The love of loves

Aug 10, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The coronavirus pandemic is a trial by fire not only for healthcare systems but also for those engaged in politics, both locally and internationally. The following excerpt from a speech by Chiara Lubich can justifiably be called a “hymn to politics”. It is a challenge for politicians and can fill the hearts of ordinary citizens with gratitude towards all those who have to make courageous decisions on a daily basis. While most of the new movements take an active interest in all that is happening in the world, one of them, the Focolare Movement, has actually given rise to a political section known as the Politics for Unity Movement. Its specific aim is precisely that of promoting fraternity in politics. … First of all, we realized that a true vocation to politics exists. Believers discern the voice of God entrusting them with this task. People without formal faith also feel called to politics when, for example, they see social needs or groups of vulnerable people asking for help. Responding to the call to enter politics is, above all, an act of fraternity. In fact, people become politically active in order to work for issues that concern the general public, to help other people, wanting their good as if it were their own. In reality, the task of love in politics is to create and safeguard the conditions that enable all other types of love to blossom: the love of young people who want to get married and who need a house and jobs; the love of those who want to study and who need schools and books; the love of those who have their own business and who need roads and railways, and clear and reliable rules…. Hence politics is the love of all loves, fostering collaboration among people, bringing together needs and resources, and enabling people to trust one another. Politics can be compared to the stem of a flower that supports and nourishes the renewed blossoming of petals in the community. In the Politics for Unity Movement, we notice that, by living out our political choices as a vocation to love, we understand that other people, who have made political choices different from our own, can be motivated by a similar vocation to love. They, too, in their own way, are part of the same design, even when they become our political opponents. Fraternity enables us to recognize their task, to respect it and help them to be faithful to it – also through constructive criticism – while we remain faithful to our own. In the Politics for Unity Movement, we believe that we should live fraternity so well as to reach the point of loving the other person’s party as we love our own. We know that neither party was born by chance, but that each was the response to an historical need within the national community. Fraternity brings out the authentic values of each side and reconnects the whole tapestry of the political design of a nation. The initiatives of the members of the Politics for Unity Movement bear witness to this. They seek to create a fraternal relationship between the majority and the opposition, both on the level of the national Parliament and in municipal authorities. Their initiatives have been formulated into laws on a national level, or into local policies that have brought greater unity to the towns and cities where they were applied. Thus, those who respond to their political vocation by beginning to live fraternity, enter into a universal dimension that opens them up to the whole of humanity. They ask themselves whether the decisions they are about to make, while serving the interests of their own nation, might be detrimental to others.  Politicians of unity love other people’s countries as their own.

Chiara Lubich

From Chiara Lubich, “A United Europe for a united world”. Speech given to the European Movement, Madrid (Spain), 3rd December 2002    

Thailand – Beer: to love others as oneself

Aug 8, 2020 | Non categorizzato

A glimpse into the experience and everyday life of Somjit Suwanmaneegul, a Buddhist, from Chiang Rai in Thailand. From his meeting with John Paul II to today. By Stefania Tanesini and Lorenzo Giovanetti. https://vimeo.com/430658900

Gospel lived/1 – Full stop

Aug 7, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Anything can happen in life: easy or difficult situations, mourning, victories or defeats, but there is a  common denominator for all, a common way to deal with each situation: the relationship with God. Circumstances will always be different, but He is always present; always with us. In isolation “Tomorrow,” said the doctor, “we’ll put you in an isolation ward”. I felt like someone with a bad smell. I knew someone had died from that illness. Death! I was not afraid of the pain that comes with the last battle for life. Rather I felt the detachment from my own as sharp as a sword in my heart. I had not said goodbye to them. And now… I might never see them again. I wept. And yet, to die meant meeting Jesus whom I loved. But it seemed to me that the love given and received here on earth by so many tied me down here and the flight upwards was exhausting. I knew these people on earth, the others up there I didn’t yet know well. On the other hand I had always tried to love Jesus in every neighbour: relatives, friends, acquaintances, strangers! “It was you, Jesus, whom I loved and found in everyone, the same one that – if I die now – I will meet”. This last thought slowly gave me peace. I remained for a long time in isolation, with the ups and downs associated with the illness, but enveloped more or less by a mysterious presence with the possibility of speaking to the One who listened to me and to whom I could listen. M. – Italy Rudeness at school I don’t know if I’ve aged or the generation has definitely changed. I was talking about it with my fellow teachers and we all came to the conclusion that unfortunately there is a lack of basic education. It is not only a lack of respect towards teachers, evident also in a shameless judgmental attitude towards teachers by  parents, but a complete lack of a sense of attention towards each other. In one of the most difficult classes, after a regrettable incident, I pointed out that in every culture and tradition there is a basic rule of coexistence: “Do to others what you would like to be done to you”.  I asked everyone if such a rule seemed acceptable to them. After a great silence one pupil started to speak, then another one… and in the end a real dialogue was created. Since that day something has changed: almost invisibly, but something has changed. Once more I had to believe again. Young people need real, firm points of reference. C. – Spain I was tempted to emigrate… I am a specialist in infectious diseases and, due to poor health facilities, poor hygiene and very low salaries, I was tempted to emigrate like many colleagues. However, after reflecting with my wife, I decided to continue my service to my brothers and sisters in our country. With the support of Christian friends abroad, it was possible to build a health facility complete with a laboratory and guarantee specific medicines even for the poorest people. In addition to the development of productive activities to improve basic nutrition, an attempt was also made to ensure psychosocial support for the sick and their families. M.- Democratic Republic of Congo

Edited by Stefania Tanesini

Maria Voce on “Chiara still with us”

Aug 6, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Maria Voce’s new book “Luce che avvolge il mondo” [Light that envelops the world], is published today by Città Nuova, for now only in Italian. It is a profound and courageous re-reading of the cornerstones of the spirituality of unity in the light of the questions posed by people today concerning our present times and the near future. This is probably Maria Voce’s last book as President of the Focolare Movement. In it we find her thought regarding the Movement set out clearly and powerfully more than in any previous publication during her 12 years’ leadership of the Movement. The book reveals the cornerstones of her action and her legacy, but also her experience in the very delicate time following the death of a charismatic founder like Chiara Lubich.  This volume certainly deserves to be read “slowly” and meditatively, allowing time for reflection, because in it we find all Maria Voce’s spiritual, cultural and lived adherence to the charism of unity. It contains a series of talks given at various times on the twelve main points of the Focolare spirituality – God Love, the Will of God, the Word, our neighbour, mutual love, the Eucharist, Unity, Jesus Forsaken, Mary, the Church, the Holy Spirit, Jesus in the midst. These talks were given year by year during her two mandates. In the preface, Maria Voce’s friend Andrea Riccardi [founder of the Sant’Egidio community] writes: “Maria did not want to repeat but to reread Chiara’s message and charism in a Church and a world that have changed. Spiritual movements grow in a deep tension between, on the one hand, faithfulness to their origins and their charism, and, on the other, an exploration of the life and developments of the future. […] It is an outstanding and remarkable example of the creative faithfulness that is required of a founder’s followers – especially if they are leaders”. In the introduction, Jesús Morán, Co-President, asks himself with what spirit Maria Voce has written these texts and affirms it is one of actualization for our times. “She has not repeated the talks written by Chiara in the past, but has actualized them (…). She gives us her own renewed understanding of the points of the spirituality of unity that draws directly from the source of Chiara Lubich’s inspiration but also emphasizes further connotations and brings hitherto unexpressed shades of meaning to the fore. She has done this while being prompted also by the issues and concerns increasingly faced by the members of the Movement in the context of current events in the Church and in the world.” Leafing through its pages we find a variety of questions posed more or less explicitly to Maria Voce by people in the Focolare Movement. In response to the question,: “What is God asking of the people in the Movement?”, she answered: “He asks each of us to reach out to our own environment, engaging with our neighbours in a spirit of unity, but being open to everyone. At the time, Chiara herself said that that would be answer enough. Chiara emphasized very strongly that above all God asks us to make ourselves one with the person who is near us, with those who share our life’s journey and with the people we meet day by day, even – as far as possible – the ones we hear about through the media. We are called, therefore, to live unity every moment of our life, day after day, as happened from the very start.” Maria Voce also offers her reading of the lights and shadows on the progress of the Focolare Movement. She does so at a time in which the Covid pandemic has changed many things both at a personal and community level, and does so also in view of the upcoming General Assembly in 2021 during which the Movement will elect a new president and leadership: “At this time, we feel that God is urging us to sow seeds of this message of unity in new and larger fields and not worry about diminishing strength or lost ground. We should joyfully witness to the opening up of ever new horizons and the flourishing of countless living cells of the Church spread throughout the world. This happens wherever two or more are ready to love one another with mutual love and to go out towards others so that, as Pope Francis wishes, many people may meet God.” This attitude towards the current situation enables us to be enriched by an understanding of the present and look to the near future with the optimism characteristic of Maria Voce. She is certainly not naive, because she is well-grounded in the Gospel words that speak of unity and on the life that has sprung from it throughout the world.

