Apr 9, 2017 | Non categorizzato
In the man Jesus there is participation in the very life of the Trinity, in the social life of God. This supernatural social life, which the life of grace brings to man, never destroys his natural life. There is instead a marvelous interweaving of the two. The supernatural social life, which is grace, will give origin to and allow for a social life that is naturally perfect, sincne Chrtist will found a visible Church. […] But what is the crossing point between Christ and the Church? How do move from the spiritual presence of the humanity of Christ to the presence of Christ in humanity? In order to understand it we must contemplate the human nature of Jesus before his death and after his Resurrection. We must meditate on his own flesh and blood which, after his exaltation, becomes life-giving. […] Before the crucifixion, the range of action of Christ’s humanity is circumscribed by the limits of his mortal body that is liable to death; with his death and Resurrection, it becomes life-giving spirit. […] Therefore, on the glorious Easter Sunday, when the Spirit penetrates and illumines every part of Jesus’s body, the Church also receives the Holy Spirit: it becomes the Body of Christ. You could say that Christ planted a particular body and raised up [a] Mystical Body, the Church. And so the mystery of human social life re-flowers also in these marvelous events. Since Christ wished to become a member of the human community, he became its Head. To this end, by suffering on the cross, he redeems the human race, since it it spiritually enclosed in him, and also his own flesh through which he wished to work the redemption; and so it acquires certain infinite dimensions. It is spiritualized and becomes the very image of the new humanity. That body which for the man a limiting principle, for Jesus after his Resurrection, is a universalizing principle of life. […] The term “Mystical Body of Christ” and its more precise and determining meaning, refers to the Church that continues the very work of Jesus here on earth. […] Christ, the Son of God, was a true man, he was perfect man; likewise, the Mystical Body is fully human, perfectly human, besides divine. The Incarnation is daily continuing its work, until the end of the ages, in the visible Church. Pasquale Foresi From: Pasquale Foresi, Teologia della Socialità, (Rome: Città Nuova, 1963), 85.
Apr 6, 2017 | Non categorizzato
The countdown for the 21st United World Week started. “We would like to generate a tam tam that, starting slowly, will rise up to generate much noise in the world!”, wrote us Youth for a United World. “Let us show the world all the concrete actions that, day after day, build bridges of brotherhood with #fraternitychallenge.On your Facebook wall, write something positive and invite two friends who will do the same for another 5 days … and so on, up to the United World Week! Use all the hashtags: #UnitedWorldProject, #FraternityChallenge, #Pulse, and #4Peace.
Apr 6, 2017 | Non categorizzato
254 dead, including 62 minors, more than 400 wounded and just as many lost. These are the dramatic numbers from the strong floods that have caused a veritable catastrophe in the city of Mocoa, 500 kilometres south of Bogotà in south Colombia. The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, visited the site of the disaster, which was reduced to a mud heap, and said that the number of the missing is not yet known. The army is working around the clock searching for survivors and delivering humanitarian aid. A state of emergency has been declared in the entire region of the disaster, in order to hasten the recovery of victims. “It is difficult to describe not only the gravity of what took place, but also what the people are going through, including those of our own community in that region,” writes Alejandra from the focolare in Bogotà. “Seventeen quarters have been destroyed in the city of Mocoa with its 36,000 inhabitants. The train station has been fenced off. 
We tried to regain contact with each person, but the situation is bad for everyone. In the zone that is already burdened by poverty and the guerilla, there are many priests from the Movement. Don Luis Fernando presided at a collective funeral, and Father Oscar Geovanny is still searching for his family members. Father Jorge has sent us some photos of his parishioners as they help and support people who have lost everything. Father Oscar Claros reports that of the 17 quarters that were complete wiped away, 5 of them were in his parish: entire families who lived the Word of Life have disappeared. He is personally involved in the work of distributing aid and supporting his parishioners.” “The Focolare community throughout the country is stepping up, gathering funds that can be sent to the site of the disaster, through priests of the Movement. The focolarini in Bogotà have activated a speedy channel of communication with people from the area, and are trying to support them and give them hope in these difficult moments. This morning we talked with Father Oscar Claros: “The situation is still chaotic, the zone without water and electricity, with the real threat of an epidemic.”
