Oct 20, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On Tuesday 20 October in Rome the International Prayer Meeting for Peace will take place: participants will include representatives of world religions. The initiative is being promoted by the Sant’Egidio Community. Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement will also be present. The event can be followed via streaming. “We are very happy that this meeting can take place because we need words of peace, words of hope, words that indicate a future for humanity that is overwhelmed by this pandemic.” This is how Marco Impagliazzo, president of the Sant’Egidio Community, presented the 2020 International Prayer Meeting for Peace. The event will be inspired by the spirit of Assisi and will be attended by representatives of the great world religions. It is entitled “Nobody is Saved Alone – Peace and Fraternity” and will take place today, 20 October, in Rome, Italy in Piazza del Campidoglio. It will gather together members of different faiths and representatives of many different institutions for a solemn moment of reflection that aims to offer a message of hope for the future. During this event there will be time for prayer, each according to his or her own tradition. A number of speakers will also offer interventions highlighting the contribution of religions in building a better future of peace and fraternity, especially now that the pandemic is causing widespread social and economic suffering. The president of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce, will be among the participants. The event is scheduled to begin at 4.30 p.m. (utc+2) when the religious representatives will gather in different locations for prayer. Christians will meet for ecumenical prayer in the Basilica of St. Mary in Aracoeli (click here for the programme). At approximately 5.20 p.m. (utc+2) the meeting will take place in Piazza di Campidoglio. During the ceremony, keynote addresses will be given by Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Italian Republic, Andrea Riccardi, the founder of the Sant’Egidio Community and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission who has recorded a video message. Interventions will also be made by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, the Chief Rabbi of France, Rav Haim Korsia, the Secretary General of the Superior Committee of the Human Fraternity, Dr. Mohamed Abdelsalam Abdellatif, from the Ven. Shoten Minegishi (Soto Zen Buddhism), Dr. Karmaljit Singh Dillon (Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak National Committee) and Mrs. Divya Punchayil Prashoban (Hinduist representative). Pope Francis will conclude this part of the meeting. The ceremony will then continue with a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the pandemic and of all wars, the reading of the 2020 Appeal for Peace which will be delivered by a group of children to the ambassadors and representatives of national and international politics and the lighting of the peace candle by Pope Francis. The “Prayer Meeting for Peace” will be broadcast in full live streaming on the event website and on the social channels of the Sant’Egidio Community.
Lorenzo Russo
Oct 20, 2020 | Non categorizzato
A webinar to retrace the story of the Gen Movement, one of the most revolutionary youth movements founded in the last century that still continues its work in the 21st century.
© CSC Audiovisivi – Archivio
Laura Salerno
Conlet Burns
Michele Zanzucchi
Oct 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Christians know the exam they will face at the end of their lives. Jesus, in fact, revealed the questions he will ask us when we come before him. They are more relevant than ever – as Chiara Lubich explained. We urgently need to transform all our relationships into Christian relationships: with our siblings, parents, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances, and people all over the world. Encouraged and enlightened by love, we need to create both individual and social works. Let’s remember that if a glass of water will be rewarded, then a hospital, a school, an orphanage, a place to help young people in trouble, and much else, established as a way of expressing our charity, will prepare us for a brilliant final exam. Then God will say to us: “I was hungry in the members of your family just as I was hungry in the people of India. Seeing me in them, you gave me food. “I was thirsty. I needed clothing, in your little children and in your brothers and sisters in many nations where people live in inhuman conditions. And you, seeing me in all of them, clothed me with what you had. “I was orphaned, hungry and sick in your own neighbourhood just as I was in the people of Pakistan who are overwhelmed by disasters, and you made every effort to help me. “You put up with your father in law, or your highly strung wife, or your difficult employees, or an unfriendly manager, because you were convinced that perfect social justice will only flourish through social charity; and you did this because you saw me in everyone”. “You visited a relative in prison, you prayed and brought aid to those who live oppressed and abused in the depths of their spirit…”. We will be astonished and just one word will come to our lips: “thank you!” Thank you, my God, for having opened up a way for us here on earth, the shortest and quickest way to reach our heavenly destination.
Chiara Lubich
Oct 17, 2020 | Non categorizzato
We visit different parts of Nigeria, where some people from the Focolare Movement show us their initiatives and projects offering care, sustainability, education and entrepreneurship locally. Full length version in English will be available soon. https://vimeo.com/464140739
Oct 16, 2020 | Non categorizzato
A brief profile of the Metropolitan who was a great friend of the Focolare; it is also an expression of Maria Voce’s prayers and closeness to him, on behalf of the whole Movement. Today 16th October, the Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta (Patriarchate of Constantinople) announced that Metropolitan Gennadios has “passed into heaven” [1]. He lived in Italy for 57 years, first as a parish priest in Naples, in 1970 as Bishop of Kratea and then from 1996 as archbishop of the diocese of Italy and Malta and exarch of Southern Europe, the seat of which is in Venice. Metropolitan Gennadios had a great love for the faithful of his Archdiocese that emerges from a recent letter (dated 3rd October), in which he wrote: “You are in my heart. You are my life!”[2]. In 2007 Patriarch Bartholomew said of him: “with immense love […] you have worked for many years in a missionary way for your flock, distinguishing yourself as having many and various charisms, which express the personality of your Eminence. The following can be singled out from your character as being the greatest: humility, gentleness, tranquility and wisdom. But the greatest of all is your love and faith towards the Mother Church”[3]. He was a man of dialogue who actively participated in ecumenical activity in Italy and beyond, as can be seen in this interview with Vatican Radio in 2015: “Praying means walking together and, as Pope Francis once told me, ‘walking it means union. When we walk together, unity is closer to us ‘” [4]. Speaking of the division of Christians, he said “We must now be crucified, we must climb onto the cross, to make our passions, our defects and our errors all disappear. Jesus Christ no longer comes to be crucified but we must be on the cross to erase fanaticism, hatred, selfishness”[5]. A great friend of the Focolare Movement, the Metropolitan often recalled an interview with Patriarch Athenagoras in 1970. “He received me for 48 minutes! Numerous bishops, priests, theologians and others were in the corridor waiting for the blessing of the Patriarch. Everyone was amazed that I had been in audience for so long […] What had happened? The Patriarch had talked about me for 2 minutes, about Pope Paul VI for 5 minutes and about Chiara for 40 minutes! “[6] He took part in many events of the Focolare: from the meetings of the bishops who are friends of the Movement, to the schools of ecumenism and the ecumenical weeks organized by the Centro “Uno” [7]. During the last edition, in 2017, he gave Maria Voce a medal in recognition and gratitude for the ecumenical work of the Focolare. It was his idea to found the “Patriarch Athenagoras – Chiara Lubich International Ecumenical Chair”, of which he was joint holder, at the Sophia University (Loppiano, Italy) and in 2017 he held the inaugural lecture entitled “Patriarch Athenagoras and Chiara Lubich, protagonists of unity”[8]. Metropolitan Gennadios was able to meet Chiara a few days before her death when he visited her, together with Patriarch Bartholomew, at the “Gemelli” Polyclinic hospital in Rome. Of that last meeting he remembered: “She was full of joy, smiling as always, gentile, serene and her “Charism” was very much alive. In fact, her last words before leaving us were “Always united!” [9] Metropolitan Gennadios seems to have fulfilled what Patriarch Athenagoras prophetically told him in 1960: “You will go to Italy, we need new priests for the times to come, times of reconciliation and dialogue with the Catholic Church” [10].
Joan Patricia Back
[1] website ortodossia.it [2] website ortodossia.it [3] website ortodossia.it [4] Interview with Vatican Radio 23rd January 2015 on website ortodossia.it [5] Interview with Vatican Radio 23rd January 2015 on website ortodossia.it [6] Talk at the 50th anniversary of Centro “Uno”, Trent (Northern Italy) 12th March 2011 [7] Centro “Uno” for the unity of Christians promotes and follows the Focolare Movement’s ecumenical commitment. [8] www.sophiauniversity.org/it [9] Talk at the 50th anniversary of Centro “Uno”, Trent (Northern Italy) 12th March 2011 [10] website ortodossia.it
Oct 15, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Chiara Lubich once wrote, “To be humble does not mean only avoiding ambition; it also means being aware of one’s own nothingness and to realise how small we are in front of God and thus place ourselves in his hands, like children.” The school of life During the pandemic, like so many people all over the world, I was forced to isolate at home. Although the relationship with some of my clients continued via the internet, the real “work” that needed to be done during that period regarded me and the behaviour patterns I had acquired. I no longer had a reason not to help my children with their homework, or find things for them to do, or care for elderly parents, or help my wife in the kitchen by inventing new menus…. Prior to that time, I had underestimated the value that these small daily gestures have in helping us understand ourselves: suddenly, I had the opportunity to discover fundamental dimensions of our existence. But perhaps prayer – the one-to-one relationship with God – was the most important discovery I made during this period. I had begun to neglect it because I was so busy with my research and work: it had become one of the many things I tried to fit into my day alongside so many others. Suddenly, there were no limitations on my time and I began to reflect on life, death, hope…. I don’t know what it is like for other people, but for me this forced exile has become a real school, more effective than many books I could have read or courses I could have followed. (M.V. – Switzerland) Growing old together After decades of a happy and loving marriage, I realized that I was becoming intolerant towards my wife. She often doesn’t agree with the things I do and always tells me so. One day, after hearing her repeat the same thing twice, I felt angry and firmly told her that I knew what I had to do because she had already told me. Naturally, she was upset by my attitude but so was I. I told her I was sorry, but inside of me I felt a great pain because I hadn’t respected her or accepted that she was ageing. I wondered how many things I say and do that hurt my wife. Soon afterwards, our niece and her partner came to visit and we told them what had happened. As they listened, for no apparent reason, our niece began to cry and her partner took her hand and began to caress it. After a few moments silence, they confided to us that they had decided to split up because of their differences in character. However, listening to our story, they were moved by the beauty of growing old together and always trying to rebuild love. (P.T. – Hungary) To listen and understand When I think back over 25 years of caring for my patients, I feel like I’ve done nothing more than listen to them. I always remember the woman who came to see me when I first began to work as a GP. She had previously visited so many other hospitals in Switzerland and Italy. She described one detail about her personal history and I realised that this could be the key to the ailments from which she had suffered for over 15 years. When I asked her if she had ever spoken to other doctors about this, she said that it had never come to her mind before. She added, “It’s only now that you are listening to me that I’ve remembered it.” Her visit was more useful than any professional training could have been. Yes, because listening, especially today when everything is done quickly, should always correspond to “understanding”. I have been learning this for the last 25 years and the lesson is not finished yet! Listening is an expression of the love which Christ exemplified: to be empty of yourself so as to be able to welcome the other person. (Ugo – Italy) To savour each moment When, after the last tests, the doctor told me that the cancer had reappeared, my first thought was for the family – for our children and grandchildren. My husband and I talked about the situation calmly and we decided to live whatever time I have left in the best possible way and so leave them with the legacy of a love lived faithfully till the end. We have begun to experience days that are certainly marked by pain but are also filled with a new colour and warmth. Not only has love increased among all, but I would say that we are learning to live the time by “savouring each moment”. Every gesture is unique because it could be the last, and so could every phone call, every word said. The attention we give to each other, the tone of our voices, the attempts to create harmony between us… everything has taken on a new value. My husband is surprised at how much joy we are experiencing at the moment and he often says, “It is the only good we can leave to our children!” In the moments dedicated to prayer, we feel heaven opening up, because it has become a real act of thanksgiving. (G.C. – Italy)
edited by Stefania Tanesini
(taken from The Gospel of the Day, Citta Nuova, year VI, no.5, September-October 2020)
Oct 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
In Ascoli Piceno, in central Italy, a number of associations have decided to unite to combat the economic and social hardship of their city. Thus, a few years ago PAS was founded, which means “Welcome and Solidarity”. It’s an experience of networking that found a home a few months ago. https://vimeo.com/465826402
Oct 13, 2020 | Non categorizzato
A special event for all stakeholders in education on October 15 brings together formation and social agencies, institutions and organizations from around the world to forge an alliance promoting a more fraternal world, an aim close to Pope Francis’ heart. Focolarina Carina Rossa is part of the organizing team. 