Stefania Tanesini

Lebanon: rising from the rubble

Aug 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato

After the devastating explosion in Beirut on the evening of August 4^th, the local Focolare community and the New Humanity association set to work to meet the most urgent needs of the people affected by the disaster. More than 100 dead and 4,000 injured caused by the huge explosion on Tuesday, August 4^th  at around 6.10 pm local time in the area near the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Glass doors and windows were broken up to a distance of 10 kilometres from the disaster area. The government speaks of about 300,000 people made homeless. Even before this catastrophe, the cedar country was already facing a severe economic crisis, which was further reinforced by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. According to official sources more than 45% of the population lives in poverty and unemployment has risen to 35%. The explosion on August 4^th  was another major blow not only to Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure but also to the morale of a people who have suffered so much violence in recent decades. Like all humanitarian associations, the Focolare’s “New Humanity Movement ” has set to work  to help those most affected. With the help of the local community of the Movement, the Mariapolis Centre “La Sorgente” in Ain Aar in Beirut has been made available for those who have lost their homes. Groups of young people and adults have made themselves available to help families and people most affected, putting together needs of different kinds: from food to cleaning materials . ________________________________________ 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. ————————————————————– To stay up to date on fundraising for this Emergency visit the AMU and AFN websites.

The power of communion and God’s providence

Aug 4, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The story of Armando, a Venezuelan who emigrated with his family to Peru: lives the Ideal of unity in the Focolare community, shares his needs and experiences the power of communion that attracts God’s providence. Three years ago because of the difficult situation in Venezuela with my wife and our two children we decided to emigrate to Peru. We used to attend the meetings of the focolare in our country and  there, in Peru,  the Focolare community  welcomed us with  a temporary home , until I found  a job so as to be able to  pay the rent of a house. A person from the Focolare community, without knowing us, offered us his apartment for a month while he was away visiting his son who lived  in another city. As soon as we got settled in, they asked us to make a list of the things we needed to share it with everyone. So coats, pots, pans, plates, cutlery, food began to arrive, but I was missing a pair of shoes that I needed urgently… At the end of the month, since I didn’t have a job yet, we moved to another temporary accommodation. We went to thank those who, without knowing us , had lent us their house. After getting to know each other better, the gentleman  said: “If there’s anything else I can help you with, tell me”. We told him that we had made a list and that the only thing missing was the shoes. “Yes, I saw the WhatsApp chat ad,” he said, “unfortunately I take  a size 38 …; try them on anyway (he took his shoes off) and if they fit, they are yours”. I tried them on and they were perfect. He added, “But in the ad you said you needed sports shoes”. He went to his room and brought out  a pair of sports shoes: “Take these too”. That’s how the shoes I keep wearing came from  providence. One evening in a meeting with some people with whom we shared Chiara Lubich’s Ideal of unity, I was able to experience once again the strength of communion, to share the successes, the failures, the joys, the needs, taking as an example the first Christian communities that “put everything in common and there was no one in need” (Acts 4: 32-36). It was a special moment: one of the participants said that two of his children had broken a computer during  an argument. His first reaction was to punish them both. I felt sorry because now those kids didn’t have the computer they were using for homework. After going through the initial phase of anger, the father of the two boys called the technician to repair the computer. However, there was no way to fix it. So he called his two sons and apologized for his initial  angry reaction, so that peace was restored in that family. When he finished sharing what he experienced, one of those present said he had a computer that he didn’t use: “You can have it, we’ll see how to get it to you”. For me it was yet another confirmation of the strength of communion. I asked myself: “And if the first person did not share his concern, how could the other offer a solution?” Sometimes we don’t know how to solve a problem on our own and we get stuck in our own pain; but if we take the step of sharing it in communion with others without any hidden interest, God can find the solution precisely through those around us.

A.M. Lima, Peru (collected by Gustavo E. Clariá)

The “something more”

Aug 3, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The following reflection by Chiara Lubich highlights a key dimension of a “spirituality of communion” – the fact of being inseparably linked to one another, which calls for endurance. The coronavirus pandemic has made us experience this interdependence in many ways, and has also called us to increase out capacity for endurance. We do not go to God alone, but with our brothers and sisters. And this is the “something more” that we have. We must tend towards holiness together with others. Practically speaking, this means helping our brothers and sisters reach holiness in the same way as we help ourselves. It’s a demanding commitment that we too easily forget, but which is the necessary condition for becoming holy. Indeed it is only by loving our brothers and sisters to this extent that we can hope to have Jesus in our midst. What is the best way to practice this demanding love for our brothers and sisters? There are a number of ways, but one of them in particular must be considered carefully and has been confirmed for me by many years of experience. I’ve already spoken about it, but it’s so important that it’s worth repeating. The community life we live, whether permanently or on a temporary basis, asks us to love our brothers or sisters all the time. This means always making ourselves one with them and it’s what we try to do. However, even if we were to commit ourselves with all our strength to doing this, we wouldn’t always succeed because we are still in this world and liable to faults and failings. Sooner or later, one or other of us messes things up. What should we do? If we were the ones who stopped loving, we should start loving again straightaway. And if it was our brother or sister’s fault, what should we do? Believe me, we would be wise to listen to what St Paul says when he emphasizes endurance regarding others, because endurance is not a lower grade of love; it is intrinsic to love, an aspect of charity, a key dimension of love. In fact, according to St Paul, love not only “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things”, but also “endures all things”. To endure is to love, it is charity. Without it, we do not truly love. The time will come when we can make our neighbour aware of what has gone wrong; the Gospel asks us to do this too. … But we do it only out of love and certainly not to rant at our brothers or sisters about how they have wronged us. We say things with as much love as possible, knowing that if they improve, I too will gain from it, because this is what is new about our spiritual journey: I must work towards my brother or sister’s perfection if I want to reach my own. We are bound to one another. There’s no alternative.

