Dec 25, 2017 | Non categorizzato
It was in the plans of Providence that the Word become flesh, that a word, the Word, be written on earth in flesh and blood; and this Word needed a background. Out of love for us, the heavenly harmonies longed to transfer their peerless concert within our tents; and so they needed a silence. The Protagonist of all humanity, who gave meaning to centuries past, and enlightened and drew after him the centuries to come, had to appear on this world’s stage, but he needed a white background to make him alone stand out. The greatest design that Love-God could invent, had to be drawn, majestic and divine and all the colours of virtue had to be found gathered in a heart ready to serve him. This wondrous shade that contains the sun, losing and finding itself therein; this white background almost an immense abyss that contains the Word which is Christ immersing itself in him, light in the Light; this lofty silence that is silent no more, for within it sing the Word’s divine harmonies and in him becomes the note of notes, almost setting the tone for heaven’s endless song; this majestic scene, as fair as nature, summarising the beauty lavished by the Creator throughout the universe, this little universe for the Son of God, which is seen no more because it yields its interests and its parts to the One who was to come, and has come, for what he had to do, and did; this rainbow of virtue that says “peace” to the whole world because Peace it has given the world; this creature, first thought of in the mysterious depths of the Trinity, and given to us, was Mary. Cf Chiara Lubich Mary, The Transparency of God, New City London 2003 p11-13
Dec 23, 2017 | Non categorizzato
A child who gets lost winds up in a place that’s not home. Yes, at Christmas time God got lost – not only like a boy child, but as a child – in a place where he was no longer at home. He didn’t remain within the enclosed happiness of Heaven, or within the confines of our devotional space. He got lost for the little ones and the poor, for those who are sick and in mourning, for sinners, for those we consider far from God, those we think have nothing to do with God. God got lost right where the prodigal son got lost – far from his father’s home – so he could return to the Father in him and with him. God got lost as a child not by mistake, but by the most divine gesture God could make. God is the God of all, or else he isn’t God. God is the God of the little ones and the ones far off, or else he isn’t God. “Let yourself be found where you, God, were lost as a child. Yes, let us become a child in whom you lose yourself for others, for everybody!” Klaus Hemmerle. La luce dentro le cose (Rome: Città Nuova, 1998) 395.
Dec 22, 2017 | Non categorizzato
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| “Rejoice, highly favoured one! The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28) Humankind is galvanised by joyful news: God has become a child in Mary’s womb. God has become man and chosen to stay with us, forever! He comes into history and gives us his Mother, Mary, as a star to guide our path. It is a mystery of infinite love! May the joy of that night fill our hearts and make us bearers of this great message of love to humanity. Merry Christmas! |
Dec 20, 2017 | Focolare Worldwide
Towards Christmas “I knew that the company I was working for would soon close shop and I would soon be jobless. Despite this, as Christmas neared, my colleagues and I thought of setting aside a part of our salary for the poorer people. So we went to visit a family that lived in a shanty, deprived of all necessities. Besides the envelope with the money we also brought toys for the children. We departed happily: it seemed to us that it was best preparation for the birth of the Lord. But before the day ended, some good news arrived: we were ensured that we would work for another five months.” (J.L.V. – Mexico) Hunger «One day at school, I saw a little girl who was all alone in a corner. I immediately went and asked her, “Why are you crying?” She told me that she had stomach ache because she had not had breakfast and had nothing for lunch. I thought: “It is Jesus who is hungry” and gave her my sandwich. After a while that girl said to me: “Now my stomach is no longer aching.” I was so happy. (S.S – Philippines) I forgive! «I was playing with a friend of mine when a boy arrived and with no reason hit me on the head, and I had to go to the hospital to be treated. On returning home I had only one thought: revenge. The day after, that boy’s father came to ask forgiveness. And he added: “I give you my permission to do to my son what he did to you. Perhaps he will understand how badly he behaved!” At that point I remembered Jesus’s invitation to love one’s enemies and I answered him that I forgave him. Surprised, the father called his son, and so we made up and now live in peace.” (Dionisio – Angola) Stolen drillers While I was working in the office together with my colleague, Benda, who is Muslim, we heard a crash from outside. We went to look: someone had broken the glass of our van and had stolen three drillers. It was the first time a thing like that happened and we were inconsolable. Then the thought of forgiving the author of that act came to my mind, and who probably was pushed by necessity. Recalling a phrase of the Koran Benda added: “When a person forgives, what he was robbed of will be returned by someone else.” That evening, at home, while I was recounting the episode, one of my relatives offered me three drills which he wasn’t using anymore. The next day, he brought them, and one of them was similar to the more expensive drill that had been stolen. (A.G. – Italy)
Dec 20, 2017 | Non categorizzato
Instituted by the United Nations in 2005, and proclaimed on 20 December 2002, the world Solidarity Fund was created with the aim of promoting human and social development in the developing countries. Solidarity Day calls attention to respect for diversity and the importance of solidarity between people. If united and solid, humankind can more effectively oppose social injustice. Solidarity conceived as an understanding of the fundamental and universal values of human existence has to become the basis of the search for global solutions, and may carry out a decisive role in solving the world’s problems. Solidarity is indicated as the protagonist in the Millennium Declaration signed in September 2000 by all the member states of the UN, to counter economic, social, cultural and humanitarian injustice. The declaration elects such values as the pillar of international relationships in the 21st century.
