Jun 5, 2017 | Non categorizzato
June 5: World Environment Day is celebrated (W.E.D., World Environment Day). The date was chosen by the United Nations to remind the Stockholm Conference on the Environment in 1972, where the United Nations Environment Program was drafted. The Day has become an occasion to stimulate global attention and knowledge of environmental issues. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the health of the Earth, our common home, but also to actively promote a healthy co-existence among all its inhabitants.
Jun 5, 2017 | Non categorizzato
At a time when many are panicking over Blue Whale that has gone viral, finally a different kind of equally contagious game…and a much more positive one! On the web or in a more traditional way, with paper and scissors, there is a game that helps to keep the planet healthy and liveable. First move: click here (a move to the web is required for traditionalists too!). At this point, the indisputable star, the “Dice” or Cube, will remind us every time we take a chance with the most famous game of chance ever made: six possibilities and a bit of luck. Whether you cast it online or you cut it out and build it with your own hands (good for smaller children), this new Cube offers much more. Each side is a small (but great) invitation to respect the environments of the earth on which we live – and its inhabitants. A small compendium of ecology and social relations good for any age, promoted by the EcoOne Ecological/Cultural Project that has spread to 180 countries and recently put experts, researchers and professionals online introducing Environmental topics. There’s only one difference: it’s no theory, but an immediate invitation act each and every day. For example? Well, one side of the dice says: “Discover unbelievable things!”. The world is full of incredible things, from the majestic heights of snow-capped mountains to the depths of the endless seas, from the countless variety of plants to every living thing, even the most tiny things that share the same planet. Every detail in nature fills us with astonishment and wonder, and inspires gratitude for the Creator. What can I do this day to see the world with such eyes? Another toss, another side: “Smile at the world!” Nothing better than positive actions makes the world a better place to live in. Whether its recycling trash or reusing unused objects, not wasting water or turning off the lights, carpooling to reduce gas emissions or caring for a small public garden – it’s enough to think that each and each action has a consequence. The next side: “We’re all connected!” Each thing on the planet is in relationship with all the rest: a factory that puffs smoke, a contaminated water flow, a plastic bottle forgotten on the shore. Every great or small action has a consequence, for good or for bad. How can I build positive connections? The game goes on and never ends: “Now is the moment”. How many times have we said, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” but then did nothing? The world can’t stand by and wait while we keep putting it off! I have to act now and begin again every time I fall. “Only what you need!” Just like a plant that draws from the ground only what it needs to grow, so must we learn to distinguish between needs and desires, reducing to the maximum the negative impact of our actions and amplifying the positive. And finally, “Everything is a gift”. How can I protect everything around me so that future generations can enjoy it? Fortunately die-hard players are many. “Only what you need” was the Earth Cube’s tip for today. And so my day began with a “timed” shower – getting out of the shower before the timer went off – then recycling and reusing paper at work, followed by a lighter lunch than usual. Okay, maybe they’re just small things, but at least I kept going at 100%!” (San Paolo, Brazil) “We’re all interconnected!” is what I read on the Cube today, after tossing it. I remembered that I had left the lights on in the house, so I went back and turned them of before going out for the night. I also turned off the computer. The little things I do really do have an impact on others!” (Nairobi, Kenya) “The Time Is Now“ … Let’s roll the dice! Never has a game been so serious and fascinating at the same time.