                                                                           Chiara Lubich

  (Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 19^th June 2003)

The first TV movie on Chiara Lubich

Aug 2, 2020 | Non categorizzato

A film about Chiara and the beginnings of the Focolare Movement will be aired on RAI UNO, the first channel of Italy’s national state broadcaster, in autumn. “Can the power of a girl’s dream and her faith change the world ?” This is the keynote on which the Italian director Giacomo Campiotti bases the film in which he narrates the story of Chiara Lubich, the young teacher from Trent, who in her early twenties lived the hardships and anguish caused by the Second World War. Lubich felt called to build a better world, a more united one, and since then she set herself the goal to build bridges between people, irrespective of their race, nation or religious belief. This biography TV movie, the first to be made on Chiara Lubich will focus on the early years, those between 1943 and 1950. It is a co-production by Rai Fiction and Casanova Multimedia, produced by Luca Barbareschi. Cristiana Capotondi, an established Italian actress will play Chiara in the movie, while Sofia Panizzi and Valentina Ghelfi will also be in the cast. The shooting of the film will begin in Trent in a few days’ time, and it will start with “the times when the war raged” and “everything collapsed” and only God remained, as Chiara herself related in one of the very first stories about the Focolare Movement’s beginning . In the press release issued about the movie one reads: “Today, the tenacity in a figure like Chiara makes us consider the other person as an opportunity, a gift, a bearer of a seed of truth to be valued and loved, no matter how far apart we may be. Universal brotherhood is a prerequisite for dialogue and peace. Chiara’s message does not belong only to the Catholic world. She has contributed towards the value and role of women not only in ecclesiastical institutions but also and above all outside them”. This movie will relate the story of the very first years, the foundation years, when Chiara realised that God was showing her the way to be followed and she responded, followed by an ever increasing number of people, who took roads that from Italy led to the whole world. It will also be a journey that speaks of the historical, social and ecclesial circumstances that Chiara experienced during the Second World War, the very first years after the war and the pre-conciliar years with ferments that stirred Catholicity. The director and producers intend and want to relate all about “the young revolutionary girl, who shared everything with those in need”. ANSA news stated this on July 27 and continued to say that “she read the Gospel without the presence of a priest; she was considered as harmful to the society of her time and so she was forced to report about her work to the Holy Office. She passed through the most difficult test of her life when she was asked to abandon the Focolare leadership. But the stone she threw into the pond could not be stopped and created wider circles, so years later, when Paul VI came to rehabilitate the Focolare Movement, it had already spread throughout the world”.

Stefania Tanesini

Italy – Sophia University Institute: where the study of dialogue becomes life

Aug 1, 2020 | Non categorizzato

We are back in Loppiano, at the Sophia University Institute, an innovative academic centre and incubator of new concepts and practices in interreligious dialogue. By Anna Lisa Innocenti and Lorenzo Giovanetti. https://vimeo.com/430380293

Running a business in Coronavirus times

Jul 31, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Firms going under, thousands of jobs lost: lockdown has hit the European economy hard. But many entrepreneurs are trying equally hard to keep going. Andrea Cruciani in Italy asked himself what he could do to protect his workers. How have business people coped in the emergency lockdown phase caused by Covid-19? We spoke with Andrea Cruciani, CEO of TeamDev software consultancy and Agricolus start-up, linked to the Economy of Communion project. How has the lockdown affected you? “Before lockdown things were going well. For the past 12 years, TeamDev has demonstrated 20% annual growth and we now employ a workforce of 50. Halfway through February we took steps to raise money through the bank. But the lockdown meant by the end of March we had no cash liquidity left. For the first time ever, I found myself without money or opportunities. The only option left to us was to start laying off staff. I was so unhappy about this because we have always taken particular care to invest in the welfare of the business. Not surprisingly perhaps, some of our workers took fright and lost confidence in us. To lose the trust of even one employee was extremely painful to me. Gradually, however, we found ways to meet the needs of everyone. As soon as the business started generating some income again, we immediately began to supplement their unemployment payments through a special ‘Covid fund’. At the end, we were able to give the same pay to all, and they understood there was no bad-faith on our side”. Have you learnt anything through all this? “I’ve realized how fragile authentic relationships with employees and collaborators can be. It’s so important that authentic relationships are built on trust. We’ve been amazed to see how some of our people have found new energy from the desire to contribute to the common good. In this period the true humanity within our relationships has emerged”. Do you have any advice for other businesses about caring for their human resources? “Let me tell you a story. Three years ago I decided to promote one particular employee to the management of a department. But after a short time, this person quit. I realised that what I want out of life for myself is not necessarily what everyone else wants for themselves. This employee did not want the psychological stress of that management role and was not even ambitious for an increase in salary. Following that experience we began to improve some of our processes”. Improve in what ways? “First of all, we turned to a coach to improve the team spirit among everyone working in the company. Then we began to improve working conditions with some quite simple initiatives like offering fresh fruit for break-times. We also ordered seasonal fruit from a Caritas orchard project, to give everyone the opportunity to take what they needed home, free of charge. We also launched a program of integrated welfare, developing our existing long-standing integrated retirement package and other supports such as flexible working to accommodate family commitments. In this way we protect the interests of those working in our companies. And, clearly, we strive to promote the growth of each person to be able to give the best of themselves”. How do you view the future of the economy in general? “I foresee a future where it will be ever more necessary to read the present moment and share our own perspective for the future. Chiara Lubich is a prophet for us, EoC business people, because she has taught us how to care for our employees and businesses. Some aspects are covered by the law but many other aspects are covered already by one’s conscience and commitment to love”.

by Lorenzo Russo

Gospel lived: being family

Jul 29, 2020 | Non categorizzato

“Be a family – this was Chiara Lubich’s invitation to people eager to live the Word of God –.  And wherever you go to bring the ideal of Christ, (…) the very best thing you can do is create the spirit of family with discretion and prudence but also with decisiveness.  It is a humble spirit which wants the good of the other. It is not proud… it is (…) true charity.”[1] The new director In his “programmatic speech” the new director had spoken of the company as a family in which everyone was co-responsible. The atmosphere between us was light and cordial… but when the first difficulties arose, perhaps due to inexperience, he surrounded himself with those he trusted most and excluded practically everyone else from decision-making. I took courage and one day, out of love for both him and the employees, I set out to ask him what worries were crushing him. He seemed so different to how he was at the beginning, like someone who only saw enemies. Perhaps we had done something that was making him act like that?  He didn’t answer and dismissed me, by saying he had an urgent commitment.  A few days later he called me and apologised.  He shared with me how he felt unable to support the kind of solidarity where everything slipped through his fingers. He asked me for help. I encouraged him to open up to all of us and ask whether we really wanted to be part of his project. It was a moment of great understanding. Something began to change. (H.G. – Hungary) At the post office At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I went to the post office to send a package. In the queue for guesthouses, an elderly lady wearing a mask who was clearly not well, collapsed to the floor. I ran towards her but I wasn’t strong enough to lift her up. When I asked for help, I noticed a certain reticence: just one boy covered in tattoos who had witnessed the scene outside the post office responded. I sat the elderly lady down, who managed to come round apart from some pain resulting from the fall, and asked the boy to help her sort out what she needed to do, while I sent my package. Not only did he help me get her into the car, he also wanted to come with us to the lady’s house. Since she had a blood pressure machine, I took her blood pressure. As I left the building, the boy said to me, “I was laughing with my friends seeing how people driven by fear behave. What you did was great.” After a few days I wanted to visit the old woman. I was surprised and even moved when she told me that the boy had brought her some biscuits made by his mother. (U.R. – Italy) Rehabilitating the past Such a shame! My colleague was really competent in her job but she brought everyone down with her pessimism. Because she was jealous of me and other colleagues she always spoke badly about everyone. Consequently, with one excuse or another, no one wanted to work with her.  What should I do? Just let things go ahead despite the bad atmosphere? Then I had an idea for her birthday.  I organized a collection for her in the office. When we called her to celebrate with cakes people had made, drawings her colleagues’ children had made for her, a beautiful bag as a present, she was deeply moved and incredulous. She never said a word for days. She would just look at us like a wounded bird. Then gradually she began to talk to me about her childhood, her failed relationships, the divisions in her family… We became friends and she comes to our house to help my children with Maths and English. She’s one of the family now and it looks like her past is healing too. (G.R. – Italy)

by Stefania Tanesini

(from The Gospel of the Day, Citta Nuova, year VI, no. 4, July-August 2020) [1] C. Lubich, in Gen’s, 30 (2000/2), p. 42.