“Never before has there been such need to unite our efforts in a broad educational alliance, to form mature individuals capable of overcoming division and antagonism, and to restore the fabric of relationships for the sake of a more fraternal humanity”. Pope Francis used his message for the launch of the Global Compact on Education to invite us to promote “a more open and inclusive education, including patient listening, constructive dialogue and better mutual understanding”. An international event will mark the Compact. An actual physical event has been postponed due to the pandemic. However, a virtual meeting will take place on 15 October at 2.30 pm (utc+2) in live streaming on Vatican News Youtube channels with simultaneous translation in English, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese. We speak with Carina Rossa, a Focolarina from Argentina, who is part of the team organizing this event: The Pope invites us to join an alliance on education to produce a change in mentality. How do you see this new way of thinking? “The Pope underlines that education is at the basis of all social and cultural change, and he calls us to dedicate ourselves in this field. So the first change lies in conferring dignity to education. He goes on to attribute a goal to education, that of “changing the world”, and invites us to think of study as an instrument to tackle the challenges of our times: peace and citizenship, solidarity and development, dignity and human rights, care for our common home. The Pope denounces the fact that the educational Compact between family, school, society and cultures has broken down and needs to be fixed. So the change of mentality here involves educational agencies, social activists, international institutions and organizations, who must form alliances in order reach common goals and help to create a more fraternal world. To this end, the Pope has proposed a three step methodology: to place the human person at the centre, to capitalize on our best energies and to train individuals who are ready to offer themselves in service”. Educating young people in what direction? Cultivating which values? “The new generations are at the centre of the educational plan, because children, adolescents and youth are the ones who will change the world. The hope is for ‘new men and women’ who will be ‘united in diversity’, in constant dialogue, serving the values of peace, solidarity and universal fraternity, respecting human rights and the dignity of the human person”. The international event launching the Compact was originally scheduled for 14 May. Because of the pandemic it was postponed to 15 October and will now be an online event. How are the preparations going? “The pandemic forced us to rethink all our plans. So now, the October program will be the first step towards another worldwide event we hope to celebrate in the future with Pope Francis. He appointed the Congregation for Catholic Education to promote it, and the Alta Scuola Educare all’Incontro e alla Solidarietà (High School for Education to Encounter and Solidarity) of the LUMSA University of Rome is coordinating establishing relationships and getting the process underway. For example, a committee of organizations representing the world of education and formation on a global level has been set up. We are also selecting experiences on education from around the world which will be published on the event website, forming an Observatory of the Compact on Education. We are also collating the contributions presented throughout the preparatory meetings for publication.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Oct 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The pandemic has not only had serious immediate consequences, but has often brought to light many pre-existing personal, social and political problems. In the following text Chiara Lubich emphasises the first essential step for those who really want to change the world. A great psychologist of our time said: “Our culture rarely seeks to learn the art of loving and, despite our desperate search for love, we end up considering everything else more important: success, prestige, money, power. We devote almost all of our energy to achieving these goals and make no effort to learn the art of loving.”[1] We find the real art of loving in Christ’s gospel. Putting it into practice is an indispensable first step to setting off a revolution. It is a peaceful revolution, but one so forceful and radical that it will change everything. It affects not only the sphere of the spirit but the entire human sphere as well and renews every field it touches, whether cultural, philosophical, political, economic, academic or scientific. This revolution is the secret that enabled the first Christians to spread all over the entire known world. … It is a love not made up only of words or feelings; it is practical. It requires that we “make ourselves one” with others, that “we live the others” in a certain way, that we share their sufferings, their joys, in order to understand them, to serve and help them in an effective, practical way.
Chiara Lubich
From: Chiara Lubich, The Art of Loving, New city Press, Hyde Park, New York, 2010, p. 25-26. [1] E. Fromm, L’arte di amare, [The Art of Loving] Milano 1971, p.18.
Oct 10, 2020 | Non categorizzato
An interview with Saverio D’Ercole, creative producer at Casanova Multimedia which (with Rai Fiction) has produced the TV movie being made on Chiara Lubich. https://vimeo.com/465801717
Oct 8, 2020 | Non categorizzato
EcoOne, ecological initiative of Focolare Movement, organizes the International Meeting “New Ways Towards Integral Ecology: Five Years After Laudato Si’ ” to be held in Castel Gandolfo (Rome) between 23 and 25 October 2020. The story of our planet is a story of relations among its parts. Let’s focus on three of them: atmosphere, living organisms and mankind. 2.5 billion years ago, oxygen was not present in the atmosphere and human life would not have been possible. Then, thanks to the small contribution of countless and (apparently) insignificant simple single-celled organisms – cyanobacteria – the air was enriched with oxygen until it assumed its current composition. This is an example of a positive effect of living organisms on atmosphere, at least from our point of view. More recently, coal began to form from dead forests (about 350 million years ago) and oil from dead microorganisms (about 100 million years ago). Thanks to this processes, living organisms sequestrated carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Starting from the XIX century, mankind massively burned carbon and oil, restoring back carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, eventually causing global warming. In this case, the effect of mankind on atmosphere is negative, still from our point of view. 
On 11 September 2020 the following figure has been published in Science, a very important scientific journal, showing that – if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced – continental ice sheets will disappear by 2100 and polar ice sheets by 2300: climate will go back around 50 million years. Earth will survive but consequences on mankind can be severe in terms of extreme weather events, flood, droughts and sea level rise: we don’t have too much time to face the challenge of restoring harmonious relations among mankind and the other parts of our planet. But why are we continuing to burn fossil fuels? The reason has been explained by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’ of 2015 and summarized on 3 May 2019 in his address to some representatives of the mining industry: “The precarious condition of our common home has been the result largely of a fallacious economic model that has been followed for too long. It is a voracious model, profit-oriented, shortsighted, and based on the misconception of unlimited economic growth. Although we frequently see its disastrous impacts on the natural world and in the lives of people, we are still resistant to change.” EcoOne, ecological initiative of Focolare Movement, organizes the International Meeting “ New Ways Towards Integral Ecology: Five Years After Laudato Si’ ” to be held in Castel Gandolfo (Rome) between 23 and 25 October 2020 that will be broadcast in the main languages all over the world. Prominent speakers will intervene illustrating the contemporary environmental challenges facing science, technology, economics and society, with the purpose to contribute to the change advocated by Pope Francis by opening a transdisciplinary, interreligious and multicultural dialogue on the care of our common home. (More information on how to connect to the meeting will be updated frequently on www.ecoone.org).
Luca Fiorani
Oct 6, 2020 | Non categorizzato
What does the young woman , declared blessed by the church, have to say today to young people and to all of us who are living in these uncertain times generated by the pandemic? We asked Chicca Coriasco, Chiara Luce’s famous best friend, 10 years after her beatification and 30 years after her death. Ten years ago on September 25th there were twenty-five thousand of us inside and outside the Roman Shrine Divino Amore to celebrate Chiara Badano’s beatification. On that day, holiness became something closer and more accessible for many young people (and not only) from all over the world, who saw in this nineteen year old Italian girl, someone cheerful and deep, able to live and die for God, an attainable and imitable model. Today, thirty years after her death on October 7th 1990, it is impossible to calculate how many people have “met” Chiara Luce, just think that exactly one year ago – and before the pandemic and lockdown forced on us alternative forms of encounter and communication – Maria Teresa Badano, Chiara’s mother and Chicca Coriasco her best friend, were in Argentina. For 13 days they travelled more than two thousand kilometres, crossing four regions, enabling more than 8,000 people to meet Chiara Luce Badano. We ask some questions to Chicca. 30 years after her death, Chiara Luce continues to be present and loved… How do you explain this following by so many young people that does not diminish but grows with time? Chiara knew how to bring out the best in those around her, and with me she always succeeded, as she always did with her parents. I think that this phenomenon continues to happen with everyone who comes into contact with her, even today. She never made many speeches nor do extraordinary things, but that Yes said to God moment by moment, one step at a time, in simplicity, was extraordinary: it is what then as now continues to win over and fascinate many, especially young people. Can you tell us what was the most important moment you lived with her? The pact we made on August 22nd 1990. We told each other that the first one who left for heaven would help the other one to get there, while the one who stayed would try to fill the void left by the other. Thirty years later I can say that there was probably a design that was revealed in circumstances that were unimaginable at the time and which have acquired meaning and fulfilment that continue to this day. What does Chiara Luce have to say to young people today? Every now and then I have tried to imagine Chiara living in these times… Probably the same way she lived her own life, that is, without ever turning in on herself, looking ahead with courage and determination, focusing on the beauty that is still there today, in the new occasions that this uncertain circumstances make us discover. Chiara Lubich told us that in addition to Jesus’ suffering on the cross, ours was also needed to cooperate in building a more united world: she told us “Living by half measures is too little: God proposes something great to you, it is up to you to accept it”. This was the experience that Chiara Luce and we, her friends, had. More than ever, these words of Chiara Lubich’s are very relevant and practicable today. Who is Chiara Luce TODAY for you? She is always present in all aspects of my life. I don’t know if she is satisfied with me, but I feel close to her, and I hope she will continue to help me to be faithful to my ideals, which were her own. In the new book published a year ago and edited by the Foundation, “Nel mio stare il vostro andare“, (In your staying ,our going-our translation) where many direct witnesses tell of their friendship with Chiara Luce, I turned directly to her and wrote: “Dear Chiara I would love to hug you again and share with you so many challenges, suspensions and intimate discoveries. But to tell you the truth, it has already been a bit like that all these years (…) Continue to accompany us, as you know how to do, with your ‘caresses’ and your silent presence, that there is and always has been, I’m counting on it! LOL Chicca”. What are the events that the Chiara Badano Foundation is planning in the near future? This year, due to the health restrictions imposed by the pandemic, it is not possible to visit Chiara’s bedroom. To mark the 10th anniversary of her Beatification, we have posted on the official website (www.chiarabadano.org) a video that retraces those unforgettable moments. Instead, for the 30 years since her “departure”, we have produced another video that allows us to relive, through the voice of witnesses, something of Chiara’s last days. The video is available on the site from October 7th 2020 after 4.10 am ( the time of her departure). Finally, on October 25th , the liturgical feast of Chiara Luce, we will be together with the Bishop of the Diocese of Acqui and promotor of Chiara’s Cause of Canonization, with the celebration of Mass, the Time Out at the Cemetery at 12 noon, and the award ceremony for the winners of the Chiara Luce Badano Prize. Everything can be followed via streaming on the site. Various events are also being organised around the world: the Foundation wants to be the spokesperson and channel for this light that will shine in many places on the planet.
Stefania Tanesini
Oct 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On 3rd October, during the CH Link up – the bimonthly video conference that connects the Focolare communities around the world – Maria Voce made an appeal to everyone, asking for a significant new commitment: to live relationships on the model of “Trinitarian” ones, where each person brings out the other, finding in this way “his or her deepest identity” and thus laying the foundations for a fraternal society. The video call took place a few hours after the signing in Assisi of “Fratelli tutti”, Pope Francis’ latest encyclical. It was therefore impossible not to feel called personally. Below is a summary of the Focolare president’s speech. Question: Today, Pope Francis has been to Assisi and signed the new Encyclical with this beautiful title: “Fratelli tutti”. In a tweet he wrote: “The effort to build a more just society implies the capacity of fraternity, a spirit of human communion”. Were you surprised by the Pope’s choice of this topic? Maria Voce: Not at all! Because this is the greatest need of humanity today. The Pope was able to make it resound and with this encyclical he wants to bring us all together to seek the answer, to find an answer to this need of humanity. So it seemed to me that he became the voice of this bewildered world, that he has been able to take up this pain of humanity and present it to us. So we naturally ask ourselves: “What can we do? At this point, I would like to speak in particular to all those who feel called by God to do something, to respond, and to do it by giving themselves completely, giving themselves without measure, without fear, without interruption, giving themselves completely. All those who feel they have found in the charism of unity, in Chiara’s charism, something that helped them see that it is possible, that made them have a concrete, true, and deep experience of unity on this earth. I would like to say to them all: let’s do it together, let’s do it together! Yes, we have received a gift that has allowed us to experience it. But this calling to fraternity, which for us is the call to “That they may all be one”, (Jn 17:21) is the call to unity. This calling would want people to live on earth as in heaven, as – allow me to say this – in the Trinity, where unity and distinction coexist, where each person respects the other, each person makes room for the other, each person tries to bring out the other, each tries in a certain way to lose their own self completely so that the others can express themselves completely. In doing this they do not cancel themselves out; on the contrary they manifest their true and deepest identity. A unity as great as that has only one example: Jesus who was able to completely lose his being God in order to become man and to share on the cross – in the moment of his forsakenness – all forsakenness, all pain, all anguish, all suffering, all the extremisms, all the victimizations, the wounds that people of all times, and in all circumstances, have experienced and still experience. Jesus made them his own with this love that was so great that he managed to remake, to rebuild the unity that had been broken between God and humankind, among all people and also with all creation. If we manage to have such a great love, we can witness to the world that this unity exists, that this unity is possible, and that this unity has already begun. I would like, with all those who are listening to me now, that all of us together be a first response to the Pope, one that has already begun and that we could console him and give him hope, because something has already begun. That all together, we could, we who are just a small group inspired by the charism received from Chiara Lubich, be a start, a tiny but effective particle of that leaven that can spread through humanity and can transform it into a new world. I would like to make this commitment together with all of you. I’m for it; I want to give it my all, and I invite everyone to do the same, all those who want to! Here is the CH link up.
