different tango, dedicated to his Argentinian friend.
In June 1944, Chiara Lubich found herself alone in Trent after her family had fled to the mountains following the bombing of 13th May that had half destroyed their home. Chiara had stayed in the city to follow the young women who were following her ideal. The letters of that period were the first bond among the emerging community of the Movement. My little Sister in God’s Immense Love! Listen, I beg you, to the voice of this little heart! With me you have been dazzled by the burning light of an ideal that overcomes everything and contains everything: by the Infinite Love of God! Oh, my little Sister, it is your God and mine who has established between us a common bond that is stronger than death and will never pass away. It is one, like the spirit; immense, infinite, gentle, steadfast and immortal as the Love of God! Love has made us sisters! Love has called us to Love! Love has spoken in the depths of our hearts, saying: “Look around you. Everything in the world passes. Each day has its evening and each evening comes quickly. Each life has its sunset and the sunset of your life will also come quickly! Yet don’t despair: Yes, yes, everything passes, for nothing of what you see and love is destined to last forever! Everything passes, leaving only regret and new hope!” Yet don’t despair: Your constant Hope, that goes beyond the limits of life, tells you: “Yes, what you are looking for exists. In your heart there is an infinite and immortal longing; a hope that doesn’t die; a faith that breaks through the darkness of death and is a light to those who believe. Your hope, your believing is not in vain. It’s not in vain!” You hope, you believe — so as to Love. This is your future, your present and your past: everything is summed up in this word: Love! You have always loved. Life is a continuous seeking after loving desires that are born in the depths of your heart! You have always loved! But you have loved badly! You have loved what dies and is vain, and in your heart only vanity has remained. Love what doesn’t die! Love the One who is Love! Love the One who in the evening of your life will look only at your little heart. You will be alone with Him in that moment. The one whose heart is filled with vanity will be terribly unhappy; immensely happy will be the one whose heart is overflowing with the infinite Love of God!
Chiara Lubich
(Cf. Chiara Lubich, What you are searching for exists, June 1944, in Early Letters, New City Press, Hyde Park, New York 2012, p. 18)
Helping others, expecting nothing in return, doing it with faith. This also allows us to bring salvation, tenderly “touching” those who are suffering, in need, in darkness, in bewilderment.“Give …” Grandma had been particularly generous in giving me a substantial amount for my expenses. I had already worked out how to use that money when a friend told me about problems in his family: his father was unemployed and they could only manage one meal a day. Later, when I left him, carrying his pain with me, I remembered some experiences I had read in a book lying around the house. Some words of the Gospel, to which I had never paid attention, or rather, which I had never taken seriously, were quoted: “Give and it will be given to you”. What strange words, I said to myself, whoever uttered them could only be a madman … or a God! The word “Give” was hammering inside me. The next evening I went to see my friend and gave him everything I had in my wallet. He was surprised and happy. I felt an irrepressible joy. But there’s more. A few days later, I received an unexpected phone call from an important magazine: they agreed to publish some of my writings, for which they offered me a hefty fee. (Vincenzo from Italy) In hospital A very old patient was ranting and raving. Because of her age and health conditions, my colleagues and I decided to try to help her feel our closeness more. One morning, on behalf of all of us, I left a greeting on the bedside table. When I went to her for routine checks, she was serene. She told me: “My son, last night I felt death near and I thought that I would take all my wickedness with me” – and taking my hand – “I ask you and everyone for forgiveness because you have never judged me”. In short, she seemed a different person. That old lady helped us to live our service better. (KV – Hungary) The “Bundle” Project With the raging pandemic, some seasonal workers in a large agricultural centre lost their jobs. When we heard about this, with some friends from Southern California (USA) we started a project called “Bundle”. It consisted of collecting clothes, books, board games, small appliances and other useful items, which could be redistributed to those families in need and so alleviate some of their expenses and mitigate the hardship imposed by the circumstances. This sharing initiative, which was lived with great enthusiasm, has not only engaged our community, but also involved work colleagues and other people who know us. In only three days, we were able to fill a van with what was collected and deliver to communities in central California. In return, we received a box of cherries which we in turn we shared with our friends and neighbors. The experience us galvanized us and made us happy. It was to see the “give and it will be given to you” of the Gospel fulfilled. (GS – USA)
Compiled by Lorenzo Russo
(from The Gospel of the Day, New City, year VII, no.4, July-August 2021)
The meeting with President Margaret Karram and Co-President Jesús Moran was an opportunity for mutual understanding and deep communion in the common commitment to unity. On Saturday June 26th a delegation from the German Lutheran Church visited the International Focolare Centre in Rocca di Papa (Italy). Welcomed by Focolare President Margaret Karram and Co-President Jesús Morán, the members of the delegation also met members of Centre Uno, the movement’s centre for Christian Unity and some members of the General Council of the Movement. The delegation included Bishop Frank-Otfried July, President of the German section of the World Lutheran Federation (DKN/FLM), and Bishops Ralf Meister and Karl-Hinrich Manzke, respectively President and in charge of relations of the Union of German Lutheran Churches (VELKD) with the Catholic Church. It was an opportunity for mutual understanding and deep communion. Listening to each other made everyone feel like brothers and sisters already united in Christ. The meeting with President Karram and Co-President Morán, in particular, was a moment of exchange on how to face the challenges of today’s world. What emerged from the dialogue was a harmony in the “passion for unity in Christ”, which however must be extended to all humanity: evangelical love urges us to seek the sister and brother beside us. The sharing of concrete examples of evangelical life, of reconciliation even in the smallest of ways, of the choice of God in daily life, offered participants hope in the journey of unity that is being pursued also at the theological and institutional level. One of the bishops remarked: “Changing perspective means making more specific what it means to follow the Messiah. Starting with oneself, not asking what do I want to receive? But rather what do I want to give, what can I give? Whoever lives this way is inspired by the Spirit, and whoever is inspired by the Spirit is hope for the world”. The delegation was in Rome on the occasion of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the excommunication of Martin Luther by Pope Leo X. The excommunication came four years after the beginning of the Reformation (1517) and marked the definitive break within the Western Church. An anniversary celebrated today, however, not to sanction the split, but rather to highlight, deepen and develop the more than “fifty years of constant and fruitful ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans” which, as the document written on the occasion of the 2016 Catholic-Lutheran Joint Commemoration of the Reformation reads, “(years that) have helped us to overcome many differences and have deepened understanding and trust between us”.[1] The day before the visit to the Focolare, Pope Francis, meeting with representatives of the Lutheran World Federation on the anniversary of the Confessio Augustana (June 25th 1530), had said among other things: “Dear brothers and sisters, on the path from conflict to communion, on the day of the commemoration of the Confessio Augustana you have come to Rome so that unity may grow among us. (…) I said ‘on the path from conflict to communion’, and this path is only made in crisis: the crisis that helps us to mature in what we are seeking. From the conflict that we have lived for centuries and centuries, to the communion that we want, and to do this we put ourselves in crisis. A crisis that is a blessing from the Lord”.[2] During their stay in Rome, the delegation of the German Lutheran Church had several meetings in the Vatican, such as the one with Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, during which they also discussed burning pastoral issues such as, for example, the admission of the non-Catholic partner to the Eucharist in mixed marriages. Among the meetings planned, besides the one with the Focolare Movement, there was also one with the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Chiara Lubich explains how if we wish to be faithful to the charism of unity, we need to throw open the doors of our hearts to Jesus Forsaken. We go ahead … to grow in unity on all fronts. Unity is the key word for all of us, the word that sums up the whole of our spirituality, the essential condition for maintaining the life that exists and increasing it. In fact, we cannot think of unity without thinking of suffering, of dying. Because unity is a gift, but it is also the fruit of our living as authentic Christians and there is no true expression of Christian life without the cross. We must always keep this in mind … We must always remember that we have given our life to One person alone, to Jesus forsaken. Therefore, we must not and cannot exchange him for something else and we must never betray him. He teaches us the immense value of suffering precisely for the sake of unity. It was through his cross and his forsakenness that he re-united people to God and to one another. So he is there to tell us that unity has a price, even if, with him, by doing as he did, we can reach it. And so, if we want to be faithful to the charism of unity which the Spirit has given us, let’s throw open once more the doors of our heart to Jesus forsaken and let’s give him the best place. … And so as to emphasise a practical aspect of this love, let’s love him in the difficulties that we come up against in achieving unity among us. … This means we should always be ready to see one another new. It means being patient, putting up with one another, knowing how to overlook things. It means trusting, always hoping, always believing. Above all it means not judging. To judge others in a purely human way, especially those who have responsibility for us, is dreadful. It is the chink through which the devil of disunity enters. If we judge, our spiritual life slowly diminishes, and even our vocation can waver. So let’s improve this love for others, which always has many painful nuances. They are the tangible proof of our being ready to give our lives for one another. They are the obstacles – whether large or small – which we have to overcome through love for Jesus forsaken so that unity will always be complete.