Call him by name

Jul 27, 2020 | Non categorizzato

We have all suffered because of the coronavirus and many people are still suffering. The pandemic has caused problems and pain in all sorts of ways and we would easily feel discouraged if Jesus did not help us. In fact, we know that He, who is God made man, experienced all our sufferings and that for this reason He can be close to us and support us. … Life can be viewed as being like an obstacle race. But what are the obstacles? How can we define them? It is always a great discovery to see how each suffering or trial in life can in a certain sense be given the name of Jesus Forsaken. Are we gripped by fear? Didn’t Jesus on the cross in his forsakenness seem overwhelmed by the fear that the Father had forgotten him? In some hard trials, the obstacle we might meet is despair or discouragement. Jesus in his forsakenness seemed engulfed by the impression that in his divine passion he was without the Father’s support. It seemed that he was losing the courage to reach the end of his most painful trial, but then, he said: “Into your hands Father I commend my spirit”.^[1] Are we in circumstances that make us feel disorientated? In that tremendous suffering, Jesus seemed unable to understand anything about what was happening to him, given that he cried out ‘why?’ ^[2] Are we being contradicted? In his forsakenness, it seems as though the Father does not approve of what the Son is doing. Are we being rebuked or accused? Jesus on the cross, in his forsakenness, perhaps had the impression of being rebuked or accused even by heaven. Furthermore, in some trials that sometimes come in relentless succession don’t we even reach the point of saying in our affliction – ‘This seems to be too much; this is beyond all measure’?  In his forsakenness, Jesus drank a bitter chalice that was not only full but overflowing. His was the trial beyond all measure. And when we are surprised by a let-down, or feel injured, or have an unforeseen accident, an illness, or are in an absurd situation, we can always remember the suffering of Jesus Forsaken who experienced these trials personally and many more. Yes, he is present in everything that smacks of suffering. Every suffering is one of his names. In the world, it’s said that someone who loves calls their beloved by name. We have decided to love Jesus Forsaken. And so, in order to succeed better in this, let’s try to get used to calling him by name in the trials of our life. So we will say to him: Jesus Forsaken-loneliness, Jesus Forsaken-doubt, Jesus Forsaken-injury, Jesus Forsaken-trial, Jesus forsaken-affliction and so on. And because we call him by name, he will see that he is being discovered and recognised beneath every suffering and he will answer us with more love. By embracing him he will become our peace, our comfort, our courage and stability, our health and our victory. He will be the explanation of everything and the solution to everything. Let’s try then … to call Jesus by name when we meet him in the obstacles of life. We will overcome them more quickly and the race of our life will not be paused.

Chiara Lubich

 (Taken from a telephone conference call, Mollens, 28th August 1986) [1] Lk 23:46. [2] Cf. Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34.

Transcending Boundaries: Chiara Lubich and the great Religions

Jul 25, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Chiara Lubich and interreligious dialogue, a way to give a soul to globalisation. https://vimeo.com/429999013

Living the Gospel: a great opportunity

Jul 22, 2020 | Non categorizzato

If we love, Jesus will recognize us as his family, as his brothers and sisters. This is a great opportunity: it surprises us; it frees us from the past, from our fears, from our plans. Thus, even our limits and fragilities can lead us to our realization, and we will make a big leap foward. Racism I was a student at the middle school; classes and homework were fine, but the relationship with my classmates wasn’t. One day, while I was finishing my science homework, I was verbally insulted by one them for being an Asian. I didn’t know how to react to his racist abuse. I did not utter a word, but a strong feeling of revenge gripped me. Then a strange thought crossed my mind: “Now is your chance”. It took me a while to understand quite clearly that it was “now my chance to love my enemies”. My first reaction was to ignore this and defend my Asian identity. Loving my enemy seemed as if I would only be contributing towards a more negative situation. I was very uncertain about what to do, but after some time I decided to keep silent. I forced my angry heart to forgive while I offered my personal wound to Jesus, who suffered so much on the cross. After forgiving my enemy, I sincerely experienced a happiness I never felt before. (James – USA) Faith Problems Our third child was born with Down syndrome and I considered this cruelty of nature as a punishment for my marital infidelities. I was ashamed to go round with this child and I carried so many unanswered questions inside me. But as F. grew up, I started to discover primordial goodness and cosmic peace in this child. I cannot explain the relationship between this and my problematic faith, but slowly I acquired other eyes and, I would say, another heart too. The relationship in my family changed as well. Strangely enough, I began to live F’s condition as a gift. I have no more problems about faith and dogmas; everything is grace. Behind the veil of misunderstanding there is innocent and pure truth. (D.T. – Portugal) Back to family life I left my family for someone I had fallen in love with at work. Blinded by passion, I didn’t realize what great hardship I was inflicting on my family. I was still in touch with my children, mainly with my eldest daughter who suffered most because of my absence. When her husband abandoned her and her three little kids and my daughter fell into a depression, I realised that the same suffering I caused was repeating itself. God gave me the grace to be fully aware of this and to repent. I did everything I could to be close to my daughter’s broken family. I looked for my son-in-law and spoke to him at length. He humiliated me when he told me off and pointed out that I had no right to judge because  his wife’s traumas were partly my fault: their marriage failed precisely because of her lack of balance. I knelt and wept, asking him for forgiveness. He said that he would think about it. After a few months of anxious uncertainty, there was a ray of hope: my daughter told me that her husband was willing to try and settle into family life once again. (C.M. – Argentina)

                                                                                                                                                       Stefania Tanesini

(from The Gospel of the Day,  Città Nuova, year VI, no. 4, July-August 2020)

Pasquale Foresi’s biography published

Jul 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Pasquale Foresi, the first co-president of the Focolare Movement and an avant-garde theologian  was a very timid and a highly intelligent person. His first biography, edited by Michele Zanzucchi, has just been published in Italian. It relates the story of a man, the beginning of the Focolare Movement, a cross-section of history that has much to say to the Movement, the Church and society today. The first biography of Pasquale Foresi “In fuga per la verità”, who together with Igino Giordani was defined by Chiara Lubich as co-founder of the Focolari, was published on July 9, 2020. It gives a very well documented account of the first part of his life, from 1929 to 1954.  Even Focolare members knew very little about this part of his life because of Foresi’s reserved character and his style of co-governance, as we would say today. It is a very interesting text, published in Italian, but versions in English, French and Spanish are in the pipeline. It is studded with unpublished facts and it flows like a novel, that speaks of Foresi’s life and recounts all about the Movement’s beginnings and Chiara Lubich, as a person, from his point of view. It also makes us reflect on the present life of   the worldwide Focolare Movement, almost 80 years after its birth. But who was Pasquale Foresi? Who was he for the very young Focolare foundress? We put  this question to Michele Zanzucchi, the author of the biography, a journalist and a writer, former director of Città Nuova. He was well-acquainted with Foresi, but besides, it took him two and half years of research on  papers, texts, books and speeches to produce such a thorough and deep piece of work. “Foresi met Chiara Lubich during the Christmas holidays of 1949. He was then a young man in his twenties, but he had already experienced a more adult life than his age; so he was “prepared” to collaborate with the Focolari foundress. He was the son of a Livorno family; his father, a teacher and a Catholic laity leader, later became a member of parliament and his mother was a housewife. He had three brothers and sisters. Since his childhood, Pasquale showed uncommon practical-theoretical intelligence. On September 8, 1943, the day of the armistice, at the age of 14, he escaped from home “to give some service to Italy”. Soon after, he joined the blackshirts, and then, because of the Nazis themselves, he took part in combats and he even fought at Cassino. Before he escaped, he freed deserters who were condemned to death. His philosophical-religious conversion started there. He was with the partisans when the war ended, and then, immediately afterwards he entered the seminary in Pistoia. Two years later he was at the prestigious Capranica in Rome. But he left; he could not accept the incoherent way some clerics lived the Gospel. He found this coherency in Lubich and her friends. Within a month, the teacher from Trent understood that God sent this young man to help her accomplish God’s work that had just started. Foresi cooperated with her in setting up centres of community living for virgins, in the Church’s approval of the Movement, in the building of centres and small towns, in the setting up of publishing houses and launching magazines, in the inauguration of university centres….. From that day on, Lubich remained faithful to the role God entrusted to Foresi, and she never abandoned this,  not even when he was struck by a serious cerebral illness in 1967, when he was barely 38 years old and he disappeared from public life. For her, Pasquale  always remained one of the two co-founders of the Movement, the one with whom she confronted every decision she had to make”. What kind of priest was he? What was his vision of the Church? “With a very traditional formation on the sacraments and priestly life, I would say neo-school. Foresi helped Lubich to develop an original idea of the application of the presbyterate, the idea of “Marian priesthood” stripped of “power” and animated only by deep rootedness in the kingly priesthood of Jesus. This idea of priesthood is still being applied and experimented today. For Foresi, in particular, the priest had to be a champion in humanity, in being man-Jesus. The underlying vision of the Church is linked to a prophetically conciliar perspective: the Church as the people of God, the Church-communion, naturally synodal and one that gives value (which does not mean in any way devaluing the  “sacramental” presence of Christ in his Church) to the presence of Jesus in humanity  in more “lay” forms, particularly in the presence promised by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: “Where two or three are gathered  in my name, there I am in their midst” (Mt 18:20)”. Why did Chiara Lubich entrust Foresi, and not a lay person, with the realization of some of the Focolari‘s works, the so-called “concretizations”, such as the international centre of Loppiano and the launching of the publishing house Città Nuova? “It would be great if this  question is asked to the one who could really answer it… However, I note that the other co-founder of the Movement was Igino Giordani, a married lay person, a member of parliament, a  journalist, an ecumenist. He met Lubich back in 1948, and the foundress saw in him  the presence “of humanity” at the heart of her charism. So for Lubich, Giordani  meant a radical opening to the world, following the priestly prayer of Jesus: “Let all men be one” (Jn 17:10). But in Foresi – who was of a more “concrete” nature than the “idealist” Giordani – she saw the one who would give her the practical support needed to achieve her work. We need to say that  Foresi was extremely “secular” in this characteristic, even though it was very clear to him that the  Movement’s mission  was primarily ecclesial, and that it could not be done without the ecclesiastics”. Let’s try to guess: what would Foresi say to the Focolari and what would he invite them to aim at if he were alive today?   “A real gamble. I believe he would invite the Movement to do the necessary ‘updating’ , while keeping in mind the nascent state of the Movement. Therefore, he would  invite the Movement to go back to the founder’s mystical intuitions of 1949-1951, read them again and apply them.  And  also to look very carefully into  the process of  concrete realization that took place especially during 1955-1957, when Lubich received other illuminations that referred to the concretization of the previous mystical intuitions”.