Apr 5, 2017 | Non categorizzato
“Our world is torn by blind violence, a violence that has also struck the heart of your beloved land. Our world needs peace, love and mercy.” See VIDEO MESSAGE
Apr 5, 2017 | Non categorizzato
For about a year the Focolare communities around Rome, together with other associations, have organized various fundraising initiatives to support the “Chance for Tomorrow” project in Egypt which is aimed at helping children and women at risk in one of the poorest districts of Cairo. In order to express the closeness to this people recently hit by severe attacks, an information evening will be held in Grottaferrata on 22 April, where the project will be presented through life experiences and an immersion into the Egyptian culture; an account of what has been achieved so far, along with future prospects will also be presented.
Apr 5, 2017 | Non categorizzato
A journey in the name of peace. That is how the Pope’s visit to Egypt is being described. The two-day visit will take place on April 28th and 29th. Patriarch Bartholemew has also accepted the invitation of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib. The schedule includes a courtesy visit to President of the Republic Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, to the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and to the Coptic Pope Tawadros II. This will be followed by an address to the International Conference on Peace. On Saturday, April 29th, he will have lunch with Egyptian Catholic bishops, followed by a prayer service with clergy, religious and seminarians, and a farewell ceremony.
Apr 5, 2017 | Non categorizzato
Jaime recounts: “Last year, I was given the opportunity to live for a whole year in one of the Focolare’s little towns, Mariapolis Lia, near Buenos Aires in Argentina. It was a very powerful and immersive experience, precisely because the law of that town is the Gospel, beginning with Jesus’s new commandment: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’” Upon his return to El Salvador, however, Jaime found himself catapulted into a climate of danger and violence: even in broad daylight, the roads are never safe. It’s even dangerous to take the bus or play football at the city park. “The situation had become so risky and dangerous,” Jaime continues, that I thought of leaving the country and moving abroad. At first, everybody at home agreed, but when I thought about it some more, I sensed that God asked me to stay and be bring a little light into the environment I lived in, near to my Gen friends who would have been alone in that situation if I left. What finally convinced me was some news about the young people from the Focolare in the Middle East, many of whom stayed in their country in situations that were certainly far worse than mine. We talked about it at home and all decided to stay in El Salvador and carry on entrusting ourselves to God. When I told the Gen that I was staying, we got the idea of launching a campaign called: “Change your own m2 (square metre)” with the idea that if we were all involved in changing our own m2, the whole country could change.” 
Tuong, a young Vietnamese teacher of 13 children, confided: “they each remind me of Jesus in his abandonment on the cross. Why do I say it like that? Two of them were rejected by the public school after they repeated the same class three times. Another two are handicapped and so the regular school didn’t accept them, and the school for the handicapped was too far away. The others have difficulty learning and their parents are separated and poor. All of them are experiencing a total absence of love, interest, sympathy, decorum; abandoned by their families and society.” Tuong, what motivates you to go on teaching in such a class every day without any institutional assistance? It must not be easy…” “Actually it isn’t easy. One day I was trying to teach a student a certain letter in Vietnamese handwriting. I repeated it two or three times, but he wasn’t getting it and wasn’t able to pronounce it. I kept on trying, repeating it over and over again, but he couldn’t follow. I was about to become angry; I wanted to forget about it and go to another child. Just then his eyes filled with tears and I felt his plea for help. Then I thought: “If Jesus were the one here with this boy who is not understanding, He would never walk away and say: ‘I don’t care about you!’ So, I said: ‘Let’s try it again.’ One day I wasn’t feeling well. Then a girl said to the students: ‘Be good! Be silent! The teacher doesn’t feel well today!’ A little boy of 5 years came up with a cup of water for me, telling me to rest a bit. Wow! Their little gestures made me so happy and confirmed for me that the Gospel art of loving that I tried to live was becoming their lifestyle. Every day they do their best to learn, to live in love and to laugh. We’ve become a little family. Now they fill my days and my life has become colourful and filled with surprises.”