Chiara Lubich
(From a conference call, Rocca di Papa 25th October 1990)
Politician, writer and journalist, Spartaco Lucarini was one of the first married focolarini. On 3 July 2021, an escalator in the centre of his home town will be named after him and an event will take place in the theatre to recall his civic and political commitment. It has been said that Spartaco Lucarini’s soul was open to the whole of humanity but he was also closely linked to his own country and local area. He worked ceaselessly and with great courage and commitment to promote its social and cultural development. He was a journalist and writer, politician and man of culture. He was one of the first married focolarini and he was editor of the “Citta Nuova” magazine for several years, collaborating with the Movement’s international centre near Rome. He had moved there with his family from his home town of Cortona in Tuscany where he was born on 6 May 1924. In this town which is often considered to be a tresure chest of art, many people still remember him, especially for his social, political and civic commitment. Among other things, Spartaco founded the Tourist Board and made sure that Cortona was well known known not only in Italy but also abroad. He used a variety of ways including his literary skills for which he received many awards. From a young age, he had been concerned with the problems of the area, mainly unemployment and precarious working conditions. “In spite of his professional commitments, he always followed events in Cortona with great attention and affection,” Walter Checcarelli, president of the Cortona Christian Association, confirmed to the local newspaper “L’Etruria”. “At the beginning of the 1960s, he realised the great potential in the sale of antiques and founded the Antique Furniture Exhibition which, over time, became one of the most important nationwide. He made his contribution as a town councillor, becoming group leader of the Christian Democrat party with a style of openness and dialogue, unusual for those years of strong ideological opposition. Personally, I remember his holidays with his large family during the Easter period: his presence and prayer on Good Friday have remained indelibly impressed in my mind and heart.” As a sign of gratitude for his political commitment as a town councillor, but also in recognition of his contribution as a builder of the area’s social culture, on 2 March 2021 the Cortona town council unanimously decided to name the escalators leading from the Spirito Santo car park to Piazza Garibaldi after him. The dedication ceremony will be held on 3 July 2021 during the Festival of Sacred Music at 10.30 a.m. (Italian time). Following this, an event in a the Teatro Signorelli in Cortona will commemorate this multifaceted figure and his contribution to the political and cultural scene of the 20th century. The idea of paying homage to Spartaco had already been conceived last year and was to be included in the events marking the centenary of the birth of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement (1920-2020). Then the world health situation forced the postponement of the event dedicated to Lucarini. It was Chiara Lubich herself who asked Spartaco, his wife Iolanda Castellani (known as Lalla to everyone) and the couple’s five children to move from Cortona to Rome to work at the international headquarters of the Focolare. Lucarini also contributed to the development of the “New Families” and “New Humanity” Movements of the Focolare. He always remained attached to Tuscany, and in addition to having contributed to the birth of the local community of the Movement, he also made an important contribution to the development of the little town of Loppiano near Incisa and Figline in Valdarno, Italy. In particular, his involvement led to the beginning of the agricultural cooperative and the international school for families that are still based in the little town. In April 1974 he was diagnosed with a very serious illness that led to his death at the age of 51. Even in his final days, Spartaco, although ill, returned to Cortona. “He always appeared serene,” recalled his wife Lalla, “but he was no longer what he used to be.” [i] “I found myself completely changed,” wrote Spartaco, “I’m a very active person, I have a very dynamic temperament so I’ve always tried to give it my all; I’ve understood now that it’s not so important what you do, it’s also important to do nothing. I have discovered the value of ‘living inside’ rather than outside, because by ‘living within’ in a close relationship with God, you can reach the most distant people – everyone in fact. By living projected outside, you can only reach the closest, you only reach people around you. I think I have understood what is essential. In this century, Mary has created a Movement to help the Church, and she really wants to do so quickly, she wants to achieve unity not only among us Catholics, not only among the Churches, but among all people. This is a programme that is greater and goes beyond any human programme.”[ii]
Lorenzo Russo
[i] Alfredo Zirondoli “Coraggio!” pub. Citta Nuova’ p 102 [ii] Alfredo Zirondoli “Coraggio!” pub. Citta Nuova’ p 96 – 97
The Gen 4, the children of the Focolare Movement have many experiences about “taking care”. As well as putting themselves out there to help people, they appeal to adults to take care of all the children in the world who are in need. All over the world, the “Gen 4”, the children of the Focolare Movement, have many concrete experiences: it’s almost like a contest in every continent, to try to love their neighbours by taking care of those most in need. Here are some examples: let’s start in India, where some Gen 4 decided to take care of the poor who live on the streets, by preparing a hot meal for them. One of the Gen 4 told us: “My mum and I prepared cups of hot noodles, a typical pasta from some Asian countries; my brother and dad distributed them to the poor. There are many poor children living on the streets! We’ve started to do this every Friday.” In Greece, the children of the Focolare decided to get in touch with some Senior citizens who were isolated in their retirement home due to Covid-19. They involved their friends and collected drawings, with which they made a poster that everyone really liked. Let’s go to Korea now, where a Gen 4 decided to donate her hair to children who have cancer. A friend joined her and they both let their hair grow, so that they would be able to donate it. They were happy to help the sick children. From Burundi, we heard that many Gen 4 collected food and brought it to a orphanage. These Gen 4, who don’t have much themselves, were happy to bring gifts to other children! In Australia, some adults were distributing food to the homeless and to students in economic difficulty. The Gen 4 wanted to help. They prepared postcards to go with the packages that were distributed. For about two years, the Gen 4 of the Mariapolis Ginetta in Brazil, South America, have collected milk and juice cartons, collaborating with an NGO that runs a project called “No cracks in Brazil”. The cartons are used to cover the cracks in the walls of houses, insulating them and preventing insects getting in. They can also be used to make thermal blankets for the homeless. Another example, this time from Ireland: the gen 4 took part in an initiative launched by the National Post Office. They involved the local community and sent postcards, small packages and gifts for Senior citizens living alone. Finally we go to Portugal : After seeing a news programme showing images of war, 7 year old João wondered: “What can we Gen 4 do?”. He rang the coordinator of his Gen 4 group. They had the idea of raising awareness in the political world. João and his sister jointly wrote a statement from children to politicians, teachers and all civil and religious authorities. The statement says: “Our laws speak of children’s rights, but they should be more explicit in demanding the duty of care. (…) We know it’s not easy (…), but if you change the life of just one child, it’s already worth sending you this statement! If you take care of us, we will take care of the world!” A delegation of Gen 4 brought the Statement to the place in Porto where the Social Summit of the European Commission was taking place. That same evening, the news was broadcast on the TV news. The Statement of the Gen 4has now been translated into several languages and is spreading to many countries throughout the world.