Dec 19, 2017 | Non categorizzato
It no longer seems paradoxical to have to reinsert Jesus into Christmas. During this season, especially in affluent countries, consumerism and a certain sentimentalism blur or even exclude the centrality of Jesus. It wasn’t very different two thousand years ago: On their way to Bethlehem, they couldn’t find a place to stay. Mary and Joseph had to make do with a makeshift shelter where the Child could be born. All over the world the Gen4 are saying:“They’ve evicted Jesus.” “At least in our homes, let’s celebrate as loud as we can the One who is born!” Chiara Lubich invited them to “let Jesus be born in their midst, through love.” This led to the idea in 1996 of making small statues of the Baby Jesus and giving them away to people rushing by on the streets, perhaps mindless of the fact that Christmas was primarily a celebration of Jesus. “We tell the people: ‘Do you want to take Him home to your house?’ Some say no, some move on without even stopping. But others stop and we give them these small statues, or the mangers we made. In the squares of big cities, in the commercial centres, in the homes for the elderly – our booths draw people’s attention . . . or the parties we organize for children. It’s like a wave of happiness that overcomes everybody and places, Jesus, the One we’re really celebrating, at the centre of Christmas.” Before trying to give Jesus to other people, the children try to know him better. A two-day meeting for Gen4 was held recently in the Focolare town, in Tagaytay, Philippines. At the end everyone wrote a letter to Jesus. Sam wrote: “Jesus is my hero. Whenever I’m afraid, he protects me. When I’m good to other people, I’m like him.” Kenneth: “I pray to you that my family will not separate.” Gioia writes about having learned how to love everyone, “even my enemies, to be the first to love, sharing the joys and sorrows of others.” April: “Thank you for giving me parents and a good sister.” In many parts of the world they are challenging the cold, the problems and indifference with a disarming smile, candour and warmth that is typical of their age. The Gen4 present an unedited view onto Christmas, returning the attention to its real meaning. In Central America Christmas the Gen4 from El Salvador the Dominican Republic celebrated with the Posadas that recall the difficulty Mary and Joseph had in finding a place to stay. Eight-year-old Walter Francisco is an active member of the Gen4: “Offering our Jesus to all the people who came by us, was really very nice!” Adriana and Juan Pablo are nine and six year old brothers. “First we went to a home for orphan children and share a meal with them. Then we went to give away our Baby Jesus, and the money that some people gave to us we gave to the poor.” «Li abbiamo portati anche ai bambini che puliscono i vetri delle macchine ai semafori». The local Focolare community of Santa Tecla held a food and toy drive for the occasion. More than forty children worked on making 270 statues of the Niñito, which they made with much love and care and offered to shoppers on the street, in several parishes and in a kindergarten: “Jesus can be born again today in everyone’s hearts,” they told us. The money donated, was sent to the children of Puerto Rico.
Dec 18, 2017 | Non categorizzato
Dec 18, 2017 | Non categorizzato
In the year 2000 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared December 18th International Migrants Day. Ten years before, on the same day, it had approved an international convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers, following a serious road accident in which twenty eight migrant workers had lost their lives beneath the tunnel of Monte Bianco while they were travelling to France in search of work, hidden in a truck. Migrants Day deals with a topic that is not new to the story of the human race, but in recent years it has taken on a global relevance, especially in the West. Last 30th September, addressing an Association that brings together Italian Communes, Pope Bergoglio remarked: “We need a politics that doesn’t leave the people who arrive in our region to be left on the margins,” but for this to happen “there have to be spaces for personal encounter and mutual understanding.”