Oct 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On May 8, 2004 in Stuttgart, Germany, Chiara had about 9000 people in front of her at the first “Together for Europe” event. It was a historic moment, in which she offered the key to build peace in the mosaic continent that is Europe and in the whole world: to build pieces of universal brotherhood. Universal fraternity is and has been one of humankind’s deepest aspirations, and has been present in many great souls. Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed, “I have a dream that one day people (…) will come to see that they are made to live together as brothers and sisters (…) and brotherhood will be (…) the first order of business on every legislative agenda.”[1] And Mahatma Gandhi, said of himself: “My mission is not merely the brotherhood of Indian humanity (…) but through achieving India’s freedom I hope to achieve and progress the mission of the brotherhood of man.”[2] Universal fraternity has also been the aim of people whose motives were not inspired by religion. The motto of the French Revolution was: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” Although many countries have formed democratic governments and have been able to establish, at least in part, freedom and equality, they have not yet achieved fraternity, which is more talked about than lived. The person who proclaimed universal fraternity and showed us how to bring it about was Jesus. By revealing God as our Father he broke down the walls separating people who are the “same” from those who are “different”, the walls separating friends from enemies. He freed every person from a thousand types of exploitation and slavery and from every unjust relationship, bringing about an authentic revolution, one that is existential, cultural and political. Many currents of spirituality down through the centuries have sought to carry out this revolution. A truly brotherly and sisterly life became, for example, the bold and tenacious dream of St. Francis of Assisi and his first companions[3]. His life was an admirable witness to fraternity that embraces all things, not only men and women, but the entire cosmos, including Brother Sun, Sister Moon and the stars. The tool Jesus gave us to bring about a sense of family in the world is love, a great love, a new type of love that’s different from what we usually understand by that word. In fact, Jesus transplanted on earth the way love is lived in heaven. This love requires us to love everyone, and not just our family and friends; it asks us to love people we like and those we don’t, to love our fellow citizens and foreigners, Europeans and immigrants, people from our own church and those of other churches, people of our own faith and those of other religions. This kind of love asks us to love even our enemies and to forgive them if they have done us wrong. What I am talking about is, therefore, a type of love that doesn’t differentiate among people. It considers those who are physically close to us, but also those we speak or hear about, those whom we serve each day with our work, the ones we read about in the papers or see on television. Because this is how God our Father loves. He sends sun and rain on all his children – the good and the bad, the just and the unjust (Cf Mt. 5:45). A second characteristic of this love is to be the first to love. The love that Jesus brought to earth is, in fact, a disinterested love. It doesn’t expect other people to love us, but always takes the initiative, just as Jesus himself did when he gave his life for us while we were still sinners, and therefore, not loving. … The love that Jesus brought on earth is not platonic, sentimental love, or just words. It is a concrete love that calls for action. This is possible if we make ourselves all things to all people – to be sick with the sick, happy with those who are happy, and be worried, insecure, hungry or poor with others. By feeling what they feel, we then do something for them. When this love is lived by more than one person, it becomes reciprocal. This is what Jesus emphasized the most. He said, “Love one another as I have loved you” (cf. Jn. 13:34). This is the commandment he called his own and “new”. It’s not only individuals who are called to live reciprocal love, but also entire groups, movements, cities, regions and states. Our modern times demand that the disciples of Jesus acquire a Christian social conscience. It is more than ever necessary to love other countries as our own. This love, that reaches perfection when it is mutual, reveals the true power of Christianity because it brings about the very presence of Jesus among us here on earth. Didn’t Jesus say, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20)? Isn’t this promise a guarantee that fraternity can become a reality? If he, our brother par excellence, is with us, how can we not feel that we are brothers and sisters to one another? May the Holy Spirit help us all to form in the world, wherever we are, zones of universal fraternity, that grow and grow by living the love that Jesus brought down from heaven.
Chiara Lubich
[1]Cf Martin Luther King, Jr., Discorso della Vigilia di Natale 1967 [A Christmas Sermon on Peace 1967], Atlanta, cit. in Il fronte della coscienza [The trumpet of conscience], Torino 1968. [2]M.K. Gandhi, Antichi come le montagne [Ancient like the mountains], Milano 1970, p.162. [3]Cf card. R. Etchegaray, Omelia in occasione del Giubileo della Famiglia francescana [Homily on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Franciscan Family], in «L’Osservatore Romano», 12 aprile 2000, p.8. https://vimeo.com/465376766
Oct 2, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Ten years of war, an embargo and the coronavirus pandemic have imposed living conditions on the Syrian population that are on the edge of poverty, leading to the re-emergence of child labour and exploitation. “After almost a week of quarantine, I was surprised to see one of our students selling vegetables from his car.” Thanks to one of the teachers in the “Generation of Hope” afterschool programme in Homs, Syria – part of Syrian emergency efforts – attention has turned to the growing phenomenon of child labour exploitation. According to workers there, in the past there had been some cases where adolescents were employed in manual labour. Today, however, the average age of young people employed for the sale of vegetables at markets, or as workers, barbers, waiters, working in fast food or in factories, has fallen. When parents are questioned, their answers stress how child labour is almost inevitable given the economic conditions and the uncertainty about the future. Some believe today that it is more important to learn a job instead of sheltering at home from the pandemic. Or they explain how these activities are necessary to help family budgets, which are no longer sustainable when parents’ work becomes less available. During the quarantine to cope with Covid-19, afterschool workers and teachers in Homs committed to look after the children even from a distance, although it has not always been easy. Many live in crowded houses, and the availability of digital devices and the internet is not within reach for everyone. This exclusion has fuelled children’s fragility, as well as their parents’ choice to send them to work these jobs. Because of this, during the short period of recovery in July, the Homs afterschool programme organized some meetings to investigate the phenomenon. They aimed to help people understand how important it is to choose education over child labour, even during serious economic difficulties. Those meetings showed that children, even if they do not want to work, feel a responsibility to contribute to family finances. They also fear that if they refuse to work, employers could harm their parents. The afterschool centre has been closed due to coronavirus cases climbing again, but as soon as possible, workers and teachers will resume their work. They will be well aware of how it can help to combat the practice of child labour and ensure that children in Homs receive the support and the appropriate education to build their future.
From the Amu website – Action for a United World
Sep 30, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Her smile, her joie de vivre, her commitment towards justice and peace are words that come to mind when one recalls Myriam Dessaivre, 26 years old, who lost her life on Sunday, August 9 in Niger. Myriam and five other French youth were killed, together with the Nigerian driver and guide who accompanied them when they were visiting the Kouré giraffe reserve, 60 km southeast of the capital Niamey. These youth were on a humanitarian mission, with the NGO Acted, in a country that faces multiple crises and ranks at the bottom of the human development index. Myriam, a martyr for peace, obtained a first degree in communication and information at the Catholic Institute of Toulouse and then a Master’s degree in peace studies at the Paris-Dauphine University. She specialized in political conflict resolution and the title of her thesis was: “The Colombian State and the FARC: is reconciliation possible?” She furthered her studies in this field through work in Colombia, Tunisia and Chad. During a Peace Movement national council meeting held on June 18, 2016, Myriam spoke about the choice of her studies. She was then 21 years old. Today, her strong and meaningful words impress us even more. We quote what she said at the end of her talk: “I have the impression that there is a growth in the number of young people of our generation who want to promote peace. I think that social networks are contributing towards this, not only through the abandunce of bad news, but also because of the increase in some sort of “global solidarity”. Anger caused by horrible happenings, such as terrorist attacks, wars in the Middle East and famine, is transmitted instantly through social networks, and we are directly affected. We come to the point of asking ourselves: “When do I go there?” So, I’m not surprised that more young people seek professions that engage in work for peace. May be, we are simply looking for the means to live in a better world”. Myriam learnt more about building this better world through the Focolare spirituality and her commitment as a member of the Focolare Youth Movement. Her father, Jean-Marie, who died in 2014, was a volunteer. Her friend Sophie, who was very upset, said: “She was my best friend. I met her during a Mariapolis in Lourdes, when I was 13. With her, you could have a good laugh about anything”. And she continued to testify: “She had strong convictions and defended the values of peace and justice. Her work was not easy, but she was passionate about it and it fulfilled her. It warms my heart to think that however unfair, terrible and violent her death was, it was not without meaning. She gave her life for what she believed was right.” Carl, another friend of hers, described Myriam “as a radiant, humble and beautiful person who gave her life to serve life, peace and others”. Speaking about what her death meant to him, he said: “I realize that the message she composed through her life is being delivered to us thanks to her departure to heaven. In one way or another, each one of us gets a daily provision of bad deeds and/or the lack of doing something about them; this is the marytrdom of evil”. Anne-Marie, a focolarina who knew her said: “Myriam fulfilled her dream, she satisfied her passion by joining her experience to her commitment in this field”. And she continued: “For the 120 Gen representatives from all over the world, who met for an online congress from August 7 to 14, it was evident that Miriam had to be the precious guardian angel for their Project #Daretocare, aimed at promoting initiatives on active citizenship in the fields of social justice, politics and economics”. Anne-Marie remarked: “It seems as if now Myriam is telling us: ‘Move on! Don’t waste time on useless things!”
Emilie Tévané, for Nouvelle Cité
Sep 28, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The way to overcome divergences of any kind and create fellowship and unity is – as Chiara Lubich proposed – the path of dialogue. We can dialogue even when we have to think of ourselves. We are all called to reflect in our lives the Blessed Trinity, where the three divine Persons are in eternal dialogue, eternally one and eternally distinct. In practice, for all of us this means that whenever we have something to do with one or more brothers or sisters, directly or indirectly – on the phone, in writing, or because the work we do or the prayers we say are for them, we all feel we are in an never-ending dialogue, we are called to dialogue. How? By being open to each neighbour, emptying our soul to hear what they want, what they say, what worries them and what they desire. And, after having done that, we too share and give what we desire and what we feel is appropriate. And if there are times when I must think of myself (in order to eat, to rest, to get dressed, and so on), I continue to do everything in view of my brothers and sisters, keeping in mind what others expect of me. In this way and only in this way, by continually living the “spirituality of unity” or of “communion-fellowship”, can I effectively contribute to making my church “a home and a school of communion”, Together with the faithful of other churches or ecclesial communities, we can contribute to Church unity. And with people of other religions and cultures, we can create spaces of universal fraternity.
Chiara Lubich
Sep 25, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Jesus freely announces his message to men and women of different nationalities and cultures who are willing to listen to him; it is a universal message, addressed to all and which everyone can welcome to be fulfilled as people, created by God Love in his image. A shared tragedy Several years ago we moved with our four daughters from war-torn Lebanon to Tasmania where we struggled to integrate into a world that was so different to ours: the people here are very reserved and the “nuclear” family is in stark contrast to the “extended” family of our country. Not long after our arrival, one of my husband’s colleagues lost his two-year-old son in a fire. Thereafter, he and his wife refused to receive visitors and meet people, and remained almost segregated at home. We could not understand this attitude because in our culture tragedies are shared. We wondered how to love them, taking that pain on us too. So, for a few weeks, I cooked for them every day, leaving the food outside the door with a note, without disturbing them. One day the door finally opened and since then a friendly relationship has been born between us and them. Over time we have made other friends who enrich us with their culture. And now in our house there is always someone who comes to visit us, a bit like in Lebanon. (Carole – Australia) Inculturation They say that to get under someone else’s skin you need to speak their language but this is not always necessary. I have witnessed this with the many people I have treated (I am a doctor) and with whom I have built a relationship, a message has passed. Once, in Cameroon, I asked a local elder for advice about how to identify with his people. He said: “If you love with your heart, others will understand. It’s enough to love.” He brought me back to the essentials of the Gospel which was confirmation that sharing others’ sufferings and joys comes before everything else. If I also manage to go into depth with the local language and customs, all the better… Wherever we find ourselves, love is the most eloquent word to express God’s paternity. (Ciro – Italy) The support not to let go After our divorce I continued to meet with my children. But over time, my ex-wife’s blackmail, demands and accusations increased… I was afraid she had advisors who were not really helping her. The most painful ordeal was when even the children, especially the oldest, began to accuse me of having ruined their lives. I did not know what to do anymore. Every time we met, it became hell. A priest friend helped me greatly when he suggested I should love without expecting anything. I decided to try and follow his words for a few months. When my mother-in-law fell ill and became bedridden, I took care not only to visit her frequently but also to make things as light as possible for her. One day, as I was keeping her company my daughter arrived. She found her grandmother serene and amused as we were arranging old photo albums. Something must have changed in her because that same evening she called me to ask my forgiveness. It’s a difficult mountain to climb but every time I try to love I find the support I need not to give up. (V.J. – Switzerland) Coloured My husband Baldwyn and I are coloured, a mestizo race that often suffers from serious marginalisation. My mother was African, my father Indian. He died after I was born so my mother and I went to live with her black relatives whose traditions I was familiar with. But as the years went by, I realised that I was different and was often laughed at. When Baldwyn and I decided to get married, it came as a real blow to discover that I was not registered anywhere and so did not exist in the eyes of the state: once again I felt rejected! During that difficult period, circumstances led us to meet different Christian families, black and white: they belonged to the New Families Movement and treated everyone equally. In that environment I felt at ease for the first time, welcomed for what I was. The attention I received from those people made me discover that God loved me. I was able to accept myself with my differences and others as well. I became free. (Gloria – South Africa)
edited by Stefania Tanesini
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VI, no.5, September-October 2020)
Sep 24, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Speaking to a group of Focolarini on 19 September, Maria Voce shared what is closest to her heart at this time. Some highlights of this spontaneous reflection: Defining it as “a new step”, Maria Voce is reaching out to Focolare communities worldwide. What is closest to President of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce’s heart can be summed up in one word: “relationships”. This new invitation seems to complete a trajectory launched 12 years ago, in the early days of her appointment as Focolare President, when she invited everyone to take on a “culture of trust”, building relationships capable of generating peaceful social co-existence respecting diversity. As her second term draws to a close, with the Movement’s General Assembly just a few months away, the world is deeply affected by this long pandemic and economic crisis. In this context, Maria Voce returns to one of the key themes of her presidency: the centrality of relationships, as seen from the perspective of Chiara Lubich’s charism. It is an invitation once more to act as part of a network and in fraternal communion with all those individuals, communities and organizations who are pointing in the same direction, towards fraternity. “I was deeply struck by the thought that Chiara, in 1943, found herself in a devastated world, where everything around her was collapsing. And God said to her heart, ‘It’s not true that everything is collapsing. There’s something that does not collapse. It’s God and God alone!’ And what did Chiara do? She went out with the message: God is, God loves us, this God exists beyond the war. This is what was needed at that time. Jesus came on earth, and He certainly didn’t come alone, because where Jesus – the Son of God – is, the whole Trinity is present. So God the Trinity came on earth to show us the way, to teach us how to live according to the Trinity. To do what? To transform the world. But what does it mean? It means relationships, it means connections, it means equality, it means listening to one another, it means being for one another, in a certain sense knowing how to ‘lose’ oneself in another. This morning I was thinking about this and I asked myself, Jesus came on earth and what did He do? He walked along the roads of Galilea, and what did He find? An official, most probably involved in corrupt tax-collecting practices; a young man fascinated by the words He spoke; a small businessman, Peter, who owned a boat. And He called them. He had the courage to transform them into His apostles, which means into people sent out to continue carrying His message to the furthest corners of the earth. What else did He find? He found people of all types. He found sinners, the dead, those who were hungry. And what did He do? He multiplied the bread, He raised the dead … He got involved in meeting the needs of others, staying among them. He even managed to draw the crowd following Him. What does it mean? He created community. He formed a community capable of listening to one another, to recognize that someone spoke a different language and to listen to them in their own language. What does it mean? It means they were capable of really accepting one another, of understanding each other even when someone speaks differently, they were really capable of accepting each other. He transformed these people into His fraternity, His community. And He got them living solidarity between themselves. You see, when they were hungry, he said, ‘Give them something to eat’; when he cured the woman with a fever, she then got up and started to serve them; He gave the child whom He raised up back to her family so that they could look after her. You see, He did not destroy anything that was already there, but rather He transformed it! So what should we do? We must transform the world by ‘being’ this Jesus. We must bring these Trinitarian relationships. And there’s no other way except by choosing Jesus Forsaken, which means knowing how to lose oneself in the other, knowing how to let the other emerge. Then God the Father will continue to create new things, and the Holy Spirit will continue to illuminate us”.