The will of God is the voice of God that continually speaks to us and invites us; it is God’s way of expressing His love to us, a love that demands a response from us so that He can accomplish His wonders in our lives. The truth that does not pass After 4 years in India and 25 years of life lived totally at the service of others, my ‘batteries’ were completely flat, I returned to Italy to try and regain the health that I feared had been irreparably damaged. During those long months of inactivity and solitude (albeit surrounded by the love of my companions in community), ‘outside’ of the life that had been so dynamic and rich in relationships on which my outgoing temperament has always thrived, something very important happened – on an inner, existential level – which is difficult to put into words: a return to my original choice, and understanding a fundamental truth that everything is a gift, and we need to thank God for everything whilst being ready to lose because it is not the truth. The truth that does not pass is something else. It is our personal relationship with Him, the only ideal of all time: God and nothing else. Contrary to what I had feared, I did regain my health. And so begins a new period in the newfound joy of working at His service, whilst treasuring the new union with God that was born from that trial in the depth of my heart. (Silvio – Italy) I used to be a nurse Struck by the fact that so many doctors and nurses were risking and even giving their lives, I decided to re-register as a reserve nurse in a hospital since I had been a nurse 30 years earlier (but had later changed jobs). Recently I was asked to help out once a week in the intensive care unit. It is a huge challenge for me (so much has changed in the last 30 years with regard to hospital equipment and hospital care), but an enormous joy for me to still be useful. The greatest reward I could have received was when my children that I try not to neglect told me they were proud of me. (Martina – Czech Republic) New essentiality In the care home for the elderly where I work as an animator I grew very fond of the guests. Understanding how best to help a patient with Alzheimer’s disease or patients with other degenerative diseases had made my service a true network of intense and living relationships. Then Covid came into the home and one by one they all became ill. It was heart-breaking for me to feel I was the link between the patient and their relative but could do nothing to fill that void. Then I too contracted the virus – maybe when I was helping a very sick elderly woman talk to her family via her mobile phone. In my loneliness I understood even more what these elderly people were going through and rediscovered the value of prayer. Every time I received news that someone had died my grief increased along with my sense of helplessness but I began to pray more intensely, often not on my own but with those who were still there. The pandemic has brought us to a new ‘essentiality’ beyond that caused by illness and old age. (G.K. – Slovakia)
Edited by Lorenzo Russo
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, no.3, May-June 2021)
We are all called to make this conversion within ourselves by continually beginning to love everyone again, if we have stopped; we must experience this kind of re-birth, this fullness of life. We must therefore try, as much as possible, to translate all expressions of our existence into love for our neighbor. There before me was the stupendous page on the last judgment: Jesus will come to judge us and tell us, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me”.[1] It was as if I was reading those words for the first time. I rediscovered that at the last judgment Jesus will not ask me if I did one thing or another, the things I have to do anyway, but He will focus on love of neighbor. Like a person just beginning their ascent to God, I began to love everyone, everyone who in one way or another crossed my path during the day. And believe me, I felt as if I were reborn. I realized that my soul, above all, thirsts for love, thirsts to love, and that it truly finds its rest, its nourishment and its life in love for everyone. It’s true that I had previously tried to do many acts of love, but I now realized that some of them stemmed from an excessively individualistic spirituality, fed by small or larger penances. In spite of our good will, these can become times when we, who are called to love, focus on ourselves instead. Now, in this new effort to love everyone, I could still find opportunities to do many acts of love, but they were all for the sake of my neighbors in whom I saw and loved Jesus. And it was only in this way that I could experience the fullness of joy. Dearest everyone, we are all called to continually work at our own conversion; we must all experience this kind of rebirth, this fullness of life. Therefore, we must try as much as possible to translate all the aspects of our daily existence into charity towards our neighbor. Is it our task to look after the house? Let’s not do so for merely human reasons, but because there is Jesus in the others to be loved by dressing, feeding and serving them. Do we have any other kind of work to do? Jesus is present in the individuals and the communities whom we serve. Must we pray? Let’s always pray for the others as well as ourselves, referring to that “we” that Jesus has taught us to use in the “Our Father.” Are we called to suffer? Let’s offer our suffering for others. Is it the will of God to spend time with someone? Let our intention be to listen to Him, to give advice to Him, to console Him… in short: to love Him. Must we rest, eat, or take time for recreation? In all these actions let’s place the intention of wanting to re-gather our strength in order to serve our neighbor better. In other words, let’s do everything with our neighbor in mind. (…) For this to happen, indeed, so that such a continual conversion may take place in us (…) let’s keep in mind our commitment “to be reborn through love”.
Chiara Lubich
(Taken from a conference call, Rocca di Papa March 20th 1986) [1] Mt 25:35
Jesus is well aware of the fundamental needs of people: to be understood in their innermost depths and to have, in addition to support for their efforts, clear indications on the path to follow. Let us not miss the opportunity to relate to those we meet with the love He suggests in the Gospel. With patience and tenacity My uncle, considered “a man of honour”, had lived for years in Supramonte, a mountainous region of Sardinia. He came down to the village every now and then, and when the carabinieri came to arrest him, he was already far away. My father had tried to keep us out of trouble with the law and with my uncle’s family, from whom we were separated by inheritance issues. As a Christian, however, I was waiting for the right opportunity to make peace with them. The first opportunity came with the arrival of a cousin in the village. Regardless of the people watching us, I went to greet her. When she and her husband greeted me, I breathed a sigh of relief: the first step had been taken. Later, when I heard that my uncle was in hospital, I wanted to visit him. My mother advised against it, saying that I had no uncle. But he was a brother to me. I went and he was very emotional when he greeted me. In time, I got closer to all the other relatives. The last one was my aunt, the one who had made us suffer the most: I had not been in touch with her for 18 years, and it had taken so many years with patient and tenacious love for peace to return to our families.
(Gavina – Italy)
Others’ needs As I am going out in my car, I notice that my neighbour is trying to clean the windscreen and the other windows from ice. I go to help him, putting aside my haste. With a smile, he asks: “Why are you doing this?”. I have no obvious answer, but inside I thank God for pointing out the needs of the other before my own chores. A few hours later the same neighbour phoned me: “I was so happy with your gesture that I said to myself: I too must live by noticing the needs of others. And it didn’t take long: at work, in fact, I found a difficult situation, which I resolved quite easily by putting myself in the other person’s shoes. Thank you!”.