Stefania Tanesini

“Your face, Lord, do I seek” (Psalm 27:8)

Jul 20, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The following reflection by Chiara Lubich can shed light on how to live the trial that we are all going through, on a worldwide level, according to the Gospel. Because of the pandemic, many people have lost a relative, a friend or an acquaintance and we are all called, in the most varied ways, to respond to the grief and pain that this pandemic is causing everywhere, recognizing in them the face of Jesus forsaken to love.   … In the last few weeks, several people in the Movement have left this life … and we who are still here on earth ask ourselves: what did they experience in that moment of passing on to the next life? What would they tell us if they could talk to us? We know the answer: they saw the Lord. They met Jesus. They saw His face. This is a truth of our faith, a truth which is immensely consoling. There is no doubt about it. St Paul himself said “My desire is to depart and be with Christ” (Ph. 1:23). He was referring to life with Christ immediately after death, without waiting for the final resurrection (Cf, 2 Cor. 5:8). This then is the experience of those who have reached the goal to which our Holy Journey leads us: the meeting with the One who cannot help but love us if we have loved Him. We hope to have the same experience. But to ensure that we do, we need to prepare ourselves from now on; in a sense, we need to get used to it. Will we meet the Lord? Will we see His face? We will surely contemplate Him in his glory if here on earth we have recognized, loved and welcomed Him forsaken. St Paul said he knew nothing on earth except Christ, but Christ crucified. This is what we too want to practice doing: we want to seek His face. We want to search for Him forsaken. We can be sure of finding Him in the small or big personal sufferings which are never missing. We’ll find him in the faces of the people we meet, especially those who are most in need of help, advice and comfort; those who need encouragement to make progress on their spiritual journey. We will search for Him in the harder and more laborious aspects of the various activities that are the will of God for us; we will find him in all disunities whether near or far, big or small. … We will also seek His face in the Eucharist, in the depths of our heart and in religious images of Him. Furthermore, He needs to be contemplated and loved in practical ways also in all the great sufferings of the world. Yes, there too, even though we often feel powerless in front of them, but perhaps we are not. We often … hear about disasters that have already happened or that are threatening entire populations or nations! … If the charity of God dwells in our hearts these disasters weigh down on us and leave us dismayed. The reason is because we feel – notwithstanding our good will and all our activities – that we can do nothing that could actually improve these situations. And yet we must convince ourselves that we can do something. Here too, once we have discovered his face in these huge catastrophes, we can, with the strength of children of God who expect all things from their Almighty Father, unload onto Him the worries that crush us and these vast areas of humanity, so that He will move the hearts of world leaders who are still able to do something. And we must be confident that He will do something. He has done this often in the past. … So let’s make this verse from Psalm 27 resound in our hearts as often as possible: “Your face, Lord, do I seek”.  Your sorrowful face so as to dry your tears and wipe away your blood as much as we can, and to see his face shining upon us when it’s time for us to have the experience of those who have already arrived.

Chiara Lubich

 (Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 25th April 1991)  

Maria Voce: help save the world with love

Jul 18, 2020 | Non categorizzato

What have we learned from the pandemic? Which tools can we use to build a new world? What specific contribution can each of us make? From Maria Voce’s spontaneous words to a Focolare community in Italy on 16^th July. For a number of years, July 16^th has been a double celebration for the Focolare communities around the world. It’s the anniversary of the special pact of unity between Chiara Lubich and Igino Giordani in 1949 and also the birthday of Focolare President, Maria Voce. Once again this year the celebration became an opportunity for spontaneous and informal dialogue – in which Maria Voce spoke from her heart about the meaning of that special day, about the life of the Focolare in recent months and the contribution the charism of unity can make at this crucial time for humanity. She had received many greetings, good wishes and much affection from all over the world and for this reason she wanted, and wants, to thank each person in a special way. We publish below part of what she said, with extracts from amateur video footage of that occasion. “… The pandemic has taught us a great lesson, hasn’t it? We must recognise this. It has made us suffer and is still making us suffer. We don’t know how many painful consequences will still come from this pandemic, do we? But it has also been a great lesson. The main lesson was telling us ‘you are all equal’. You are all equal: whether rich or poor, powerful or wretched, children, adults, immigrants … you are all equal. That’s the first thing. Second: even though you are all equal, some people are suffering more than others despite this equality. So what makes you all equal? You are all equal because God made you all equal. You are very different from each other but you are all his children. You have all been created by him with the same love, a great love. Then human beings came and began to differentiate between people, and we keep on doing this. So, yes to one person, no to another; one person is worth more, another less. This person can give me something, but that one can’t; this person is exploiting me, that one isn’t … and we start differentiating between people. What happens when we do that? The result is that there are some countries where hospitals are well-equipped and countries where they are not. There are countries where there are enough masks for everyone and others where there are not. There are places, even here in Italy, with very good internet connection and where distance schooling is possible, and other places that don’t have it. So we are all equal before God but not all equal in the eyes of other people, where real care for all is not there.  Does this hold true for us too? Perhaps I too am more willing to spend time with one person than with another and I differentiate between one person and another. I’ve seen this too and so am I really living the pact if I am like that, the pact that tells us to be ready to die for one another, not only for people I like, but any person at all? Today people are saying we must create a new world, a new humanity. Everyone says that a new world must be created. However, in a small way, Chiara made a new world. Chiara’s family scattered across the globe is already a new world, at least in a small way. Of course it’s just a start, a model, a small sign, but it shows that it is possible. So, if it has been possible for this little group (which is only relatively little because it numbers hundreds of thousands around the world) to do this in a small way, I ask, is this little people, Chiara’s people, ready to tell everyone that a new world is possible? It is possible: we must be convinced that it is possible and remember the thought for today, “Believe in the power of love.” So, first of all, let’s believe that love is a powerful force. Have we experienced it? Yes, we have experienced it very often. But now, it has diminished a little; the thermometer of love has gone down. Let’s put some more mercury in the thermometer and make it rise. Let’s increase the amount of love in the world and you’ll see that everything else will rise up. We will be a reality that goes through the world doing good to all. And we’ll do this without having to say, “You know, we do things in this way; come with us because we are like this.” No, we are who we are; we are just like the others; we are poor wretches like everyone else, but we live in paradise and we don’t want to leave this paradise. But we want to be with others. We don’t want stay among ourselves in paradise. We want to bring this paradise to others and not keep it for ourselves, because it’s comfortable … and let the world get lost. No! The world must be saved; we must help save the world with our love.”