edited by Stefania Tanesini
Sep 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato
An international formation school entirely online because of Covid with new methodologies and the participation of 115 Gen 2, the young people of the Focolare, from 18 nations. A workshop replicated in various parts of the world. Can the Covid emergency stop our commitment to building a more united world and the possibility to achieve it together? This has been a constant question, in recent months, for many Gen 2, the youth of the Focolare Movement, together with their formators. And so, if the pandemic has prevented them from travelling from one country to another or even from leaving their home, new technologies have allowed the young people to continue to work for peace and unity in the world, indeed, thanks to technology, there have been new and original initiatives, all strictly via the web. And so, looking at the international appointments established some time ago, the young people of the Focolare decided not to cancel even the annual international formation school for youth group leaders scheduled for August 2020 in Italy, but to do so online. Of course, a little more work was needed to transform the 10-day programme for the school, adapting it to a web-based training method and looking for platforms and apps that would allow moments of listening and going deeper, but also allowing for moments of communion, all together and in small groups. This is how the “International School 2020” was born with a completely new format. 82 young people and 33 adult formators participated from 38 countries and in 16 languages. “Learning to work online is a positive thing as a result of Covid “ – said one of the participants from Argentina – “because it facilitates the participation of those who, for financial or time constraints, had never done and would not have been able to make an international experience if it involved travelling”. The school entitled “On earth as it is in heaven” focused on spiritual and current issues, such as peace, social commitment and active citizenship, which were examined in depth in the light of Chiara Lubich’s charism. One of the focuses was: “Dare to Care”, the central theme of Pathways that the young people, with the entire Focolare Movement, have committed themselves to putting into practice. Each year the Pathway is associated with a colour: this year it is the ‘black’, which Chiara Lubich had linked to political, civil and social commitment for the common good. And, as black is the background to all the other colours, this commitment is the background against which the various areas of everyday life stand out: family, society, school. Beginning with Chiara Lubich’s writings, experiences of committed witnesses in the political and social spheres followed; experts such as the theologian Father Fabio Ciardi, a member of the Abbà School, the study centre of the Focolare Movement; Alberto Lo Presti, director of the Igino Giordani Centre; Daniela Ropelato and Antonio Maria Baggio, lecturers at the Sophia University Institute in Loppiano (Italy). The concluding words of Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement and Co-President Jesús Morán: “You are people who have decided to give your lives and, in this school, you have tested it in your workshop. Today, the workshop is over, now you are going out to live it”. This school, together with the life commitment it entails, is spreading and multiplying: the 100 participants have made themselves promoters of similar schools in ten different places around the globe.
Letizia Spano
Sep 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Not having preferences and not expecting anything in return: this is Chiara Lubich’s straightforward but revolutionary formula for a love that can change the world – today too. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Cor 5:17). [These words] speak … of the ‘new self’ that, through baptism and by adhering to the fruits of baptism, has been established in us and has a new way of seeing things, of behaving and of loving. … What is this love like? … Since it is a participation in the very love that is in God, which is God himself, it differs from human love in infinite ways. But there are two aspects, above all, in which it is different. Human love makes distinctions, it has preferences, it loves some brothers and sisters, for example blood relatives, people who are educated, rich, good looking, distinguished, healthy or young; it loves those who belong to a particular ethnicity or class, but it does not love others in the same way. Divine love, instead, loves everybody. It is universal. The second difference is the fact that, in human love, we love because we are loved. And even when love is beautiful, we love something of ourselves in the other person. There is always something selfish in human love, or that waits to love only when self-interest prompts us. So if we want to let our ‘new self’ live in us; if we want to let the flame of supernatural love burn in us, we too must love everybody and be the first to love. Basically, we must be like Jesus, other Jesuses. Jesus died on the cross for everybody: his love was universal. And with that death he was the first to love.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 8th January 1987
Sep 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Trento, Chiara Lubich’s birthplace, will soon host a conference dedicated to the value of the Focolare founder’s texts, both spoken and written, from a linguistic and literary point of view. The event, which takes place in the Centenary of Lubich’s birth, is coordinated by an international study and research group and can be followed via web.
© CSC Audiovisivi
edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti
Sep 17, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Jesus reveals that something new in the Gospel: the Father loves each of his children personally with an “overflowing” love and gives him/her the ability to enlarge their heart to their brothers and sisters. These are urgent and demanding words: to give what is ours; material goods, but also a welcome, mercy, forgiveness, and to give extensively in imitation of God. Powdered milk In a satellite city near Brasilia, there is a very poor neighbourhood where for years we have been bringing not only material aid, human promotion, but also trying to spread the good news of Jesus. It is always amazing to see how these people discover God’s love and begin to help each other, sharing what little they have with those who have even less. They even offer their own hut. Faithful to the “give and it will be given to you”, a lady to whom we had delivered powdered milk for her children told us that she shared it with her neighbour who had nothing to give her children. That same day, to her surprise and joy, she received more powdered milk. (H.I. – Brazil) The wound On certain festivals I give my four children some money to buy gifts for poor children. This year my youngest son asked me for more money: he had heard that his father was unemployed and could not give presents to his children with another woman. For me it was like a cold shower. My husband had abandoned us years earlier and the wound had remained. That night I cried a lot, I felt betrayed even by my boys. But maybe it was me who was wrong and the little one was teaching me a lesson. The next morning I increased his pocket money. Sometime later my children asked me to help their father find a job. It was the ultimate blow . They had never received a gift from him and now they were asking me to do this! Despite the painful memories, I understood that I had to put into practice Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies. It cost me but I did it. The joy I saw in the boys was indescribable. I thanked God for their generosity but also because they had given me the opportunity to remove from my heart a resentment that had tortured me for years. (C.C. – Colombia) Dismissal Some months ago, when the major computer company I work for announced the laying off of 40% of its employees, I got a real shock. Thanks to that job, we didn’t lack anything in the family, not even the extras. How were we going to meet the house payments? What about health insurance? And so on… With Jennifer and our daughters we felt more responsible about our family economy. We were ready to sell the most valuable objects and make other possible sacrifices, we assumed we would become self-employed, considering our personal skills… Above all, we entrusted ourselves to God the Father, continuing to hope. On the day of the layoffs, 6500 of my colleagues lost their jobs. I would have liked to disappear so as not to watch; but then I stayed to share that moment with those who left. I do not know how it will end for me, but one thing is certain: this trial has united us more in the family. It has created a deep bond with other couples and has opened our eyes to the problems of others. We now experience what it is that really matters in life. (Roger – USA) I forgave my son’s killer After my son was killed during a robbery, nothing made sense in my life anymore. Desperate for help, I attended a Gospel meeting. There I listened to a commentary on Jesus’ phrase: “Love your enemies”. Those words were like a rock for me. How could I forgive those who had killed my son? But in the meantime, a seed had been sown within me. As I attended that group, I felt the urge to forgive became more and more urgent. I wanted to find peace of heart. The Gospel still spoke of peace: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”. In the midst of my family’s tragedy, the decision to forgive finally prevailed. Now I can truly call myself a “daughter of God”. Recently I was invited to meet with my son’s killer, who had been arrested. I knew him. It was hard, but grace intervened. I did not feel hatred or resentment towards him. In my heart as a mother there was only great pity and the desire to entrust him to God’s mercy. (M.A. – Venezuela)
edited by Stefania Tanesini
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Citta Nuova, year VI, n.5, September-October 2020)
Sep 16, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The story of Javier, a young man from Chile, starts with getting interested in the environment, an unexpected proposal and the beginning of an ecological commitment that today has reached vast proportions. I have always loved nature and had a special relationship with it. In 2017, I became aware of the serious damage that humanity is causing to the planet. “But what can a simple teenager do to change the reality of the planet?” I used to say to myself. One day, however, my aunt invited me to participate in a sustainable development forum at the headquarters of Cepal (the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). I was surprised, but she encouraged me, saying how teenagers should take on important decisions and make their voices heard for our future. I decided to participate and got other classmates who were interested in social and environmental issues involved, with the help of the school. During the forum we were able to learn about Social Development Goals (SDS) and the actions that are being carried out in order to achieve them in some Latin American and Caribbean countries. We were also able to express our thoughts in front of the authorities present. Among the initiatives, we were impressed by “Concausa”, which is part of the America Solidale NGO. It works specifically to put an end to child poverty and trains adolescents to be true change agents. Together with two partners, we decided to propose a project at our school linked to Concausa, but we were not successful. After some time, given our interest in these issues, Concausa decided to set up a workshop in our school called “Actuators” to help us better develop our project. In classes we saw a lot of rubbish thrown on the floor, so we set out to encourage better waste management and recycling to create a pro-environmental culture. The “Eco-Education” project began. The waste was mainly tetrapacks, so we re-used them to create “eco-containers” where we could sort the waste and reuse it to make eco-blocks. Thanks to our work, many of our classmates have learned how to recycle. They have now even convinced their parents to do this in their homes. In the meantime, together with boys from the Focolare unit that I am a part of, we introduced workshops and in-depth analysis of environmental issues during our regular meetings. After a year of work with our “eco-education” project, we were chosen to represent Chile in a Concausa Continental Camp that takes place each year in our country. Project teams from all over the continent participate. I went along as well, and it was an unforgettable experience. I met people from many countries, each with their different culture. Getting to know each other made us feel the same. We were and are a family, a generation fighting for a more united and supportive future. On the last day we were invited to give a speech to officials from America Solidale, Unicef and Cepal about the different realities we have in our countries, and how we are doing our part to defend the environment. Now we continue to work together with camp participants through video calls. This is how we conceived the “1000 Actions for Change” project, which aims to spur ecological actions and mitigate the climate crisis. To achieve this, I was chosen to represent my country. Here is Javier’s testimony during the launch of the Pathway 2020–2021 “Dare to Care” campaign.
Edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti
Sep 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Christian love is not only an inner attitude, but is shown by concrete facts, by acts that can be seen, starting simply with a smile. This is the invitation Chiara Lubich launches in the following writing. And even if during the pandemic our smile may be hidden behind a mask, there are a thousand other ways to show our love “Love one another”.[1] This is the vocation of every Christian, but we could also say it is our vocation in particular. In the last few days I was struck by what was said of the first Christians: “See how they love one another and are ready to die for one another.”[2] Therefore people could see that each of them was ready to die for the others. This might have been because in times of persecution it was not unusual for one of them to offer to die instead of another. Nonetheless, the fact remains that this measure of love among Christians could be seen. Generally speaking, we are not actually asked to die, even though we should always be ready to do so. Every act of mutual love should be based on this foundation. … May all we do show that we are ready to die for our brothers and sisters; whether it is simply a smile, or a gesture, or an act of love, a word or some advice, our appreciation, or a correction given at the right moment. May our love be seen, certainly not to show off but to make sure we have the powerful weapon of witness. We too, like the first Christians, often find ourselves in a world without God, a world that is de-Christianized. Therefore we must bear witness to Jesus.