(F.A. – Slovenia)
Adopting a little brother We are students at a technical institute. When our teacher brought Città Nuova for us to read in class, at first certain things seemed a bit delusional… But the idea of helping to build a more united world together seemed good to us. Furthermore; as we went on reading, we realised that they were not words. The newspaper reported news that we could not find in other papers, a different way of seeing events. All in all, what were we missing by trying? We tried. Every morning, together with the teacher, we gave ourselves a little “maxim” to live by. For example: “Love everyone” … who had ever thought of that? Then we happened to read an article about adoptions at a distance. And then the idea came to us to take out one, all together. That small gesture of each one contributing a small monthly sum makes us grow as people. By now Nader, even though he lives far away (he’s a little Lebanese boy), has become very important: we talk about him, about his needs, as if he were our little brother.
(The boys from IIIB – Italy)
Edited by Lorenzo Russo
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, n.3, May-June 2021)
Jesus invites us to recognise how God’s love means that he is always close to us and he suggests ways in which we can respond and act accordingly: we can discover the way to reach full communion with the Father by doing his will.The Hurricane The images on the TV showed the places hit by the hurricane and left isolated. Our families lived there and so you can imagine the anxiety that we seminarians felt. The Word of Life of that month seemed very apt because it urged us to have faith. United, we prayed for our loved ones and we were given permission to leave the seminary the following day to go and find them. But that night the capital was also hit hard: flooded roads, collapsed bridges, no electricity…. But our seminary was still standing. We set off anyway: during that journey on foot or by makeshift means, in rafts or tied to ropes to overcome the resistance of the torrents, we were forced to deviate countless times. And finally, we came to our country… it was unrecognisable! Where there used to be countryside, there was now a lake. After embracing our loved ones (they had lost everything, but they were safe!), we offered our services to the parish priest to help with emergency services. The new Word proposed for that month seemed to be addressed precisely to us, to give us courage and to share it with others: “Blessed are the afflicted…”.
(Melvin – Honduras)
The umbrella I believe that Christ is behind every poor and marginalised person and is asking to be loved and so I try not to miss opportunities to do so. For example, in the café near my home I noticed a very poor person who we had nicknamed Pen: he was soaking wet because it was raining that day. I knew that that he had tuberculosis, and so, overcoming some resistance to being seen in his company, I invited him home to find him something dry to put on. My parents were amazed and incredulous. “Dad, we could use some clothes…”. Dad wasn’t very enthusiastic at first, but then he procured a pair of trousers while I found a jacket. But the rain didn’t seem to be stopping… And I said, getting back into the swing of things: “Dad, what if we gave them an umbrella as well?” We found one too. The man was happy, but I was even happier, because we had worked together to help him. But it didn’t end there. A few days later, Pen came back to return the umbrella. Actually, it wasn’t the one we had given him, it was much nicer. What had happened was that our umbrella had been stolen, and someone had given him another one. He wanted to give it back to us.
(Francesco – Italy)
Love cannot be explained with words Shortly after her birth, Mariana was diagnosed with a severe malformation of the brain. She would never be able to speak or walk. But God asked us to love her just as she was and, with trust, we threw ourselves, so to speak, into his Fatherly arms. This child lived with us for just four years; we never heard her say the words “Daddy” or “Mummy”, but in her silence her eyes spoke, with a shining light. We could not teach her to take her first steps, but she taught us to take our first steps in love, in the renunciation of ourselves in order to love. Mariana was a gift from God for our entire family: we could sum it all up in one phrase: love cannot be explained with words.
(Alba – Brazil)
edited by Lorenzo Russo
(Taken from “Il Vangelo del Giorno”, Città Nuova, VII, no.3, May – June 2021) .
The Bala Shanti Program is a project created to help abandoned women, supporting them to provide their children with the necessary care and schooling thus creating a condition of well-being, health and dignity. We are in Coimbatore, a region of south India. In 1991, the Bala Shanti Program was founded, a project that helps and welcomes the most vulnerable and needy children, aged between 3 and 5, and their mothers, who are often alone. The programme is part of the Shanti Ashram which is an international centre for cultural, social and health development serving the needs of the community in the area, inspired by the ideals and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. “My grandmother had to live on her own all the time, which is why my mother stopped studying when she was in secondary school and she had to get married when she was 16. This happened in ’78 but today, after more than 40 years, I still hear stories similar to this one”. These are the words of Deepa, head of the Bala Shanti Program. She explains that, even today, the children of abandoned mothers experience three challenges: poverty, dropping out of school and being forced into early marriage. The Bala Shanti Program therefore aims to help these women raise their children in a state of well-being, health and dignity. According to the United Nations 2019-2020 report, about 4.5% of families in India are composed of single mothers and an estimated 38% of these families live in poverty. Deepa explains: “A woman in India alone and in a vulnerable condition can hardly hope to survive: it is not a personal choice, many of them find themselves in conditions of neglect, insecurity, exploitation”. The ultimate goal of the Bala Shanti Program, therefore, is to fight poverty, malnutrition and diseases that develop in contexts of great hardship, building a society of peace. in addition to financial aid, children and their mothers are also trained in topics such as education, peace, nutrition, hygiene and leadership. Today, there are 9 Bala Shanti Kendra – early childhood development centres – which welcome more than 200 children a year. Since 1991, more than 10,000 children have completed their education, and during the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, aid was provided to 15,000 children and families. Since 1998, the project has been collaborating with AFN Onlus, the non-profit organisation linked to the Focolare Movement, which, through distance support, helps to provide children with scholarships at the Bala Shanti Program. There are many who could testify to the importance of the Bala Shanti Program in their own lives, like Fathima now aged 45. Until a few years ago she was a lone parent in financial difficulty and did not know how to raise and educate her son, little Aarish. Since the Bala Shanti Program started to help, her life has changed. Aarish went through training courses and received a distance scholarship. She explains “I was also helped with food supplies. They put me in touch with competent doctors and invited me to shows and dances through which I could distract myself and think about something beautiful. This was very important for me”. Now Aarish has grown up, is 15 years old and has been a volunteer at Shanti Ashram for three years. Also, thanks to his help, the Bala Shanti Program will offer more and more support to abandoned women and their children. Thus, the hope remains that this chain of aid will become more and more robust and widespread.
Before each daily action we can discover which face of Jesus Forsaken we can love through it. This is what Chiara Lubich suggests so as to carry out well and perfectly all that we have to do To love Jesus Forsaken. It is this name that touches upon so many aspects of our individual and collective life, that I would also like to expound on a bit today. To be more precise, I would like to tell you something about a particular way of loving Jesus Forsaken, who is the gateway and road to our holiness. (…) Wherever we look, we have the marvellous opportunity to love Him, to comfort Him, to find solutions to specific problems which are all expressions of Him. And this is a great grace. Through our work, we are always in contact with Him, with Jesus Forsaken, and by loving Him we can become saints. However, there are different ways to love Him. We can love Him greatly, or we can love Him a little. And this means that with our love for Him we can contribute towards our holiness in a great way or in a little way. Saints have searched for and are searching for that love which renders the most benefit for the glory of God. Are we writing our personal life story in order to share our experience? Let’s do it well, very well, listening with great love to the voice inside of us which sheds light on our past and present, a light which others would appreciate hearing about because it is attractive. Let’s pay close attention to what that voice suggests to us and to what corrections it makes. Let’s pour our greatest efforts into everything we do. Let’s continue to correct our work until that voice has no more to tell us. We must never mistreat the Work of God. We must never carry out imperfect works. Therefore, let’s do everything well, very well. (…) for every work that we carry out , let’s try to discover which countenance of Jesus Forsaken we can love in doing so, and then accomplish it perfectly. Therefore, perfect actions out of love for Jesus Forsaken. This is the way to build our holiness, our great holiness.