India – Shanti Ashram and the Focolari: a long lasting bond

Jul 18, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Dialogue with Vinu Aram, Director of the Shanti Ashram International Centre. By Marco Aleotti, Roberto Catalano, Giulio Mainenti. https://vimeo.com/430298225

When an obstacle becomes an opportunity

Jul 17, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Gen Verde’s experience during the lockdown “We were right in the middle of our tour in Spain when we received some very disturbing reports from Italy about Covid-19 and the rising number of new cases. In a very short time we had to decide whether or not we should suspend the tour and return to Italy – and to communicate that decision to the organizers. The next day we boarded the boat, which turned out to be the  last passenger ferry from the port of Barcelona.” It all happened a few months ago but for Mileni from Gen Verde the memory is still very vivid and clear. In these last four months, Gen Verde has transformed this difficult situation into an opportunity: “Almost every day we were hearing from friends who had caught the virus.  They were asking us to be close to them – says Annalisa – and so we asked ourselves, how can we help them?  How can  we let them feel they are not alone, while respecting social distancing? Then we had an idea: why not connect with them online from our home?” This is how the first live stream adventure began: with a few instruments and a not-so-stable internet connection, they decided to try even if they weren’t sure how many people would have followed. In the months that followed Gen Verde held many live streams broadcasts, as well as several dozen online appointments through zoom, Instagram, Skype… all of them an occasion to meet young people and adults all over the world: from the Philippines, Argentina, USA, Romania, Italy, Australia. These months also provided space to create new pieces, ranging from the dramatic theatrical piece called Il silenzio (The silence) to the instrumental, Tears and Light, not to mention the new videos produced to be able to celebrate the Easter Triduum together despite the distance.   All that was created was shared immediately on their YouTube channel and through social media. Clearly all this required a great deal of work, maybe even more than what is required while on tour, but Gen Verde never held back, and never said no to those who asked to share a moment with them. “We are very happy – says Marita – because during these months, despite the difficulties we faced, we were able to meet hundreds of thousands of people through various on line meetings. Of course, it’s not the same as meeting in person, but I have to admit that we had never met this many people in the space of just 4 months. For those of us in Gen Verde it has been an experience way beyond our expectations.” And now, having concluded the last of this first round of live streams, Gen Verde will dedicate their time to the creation of new projects and ideas, which they will share soon. Gen Verde is always on the go, always looking ahead.  What’s their secret? “We try to live not thinking of ourselves but of those around us – explains Sally.  What is important to us is to build relationships based on universal fraternity.   In these months of the pandemic we have received a lot of feedback after our direct streaming and these impressions are what kept us going forward, always striving to give our best.   We are honest with ourselves and with everyone else: this pandemic was no joke and in many countries the situation is still very critical.  However we believe that what we have done has been for many, a positive moment from which they could emerge relieved and refreshed. Now, we’re moving on to prepare new programmes, and launch new songs to give hope to a world so badly in need of it.”

Tiziana Nicastro

The Pact of 16 July 1949

Jul 16, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Chiara Lubich tells of the special pact of unity made with Igino Giordani (whom she called ‘Foco’) on the 16th of July 1949, the prelude to her mystical experience that summer. From an interview with journalist Sandra Hoggett in 2002 https://vimeo.com/438631561

Care, a new way of life

Jul 15, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The Focolare Youth launched the #daretocare campaign, a new campaign which aims at care of our societies and our planet Earth and at active citizenship that contributes towards building a more united world.  Elena Pulcini, professor of social philosophy at the University of Florence, Italy has been interviewed on this subject. Elena Pulcini, Professor of Social Philosophy at the University of Florence, who has dedicated many years of research on the subject of care, was one of the speakers during the first livestreaming #daretocare, organized by the Focolare youth on June 20th How has the experience of the pandemic, we are all going through, influence your vision on the subject of care? “To me it seems that care has emerged mainly as an aid”, Pulcini explained. “Think of all those involved in the medical and health services. This has given rise to positive elements; it has stimulated  feelings such as gratitude, compassion, the feeling of our vulnerability, feelings that somehow we have neglected. All this is very positive because we really need it, and it is essential to arouse those which I call empathic emotions. At the same time, however, care has been restricted to its meaning of assistance, to what the English call “cure” and not “care”. Care must become a way of life”. We dream of a society where care is the backbone of local and global political systems. Is this utopia or is it feasible? “Care means responding to something. In this case it means responding to the awareness that others exist. The moment we realize that others exist and we are not closed in the shell of our individualism, the empathic abilities in us function; this means that we are able to identify and understand the emotions of others. But, today, who is the other? New forms are emerging about those we consider as others. Today, the one that is different is considered as the other, and so are future generations, nature, environment and the Earth we inhabit. If in our relationships we manage to care through our empathic abilities, then care can really become the complete answer to the great challenges of our time. I cannot say whether this is really feasible or not, but I think we can’t lose the utopian perspective. Responsibility is not enough, we need to cultivate hope as well”. What do you suggest that we  do to behave in this manner and to lead our societies, starting from our institutions, to move towards care? “I believe that wherever we are we have to behave in a way that care does not remain confined to the private sphere (…). I have to live care in my family, in my teaching profession, when I meet a poor  outcast in the street, when I go to the beach; I have to take care of everyone and everything. Care must become a way of life, that crushes our unlimited individualism which  leads not only to the self-destruction of humanity, but also to the destruction of world life. Therefore, we must try to respond with care to the pathologies of our society, and this means that we have to educate for democracy. Alexis de Tocqueville, a 19th century philosopher  I like, used to say: “we must educate for democracy”. This is a lesson we still need to learn, and I think it means that we have to cultivate our own empathic emotions so that we are stimulated to care with pleasure and gratification, and not with compulsion”.

                                                                                                                                     The Focolare Youth

Five years of Laudato Si’