Chiara Lubich
(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 11th May 1989) [1] Jn 13:34. [2] Tertullian, Apologeticus, 39:7.
Sep 13, 2020 | Senza categoria
- Date of Death: 14/09/2020
- Branch of belonging: volunteer
- Nation:Great Britain
Sep 13, 2020 | Non categorizzato
With three days of video-conferencing involving Focolare delegates in different areas of the world and the General Council, a further preparatory phase has begun towards the Focolare General Assembly to be held in January 2021. The meeting of Focolare Delegates from around the world, held this year in video-conference, ended on September 12th; a date which, under normal conditions, would also have marked the last day of Maria Voce’s (current President) term of office. However, these times – which are anything but normal – have meant an extension of the President’s term of office because, due to Covid, the General Assembly, which also has the task of electing all the governing bodies of the Focolare Movement, has been postponed from the beginning of September 2020 to January 24th – February 7th 2021. How, then, can this time of waiting be transformed into a time of grace? This is the question that initiated and guided the conference of delegates and to which Maria Voce answered in a profound and concise way: “We are called to bear witness to the possibility of Trinitarian relations! This simply means: each one does everything so that the other person may emerge”. The sessions dedicated to sharing the life of the Focolare communities in the different geographical areas of the world highlighted the global commitment to face the challenge and the new “off-spring” due to the Coronavirus pandemic: the impossibility of attending meetings in person has led to an increase in digital conferences that often reach more people and break down territorial or participatory structures which in the current situation have been identified as constraints. The economic difficulties, then, require new reflections in search of solutions for a moderate and sustainable lifestyle and in favour of suitable activities and structures. In addition, the climate of growing personal and community insecurity urgently requires a new evangelical life choice in view of a more united world. The third day of the conference marked the beginning of a further preparation for the Movement towards the 2021 General Assembly. The extra time gained will serve to encourage a more participatory and widespread preparation, a synodal journey. The members of the Movement will have until October 24th, the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the themes gathered so far in order to identify people’s preferences which will then be included in a working document. Before Christmas, the participants in the Assembly will have the opportunity to meet possible candidates for President and Co-President. And in a series of Webinars the main themes will be deepened with the help of external experts. The preparation will then be concluded in the first weeks of January with group work among the participants.
Joachim Schwind
Sep 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Emmanuel and Annick from the Focolare Movement dedicate their free time to the French Red Cross. Since the beginning of the health crisis caused by the coronavirus, operations have been launched throughout France to support people in need. This married couple has helped in two of them. The first operation consisted in organising the delivery of medicines or food to people who were unable to do their own shopping. Emmanuel, an engineer at the University of Strasbourg, worked almost full time as a volunteer coordinating the operation for the entire Bas-Rhin province (area around the city of Strasbourg). “Organising the teams and facilitating the flow of information,” he says, “was an immense logistical job. Even if sometimes I couldn’t get out of the house for three days, I didn’t feel alone. On the contrary I was rather frustrated given that I was working hard without hardly ever seeing the beneficiaries of my work”. During that period, demand rocketed, especially for food. In fact, many social welfare associations had to close because most of their volunteers were forced to stay at home because of their age. The other operation was launched from April 29th to July 31st 2020 by the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It decided to reopen its kitchens to prepare 500 meals a day. The Prefecture was responsible for finding the beneficiaries of the meals at a local level and the French Red Cross for the delivery. Annick, who continued her work as a nurse also volunteered. She says: “We saw people were happy to receive something. Although some were surprised and incredulous – imagining the background checking that was done – people were anxious to have those meals”. “The institutions invested enormously at the heart of the crisis,” Emmanuel notes. What does this commitment mean for Emmanuel and Annick? “I am nourished by the spirituality of the Focolare Movement, but our life is lived out in society, it is in giving (and giving of ourselves) concretely in the world,” answers Annick. Emmanuel adds: “It is important not to remain in our corner, among Focolare people, but to act in the world. In addition, the seven principles of the Red Cross which are humanity, unity, universality, neutrality, independence, impartiality and voluntary service are very much in harmony with the “art of loving” and “The Golden Rule”. “The crisis was a time of great tension and the quality of human relations between volunteers and beneficiaries in the field and in the organisation has been important. For example, I mediated between the volunteers when tensions arose. The Focolare’s charism of unity has been of great help to me in understanding situations, losing my idea, living the present moment well”, Emmanuel shares. “This crisis has brought out the good or the bad in us,” Annick notes. Her husband is pleased to see that it has generated new ideas for action, particularly in relation to the digital divide or relational poverty. “The great lesson of the pandemic for many is the awareness that we cannot live without each other,” she says. ” Interdependence was Chiara Lubich’s great battle at the end of her life … My optimism leads me to believe that more people will be involved in associations and develop their sense of volunteering”.
Émilie Tévané
Source: Nouvelle Cité, N°604, July-August 2020, p. 41.
Sep 10, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare Movement’s annual conference for international delegates and members of the General Council will take place by video-conference, 10 – 12 September. We report the President, Maria Voce’s thoughts. “We should avoid thinking about ourselves and – as a Movement – be more willing to accept the sufferings of the world.” President Maria Voce’s strong appeal has given a clear direction to the participants of the Focolare’s international leadership conference that will begin this Thursday, 10 September, by video-conference. In a talk during a recent meeting with the Focolare General Council, Maria Voce spoke of her dismay at the extent of suffering that is reported each day by the media, especially during this time of pandemic. She spoke to her closest collaborators about a question she has often asked herself recently: “Who can absorb all this suffering and pain? I think God is asking us to be closer to this suffering in the world, more willing to welcome it, to love it, to pray … but also to do something more.” Her answer is a programme of both spiritual and practical action. The programme for the video conference (10 – 12 September) will be characterized by time for the participants to speak extensively about local challenges, specific to their geographical area. These challenges are often shared by others and are often linked to this particular period of pandemic which has given rise to enormous suffering but also new potential. The dialogue and sharing will provide a means of identify the specific contribution that the Focolare can make to during this time of change both now and in the future. It will certainly not be possible to exhaust this theme during this three day meeting: it will remain on the agenda in view of the next General Assembly of the Movement. This was initially scheduled for the first half of September 2020, but due to the Covid-19 emergency has been postponed until the beginning of next year: from 24 January to 7 February 2021. During the coming meeting, the delegates will also learn about the proposals drawn up by the Preparatory Commission of the General Assembly in order to make use of the time “gained” with a view to increasing involvement of all the members of the Movement in the preparation of the Assembly.
Joachim Schwind
Sep 9, 2020 | Non categorizzato
For months, every day, a priest has been travelling miles by bicycle or pickup to be close to his community. This experience, lived together with a team of parishioners, is uniting and broadening horizons, while leaving also its post-pandemic effects. If lockdown and social distancing rules oblige us to keep away as much as possible from assembly places, such as the parish church, why can’t the priest bridge the gap between us all? This is what Father Clint Ressler, a Catholic priest at the St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Texas City, USA, is doing. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has been travelling every day, far and wide all over the territory of his parish to visit his parishioners . Father Clint, how has life changed in your parish during this pandemic? It’s true that the pandemic dramatically changed how all of us maintain and grow our relationships. I have a greater sense of how God calls us to co-responsibility. As a pastor, I feel lifted up and surrounded by a strong and dedicated team. Perhaps because we are more focused on the essentials of our mission there is a corresponding experience of joy and gratitude in seeing these efforts and their fruits. Prior to the pandemic my days were filled with people. Sometimes I would be too focused on projects or getting to my next meeting or ministry to truly notice, greet and be present to each person. Now, also because we all need and thirst for communion, authentic relationships, I am feeling more like a human ‘being’ and not a human ‘doing’. Many parish groups and ministries are connecting to one another more personally, whether by phone, social media and brief personal visits. I have the sense that our God-given need for communion finds its own ways around the difficulties. What have you been doing to maintain a close relationship with your parishioners? Perhaps because there are fewer meetings and a greater focus on the essential mission of the parish I have not felt as rushed as before the pandemic. I have also heard God inviting me to ‘slow down’, to trust Him and to be patient. Early in the pandemic I was visiting many parishioners on a bicycle or a pick-up. During those early months I would see sometimes as many as a dozen homes in a day. Now, I am going at a slower pace, so to speak, fewer visits but staying longer. Can you share something with us about the most beautiful moment and the most difficult one you have lived during these visits? It is difficult to choose just one moment. One family had lost their home to a fire just a few days before I happened to visit them. The little children had lost their home but also all their toys. Their neighbor next door welcomed the family into their home. It was both the saddest but also the most uplifting visit. It continually strikes how this experience has suddenly changed Pope Francis’ call to be ‘missionary disciples’ from beautiful words to something that could and needed desperately to be live. Would this experience leave a positive impact on the life of your parish community, even when the pandemic is over? The pandemic brought many people to become more familiar with ‘faith online’. Parishioners have become more ‘tech savvy’ in general but also as regards to nourishing their faith. I have been personally edified by witnessing how our parishioners have cared for one another. I believe that after the pandemic we will see the fruits of this greater connectedness and concrete expressions of mutual concern. The pandemic has brought about a greater sense of solidarity, not only with the neighbors who live close but also a greater awareness and concern for the whole world. There is a universal sense that ‘we are all in this together’ and I hope that endures in the hearts and actions of everyone after the pandemic subsides. You met the Focolare spirituality and you live it. How does it influence your life as a priest and a pastor, especially now during this pandemic? Leading a parish can seem overwhelming and complex, requiring discernment and tough decisions. However, if I just try to refocus on concrete love it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. Of course, it all starts with union with God As a priest, especially as a pastor, I have been entrusted with a position of great influence and authority. At times, being the leader of others, I can fall into a ‘business approach’ that values efficiency, avoiding risks and valuing measurable ‘achievements’. The spirituality of the Focolare, and of the witness of Jesus, calls me back to service, humility and faithful patience. I have understood that the fundamental starting point for discovering God’s will is for us to live with Jesus in our midst. In other words, we have to be ‘Church’, the mystical body of Christ. As we live and grow in these mutual relationships with God’s grace, we can hear the little voice of the Holy Spirit. I think my life in the Focolare, ingrained in me over the years, a desire to bring this kind of discernment into the parish, with the parish staff, with the pastoral council, with every group and committee.
Anna Lisa Innocenti
Sep 7, 2020 | Non categorizzato
We’re all connected like members of one body. If one member is weaker, the other takes over. This is the simple, but striking gospel logic that Chiara Lubich presents to us in the following text, which is more relevant today than ever In a hospital ward I once saw a man with a plaster cast. His chest and right arm were immobilized. With his left hand he tried to do everything… as best he could. The cast was extremely uncomfortable, but his left arm, although it was more tired than usual by the end of the day, grew stronger by doing twice its normal work. We are members of one another and mutual service is our duty. Jesus did not merely advise us to serve one another, he commanded us to do so. When we help someone out of charity, let us not believe we are saints. If our neighbour is powerless, we must help them and do so as they would help themself if they could. Otherwise, what kind of Christians are we? If, in future, when our turn has come and we need our neighbour’s charity, let us not feel humiliated. At the last judgement we shall hear Jesus repeat the words: ‘I was sick and you visited me … I was in prison…, I was naked…, I was hungry…[1]”. Jesus likes to hide precisely in those who are suffering and needy. Therefore at those times too, we should be conscious of our dignity, and with our whole heart thank the person who is helping us. But let us reserve our deepest gratitude for God who created the human heart to be charitable, and for Christ who, by proclaiming with his blood the Good News, and especially ‘his’ commandment, has spurred on countless hearts to help one another.
Chiara Lubich
Based on “I was sick”, in Meditations, by Chiara Lubich, New City London-Dublin 2005, p. 54 [1] Matt. 25:36
Sep 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato
At work, with the family, in every situation, for Omar and Lina, who are Muslims, the values of dialogue and encounter even between different faiths are central. By Stefania Tanesini and Dalma Tímár. https://vimeo.com/430370744
Sep 3, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Solidarity projects initiated by the “Goccia dopo goccia” (drop by drop) Association in collaboration with other organizations operating in Southeast Asia. 