Chiara Lubich
(In a conference call, Loppiano February 20th,1986)
The testimony of the volunteers of the “Casa de los Niños” in Cochabamba (Bolivia), a project inspired by the spirituality of unity, committed to tirelessly caring for those infected by COVID-19 and bringing consolation to the dying. We returned to the streets of our city slightly reckless and very naive. This virus is frightening everyone and encouraging us to isolate ourselves from one another but we understand how important and necessary what is urgently required of us which is why we never back down especially as we are taking the necessary precautions. The tests we carry out every week continue to give us negative results. Perhaps someone is extending a merciful hand over our naivety. The cold season has now begun here and Covid-19 infections have increased dramatically reaching unprecedented figures. Public hospitals are collapsing under the strain. People are dying in cars, waiting for beds to become available… Even in the highly expensive private clinics admissions have been suspended. Oxygen is no longer available, and there are long queues for refills at the only two places able to provide this service, for a fee. A 6m3 cylinder lasts less than 5 hours! Specialist medicines are only available on the black market with each vial costing around 1,300 euros! This year those affected by the virus are much younger. We take oxygen and medicine to whoever needs it. We have permits to travel all day and every day. Our very spacious minibus has been turned into an ambulance and often, unfortunately, into a hearse at zero cost. Time is of the essence for those in need and struggling to breathe, so we too are rushing around and have no time to think about ourselves. We are bringing oxygen and medicine but, to be honest, we are mainly engaged in sowing seeds of hope. We get to know those we visit for the first time but a kind of mutual complicity is immediately established that opens up possibilities for hope. Little by little, fear begins to melt away and we see people smile serenely. We also take rosary beads with us. It is not a magic charm. No. They are the prayer beads of those of us who wish to entrust the enormous afflictions and sufferings of these days, of so many of our brothers and sisters, to the heart of our Mother in Heaven. It is part of the oxygen treatment, giving air to the hearts of those who suffer! Every evening we meet for community prayers in our little town, outside on the lawn in front of the beautiful chapel which holds the stories of so many of our children who have already flown to heaven. We pray before the statue of the “Virgen de Urcupiña”, patron saint of Cochabamba, who carries Her Son in her arms. Ours is a prayer that goes straight to heaven wanting to fix the names of the many people we have visited during the day. We ask for the light from heaven that each one of them needs to illuminate the night of their pain.
The volunteers of the “Casa de los Niños” – Cochabamba (Bolivia)
Interview with the President of the Focolare on the decree of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life on the turnover of leaders governing lay associations. Encourage leadership turnover. On June 3 a Decree approved by Pope Francis was promulgated by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life that regulates the length of mandates of leadership roles within international associations. A single mandate can last at most five years up to a maximum of ten consecutive years. This is the indicated norm (with relative specific insights, including possible dispensations for founders), while a detailed explanatory note helps to understand the spirit of the measures: to foster greater ecclesial communion, broader synodality, an authentic spirit of service, to avoid personalism, abuses of power, and to increase missionary enthusiasm and a genuine gospel lifestyle. We discussed the decree with the President of the Focolare, Margaret Karram. Did the decree of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life concerning the turnover of leadership roles in lay associations come as a surprise to you? We weren’t expecting a decree of this nature at this time, but the content didn’t surprise us. A process has been under way for a number of years in the Focolare Movement that takes into account the turnover in roles of government. This applies at the international centre and in the countries where we are present, putting limits to the length of mandates. The Decree showed us once again that the Church is a mother. In taking care of associations like ours, the Church accompanies and helps every reality to find organizational forms that allow it to remain faithful to its own charism and mission, in keeping with the journey of the Church in today’s world. For this reason, we fully welcome the spirit of the Decree and all it has determined, which also chimes with the open reflection in the Movement on representativeness in the governing bodies that we have already shared with the Dicastery. The opening paragraph of the Decree states that: “The international associations of the faithful and their internal government have been the object of particular reflection and a consequent discernment by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life”. Do you perceive therefore some concern about movements in general? And towards the Focolare Movement? I would say that the Dicastery is certainly paying particular attention to the Movements, and we can witness to this, bearing in mind that it is its particular task. Then, as they are such a varied reality, the Dicastery is sure to have some concerns. The Decree itself emphasises the “flourishing” of these associations and recognizes the fact that they have brought “an abundance of graces and apostolic fruits for the Church and the world of today”. It is not the Church’s intention to curb the charismatic drive of the movements, their innovative strength and their missionary impact. It wants to help them achieve their specific aims which are always directed towards the good of people, of the Church and of society. The Decree offers structural elements that can help reduce some of the dangers by limiting the time a person can hold positions of government. However, I do not see in these interventions a particularfocus on the Focolare Movement, also because a turnover in leadership roles is already included in our Statutes . In his address to the participants in the III World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities in November 2014, Pope Francis pointed out a method for reaching the ecclesial maturity also hoped for by his two predecessors: “Do not forget, … that to reach this goal, conversion must be missionary: the strength to overcome temptations and insufficiencies comes from the profound joy of proclaiming the Gospel, which is the foundation of your charisms”. What do you think about this? I agree fully! What the Pope has called for requires a twofold commitment: it is necessary always to return to theGospel, to the Word of God and to be aware that the charism of one’s founder is nothing more than a new and modern reading of the words of Jesus, illuminated by a gift of the Spirit, which enables them to be lived from a particular standpoint. We must therefore take into account that a spirituality, which is born of a charism, is a way of proclaiming the Gospel and therefore of working for the good of the Church and of humanity. Is healthy generational change and a turnover of people in leadership roles enough to ensure there is synodal government, carried out in a spirit of service and hence avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, from personalism to abuses of power?I would say that this cannot be enough if real, lasting and fruitful cultural change is to be achieved. I think we should first ask ourselves what is the purpose of leadership in an association like ours. Although generational change and avoiding past mistakes are important, these are not the aims. The main purpose of our leadership – as I think is true of every ecclesial movement – is to ensure that the movement goes forward and develops in the genuine spirit of its own charism, following the design that flows from it and fulfilling the purposes for which the Holy Spirit gave it life. The decree itself emphasizes that “government within the associations of the faithful be exercised in coherence with their ecclesial mission, as a service ordered to realising their own purposes and to the good of their members”. It is a work of continuous updating, improvement andrenewal which requires above all a conversion of hearts to the Gospel and to one’s own charismatic roots. Generational change in governing bodies, through a frequent turnover in leadership roles, can enable the updating of an association, and can help to avoid – as the explanatory note from the Dicastery says – forms of appropriation of the charism, personalisation, centralisation and expressions of self-referentiality, which can easily cause serious violations of personal dignity and freedom, and even real abuses.” But a turnover in leadership roles alone does not guarantee a correct exercise of power. We need other elements that we have been implementing and continuously improving for several years, such as a path of spiritual and human formation to a coherent leadership, to a gospel lifestyle and to one’s own charism. Therefore it is a style of government that highlights community discernment, with new forms of accompaniment and synodal methodologies for the choice of candidates for positions of leadership. Specifically, in three years’ time, several of the people elected atthe General Assembly last February will have to be replaced. Do you already have an idea of how to proceed, also in order to modify the current Statutes which provide for six years as the duration of office and the possibility of a second term? We are already in line with some of the points made in the new Decree, especially as regards the maximum limit of two consecutive mandates for leadership roles. What needs to be changed now is the duration, from 6 to 5 years. We had already started the process of setting