Jun 3, 2017 | Non categorizzato
When greeting the participants, the Pope said: “Thank you for what you do, working for Christian unity all together as the Lord wishes. Let us walk together, let us help the poor together, charity together, education together. All together”. He continued: “And may theologians carry out their work and help us too. But we, always walking, never still, never still… and together. This is what I wish for, and I thank you because I know you do this.” Maria Voce, who was among the evangelical leaders invited for this audience, comments: “It was a brief but a personal encounter; the Pope greeted each one of us. We were in the Consistory Hall, and he wanted us to be in the form of a circle to greet each one of us personally. Then he just stopped with us for a couple of minutes; he wanted to show his gratitude for this visit. He was pleased about it; he felt it as a sign of esteem and affection. He expressed his desire that we walk together. He said that this ecumenism is walking together and he thanked the participants because, he said ‘I know that you do this’. He urged us to keep on walking together. Theologians will help us understand the differences and find a way to overcome them, but the most important thing is that we walk together because it is God’s will that we all be one. This was his message. He was very relaxed and very pleased to meet everyone.” Pope Francis said that he would meet the participants in the afternoon at Circus Maximus. On the eve of Pentecoste, an event is being organized by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services and the Catholic Fraternity to celebrate the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Golden Jubilee. Press Release
Jun 3, 2017 | Non categorizzato
“The Holy Spirit can do incredible things! Just look at the Apostles! Jesus had founded the Church on the cross, yet they were bewildered, hesitant and scared, hiding behind locked doors. Then the Holy Spirit came down upon them, and filled them with courage. They went out into the streets and squares, and spoke with such fire, that people thought they were drunk. Later, they bravely faced persecution and set out to bring the Good News to the whole world. This is just one important example of what the Holy Spirit can do – not to mention all that he has done in the Church throughout her twenty centuries of life: miraculous outpourings of light, grace, transformation, and renewal. Think of the Councils, and of the various spiritual movements he raised up, always at just the right moment…. Look at the Focolare. Even in our own small way, didn’t something of this sort happen to us, because of the fact that the Holy Spirit bestowed one of his charisms on us? Before this happened to change our lives, weren’t we just like all those people who don’t see beyond their own neighbourhood, whose thoughts and affections are limited almost exclusively to the small circle of their family? … If, to a greater or lesser degree, things around us have changed for the better, this is the work of the Holy Spirit, who renews the face of the earth. Yes, for his task is to instil drive and motivation; to enable grace – the divine life Jesus has obtained for us – to be at work in our lives; to give us strength and courage. Since we owe him so much, he should hold a much more prominent place in our spiritual lives. … May this thought shed light on our path in the days ahead: Let’s honour the Holy Spirit, by loving, respecting, and serving every neighbour. (15/9/1983) «Is the Holy Spirit in us? Does he speak to our heart? Let’s become attentive and assiduous pupils of this great Teacher. Let’s pay great attention to his mysterious and very delicate signs. Let’s not let any of what might be his inspirations come in vain … Let’s remember that the ideas that come to the mind of a person who has set out to love are often inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Why does he give us them? For our good and for the good of the world through us, so that we can take forward our revolution of love. Pay attention then, every idea, especially if we think it could be an inspiration, let’s feel that it is a responsibility, to take hold of and act upon. By doing this we will have found the best way of loving, honouring and thanking the Holy Spirit. (1/9/1983) Chiara Lubich, da LA VITA UN VIAGGIO – Città Nuova, 1984, pagg. 125-128
Jun 2, 2017 | Non categorizzato
The last stop on my visit to Jordan was to a women’s jail on the outskirts of Amman. At the visitors security entrance, Omar, the friend who was accompanying me, was asked to remove his watch and sunglasses. Mine were also likely to be taken away, but I let them try them on and the young guard realized that without them I could hardly see. We reached the first waiting room on the other side of a long courtyard. The day was already summery. We got through the umpteenth security checkpoint and submitted the paper with the name of the person we wanted to meet. Two young women were waiting for someone in the waiting room. Who are you waiting for, a sister…or a mother? There was also a man in his fifties with Arab features. He was fixing his ragged shoes as he also waited. My friend went to sit down, but the chair broke. Any other time and in any other place, everyone