Dec 18, 2017 | Non categorizzato
It is quite unique on the academic, international and cultural landscape and against the backdrop of a crisis of the political, social and religious equilibrium in the Near and Middle East, and between the shores of the Mediterranean: the institution of an ecumenical Chair named for Patriarch Athenagoras and for Chiara Lubich that stands as a sign of that Europe which still wants to breathe with “both lung It was inaugurated last December 14th within the context of the international town of Loppiano, not far from Florence and its call to universalism. The nearby city of central Italy boasts of a long tradition of reconciliation between the East and the West that goes back to the middle of the fifteenth century. Instituted jointly by the Catholic Church, represented by Archbishop of Florence, Cardinal Betori, and by the Orthodox Church, represented by Orthodox Archbishop of Italy and Malta, Gennadios Zervos, the Chair will examine the cultural significance and social implications of the ecumenical journey towards the full unity of the Christian Churches of the East and of the West in highly qualified environment like Sophia University Institute (IUS) where reflection and the dialogue of life are strictly united and experienced. 
The idea of an ecumenical Chair came up in 2015, when IUS with the approval and applause of Pope Francis, had awarded the first honorary doctorate in the Culture of Unity to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I. “On that occasion,” IUS explains, “the desire came out of instituting an Ecumenical Chair named after Patriarch Athenagoras and after Chiara Lubich, which would revisit and actualize that spiritual heritage.” The Chair, of which IUS president, Piero Coda and Metropolitan of Selyvria, Hi Eminence Maximos Vgenopoulos, are co-holders, was inaugurated in the persence of the Metropolitan of Italy and Malta, Gennadios Zervos. “Patriarch Athenagoras and Chiara Lubich are two worthy and blessed personalities that God had illumined,” said the Metropolitan, “to destroy the religious emnities and divisions. With their encounter, they restored the friendship and launched the ‘Dialogue of Charity’.” He went on to say, “I believe that Chiara, with her spirituality, had prepared the two main and most valuable Bridges: the first is Paul VI, the second Athenagoras.” 
Pope Frances sent a message for the occasion: “I rejoice for this praiseworthy initiative, aimed at memorializing the encounter between the Ecumenical Patriarch and the foundress of the Focolare Movement, which fifty years ago marked the beginning of a prolific journey of mutual collaboration and understanding, which boasts of many fruits today, among them, fraternal friendship.” “Such an academic project,” said Focolare president, Maria Voce, “represents an important moment in the ecumenical relations that are in place between the Sister Churches of East and West, and opens fascinating prospectives for the field of study, centered on respectful dialogue, that promises to be even more enriching as a mutual gift on the level of theology and for an anthropology of communion.” The long story of friendship and cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople reaches back to June 1967 when Chiara Lubich first met Patriarch Athenagoras. “It is a great thing to know each other,” the Patriarch had confided to her. “For many centuries we lived isolated, without having brothers, without having sisters – like orphans! The first ten centuries of Christianity were for the dogmas and for organizing the Church. In the ten centuries that followed we had the schisms – the divisions. The third era – this one – is the era of love.” Conferences, classes and a Summer School for young Catholics, Orthodox, Jews and Muslims are scheduled for this academic year. Next March a series of lessons will be given on The Ecclesiology of the Orthodox Church and the Path of Ecumenical Dialogue with the Catholic Church,” for students who would like to contribute to the promotion of the full unity, in service to the encounter between peoples and cultures. Foto Flickr
Dec 17, 2017 | Non categorizzato
On Sunday, December 17th, Pope Francis will turn 81. He is in good health and working with great intensity. As everyone knows, he recently returned from a very demanding trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh and is preparing for his 22cnd trip to Chile and Peru in January. Last year, on his 80th birthday, he confided: “For several days a word has been coming to my mind that can sound bad: old age. It frightens. At least it gives a little scare. But when you see it as a phase of life that is meant to give joy, wisdom, hope – then you can start to live again.” With great gratitude for the gift his life has been, all focused on loving God and people, with a special preference for the most weak and marginalized, we wish him our most heartfelt happy birthday wishes. We assure him of our daily prayers as we ask the Holy Spirit to give hims strength and light to carry foward his task with peace for the joy of all. https://youtu.be/WMVIMp7Eg8I