up a commission for the necessary revision of various points in our Statutes, to which is now added as a priority the work of adaptation according to the Decree. It is a task that we want to do calmly and carefully, because we would like not only to accept these new norms simply as stated, but also and above all to accept their spirit and to study well how to apply them not only regarding central and international bodies, but on a large scale, also in the local governing of territorial centres. In any case, we would like to do everything in dialogue with the Dicastery, studying some specific aspects and some areas of doubt. They have specifically said that they are ready to listen to us on any issues. When Pope Francis met the participants in the General Assembly, he highlighted some issues to which particular attention should be paid: self-referentiality, the importance of crises and knowing how to manage them well, coherence and realism in living spirituality and synodality. What has been done or will be done to follow up on these points?We consider Pope Francis’ speech to the participants at the General Assembly as a programmatic document, together with the final document of the Assembly itself. With great joy we see how much the study and research of ways of applying these two documents are bearing fruit in the various geographical areas in which our Movement is present. Two central points are emerging: attentive listening to the cry of suffering humanity that surrounds us, in which we rediscover the face of Jesus crucified and forsaken, and a new family spirit in our Movement, beyond all subdivisions. This expresses the core of our spirituality: to offer the world a model of life in the style of that of a family; that is, brothers and sisters on a universal level, linked together by fraternal love for every man and woman and preferential love for those who suffer most, for those most in need. What is the style and the methods of this new leadership of the Focolare Movement? What is new in Margaret Karram’s heart? I feel it is particularly important, within the leadership of the Movement, to have an experience of “synodality”. This means conducting everything in a spirit of listening and to restore to interpersonal relationships that gospel based fraternal love, of truth and charity, that also illuminates the place that belongs to each person, that is, the central one. For example, as the General Council, we have just had the wonderful experience of listening to those responsible for the territorial areas of the Movement all over the world . They are the ones who are at the grassroots; they know the potential, the needs and the cultural and anthropological characteristics of our communities. Listening to them, what emerged was all the liveliness and creativity of “Chiara’s people”, who want to take on board the different forms of disunity and heal the wounds of humanity around them. Perhaps it is not even necessary that the International Centre should always give directives or guide the path of the Movement. What matters is that the Centre always guarantees the unity of the entire Movement and that it highlights what the Holy Spirit is gradually showing us all.
Stefano Zamagni, economist and President of the Pontifical Athenaeum for Social Sciences, recently spoke in Loppiano, Italy at the event marking the 30th anniversary of the Economy of Communion. We present an excerpt from his address in which he underlined the contribution of the Economy of Communion to the evolution of economic thought. ‘(…) I must confess that when, exactly 30 years ago, I listened to Chiara Lubich’s speech in Brazil when she launched the Economy of Communion project, I was very impressed but also shocked. Economy as a science uses many words such as wealth, income, efficiency, productivity and equity, but it does not use the word communion. I asked myself: “How could someone like Chiara whose cultural background did not include an economic element have launched an intellectual challenge of that kind?” There had to be a special charism at work and we know today that there was. This positively disturbed me. I began to reflect and asked myself: “Why, in the long history of economic thought, has this concept never been addressed?” A few years later I came across the work of Antonio Genovesi, the founder of civil economy, and I understood a whole series of connections between the Economy of Communion and civil economy. Obviously, at the beginning, there were many difficulties for the Economy of Communion. I remember that in 1994 in Ostuni in Puglia, Italy, the MEIC (Eccelsial Movement of Cultural Commitment) organised a series of cultural seminars during the summer. In a presentation chaired by a famous Italian economist, two newly graduated focolarine had the audacity to present the Economy of Communion project. This professor began to say: “This is nonsense, because it does not satisfy the criterion of rationality.” I was present and asked him: “But do you think that the gesture of the Good Samaritan satisfies the criterion of rationality? You see,” I continued, “you are a slave to a paradigm, to a way of thinking that you have sucked out of your studies without addressing the problem, because the rationality you think of is instrumental rationality, but there is also expressive rationality. Who said that instrumental rationality is superior to expressive rationality? Don’t you know that the Economy of Communion is part of the model of expressive rationality? In this case, expressive means that a charism is expressed – because charisms must be expressed and translated into historical reality.” The Economy of Communion has made it possible to recover that tradition of thought regarding civil economy that began in Naples in 1753. For example, think of the economy and the school of civil economy over which Luigino Bruni presides. In addition, the recent big “Economy of Francis” event which was really a mixture of civil economy – a paradigm, which is view of reality that is embodied in models, projects and different theories – and the economy of communion. This event took place recently, but I am sure its impact will soon become apparent. To close, I would like to use a word that has, unfortunately disappeared from use for at least a century: this word is “conation”. It was coined by Aristotle 2400 years ago. It derives from the combination of knowledge and action and means that knowledge must be put at the service of action, and action cannot be exercised and bear fruit unless it is based on knowledge. I say this because the challenge of the next 30 years, and even more, for the Economy of Communion is to strengthen the knowledge component. Up to now, priority has rightly been given to action, to achievements. But we must be aware that if action is not continually nourished by knowledge, it risks disintegrating. Chiara Lubich had a capacity for intuition and understanding, and therefore for foresight, even on subjects in which she was not a specialist. Indeed, the contribution of the Economy of Communion to the evolution of economic thought as a science has been remarkable. Luigino Bruni directs a research doctorate programme in the economy of communion and civil economy at the Lumsa (Libera Università Maria Assunta) in Rome, Italy; here in Loppiano there is the Sophia University Institute and in other universities too it is no longer forbidden to speak of Economy of Communion. I think this is a great, great outcome. (…)’ To review the live broadcast from Loppiano for the 30th anniversary of the Economy of Communion, click here
Living charity, which is the source of every virtue, brings out the figure of Christ in us, because by loving we are another Him. In spite of our love for our brothers and sisters, we still carry with us certain faults that take away something of the beauty of Christ in us. … You know how in acquiring [virtues] and in combatting their opposing vices, we, who are called by God to find our “fortune” in our neighbour, discover that it is truly by loving Him that we deny ourselves. And you know that, to improve ourselves, we do not usually aim directly at removing one fault after another. Instead, we go around the obstacles, or “change room,” as we say, by “living the others”. In this way, we place ourselves on the path of charity which is the source of every virtue. … Besides, Jesus Forsaken, to whom we have given our lives, is for us the model of all virtues. We have always said that we want to love Him not only in suffering but also in living the virtues. Charity, in fact, brings out the figure of Christ in us because when we love we are another Christ. But by loving Jesus Forsaken in living the virtues, we have the impression of chiselling that figure of Christ in us, of refining it. We notice, in fact, that despite our love for our brothers and sisters, for years we’ve still been carrying around little or larger faults, that are sometimes trivial, but which take something away from the beauty of Christ in us. … What are these faults? Everyone has their own. At times we spoil what we are doing by rushing, or we don’t do the will of God perfectly. We are distracted in prayer; we dwell on foolish things that the world enjoys; we don’t know how to moderate our appetite. We are often overcome by curiosity, or we fall into vainglory. We speak out of turn or unnecessarily. We are attached to little things, a bit dependent on television. We let our brothers and sisters serve us; we are inconsistent, and so on. What should we do? When it is a question of things that are not good, Jesus invites us to act decisively when he affirms, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out” (cf. Mt 5:29). We too, therefore, out of love for Jesus Forsaken, while continuing on the path of love, must not waver and must remain who we are, but root out our vices one by one. … I am convinced that this is even more possible on our spiritual path. Love, in fact, helps us. Love is self-denial and burns away these things too. Nonetheless, it isn’t a bad idea to focus on some of our faults and get into the habit of practising their opposite virtues. … Let’s take courage then and get to work!