Jul 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Five years have passed since the publication of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the care of the planet. Here we discuss it with Luca Fiorani, professor at the universities of Lumsa, Marconi and Sophia; ENEA researcher; and head of EcoOne, the Focolare Movement’s ecological network. In these times of pandemic, what lessons can come from Laudato Si’ and its paradigm of integral ecology? I am thinking of how “everything is connected”. The pope, before the pandemic, made us savour its positive side, the wonderful relationship that exists between elements of nature, including people. The pandemic, on the other hand, has brought out the dark side of “everything is connected”, because human activity, which led to the destruction of natural habitats, and the virus’s leap of species from animal to man are linked. What is the evangelical foundation of being committed to care for creation? It is “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” One of the key concepts of Laudate is, “Listen to both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”. It is true that for the Gospel, nature has value in itself, but it is also true that caring for nature means ensuring a healthy planet for the most disadvantaged and for our children. It means reminding us of the “lower billion” – those billion people who are victims of a “chronic pandemic” due to 17 neglected tropical diseases. Can the concept of integral ecology guide the future? This is the fundamental concept of all Pope Francis’ teaching, which invites us to overcome the current socioeconomic system. Today we still live with the paradigm of the industrial revolution, which considers natural resources unlimited. Yet resources are indeed limited, and therefore we need to find a different model of development that also takes into account the needs of peoples forgotten by so-called “evolved” societies. Laudate calls for a change of attitude. What does it mean to live the principles of integral ecology? Integral ecology concerns not only the environment but all aspects of human life: society, economy and politics. Therefore each of us must try to change our lives, starting, for example, with consumer choices. Then we can choose leaders who are sensitive to caring for nature and campaign to apply pressure to disinvest from fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy. In this special year of Laudato Si’ celebrations, how will the Focolare Movement participate? The movement participates in initiatives of the Catholic Church and in events promoted by the Global Catholic Climate Movement, to which it adheres. In addition, it is organising a “New ways towards integral ecology” conference, to be held at Castel Gandolfo (RM) from 23–25 October, details of which are available at ecoone.org. Your latest book is entitled Francesco’s crazy dream: a small (scientific) manual of integral ecology. Why do you speak of a crazy dream? Because it truly seems impossible to change the course of this planet towards a world where we all feel like brothers and sisters, and build more bridges than walls. But as Focolare’s founder Chiara Lubich said, “Only those who have great ideals make history!”

Claudia Di Lorenzi

The essence of love

Jul 13, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Being in lockdown has often tested our love of neighbour. In fact, it is not easy to live shut up in a house and find ourselves always so close to one another. When this happens we push against each other’s limits and this calls for a “supplement of love” called “bearing with”. It is consoling to know that Chiara Lubich also encountered this type of difficulty in her community life.  Some days ago I started reading a book called The Secret of Mother Teresa; Teresa of Calcutta of course. I opened it at the chapter that speaks of the “mystic of charity”. I read that chapter and others, immersing myself in those pages with great interest: everything to do with this future saint is of personal interest to me since, for years, she was a very dear friend of mine. I was suddenly struck by the extreme radicalness of her life, by her totally committed vocation, which was awesome, almost frightening. Above all, however, it urged me to imitate her in the particular, radical and total commitment that God asks of me. … Prompted by this conviction, I began to read our Statutes, sure that I would find there the measure and type of radicalness that the Lord is asking of me. I opened it and immediately, on the very first page, I received a small spiritual shock, like when you discover something in that very moment (although I have known it for almost sixty years!). It was the “norm of norms, the premise to every other rule” of my life, of our life: to generate – as Pope Paul VI put it – and maintain first and foremost … Jesus among us through mutual love. … I decided to live this norm first of all in my focolare and with those around me. We know that Jesus said: “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7).  Not everything is perfect in our focolare either. There might be an unnecessary word said by me or by others; too long a silence, a rash judgement, a small attachment, a suffering not borne patiently, which undoubtedly makes Jesus among us feel uncomfortable, even if it doesn’t prevent his presence altogether. I understood that I had to be the first to make room for Him, to pave the way, smoothing things over, seasoning everything with the greatest charity, bearing with everything, both in the others and in myself. “Bearing with” is not a term we generally use, but the Apostle Paul advises us to do it (see 1 Cor 13:7). Certainly, to bear with everything requires not just an ordinary kind of love. It is a special love, the essence of love. I began doing this. And there were positive results!  Other times, I would have immediately invited my companions to do the same, but not this time. I felt I had to be the first to do all my part, and it worked. Besides, it filled my heart with happiness maybe because, in this way, He came back into our midst and remained. Later on I will tell them, but I still felt the duty to carry on doing this as if I were alone. And my joy was immense when I thought of Jesus’ words: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13). Mercy! This is the super-refined love that is asked of us and that is worth more than sacrifice, because the most beautiful sacrifice is this love that can bear with everything, that can forgive and forget when necessary. This is the radicalness and total commitment we are asked to live.

Chiara Lubich

(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 20th February 2003)

In dialogue with Maria Voce (Emmaus) and Jesús Morán

Jul 11, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, says Chiara Lubich’s interreligious dialogue, “was a true prophecy that is now being fulfilled as a concrete response to the needs of humanity”. Co-President Jesús Morán explains how the ethics of care is at the basis of the new Pathway that will be launched on June 20, 2020 by the young people of the Focolare Movement. https://vimeo.com/429994085

USA – facing up to the “original sin of racism”

Jul 10, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Can the two major crises currently rocking the United States – the pandemic and racism –lead to a better future? Susanne Janssen, editor of Living City Magazine, reflects. Racism is a virus that has never been eradicated in the United States. After the Civil War (1861-1865), slavery was legally abolished, but still today people of color and white people are not treated in the same way. The death of George Floyd has shone a light on this problem. The fact that those 8 atrocious minutes of George Floyd pleading for his life were captured on video means it could no longer be blamed on the victim. This video, together with the large number of people (not only Afro-Americans) who united to protest against racism, are a sign that this time something is different. Our hope is all that has happened will not end with a wave of protests but will lead to real change. The role of the Catholic Church After a few days’ silence, the Catholic Church positioned itself alongside the anti-racism protestors. The Cardinal of Boston, Seán O’Malley wrote that the killing of George Floyd “is painful evidence of what is and has been at stake for African Americans – the failure of society in too many ways to protect their lives and the lives of their children. The demonstrations and protests of these days have been calls for justice and heart wrenching expressions of deep emotional pain from which we cannot turn away”. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has described racism as the “original sin” of their country, persisting through the nation’s history, festering to this day. Reflection on the issue is now gaining ground in the Church and society. The first steps The slogan “defund the police” calls for something more than a simple restructuring of police departments. It demands a completely new start, to create a police force which is more accountable to its citizens. In recent years much has been said about the increasing militarization of the police; but to tell the truth, much of what they do, should actually be the role of social workers. What differentiates today from the violence suffered by Afro-Americans in the past, is the way many people are striving to learn from, listen and face up to the past, focusing on those structural issues which have lingered since the time of the abolition of slavery and segregation, such as the so-called “Jim Crow laws” and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Yes, because the first step has to be facing up to those prejudices within everyone, and the social privileges generally afforded to white people. Authors Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo declare that “being a good person” is not enough in this regard. The step required is to oppose the very structures of oppression, as even now, in a routine police check, the color of your skin can make the difference between life and death. The contribution of the Focolare Movement Firstly, Focolare communities are looking hard at themselves for traces of discrimination and racism. The Focolare’s thinking on racial justice is an essential starting point before entering in sincere dialogue with one another and with people around us. We create space to listen to the painful testimonies of racism endured, and also to the experience of those raised in predominantly white environments who are striving to engage in a process of recognizing their own limits. These are not easy conversations, but they are necessary in order to build relationships that are more real. “If we’re not careful, we risk reinforcing the principles of popular rhetoric on diversity which too often support the privileged and accentuate the differences,” affirms an academic of color.  Another Focolare member now more than 80 years old, he too an academic, admits that throughout his life he has had to learn to become more open, particularly when one of his daughters married a Jamaican. “I was worried their children would suffer discrimination. But now I see they are a shining example for many”. The role of youth Young people are in the front line demanding a change of mentality. One young girl of mixed race said, “I want to help my brothers and sisters to be listened to more, otherwise I will regret it for the rest of my life…” The very “Black Lives Matter” slogan which united many people, drawing them out onto the streets in huge numbers, has itself been targeted to provoke polarization. It’s not rare to come across messages which strive to discredit those campaigning for more justice. However, there are also signs of a gradual change in public opinion. In fact, many have condemned President Donald Trump’s handling of the recent crises: the pandemic and structural racism. At time of writing, the Democratic Party candidate, Joe Biden, has a 13% lead in the polls, but it’s far too early to predict the situation come November when Americans go out to vote.

Susanne Janssen, Editor, Living City magazine

Brazil – action for  those forgotten in the outskirts

Jul 9, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The Focolare social organizations serve more than 3,500 families and create networks of solidarity during the pandemic.  Distributed throughout the country, the twenty-one social organizations inspired by the charism of the Focolare Movement are giving an important witness of solidarity and fraternity during this  pandemic.