The number of victims of coronavirus around the world is still very high. But even higher is the number of people who, whilst not having contracted the virus, find themselves in conditions of extreme poverty due to the economic and social situation created by the virus; deprived, in some cases, of even the basic necessities to live. Yet even in these situations, initiatives of solidarity are multiplying which are the result of networks that are sometimes crossing national borders. In Vietnam, for example, the Long An area, south of Ho Chi Minh city, has large pockets of poverty. Here, the most vulnerable members of society have been indirectly affected by the pandemic. Many, especially among the elderly, who were living off lottery ticket sales, have had to stay in their homes, very often facing starvation. This is precisely the area where the Swiss-based association “Goccia dopo goccia” operates, coordinated by an Italian focolarino, Luigi Butori, who has lived in Asia for many years. Included amongst those who volunteer and support the project in different countries around the world are many friends of the Focolare Movement. “Goccia dopo Goaccia” has been working for some years now to implement more than 20 solidarity projects in Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. In Long An the association distributes about 40 rations of milk and food every month which helps many people including the elderly, those who are disabled, adults on their own, abandoned children living with grandparents and people suffering as a result of serious accidents, such as An, 14 years old, who is paralyzed and forced to live in a bed. The association has someone who intervenes at a local level whenever necessary. Thanks to these local volunteers, it tries to reach the “least of the least” bringing not only material help but also moral support that makes them feel that they are not alone in facing this dramatic period of history. For those responsible for “Goccia dopo goccia” this is a very important element of their activity: making people feel that they have not been abandoned but that there is someone who is taking care of them, starting with a smile. The Long An project has been going on for about two years and is supported with the help of schoolchildren and families in different countries around the world. They are people who send small amounts of money and who, as the name of the association says, as numerous small drops enable large quantities of help to be provided. “Goccia dopo goccia” also operates along the border between Thailand and Myanmar, with another project that supports Karen children in different villages in Mae Sot, the Mae La refugee camp and the Heavenly Home orphanage, even though during these times of pandemic, “Goccia dopo goccia” volunteers recently had to face a long journey to visit them and deliver material aid. “Three beautiful days,” they say, “during which we received much more than we gave. And finally, when Covid-19 was rapidly spreading, “Goccia dopo goccia” managed to collaborate with Caritas Singapore, Caritas Vietnam and other Associations that operate in Southeast Asia on a project aimed at distributing 1,200 food packages to families in the Binh Thanh area, in Ho Chi Minh City.
Anna Lisa Innocenti
Click here for a video about the initiative
Sep 2, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Combining fatherhood and professional life according to Gospel values: here’s the testimony of a Peruvian doctor at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. I have been a doctor for 25 years and a father for 17, but I realise that I have not yet learned to be both and keep to the values I believe in. These pandemic times are proving to be a real lesson for me to grow in both roles, especially in parts of it that have so far been underestimated not only by me but by most people. Since the beginning of this pandemic I have worked in a Covid field hospital for patients in the city of Piura in northern Peru, the first in the city. I look after those who are hospitalised and have seen more patients die in the last 3 months than in all my 25 years of medical practice. I trained in one of the best medical schools in the country, with its academic prestige and scientific rigor. Yet this terrible disease has uncovered the limits, impotence and frustration of medical science in the face of this previously unknown virus. In spite of administering oxygen massively and the therapies provided by science, I have seen my patients suffer quite a lot and die of asphyxia. Every day we are faced with the lack of staff and equipment in a hospital like ours, in a poor country. How many times have I felt powerless and frustrated facing my patients, when the disease became aggressive! In the midst of general bewilderment, you could hear them shouting: “I am thirsty! Water please! Give me some water! Water!” Other times people would complain and, only when approaching them, asking if they wanted to drink, would they nod their heads. That’s how, in addition to my medical work, I started to give drinks to everyone who asked me, fix their pillows, hold their hands between mine, caress their foreheads, massage their backs when they asked me, or pass them the bucket to urinate. Or I would simply help them walk, pray with them or for them and, in the end, try to comfort them in their last moments. I understood that there are two dimensions to the medical profession: an authority supported by science which often heals, as well as the human dimension, based on mercy and love, which come from God and can be expressed in simple, everyday acts which often heal the soul. Science and humanity, knowledge and mercy, body and soul, man and God, reason and faith: it is a two-faced coin that makes our giving and living full. It is a delicate balance to be achieved. Between the exhausting work in the hospital, the overload of intense emotions and my weaknesses, I went home for dinner just hoping to rest and let off steam. My eldest son, in the midst of adolescence, frustrated by the lockdown and with all the energy of youth, started arguing with everyone, especially with me. He treated me like an adversary or an enemy, and at the table it was like being on a battlefield. Initially, falling victim to my passions and impulsiveness, we clashed in bitter fights with offensive tones. For the umpteenth time I saw my authority compromised. My attempts to impose it by force made things worse. I rediscovered other aspects of being a father, such as mercy and humility, and so I began to remain silent and offer God my forgiveness in the face of the offenses, as well as express it and ask forgiveness when I realized I had gone too far. I tried to read in my son’s aggressive attitude a cry for help and affection, keep silent more often and tone down the discussion, and continue praying alone and at home even when it all seemed useless. Little by little our relationship has been normalising and returning to the usual father-son dynamics. Once again, there are these two main pillars: authority and mercy. Are they not expressions of divine life?
Edited by Gustavo E. Clariá
Sep 1, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation”. The Focolare Movement supports this in two different ways – with the initiative “Time of Creation” and with a meeting in October 2020. 
1st September is the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation”. It was established by Pope Francis in 2015, the year that he launched his encyclical Laudato si. In this document, the Pope invites everyone to commit themselves to care for creation because this is our home and our most precious good. He also asks that we go beyond the current socio-economic system: we can no longer exploit planet earth as if there were unlimited natural resources. We must act quickly and find a different model of development. What can we do to be more concrete? Laudato si opens up the notion of “ecological conversion”: it speaks of change in lifestyle and trying to practise integral ecology. Therefore, the text refers not only to the environment but also to politics, economy and society. We need to start with ourselves and think about what we consume: we should choose politicians who show concern for the care of nature and who promote the production of renewable energy and decrease the use of fossil fuels. This year, the Focolare Movement is continuing to promote “Time of Creation” the annual celebration of prayer and action for our common home that begins on 1st September and ends on 4th October, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology, greatly loved by many Christian denominations. The focolare’s global network is encouraging everyone to organize events and register them on the website. This ecumenical initiative began thirty years ago: in 1989, Dimitrios, Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, was instrumental in encouraging the different Christian Churches to jointly declare 1st September as “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation”. This year, the suggested theme is “Jubilee for the earth: new rhythms, new hope”. This theme is helpful in considering the integral relationship between the earth’s rest and ecological, economic, social and political life, particularly in the light of the far-reaching effects caused by Covid-19 pandemic. Later, from 23rd to 25th October in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, there will also be a meeting organized by EcoOne – the ecological network of the Focolare. Participants will include experts in ecology, politicians, university lecturers and representatives of organizations and associations. This meeting will examine the impact of Laudato si’ on the contemporary world and new pathways towards an integral ecology. The event aims to showcase the role that individuals and social entities can play in the care of our common home. In addition, this is also a special year because on 24th May, the fifth anniversary of the encyclical, Pope Francis announced that the coming year will be dedicated to. Laudato si . The urgency of the situation is such that it requires a concrete and immediate response involving all levels – local and regional, national and international. We need to create “a popular movement” that engages at grassroots level, an alliance between all people of good will. This is why it is important to participate in initiatives such as “Time of Creation” or the EcoOne meeting in October. As Pope Francis reminds us, “All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.” (LS, 14)
Lorenzo Russo
Aug 31, 2020 | Non categorizzato
In many countries, restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic have also put a stop to all forms of religious gatherings for worship and prayer. However, believers’ desire to spend time with God has not diminished. What can we do? This reflection by Chiara Lubich offers an innovative solution. “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). … Jesus said these words to the disciples … (but) he was also thinking of all of us who, day after day, are living somewhat complex lives. Given that Jesus is Love incarnate, he might have thought: I’d like to be with them always, to share all their worries and give them advice; I’d like to walk down their streets with them, enter their homes and rekindle their joy with my presence. That is why he wanted to stay with us so that we can feel his nearness, his strength and his love. … If we live out what he commands, especially his new commandment, we can experience his presence even outside the walls of our churches, in the midst of a crowd, wherever there is this living presence of his, everywhere. What is asked of us is mutual love, which is made up of service and understanding, of sharing in the sufferings, anxieties and joys of our brothers and sisters. This love endures everything, forgives everything and is typical of Christianity. Let’s live like this so that everyone may have the opportunity to meet him already on this earth.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from the Word of Life for May 2002
Aug 29, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The coronavirus keeps on taking away thousands of “stories” like Sher Khan’s. But his story lives on in a legacy – being one family – and in many friends like Marta and Javed. By Anita Martinez and Dalma Tímár. https://vimeo.com/430019025
Aug 27, 2020 | Non categorizzato
For over fifty years, the Focolare Movement’s little town in Argentina has provided training programmes for thousands of young people from all over the world: now the experience of living there has university recognition as a “vocational training programme”. Until just over a month ago, many people used to say that the experience of living in Mariapolis Lia was so rich and varied that it gave you a master’s degree, so to speak, in “life under the banner of the culture of unity”. Now the “experiencia” – the experience – as the annual course for young people is called really does have university certification. The new study programme has been drawn up thanks to the collaboration of educational teams from the Latin American Centre for Social Evangelization (CLAdeES) , the Mariápolis Lía School and the National North western University of the Province of Buenos Aires (Unnoba). The course will have the academic title “University extension and vocational training programme” and will be based upon four fundamental elements: anthropology-philosophy, history-culture, the community and the transcendent. It will take 11 months to complete and those who do so will have access to university extension and accreditation of vocational training in three different areas of choice: education, eco-responsibility and multicultural management; community leadership and development of community engagement; or art, communication and multimedia production. The training will be developed through specialized seminars, work placements and evaluation of the application of values deriving from Christian social teaching. There are also plans to integrate this course with the Latin American section of the Sophia University Institute. Mariápoli Lía, situated near the town of O’Higgins, Buenos Aires, offers young people an educational experience that integrates work, study, cultural and recreational activities, sports and specific interests. All activities are regarded as integral elements of formation. In fact, the notion of student coincides with that of citizen, therefore, it is assumed that all young people who live there are engaged in the life of the little town. A team of teachers and experts in a variety of disciplines – spirituality, anthropology, sociology and Christian doctrine – follows the young people in their learning. The 6000 young people who over the years have spent a period of time at the Mariapolis are proof of its formative value. In their later lives in a range of different environments – as managers, economists, educators, professionals, workers, parents, consecrated persons… the “experience” has remained a shining point, helping them to overcome personal and professional challenges.
Stefania Tanesini
Aug 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato
How often does God use a person to draw someone else close to him? We should never forget him, because we too could one day become his instrument for someone. A new hope Having been in the U.S. to study, I decided to return to my country at the insistence of my parents. But I was stuck in quarantine at an institution near the border with about 500 people. I had the exact same feeling as if I were in jail. Fortunately, my phone kept me connected to the outside world. Whenever I met someone, I heard the same questions I had about what was happening. During that time I met a Salesian priest at a distance. Although he was as isolated as I was, he emanated a peace that neither I nor the others had. It was as if he was not surprised at anything. At first he celebrated mass alone in his small room, then I began to attend. In short, I returned to the sacraments and my previous life of faith, even if no longer as before. Even my girlfriend noticed that I had changed. Sometimes I think: if this transformation happened in me, can it be that it has also happened for others? A new hope is born within me: that the world that previously seemed to take it away from me can now refind its way in other directions. K., Slovakia Baby carriage I met a young Gypsy girl who was expecting a baby. She needed everything, from clothing to all the baby gear for the birth of her child. I had read in the Gospel, “Whatever you ask of the Father… he will give it to you”. That day with faith I asked Jesus during Mass for a baby carriage. Later at school, I committed myself more than ever to love my classmates and teachers. Back home in the evening, I learned from my mother that a neighbour, knowing that I help the poor, had left something for me. It was a baby carriage! I was moved by this prompt response from providence. C., Spain Blessing Working as a nurse for a month right during that period of the coronavirus, in the hospital where I served I shared the loneliness of several patients who passed to the other life without the comfort of their loved ones at their side. The strongest experience, however, was after I learned from my mother that, according to the pope’s words, even doctors and nurses were qualified to give a blessing to the deceased patients. I was able to draw a cross on the forehead and chest of several of them before filing the paperwork to confirm their deaths and send their bodies to the morgue. Joseph, Italy
Edited by Stefania Tanesini
Aug 25, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Chiara Lubich’s charism for Christian unity. Interview with Lesley Ellison who is an Anglican and the first non-Catholic focolarina to follow Chiara. Living the Gospel, Word of God together; loving one’s neighbour as Jesus did, to the point of dying for the other; living for unity among believers in Christ, beyond every affiliation and beyond all divisions. It is with these dimensions that the ecumenical potential of Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity is unfolding. “A completely ecumenical spirituality” is how Card. Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity described the charism in the preface to the book entitled “A Spirituality for Christian Unity. Selected thoughts.”, published by Città Nuova, which is a collection of speeches and answers to ecumenical questions given by the founder of the Focolare Movement, one hundred years after her birth. The introduction to the book is given by Maria Voce, President of the Focolare with a foreword offered by Rev. Olav F. Tveit, former Secretary General of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, now President of the Conference of Lutheran Bishops in Norway. Lesley Ellison, an Anglican focolarina, is the first non-Catholic focolarina to follow Chiara: Your experience has paved the way for many. Did you ever have hesitations? “I grew up in a Protestant family with prejudices against Catholics, and at that time in Liverpool the two communities were separated. Like Chiara, I also wanted to give my life to God. When I first heard her speak, in Canterbury in 1967, I had been visiting the focolarine in Liverpool for a year. We tried to live the Gospel but I didn’t know they were Catholic. Just as I did not know the community of people around the focolare. It was a shock to realize they were all Catholic but in Canterbury, listening to Chiara, I understood that God loves everyone, and that “everyone” also includes Catholics! I felt I had to take a step and put aside my prejudices. When I got to Liverpool a Catholic couple offered me a lift home. This was unheard of. “But I’m Protestant,” I said. “That’s all right! We love each other!” they said. This was my first ecumenical experience.” When did you feel that the Spirituality of unity could be yours? “In 1967 I went to visit the little town of Loppiano. During the visit there was a Catholic Mass but being an Anglican I could not receive the Eucharist. This rift between our Churches seemed absurd to me, so painful that inside I cried out to Jesus: “What can I do?” And I seemed to hear Him respond, “Give me your life for unity.”” Living the Gospel is the way that Chiara indicated for unity. Why, as an Anglican, did this proposal have an impact on you? “My formation as a young Anglican asked me to “listen to, read, take note of, learn and digest inwardly” the word of God. So the idea of “living the Gospel” which I heard for the first time in the focolare, was a complete novelty and gave my Christian life a new communitarian dimension”. Jesus asks us to love one another as He did, to the point of giving our lives for one another. What does this mean for you in your relationships with people of other Churches? “It’s in the word ‘as’ that I find the whole of Chiara’s charism, Jesus crucified and forsaken who is Life. This is the way God Himself wanted to dialogue with humanity, and it is the model He offers us for any dialogue with one another and with Him. For me, giving my life means welcoming the other, listening, putting aside my thoughts and judgments. But it also means offering my thoughts whilst being completely detached from them. This is what Chiara did with me and with every person she met. And this is how we try to live the relationships with one another in the Movement.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Aug 24, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted programs, systems and procedures in all areas of human life. In every place there is a great need for creativity to find new answers to the challenges posed by this situation. Something that Chiara Lubich suggested back in 1983 is very up-to-date. God speaks in us in various ways and among these are the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. We must, therefore, serve God by following the guidance of the gentle voice of the Spirit that speaks in us. The Holy Spirit! The Third Divine Person who is God just as the Father is God and the Word of God is too! (…) The Holy Spirit is in the heart of all Christians, and therefore in my heart too. He is in the heart of my brothers and sisters. … Let’s become attentive and assiduous pupils of this great Teacher. Let’s pay great attention to his mysterious and delicate promptings. Let’s not put aside anything that might be one of his inspirations. In the early days [of our Movement] we made great progress by putting into practice the motto “Every idea is a responsibility”. Therefore, let’s remember that the ideas that come to mind in someone who has chosen to love are often inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Why does he give them to us? For our own good and for the good of the world through us, so that we can take forward our revolution of love. So let’s be attentive and consider every idea, especially if we think it might be an inspiration, as our responsibility, to be grasped and put into practice. In this way, we will have found a really good way of loving, honouring and thanking the Holy Spirit.