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa 21st June 1984)
Almost two years after a powerful earthquake, the Focolare community thanks all those who donated money to support their country in a moment of enormous difficulty. And the communion of goods continues: surplus funds have been sent to others who have had to face their own emergency. At 3.54 a.m. on 26 November 2019, a powerful earthquake struck the central northern part of the Republic of Albania. Fifty-two people lost their lives and over 2,000 were injured; numerous buildings collapsed creating substantial damage. More than 4,000 people had to leave their homes. The Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination Team responded immediately to meet the country’s needs. During the preliminary operations, six families were identified as being most in need. Their homes had suffered substantial damage and were therefore included in the reconstruction project. Because of the pandemic, the work had to slow down considerably but all the families were able to get through the winter season in suitable housing. So far five houses have been rebuilt. The only family whose house still needs to be repaired is waiting for the necessary permits from the local council. Upon receiving news of the earthquake, many members of the Focolare worldwide took action to respond to the needs of the Albanian community. A large communion of goods was organised through AMU (Action for a United World) and AFN (Action for New Families) with donations being received from many countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Australia. Francesco Tortorella of AMU stressed how “the effects multiply when we move together, not as individual organisations or individual expressions of the Focolare Movement but as a single reality.” A total of €53,000 was collected, €14,000 of which has been or will be used for reconstruction projects in Albania including work on the last house which will begin once the permits have been obtained. The remaining funds were donated to the indigenous peoples of Honduras whose farmland and stilt houses were destroyed by two typhoons in 2020. “The experience of reciprocity has involved everyone on the project,” explains Francesco Tortorella, “everyone agreed that the money left over should be donated for this new emergency”. Another part of the funds was used to set up a course on emotional wellbeing for young people. After the earthquake and the pandemic, there was a great need, especially among young people, for support in managing stress and anxiety. Twenty-five young people between the ages of 14 and 24 are currently taking part on the course. Elsa Cara, a member of the Focolare and an accountant in Tirana, the capital of Albania, said: “I lost seven cousins in the earthquake. It was really hard but I wanted to do something. Thanks to donations received from the Focolare, I was able to go to Thumane, one of the places most affected by the quakes. Being an area that is predominantly Muslim, the Catholic community is very small. I decided to go there every week, to be close to the children, and offered them a catechism course. Initially everyone was suffering from shock. Now they are a united group which is happy to be on this journey. Many of them have now been baptised. All this was the result of a collaboration between the Focolare, the local Church and Caritas.” Alfred Matoshi, a lawyer in Tirana and someone who has been heavily involved in the reconstruction project, thanked all those who donated, on behalf of the whole Focolare community in Albania: “Thank you. Because of them we have been able to help families in difficulty, children on the streets without a home, people who were crying from fright. Thank you, don’t stop giving, wherever there is a need.”
An international online conference, with translations in 20 languages, promoted by the Focolare highlighted the contribution of Chiara Lubich’s spirituality to increase unity among Christians. “God’s will is mutual love, so to heal this rupture it is necessary to love one another”. With these words, on 26 May 1961, Chiara Lubich launched the Centre ‘Uno’ for Christian Unity, as a contribution in the ecumenical sphere to ‘heal’ the ‘rupture’ of the division between Christians of various Churches. Those who, from all over the globe, more than 13,000 people, participated in the international meeting for Christian unity promoted by the Focolare Movement and held online on 28-29 May entitled “Love one another as I have loved you”. (Jn 15:12), was able to see that the line indicated at that time by the founder continues to be the Movement’s line in the ecumenical sphere. In particular, two guidelines have emerged on the path towards Christian unity: “the dialogue of life” and “the sharing of spiritual gifts”. For the members of the Focolare Movement, these are based on two points of the spirituality of unity: the presence of Jesus in the midst of Christians united in His love (cf Mt 18:20) and love taken to its extreme in the cry of Jesus on the cross (cf Mk 15:34). The cry of humanity today,” said Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, in her speech, “seems to be an echo of his cry: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Mk 15:34). But Jesus, in a supreme act, gave himself completely back to the Father, thus bridging every gap, every possible disunity”. “In Him,” he continued, “we find the measure of love. When we recognise Him in all that hurts us, in our own limitations and in those of others, when it is difficult to ‘meet’ each other without hurting ourselves, it is still He who calls us to love the Church of the other as our own”. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Church of Jesus, also referred to the “two poles of the charism of unity”, unity and Jesus forsaken. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, referred to the “two poles of the charism of unity”, unity and Jesus forsaken, indicating them as the contribution of Chiara Lubich’s ecumenical spirituality to increase unity among Christians. He also said that he had “received much inspiration for my present task” from her. He conveyed the greetings of Pope Francis who “hopes that the reflection on dialogue and the exchange of spiritual gifts, as well as the sharing of the experience of communion lived in these years, will be an encouragement to realise daily the prayer of Jesus to the Father ‘That all may be one'”. Rev Ioan Sauca, acting secretary of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, said that love is “at the heart of the spirituality of unity of which Clare has always spoken; we are all embraced by the love of God in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit”. Catholic theologian Piero Coda, referring to the presence of Jesus in the midst of his followers, said: “And then it will be He, in the light and power of the Spirit, who will guide us on the path of unity”. “Jesus in the midst” is an expression coined by Lubich which, as Prof. Mervat Kelly of the Syrian Orthodox Church recalled, “has never been heard before” even though various Church Fathers have spoken of it. While the Lutheran evangelical theologian Stefan Tobler observed that “the Movement, wanting to support the journey of the Churches, can lead back to an experience that is the foundation, the nourishment of every ecumenical journey”. The conference was followed in many countries of the world: with 20 languages in simultaneous translation, the live webcast had over 13,000 individual views on the first day and 8500 on the second day. Live experiences from Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Congo, USA, Lebanon, Romania, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy and the “Together for Europe” project confirmed that the “dialogue of life” is a viable way on the path to unity. Another dimension that emerged at the conference was ‘receptive ecumenism’, that is, the exchange of spiritual gifts, the discovery of the gifts that each Church can offer and share. Mgr Juan Usma Gómez of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, an expert in dialogue with the charismatic-pentecostal reality, outlined the tensions that exist within Christianity. “I would like us to try together,” he said, “to dream of a possible path between the members of the Focolare Movement and those who belong to the Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement, identifying some essential elements to put it into action”. The session was enriched by Pastor Giovanni Traettino, founder of the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation in Italy and Pastor Joe Tosini, founder of the John 17 Movement in the United States, while the testimonies from Italy of Pentecostals and Catholics who are members of the Focolare Movement working together in solidarity projects for their cities, validated the fruitfulness of the “dialogue of life”. At the conclusion of the meeting, Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, said: “Mutual love among us Christians is the strongest and most credible witness to the world around us” and “at the present time in which humanity is living, Christian unity is an ethical imperative”. Affirming that “we do not want to evade that “effort of unity” to which Cardinal K. Koch referred in his report, he said that “we must not lose sight of the need for unity”. K. Koch referred to in his report, he concluded: “We only want to give priority to what has priority, and this is the experience of God that underpins all logic, all preaching about God. It seems to me that in these days we have had this experience, once again, as an immense gift from God.