would have burst out laughing at such a sight. But there in that waiting room no one dared. They were all taken by their pain. The climate in that room was like the one you feel when you’re about to get some news from a doctor about a very sick friend. The scratchy voice over the loudspeaker and the way the old man jumped to his feet, made me realize that it was his turn. Soon after it was ours. There was a narrow corridor. All the cells had a small window on the side with those classic old-fashioned telephones on each side of the pane. Our friend was unexpectedly joyful, gesticulating and quite excited to see us. She spoke into the receiver and let us know that we could ask to meet in another room, face-to-face. It was Easter Day and Christians were allowed to receive visitors. We exited the facility and re-entered through the official entrance. We had to show our passports again, answer questions and the name of the person we wanted to see. We waited in a hall, helping out the employees to stuff documents in numbered files. It was a long wait. Perhaps for her it was also a long road, made of opening and closing doors. She finally arrived. She could have been around forty years old, South American and quite jovial. “My cellmates will be so jealous!” She was a sweet person. She acknowledged she had made some mistakes. She would be released in a few months and was counting down the days on a calendar she had constructed. During her two years in jail, she had become a grandmother and hadn’t yet met her grandson. Her two oldest children have left school to work, and she doesn’t have a husband. “When I go back they’ll blame me, and it’s only right that they should be angry with me. I manage to hear from them on the phone once in a while. My wish was to open an orphanage for street children. Life is hard in here, at times I thought about ending to it all. You become bad. But I can’t; when they become angry or beat me, I stay calm. I just can’t bring myself to react. I have friends in here, some for many years. Fernanda’s been here for eight years, but she’ll be let out soon. She’s 29 years old and dying with a serious illness. She came in very young, for a more stupid offense than mine. She went and swallowed a few rolls of that junk. I thank God, in spite of it all. I feel He is close to me, and that’s why I feel privileged.” We said goodbye with a hug, and it’s difficult to describe what I experienced at that moment. I wanted it to be a small way of taking on some of her suffering and pain. Perhaps on such a sunny day, at least a ray of His Love had shone through the prison bars and gray walls. It’s a special Easter morning and I can’t but thank God for what he made me live: resurrection and true freedom. I met a free woman in jail, because she was so aware of God’s love for her. (Ago Spolti, Italy)
Jun 1, 2017 | Non categorizzato
Baptism “It was almost lunchtime when a man knocked on the door of the parish to schedule a baptism. Since he wasn’t a parishioner, I had some questions. His situation was complex: his partner had given birth to his son, but his sister was the one who insisted that the child be baptized. I tried to take down his details quickly and said goodbye. As we were going out, I thought that I had treated him in too hurried a way. Having his address, and without thinking too much, I went to visit him, in an apartment that was very much in disarray. He was surprised and even alarmed: were there problems with the baptism? I reassured him that it was only to check that I had gotten down all the details. He and his partner opened up and invited me to join them for a modest lunch. So I got to know about people who are somewhat excluded, but above all it was a reminder of my only right: to be of service to others.” (K.L. – Poland) Testing ground “I manage a gift shop in a popular part of the city. For me, every person who comes into the store is more than a customer. I consider the relationship important, beyond the fact that I need to make a sale. There are some who come at times to confide their problems. I listen, and if I can, try to tell them mine. My father makes fun of me a bit, saying, ‘It seems more like a confessional than a shop.’ The fact is, for me work is a testing ground for my being Christian.” (Rachele – Italy) Superintendent “I work as the superintendent for two buildings, where people used to know each other only by their last names. Looking for chances to build relationships, I started telling a couple about life in the parish. The husband, despite not being a churchgoer, appreciated the gesture. I met someone from Thailand who thanked me by giving me chocolates. I then invited everyone to a barbecue: it was a successful evening that we repeated other times as well. Every once in a while I’d offer people returning from work a cup of coffee. These were simple gestures, but little by little some people felt they could confide in me more personal things. Like the tenant who considered prayer a waste of time. When I promised him to pray for him, he answered, ‘No one has ever spoken to me like this before now. I won’t forget it.’ An Italian couple, who were moving back to their country, before leaving invited all their neighbors to try some Italian specialties.” (Maria Rosa – Switzerland) Garbage “Coming out of school, I came across a dog on the sidewalk who was opening and destroying bags of garbage in search of food. I kept walking without thinking much of it, but something inside of me urged me to do something for others. Even though I was embarrassed, I went back and put the bags where they belonged. I had just turned the corner when I saw the garbage truck coming in the distance. I was happy because in our area it sometimes happens that the garbage collectors don’t pick everything up if they find things a mess.” (M. B. – Argentina)