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Mollens, 1st September 1983)
Aug 22, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Bintou Konaté, a Muslim, and her Christian friends have turned loss and suffering into an opportunity to help her community. By Stefania Tanesini, Egilde Verí, Marco Tursi. https://vimeo.com/430765602
Aug 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato
“Charism and Prophecy” is the title of the new book by Jesús Morán, co-president of the Focolare Movement. It follows on his previous book, “Creative Fidelity – The challenge of making a charism a reality”. Morán offers in this text his reflection on Chiara Lubich’s “ecclesial genius”, starting from talks he gave on the subject over the past three years. We talk about it with the author. How did the idea for this book come about? Since I had several texts that had not yet been published, I thought of honouring Chiara Lubich in the centenary year of her birth and, at the same time, I wanted to make an act of love to everyone in the Focolare Movement. Since I began several years ago to use the expression, “Chiara’s ecclesial genius,” I saw that many people liked it, that is, they grasped in it a synthetic concept that could define the marvellous synergistic unity between Chiara’s person and her charism, as “all one piece”. I am convinced that Chiara, in addition to having been endowed by God with an “ecclesial instinct” is, indeed, an “ecclesial genius”, in continuity with others in the Church who have opened new horizons, always inserted in the tradition that goes back to Jesus himself. It was right to study it more deeply during this centenary. As you yourself have explained several times, the Focolare Movement, after its charismatic phase, is living its historical phase, the one you have defined as “a period of creative fidelity”. It is therefore the phase of giving Chiara’s prophecies concrete shape in the world today. What do you think is the main contribution that the Focolare Movement can make today to fulfil these prophecies in the ecclesial sphere, in the journey towards achieving “that they all may be one”? When I say that we have entered the phase of the historical foundation of the Movement, in creative fidelity to the phase of the charismatic foundation, I do not intend to dialectically oppose the two phases. In fact, the charismatic foundation has also been historical and, therefore, the historical foundation has a charismatic element. But they are two different phases, with different emphases, which touch both the foundation and the form of things. There is no doubt that today the theme of actualizing the charism of unity acquires a particular poignancy and urgency. Creative fidelity should always be exercised, keeping in mind two principles: listening to the questions that God proposes to the world and listening to what God continues to tell us in the foundational nucleus of the charism. In my opinion, one of the questions that God poses to the Church that lives and acts within history is what we could summarize as “synodality”, which implies openness, communal decisions, being close to one another, being attentive to the dignity of the person, especially the most vulnerable. The Focolare Movement contributes to this ecclesial journey with a very special emphasis, which comes from the heart of its charism, that is, a vital and concrete experience of the Triune God who has an impact on history, without which synodality is reduced to a new organizational form deprived of the life of the Spirit. And which of these prophecies still need more time and effort in order to be actualized? I think that in order to live up to our true vocation in the Church, the members of the Movement must grow in the sensus ecclesiae, to have “the mind of the Church”. Not that they do not have it, but there is a need to grow, which means overcoming, once and for all, every attitude of self-referencing and reaching the maturity that all the recent Popes have asked of us. Moreover, we need to overcome any dualism between civil commitment and ecclesial commitment, looking at the model that we have always held as Christians: the figure of Jesus, the man-God, truly man and truly God. In the light of the reflections you offer in your book, what would you like to say, from your heart, as we draw to the end of these six years in which you were co-president of the Focolare Movement? I pray that God will give us the necessary graces to update the charism of Chiara Lubich in a vital and radical way. I think that we must begin again, reborn from the heart of the charism, from what we call “the Ideal”, and from there set in motion the necessary reforms so that the Movement, also as an institution, may better reflect the human-divine life that animates it. And rebirth means purification and conversion.
Edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti
Aug 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato
We are witnessing a period of great changes, transformations and contradictions that can open up new ways of seeking the common good. Through the new campaign #daretocare the young people of the Focolare Movement want to put the theme of care at the top of the political agenda, locally and globally. The new campaign of the youth of the Focolare Movement was launched on June 20th with the title #daretocare i.e. “dare and take care”, taking charge of our societies and the planet. The campaign is being constantly updated on the United World Project website What does #daretocare have to do with politics? Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, believed that there was a real vocation to politics, a personal call perceived in one’s own conscience and born out of certain circumstances, inspired by a social need that is asking for help, a human right that has been violated or the desire to do something good for one’s city or nation. But is it still valid today? 
Javier Baquero from Bogotá in Colombia, Cristina Guarda from Italy and Frantisek Talíř from Zubčice in the Czech Republic help us to answer this question. They are young people from the Focolare Movement and are part of the network of the Politics for Unity Movement, an expression of the Focolare for a culture of unity in politics. Javier, who today works in the office of the mayor of Bogotá tells us: “I have worked in politics since I was 13 years old and formally in government since I was 18, and I have worked with people who have integrity, who have the capacity to deal with corruption, whose actions are transparent. So maybe there are corrupt people, but they are just a few. For me the most important principle in politics is service. Because one puts one’s knowledge, skills, professions at the service of a society, of humanity, of the planet. And you don’t do it alone but together with other people. So, the principle that should guide every politician is service, an attitude of service to meet the needs of a society. #daretocare, to dare and to take care means first of all to feel and to be close to the problems of my city but that’s not enough: it is to think and to formulate public policies to solve these problems”. 
Cristina who has been in politics for the last five years adds: “Yes, I know, sometimes I feel disgusted observing the hatred created by some politicians, the conspiracy of silence, laziness or deafness in front of some complex problems. But for this reason, we and I must act and do our best. In my political action, I want to express my intense love for others by doing my best to help them live better, to lighten their worries and give them all the elements to achieve the lives they dream about”. “Politics is not bad in itself. Politics is made by politicians, who can be more or less good at it “- says František, a regional political activist. “That is why it is necessary that new politicians continue to enter this field and try to do it in the best possible way. To speak of politics as a service is what Pope Francis suggested to me when we met a year and a half ago. I think this is the recipe for good politics. The key is really to serve others. The key is my thinking: do I do politics for myself or do I do it to serve? And every time I have to make a decision – small or big – I can choose: am I putting myself first or others? And if others are put first then everything will be fine”! That’s why it’s important to network, to think and to act for the common good, to take care of everyone. To follow the events of the #daretocare campaign visit the United World Project website.
By the youth of the Focolare
Aug 18, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Sophia University: teaching, research and unity What are the future prospects for Sophia University? How will it respond to the educational needs of today’s young people? We asked the Rector, Professor Giuseppe ArgiAolas, appointed on 20 February by the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Holy See. Professor Giuseppe Argiolas, who became the Rector of Sophia University Istituto universitario Sophia on 20 February, tells us about future plans for the University. Today Sophia is a university athenaeum. You have been the RECTOR of the university for a few months now. What does this mean and what changes will there be for the students? “This is Sofia’s first ‘change of guard’, and it coincides with the conferral by the Congregation for Catholic Education of the title of “Rector” to the one who was previously the Dean. It is in recognition of how Sophia has developed over the last 12 years, for which we express our gratitude. Enormous challenges have been faced. Chiara founded this University in a flash, so all the teachers, administrative staff and students who were there at the beginning and those who joined later, have done an extraordinary job. We have just set up 4 Master’s degree courses with various specializations: “Economics and management” (specialization in “Management for a Civil and Sustainable Economy”), “Political Science” (specialization in “Fraternity in the res publica. Theoretical bases and operational lines” and specialization in “Governance of common goods”), “Trinitarian Ontology” (specialization in “Theology” and specialization in “Philosophy”) and “Culture of unity” (specialization in “Pedagogy of communion for a culture of peace” and specialization in “Communication processes with intercultural and interreligious mediation”). The Doctoral School is now a consolidated reality and we are developing a post-doctoral School at the service of young researchers. Chiara Lubich saw Sophia as a global university, one single university with different locations. In Latin America we see the birth of Sophia LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean), but we are also seeing the first buds in Africa and Asia. Our task will be to consider these projects in the spirit of a unitarian Sophia that is expressed in the diversity of contexts in which it develops”. The Covid-19 emergency has had quite an impact on the lectures: how is the teaching going ahead? “Thanks to everyone’s commitment, we have been able to continue the lectures and exams and enable students to complete their academic studies using the tools currently offered by technology. We have also arranged webinars dedicated to the Pandemic which offer our contribution in terms of reflection and action on such a delicate and urgent issue, and we have started with the different scientific disciplines by initiating dialogue on an interdisciplinary, international and intergenerational level. The new academic year starts as normal in a presential form and at the same time online, for students who will not be able to go to Sophia because of the international restrictions imposed due to Covid-19”. What plans are there for the future? How do you see Sophia in 10 years? “Sophia has managed to maintain its charismatic drive and be innovative whilst remaining faithfulness to the Charism. I think that we need to continue along this path: remain faithful to the Charism with its inherent specificity to read the signs of the times. This is what Pope Francis told us with three keywords – “Wisdom, Pact, Going Out” – which he addressed to us in our meeting with him last November, giving us a clear reference for our future. So I would like to develop Sophia on three fronts: didactics – going forward in the direction undertaken but with great attention and sensitivity so as to respond adequately to the educational needs of young people; research – valuing the development of the various disciplines and fostering an ever more marked interdisciplinary approach, indispensable in current scientific research; relationship with other agencies of the Focolare Movement and with other university and cultural institutions so that the service we offer for the common good may be ever more incisive. We will try to do this, together, in unity, with all the passion that we can express. The founding phase has finished, in some respects, and the consolidation and developments phases are just beginning. What must not cease is the charismatic thrust, this must continue, indeed it must always accompany us as the Guiding Star on the journey we have just begun and which we are called to travel together with many companions and with “joy, vision and decision”.