Joan Patricia Back
Here are the links to review the live broadcasts of 28 and 29 May in different languages: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKhiBjTNojHo9Zx4JZmSokKOePyBL4Prp
Joining them that day were some of their Catholic friends who were members of Focolare, an international lay ecclesial movement in the Church that, among other things, promotes greater unity in the broader human family. “It was a very emotionally moving experience,” said Nur-Allah member David Shaheed, who has also served as a Marion County judge since 1996. “They felt connected to us. They felt that we were friends and neighbors. They put their lives at risk to be with us at such a historically tumultuous and scary time.” John Mundell, a member of St. Pius X Parish on 9/11, was part of the Focolare group that came to Nur-Allah on Sept. 14, 2001. “That experience was probably one of the most sacred moments of my life,” he said. “When we walked in as a group and they saw us, you could tell by the look on their faces that they realized that what we had established was real. There was nothing fake or superficial about it.” 
“Two driving ideas conditioned my life growing up: the need to consecrate myself totally to God and an instinctive creative love for beauty and art, combined with the unshakeable conviction that I would do something truly important with my life”. This is how Nedo Pozzi described his ambitious life-project, which he confided to us too during the almost forty years we shared at the Focolare’s international centre. Firstly we worked together in the field of “Family Life”. Then his distinctive gifts as a communicator, man of culture and of rare sensitivity, led to him being entrusted with other even more arduous and complex tasks. In 2000 he played a key role in developing a Focolare network (NetOne) for those active in the field of communications and media. Later, he was asked, with Vera Araujo, to coordinate the Focolare Movement’s dialogue with contemporary culture. 
We are in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, a landlocked state in the interior and central part of the African continent. The capital is located in the south-west, in an area that borders on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Four years ago, a kindergarten and primary school called Sainte Claire was founded in a suburb of Bangui. It currently has 514 pupils. It was opened in response to an appeal that both Pope Francis and Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement at the time, had made: to go out to meet people’s needs, particularly those living on the margins of society. “For us the most urgent need was education,” explains Bernadine, a member of the Focolare and headmistress at the Sainte Claire school. “After long periods of war, many children had missed several years of school. We could then help them catch up and reach the level of their peers.” 
I was returning to Paraguay after many years in Europe. I felt moved when I first glimpsed the red earth and green areas that are so typical of the country as the plane began its descent for landing. The international airport, Silvio Pettirossi, had not changed much. The first impression as I stepped out of the aircraft was the suffocating heat that brought back distant and much-loved memories. Instead of feeling asphyxiated, I took it as a warm hug from the many loved ones I would find there. 
On Saturday June 26th a delegation from the German Lutheran Church visited the International Focolare Centre in Rocca di Papa (Italy). Welcomed by Focolare President Margaret Karram and Co-President Jesús Morán, the members of the delegation also met members of Centre Uno, the movement’s centre for Christian Unity and some members of the General Council of the Movement. The delegation included Bishop Frank-Otfried July, President of the German section of the World Lutheran Federation (DKN/FLM), and Bishops Ralf Meister and Karl-Hinrich Manzke, respectively President and in charge of relations of the Union of German Lutheran Churches (VELKD) with the Catholic Church. It was an opportunity for mutual understanding and deep communion. 
It has been said that Spartaco Lucarini’s soul was open to the whole of humanity but he was also closely linked to his own country and local area. He worked ceaselessly and with great courage and commitment to promote its social and cultural development. He was a journalist and writer, politician and man of culture. He was one of the first married focolarini and he was editor of the “Citta Nuova” magazine for several years, collaborating with the Movement’s international centre near Rome. He had moved there with his family from his home town of Cortona in Tuscany where he was born on 6 May 1924. In this town which is often considered to be a tresure chest of art, many people still remember him, especially for his social, political and civic commitment. Among other things, Spartaco founded the Tourist Board and made sure that Cortona was well known known not only in Italy but also abroad. He used a variety of ways including his literary skills for which he received many awards. From a young age, he had been concerned with the problems of the area, mainly unemployment and precarious working conditions. “In spite of his professional commitments, he always followed events in Cortona with great attention and affection,” Walter Checcarelli, president of the Cortona Christian Association, confirmed to the local newspaper “L’Etruria”. “At the beginning of the 1960s, he realised the great potential in the sale of antiques and founded the Antique Furniture Exhibition which, over time, became one of the most important nationwide. He made his contribution as a town councillor, becoming group leader of the Christian Democrat party with a style of openness and dialogue, unusual for those years of strong ideological opposition. Personally, I remember his holidays with his large family during the Easter period: his presence and prayer on Good Friday have remained indelibly impressed in my mind and heart.” As a sign of gratitude for his political commitment as a town councillor, but also in recognition of his contribution as a builder of the area’s social culture, on 2 March 2021 the Cortona town council unanimously decided to name the escalators leading from the Spirito Santo car park to Piazza Garibaldi after him. The dedication ceremony will be held on 3 July 2021 during the Festival of Sacred Music at 10.30 a.m. (Italian time). Following this, an event in a the Teatro Signorelli in Cortona will commemorate this multifaceted figure and his contribution to the political and cultural scene of the 20th century. 
The cold season has now begun here and Covid-19 infections have increased dramatically reaching unprecedented figures. Public hospitals are collapsing under the strain. People are dying in cars, waiting for beds to become available… Even in the highly expensive private clinics admissions have been suspended. Oxygen is no longer available, and there are long queues for refills at the only two places able to provide this service, for a fee. A 6m3 cylinder lasts less than 5 hours! Specialist medicines are only available on the black market with each vial costing around 1,300 euros! This year those affected by the virus are much younger. We take oxygen and medicine to whoever needs it. We have permits to travel all day and every day. Our very spacious minibus has been turned into an ambulance and often, unfortunately, into a hearse at zero cost. Time is of the essence for those in need and struggling to breathe, so we too are rushing around and have no time to think about ourselves.
We are bringing oxygen and medicine but, to be honest, we are mainly engaged in sowing seeds of hope. We get to know those we visit for the first time but a kind of mutual complicity is immediately established that opens up possibilities for hope. Little by little, fear begins to melt away and we see people smile serenely. We also take rosary beads with us. It is not a magic charm. No. They are the prayer beads of those of us who wish to entrust the enormous afflictions and sufferings of these days, of so many of our brothers and sisters, to the heart of our Mother in Heaven. It is part of the oxygen treatment, giving air to the hearts of those who suffer! 
Upon receiving news of the earthquake, many members of the Focolare worldwide took action to respond to the needs of the Albanian community. A large communion of goods was organised through AMU (Action for a United World) and AFN (Action for New Families) with donations being received from many countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Australia. Francesco Tortorella of AMU stressed how “the effects multiply when we move together, not as individual organisations or individual expressions of the Focolare Movement but as a single reality.” A total of €53,000 was collected, €14,000 of which has been or will be used for reconstruction projects in Albania including work on the last house which will begin once the permits have been obtained. The remaining funds were donated to the indigenous peoples of Honduras whose farmland and stilt houses were destroyed by two typhoons in 2020. “The experience of reciprocity has involved everyone on the project,” explains Francesco Tortorella, “everyone agreed that the money left over should be donated for this new emergency”. Another part of the funds was used to set up a course on emotional wellbeing for young people. After the earthquake and the pandemic, there was a great need, especially among young people, for support in managing stress and anxiety. Twenty-five young people between the ages of 14 and 24 are currently taking part on the course.