May 31, 2017 | Non categorizzato
From May 31st to June 4th, events will be held in various parts of Rome to mark the 50th anniversary of the Charismatic Renewal, a Catholic ecclesial movement which came to life in 1967 in the United States, during a spiritual retreat with a group of twenty students from the University Duquesne Of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Since then, the movement has spread throughout the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, India and Africa and Oceania. It has a strong presence in France and Italy, and it is growing in Eastern European countries. Through retreats, prayer meetings and “life seminars in the Spirit”, CCR spreads a Pentecostal lifestyle centred on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
May 31, 2017 | Focolare Worldwide
Lake Rotorua is the second biggest lake of the North Island of New Zealand, in the southern Pacific Ocean. Formed from the crater of a big volcano, active up to 240 thousand years ago, today it is a splendid canoe and kayak training ground. A tourist destination since the 19th century, here, as everywhere in the area, a strong smell of sulphur recalls the intense thermal activity which pushes boiling water out of the subsoil, forming pools of hot mud of the most incredible colours from apple green to yellow, cobalt lakes and a myriad of fumaroles. Nearby, the Lady Knox geyser erupts once a day venting out sprays of water and steam 20 metres high. 
The same bubbly warmth was seen in the 170 participants of the Mariapolis hosted from 26 to 29 April 2017 in a camp situated right on the banks of the lake. Also families from the Philippines, India and Korea participated, including more than 50 teenagers and children, and some Italian visitors comprising of two married couples, Roberta & Stefano, and Beatrice & Franco. They wrote: “We departed from Sydney and after a flight of about four hours, we reached Auckland where we were joined by Yob and Bruno from Melbourne. After a journey of about four hours by car, we arrived in Rotorua. We spent three days there and we felt so enriched by the personal relationships created among all the families. 
There were many experiences on the living the Gospel, a workshop on ecology, a much felt theme here, and one on the art of loving, some reflections of Chiara Lubich, and also on communication in the family and the education of children, not to mention the enchanting walks along the lake and in the forest.” It’s no wonder the North Island was chosen as one of the locations to shoot various scenes of Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”. But the territory is particularly interesting also from an ethnological point of view. In fact the Island is inhabited by the biggest Maori communities of New Zealand. Up to 40 years ago the Maori language was spoken by a small number of people, but thanks to an integration program initiated by the government, today the culture and language of the Maori (about 20% of the population) have become an integral part of the nation. “During Mass,” Roberta and Stefano explained, “we recited some prayers in Maori, a people whose civilization and culture are well integrated.” After dinner, the Mariapolis included an evening program animated by children and young people which focused on an an interesting ecological theme regarding respect for creation and the environment. 
As in the simplicity of life in a big family, also in the Mariapolis everything was shared, like birthday celebrations and a wedding anniversary. “They were three very special days spent getting to know each other through personal chats, sharing joys and sufferings together, facing the challenges through the support of the community, and remaining faithful to the Gospel with coherence and constancy.” From here the “Mariapolis people” departed to return to their various places of origin, taking with them the energy and warmth of Rotorua.
May 30, 2017 | Focolare Worldwide
May 30, 2017 | Non categorizzato
The Jewish year is marked by various anniversaries that recall the events that followed the creation and history of the Jews. Shavuot begins at sunset on Tuesday, May 30th and – outside Israel – ends at dusk on June 1st. It is a most important feast that recalls the gift of the Torah on Mount Sinai, the greatest gift given by God to the Jewish People more than three thousand years ago. The name “Shavuot” means “weeks” and refers to the weeks spent in waiting before the Sinai experience, beginning with Passover, leaving Egypt and the Lord’s miracles to free the children of Israel. Shavuot is the less significant of the three Jewish pilgrimages – Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot/Tabernacles – but more important than Hanukkah or Purim.