Lorenzo Russo
Aug 17, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The presence of Jesus, the Risen Lord, in the midst of two or more people gathered in his name, is one of the cornerstones of Focolare spirituality. The movement, in fact, feels called to “generate” this presence in all areas of human life. But what can you do when you find yourself alone? Chiara Lubich suggests spiritual training. In today’s world we often come across people who are honest and good but who don’t feel the need for a religious belief. Some of them would even like to have faith but being immersed in a world that should be Christian and often isn’t, they don’t find the strength to go further. They wait and categorize themselves as people who are searching. Perhaps, without realizing it, they are waiting to meet Jesus one day. And here … we note the absolute timeliness, relevance and urgency of our spirituality and the point of the spirituality that we sum up in the words: Jesus in our midst. … Jesus himself shows that he does not belong only to the past. Being faithful to his promise, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age”,[1] his presence is living, shining and loving here today among his brothers and sisters. It is our duty to bring with us this presence of his. We can do so by keeping his commands that are summed up in the new commandment and by living it according to our model, Jesus forsaken. However, keeping his commands – and he told us this – means bearing a yoke that is easy and light[2]. But can it always be like this? Generally speaking, yes. But there must be two or more people united in his Name. But what about when we are alone? Or when our love for others is not reciprocated? We know that by embracing Jesus forsaken in such moments we can stand firm, in peace and even joyfully, and we can continue to work, pray, study and live with fullness in our hearts. Yet there can be times in which it seems difficult to describe the Lord’s yoke as being easy and light. There are periods in life, for example, when our health breaks down and this has an influence on our soul too, closing us in on ourselves and making it almost impossible for us to relate to our brothers and sisters. … There might be sudden deaths or accidents that leave us aghast, when we feel that no one can understand us. We might be diagnosed with an illness which we think might be fatal … and so on. These are all painful circumstances that God allows in order to work on us by means of the cross, which is indispensable in the Christian faith and which Jesus himself experienced. What should we do in these situations? We should try to be glad, at least with our will, that we are a little bit like him forsaken, and cast all our anxiety into the heart of the Father[3]. We should keep on offering up our suffering, supported by the grace of the moment, which will not be lacking, until God brings our troubled soul back to the fullness of peace. Let’s keep in mind, however, that we must always love our brothers and sisters, just as much as we can of course. We can also confide in them, at least in general terms, saying, for example: “I’m going through a difficult time”. You can say this out of love, to maintain the communion-fellowship amongst you. Moreover, communicating is always the best remedy in any situation. In this way, Jesus in our midst will keep us afloat at those times too and he will show us that always, and whatever happens, his yoke can be easy and light.
Chiara Lubich
(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 24th April 1997) [1] Mt 28:20 [2] Cf. Mt 11:30 [3] Cf. 1Pt 5:7
Aug 15, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Raul and Mitali are dancers from Mumbai, India, they’re married with two daughters. They show us how dance can become a powerful instrument of mutual knowledge between different religious traditions. By Marcello Vaz.
Aug 13, 2020 | Non categorizzato
At 100 years of age, Father Bonaventura Marinelli OFMCap has died. He was the first member of a religious order to follow Chiara Lubich’s spirituality. Father Fabio Ciardi looks back on his life. On July 15 we celebrated the feast day of his namesake, Saint Bonaventure. On August 1, Fr Bonaventura Marinelli left us for heaven, where he could celebrate the centenary of his inseparable contemporary, Chiara Lubich. What a deep and faithful friendship they shared! In the years 1942 to 1946, as a young priest studying theology while living in the Capuchin monastery in Trento, he was, as he loved to say, “an eye-witness, albeit at a distance” of the beginnings of the Focolare Movement. At a distance, because in those years, no close contact was permitted. But eye-witness because he saw for himself the way those “extraordinary Third Order Franciscans” were living. “After the bombardment of 1944,” he recalled in an in-depth interview, “Chiara and her companions were always in our sight. They came to Mass, not in our church which was bomb-damaged, but in the sacristy which was even smaller and so we were brought even closer together. I remember what a deep impression they made on me every time I saw them. I’m rather shy by nature and find it hard to talk to people. But I can still remember how throughout the summer of 1943 and afterwards, when I was out almsgiving among the people, it became easier and easier for me to meet with families, children and others. This new way of seeing people came not from my nature, but from the life I saw in Chiara and her companions. In 1946, a year after I had been ordained a priest, my superiors sent me to a university in Switzerland. For the first few months I regularly received letters from my companions with whom I’d made a pact of unity. Then, suddenly, nothing, silence. The Vatican’s Holy Office (now known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) had started investigating the Movement, but I didn’t know. Personally, I found myself slipping into unutterable desolation. Until 23 April 1948, precisely. I’d returned to Trento to vote in the elections, and that morning, before leaving to go back to Switzerland, I met Chiara. She brought joy back to me, but in a much deeper way than before. I understood that what matters is to love. I felt I was touching heaven with my fingertips. When I arrived back in Fribourg I wrote to her. That was the first letter”. So began a correspondence through which Chiara communicated what she was living in that period. It’s thanks to Fr Bonaventura that today we have such a priceless patrimony of writings, some of which have become very well known. For example the letter dated 30 March 1948, in which she confides, “the book of Light the Lord is writing in my soul has two aspects. One page shines with mysterious love: Unity. The other shines with mysterious suffering: Jesus Forsaken”. The letters demonstrate the deep relationship which sprang up between them. 11 May 1948: “Your letter confirmed for me the impression I had of your soul, so beloved of the Lord. And immediately, without delay I would like to give you all that is mine, all God has built in me, using my nothingness, my weakness and wretchedness. (…) What I wish to write to you today is that we mustn’t break the unity God has made. (…) Saint Francis will not be happy until you revive it in yourself and also in your brothers. So make a start. You can do it”. 8 September 1948: “Your letter gave me such joy. Jesus is present. I found Him in your thirst for ‘life’, in the optimism it contains, overflowing through the pages, and above all in the peace that comes from your desire to love Him more and more. You can be very sure, as long as I’m never parted from Jesus (and how could that ever be? In Paradise I’ll have Him even more), I’ll never stop following your soul with a vigilant eye and fraternal care”. 27 January 1951: “You can’t imagine how your soul is ‘penetrating’ my own (almost literally, as if I could almost feel the effect on me!)” I remember the joy whenever they met and spontaneously started talking in their Trentino dialect. They were the same age, but he felt he was a disciple and she was his mother. In one of their first letters, Chiara signed herself “s.m.”, which Bonaventura straight away interpreted as “sua madre” – “your mother”. So he replied, signing his name as “s.f.” (“suo figlio” – “your son”). And Chiara herself understood. A Focolarina remembers hearing Chiara greet him in 2000 with the words, “this is my first son who is a religious!” Fr Bonaventura lived a long life. A Professor of Sacred Scripture, a translator of German biblical commentaries, bearer of various roles of responsibility in his Order including Provincial, Formator, and in the General Definitorium. He was then invited by Chiara to lead the international Centers of Spirituality for Religious men at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome and at Loppiano, the Focolare Movement’s small town in Italy. Self-effacing and extremely humble, he knew how to witness unostentatiously and sincerely the Ideal Chiara had transmitted to him. He was, in the words of one of his confreres, “a true child of the Gospel, in wisdom and simplicity of life”. I have my own personal memories of Fr Bonaventura, from the time in 1978 we went to Canada together for a whole month, to animate a formation school for religious men. Later I lived in community with him at Castel Gandolfo. I found an entry in my diary for 10 November 1999, when he had already left to take up a new posting and came for a visit. I wrote, “Bonaventura arrived and there was a really festive atmosphere, as usual”. I was struck by that “as usual”. Perhaps my most beautiful moment of all with him was on 18 March 2008, at Chiara’s funeral in Rome, in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. At the end of the ceremony, he asked me to help him approach the coffin, despite infringing official protocol. He was an old man by then, and he had difficulty bending down. But he managed to kneel down in order to hug and kiss the coffin. So I too knelt down and kissed the coffin (but actually for us, it was embracing Chiara not the coffin). And with that, everyone started to surround the coffin to kiss it. But with Bonaventura it was a unique gesture of a son towards his mother. I too always felt his love for me. In one of his last letters, he wrote, “You’re in my thoughts and I’ll always remember you with gratitude. I hope to have the joy of meeting you once more in person. This morning I entrusted you especially to Saint Francis. A hug!”
Fr. Fabio Ciardi OMI
Aug 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Grateful for the solidarity received and committed together with other various religious communities to help the country rise again and be a messenger of peace. We all know that Lebanon is still under a great shock. And Beirut is an unrecognizable city with apocalyptic scenes: destruction, high tensions, distress, anger and even violent episodes. A few days ago, a letter arrived from this country that has been hit with such widespread destruction. It comes from the Lebanon Focolare community and it is addressed to Focolare members worldwide. The letter reads: “With these words, each one of us would like to express a personal thank you to each one of you. We are deeply and immensely moved by the immediate closeness shown to us from all parts of the world, from old and young, far and near, through phone calls and messages”. Members of the Focolare Comunity continue to say: “Every morning, when we wake up and continue to discover the massiveness of the catastrophe, the material damage, the number of hospitals badly damaged and rendered unfunctionable, the polluted air we breathe, we feel like ‘survivors’. Each one of us could have been right there at the scene of the drama. And maybe some of us were, but a providential hand made them change place. However, we all feel that a new life has been given to us, as a young woman, just out of an elevator gutted with the explosion, said”. They continue to relate that in the streets, where everything seems to cry out despair, “many people from north to south, members of various religious communities, are working hard to clear the rubble. Each one, in his own way, is a living witness that the ‘resurrection’ will win over the death of the city, the country, the dreams of many”. They conclude: “Together with you, we want to move ahead so that a Lebanon that passes on a message of peace, unity and universal brotherhood and be a model of a united world, will be reborn”.
edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti
________________________________________ The Emergency Coordination of the Focolare Movement, which will intervene through the AMU and AFN organizations, has been activated. For those who want to collaborate, the following current accounts have been activated:
Azione per un Mondo Unito ONLUS (AMU) IBAN: IT58 S050 1803 2000 0001 1204 344 Codice SWIFT/BIC: CCRTIT2T Banca Popolare Etica
Azione per Famiglie Nuove ONLUS (AFN) IBAN: IT11G0306909606100000001060 Codice SWIFT/BIC: BCITITMM Banca Intesa San Paolo
PURPOSE: Emergency Lebanon ————————————————————– The contributions paid on the two current accounts with this purpose will be managed jointly by AMU and AFN. There are tax benefits for these donations in many countries of the European Union and in other countries of the world, according to the various local regulations. Italian taxpayers will be provided deductions from taxable income, up to 10% of the income and with the limit of € 70,000.00 per year, with the exception of donations made in cash.
Aug 11, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The 100 years of Danilo Zanzucchi. A married Focolarino – one of the first in the wake of Igino Giordani – Danilo along with his wife Anna Maria, would soon become the couple leading New Families at a world level Chiara always had a predilection for that young engineer who, after having erected his first important buildings in the north of Italy (“all still standing” Danilo assures with pride), left a promising career to move to the capital, and as a family collaborate full-time for the purpose of the Movement. But Chiara’s esteem for Danilo is above all for having been able to grasp, in its entirety, the charism that the Spirit had given her. Among his first assignments was the collaboration on the construction of the Mariapolis Center in Rocca di Papa that would become the International Headquarters of the Focolare Movement. A married Focolarino – one of the first in the wake of Igino Giordani – Danilo along with his wife Anna Maria, would soon become the couple leading New Families at a world level; developing in the following decades an innovative and effective Family Pastoral Care appreciated at all latitudes for the rich spirituality from which it draws and for its openness to the demands of the contemporary world. The profound interior life of Danilo did not go unnoticed by ecclesiastical leaders who were struck by his brilliant presence, his skills. Diocesan President of Catholic men in Parma (Italy), when transferred to Rome he became consultant and, later, member of the Vatican department for the Family. These latter responsibilities, accompanied by Anna Maria, made him a guest several times in the home of Pope Wojtyla and also a testimonial of service to the Family in television broadcasts, also shown in world wide vision. When welcomed by Danilo during a visit (1984) to the International Centre of the Movement, the Polish Pontiff did not hesitate to promote him sympathetically as “Foreign Minister of the Focolare Movement “. A collaboration that also continued with Benedict XVI, and his request to the Zanzucchi couple to write the text for one of the Stations of the Cross (2012) at the Colosseum in Rome presided over by him was significant of this. Danilo is celebrating his 100th birthday with Anna Maria (90), his 5 children (two Focolarini and two married Focolarini), his 12 grandchildren and the whole Focolarino world. In particular with the countless families of the various continents for which with Anna Maria, he has been an example, a confidant, a guide, remaining a lovable and safe point of reference for each one. His psycho-physical condition remains excellent, despite the fact that many years ago Chiara herself, with all of us, feared for his health which has obviously been well recovered. He is able to go to Mass almost every day and it is not uncommon to see him participate in the periodic meetings of his Focolare and those of the Focolare-Families. Perhaps because he was invested with a special mission, the Lord preserved him in two particular episodes in the Second World War. He himself tells us that if it had not been for the providential shove of a comrade who pushed him elsewhere, he would have died under a bomb that was crashing right where he was standing. Another time, it was his knowledge of German that saved him from an already deployed firing squad . It can happen that Danilo, in order to dilute somewhat complicated moments, still decides to let everyone enjoy one of his mythical and resonant speeches in that language , putting everyone in a good mood for the various lexical licenses he grants himself. The gratitude of the entire New Families Movement for this century of Danilo’s life given to God and his brothers, goes to this great figure of a man of Faith and Works. Thank you Danilo for being a giant of righteousness and tenderness, an example of simplicity and wisdom, a temperament of leader and artist: a Saint who lives next door. Thank you also, Danilo, for having never stopped, not even now that you are a hundred years old, to impersonate the Evangelical Child that has always shone through your being, your speech, your good humour, your water colours, your countless cartoons often improvised on paper napkins, which masterfully capture and express the best that is in each of the protagonists to whom they are dedicated. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANILO! From the New Families website