Apr 5, 2017 | Non categorizzato
For the day dedicated to the care of our planet an Earth Village was opened yesterday at Villa Borghese in Rome by Earth Day Italy and the Focolare Movement. A series of events have been scheduled for April 21st through 25th including workshops, testimonies, presentations of projects and discussions. Yesterday, some young people met with several witnesses from the early days of the Focolare Movement. On April 24th there was a presentation of Jesús Morán’s new book, Fedeltà creativa. La sfida dell’attualizzazione di un carisma”.
Apr 4, 2017 | Non categorizzato
Born with a rare illness that caused lacerations in her flesh and enormous suffering throughout her life, Daniela passed away in 1986 at the young age of twenty-four. She belonged to the Gen group in her hometown of Novara, Italy. Her diary reveals the secret that sustained her in the most difficult moments: the choice of Jesus crucified and abandoned, which transfigured every suffering into love. On March 23, 2017 Pope Francis recognized her heroic virtues and declared her “Venerable”. The Focolare Movement rejoices with her parents, brothers and all who had the privilege of knowing her.
Apr 4, 2017 | Focolare Worldwide
The Kalimpong focolare in West Bengal, India, opened September 9 when three focolarini moved to the house offered by Monsignor Stephen Lepcha, bishop of the Darjeeling diocese. At an altitude of 1,250 meters above sea level, Kalimpong is at the center of the diocese. The other major cities (Darjeeling, Kurseong, Siliguri, Sikkim) can all be reached within a couple of hours, as can the countries of Nepal and Bhutan. “Ever since the beginning of June we had been traveling to that region to search for a house that would be good for a focolare centre,” says Vivek from India. “The bishop offered us the one in Kalimpong. “While we were waiting the past few months, there were a number of opportunities to meet groups of young people in schools and parishes, families, priests, men and women religious, as well as others involved in interreligious dialogue. We offered everyone the spirituality of unity that we try to live. “The bishop, in fact, considers the Focolare Movement, along with his own spirituality, a ‘need of the hour’ to renew the Christian community in his diocese and the fabric of relationships in local society.” 
“There was a lot of hospitality as soon as we opened the focolare,” adds Rey, who is from the Philippines. “Both our Focolare community in India and local people filled us to the brim, with goods of every kind for the focolare and food for the first few days. For us it was a sign of God blessing this new project.” The night before inaugurating the new focolare house, the women focolarine of Dehli brought rosaries that had been blessed by Pope Francis. “Having received these presents, one of us thought of giving his to someone else. Another of us did not like that idea, and the situation became a bit tense. What to do? We certainly could not begin the focolare the next day if there was not unity and harmony among us. “So stayed together past midnight in order to clear up the misunderstanding. In this way we reestablished unity and the spiritual presence of Jesus in our midst, which is worth much more than all the various preparations, even if those need to be done well too.” 
During the inauguration, the Apostolic Nuncio said he hoped “that the new focolare house may be an instrument in God’s hands to fulfill the ideals and the spirituality of the Focolare Movement.” The bishop gave his blessing to the close to 50 people present, emphasizing the focolare’s contribution in the field of interfaith dialogue and its witness to the Gospel through life. In January two of the focolarini were invited by Monsignor Vincent Aind, of the nearby diocese of Bagdogra, to present some spiritual points at a retreat for priests. “The theme was around Jesus’ public ministry, particularly his attitude toward foreigners. It was an opportunity to propose our dynamic way of building relationships in society based on the Gospel.” 
“These last few months we have been giving training sessions to students on leadership and developing character in schools that are nearby and in the surrounding hills,” write Vivek, Rey and Jonathan Lara, who is also from the Philippines. “Lately we’ve been asked to give some training sessions for teachers. There are many opportunities to offer our spirituality to youth and children through these sessions. “It is a challenge for us to understand together how best to proceed in bringing the light of the Gospel to these fertile mountain lands.”