Foto: Obra Lumen

Foto: Instituto Mundo Unido

Brazil – change of strategy against Covid

Jul 8, 2020 | Non categorizzato

If, on the one hand, the government shows its inability to lead  Brazilians towards overcoming the crisis, on the other, an impressive humanitarian network is being woven. An in-depth study by the editor-in-chief of Cidade Nova. When I started writing this article  from  March, when the disease arrived in the country, more than 51,000 people had already died in Brazil, victims of Covid-19. In addition, it has been estimated that over 1 million people have already been infected. This is  without considering the cases not officially reported. In cities where circulation has recently been allowed once more,  the number of new cases has increased significantly. Apart from the good news that most of these people have survived this further spread of  coronanvirus, the number of deaths is appalling. For specialists  this disastrous situation can be explained by the position of the Federal Government in the fight against the disease and  also the lack of awareness of many Brazilian citizens about the seriousness of Covid-19.

Foto: Magnificat

Foto: Centro Social Roger Cunha Rodrigues

Foto: Instituto Mundo Unido

Foto: Associação de Atendimento a Criança e ao Adolescente

Luís Henrique Marques

Editor-in-chief of Cidade Nova magazine

Discovering Gen Rosso

Jul 7, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Getting back to the historical roots of this international performing arts group The coronavirus and the ensuing lockdown upended everyone’s routines and schedules. Even the international performing arts group Gen Rosso had to reinvent its days after having to stay locked indoors. “This lockdown has given each of us the chance to go even deeper into those messages that we have been singing for more than 50 years,” says production manager Massimiliano Zanoni. “We’re used to traveling the world, meeting people and bringing music to stages on five continents, but we found ourselves locked inside the four walls of our house. Instead of cities, seas and mountains, we now had a computer and few windows to look out of. And instead of the thousands of people we met on each tour, we now had three, four people living with us. All 25 of us could not work, create and play together as we had done for 53 years. And so, after a first series of live streams called “Gen Rosso a casa tua,” in which they joined people virtually in their home, they thought they would get back to their roots with some historical live shows. The “Discovering Gen Rosso” project started to bring people back into the band’s home. “Many people don’t know that we don’t just do concerts,” Zanoni says, “but projects with schools too. There’s also the “Village,” which are weeks of living together with young artists to give them the experience of unity as they create artistically. “So just as when you invite someone to your house for the first time and, as a sign of welcome, show them around the house, Discovering Gen Rosso is a way to show some pages of our album of memories. This includes the musical Una Storia che Cambia or Streetlight, and helping them participate in our current projects, like the Village and Forti Senza Violenza, as well as revealing some small ideas for the future.” Discovering Gen Rosso is a new step towards that evolution that has allowed the international group to be builders of unity all over the world, over so many years of history. Here what’s next on the schedule, from the band’s YouTube page: On 16 July, there will be live streaming about the Village (artistic performance courses with Gen Rosso). On 28 July, they will launch their new single, “Shock of the World.” (It’s actually much more than a single, since there’s a whole new album in the pipeline that will be unveiled soon.) Finally, on 2 August the live stream series will conclude with their LIFE concert, the latest production by Gen Rosso, live from Loppiano in Italy.

Lorenzo Russo

Lord, give me all the lonely

Jul 6, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Every day we hear statistics about the spread of the pandemic in the world and see coverage from the most affected countries. These give rise to feelings similar to those expressed in the following prayer by Chiara Lubich. Even our planet, which is suffering more and more, is calling out for and awaiting our active and determined love.  Lord, give me all the lonely… I have felt in my heart the passion that fills your heart for all the forsakenness in which the whole world is drifting. I love every being that is sick and alone: even – plants in distress cause me pain… even animals left alone. Who consoles their weeping? Who mourns their slow death? And who clasps to their own the heart in despair? Grant me, my God, to be in this world the tangible sacrament of your Love, of your being Love: to be your arms that clasp to themselves and consume in love all the loneliness of the world.

Chiara Lubich

Written on 1st September 1949

Von der Leyen to New Humanity and Politics for Unity Movement of the Focolare

Jul 3, 2020 | Non categorizzato

“To achieve the goals of the fathers and mothers who founded a true covenant in which mutual trust becomes a common strength, we must do the right things together and with one big heart, not 27 little hearts”. Thus writes Ursula Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in a letter to the international NGO New Humanity and the Politics for Unity Movement. The leaders of the NGO New Humanity and its political section Politics for Unity Movement, civil and political components of the Focolare Movement, had in fact written to the President of the European Commission to encourage joint work in addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the support of ideas and planning also during the preparation phase of the Conference on the Future of Europe. In her response, President Von der Leyen stressed how the EU has ensured the greatest response ever given to a crisis and emergency situation in the Union, with the mobilisation of €3.4 trillion (about €3400 billion). The President also said that “the current change in the geopolitical context offers Europe an opportunity to strengthen its unique role as a responsible global leader” whose success ” in this era of rapid disintegration and growing challenges will depend on adapting to the changing situation while remaining true to Europe’s values and interests”. In fact,  the President underlines in her letter Europe “is the main provider of public development aid, with €5.2 billion in 2019. In its global response to the fight against the pandemic, the EU has also pledged financial support in excess of €15.6 billion to partner countries, to be used  for external action. This includes €3.25 billion to Africa. The EU will also support Asia and the Pacific with €1.22 billion, €918 million to support Latin America and the Caribbean and €111 million to support countries overseas “. Furthermore,  the President of the EU Commission continues, “the European Union and its partners have launched the Coronavirus Global Response, which so far has commitments of €9.8 billion from donors around the world, with the aim of further increasing funding for the development of research, diagnosis, treatment and vaccines against  Coronavirus”. President Ursula Von der Leyen’s letter to New Humanity and Politics for Unity Movement concludes with an invitation to mutual trust between the countries of the European Union and to be one big heart.

Stefania Tanesini

Peru – God doesn’t miss a thing

Jul 3, 2020 | Non categorizzato

A first hand account from Ofelia, who herself emigrated from Venezuela to Peru with her family and now works with the Focolare community to help her fellow-Venezuelians who are suffering even more since the pandemic. As members of the Focolare Movement, we have been running a solidarity program supporting Venezuelans in Peru for some time. The pandemic has forced us to seek new strategies to reach them where they are staying. What we discover is that more than anything else, they need someone to listen to them. It’s not always easy because we’re not talking about one or two families, but many and the number is increasing every day. The monthly Word of Life always helps me because it encourages me to go out to my neighbours and recognize that I’m meeting Jesus in each one of them. One morning a Venezuelan mother called me in tears about her daughter who was due to give birth in the next few days but was being threatened with eviction. I listened to her for at least an hour until she began to calm down. Whenever I felt like saying something, I reflected, “The only thing I need to do here is to love her, and she needs to talk this through”. Eventually she said to me, “Good, I’ve really unburdened myself”. That was the point at which I could tell her where to find the help she needed. Initially, I thought that during quarantine, our work with the migrant community would slow down. But in fact it’s been exactly the opposite! For example, the work we carry ahead with CIREMI (The Inter-Religious Commission for Migrants and Refugees) keeps us very busy and has been a way to get to know each other better. The Commission members include some Scalabrini fathers, Christians from various Churches, the Jewish community, some Muslims, a Catholic reverend sister and a group from the Focolare Movement. As we were considering how best to reach the most vulnerable, we began to receive requests for clothing and blankets. Because of lockdown restrictions, we arranged for a taxi to transport the clothes we had collected from the local Focolare community to a place in Lima city where they could be collected. And some baby clothes arrived just in time for two families with new-born babies. We regularly work in collaboration with the United Nations Agency for Refugees and they provided us with a supply of blankets which meant we could meet the needs of even more people. It’s amazing to see how often we receive just what our people in need are asking us for. God doesn’t miss a thing! One day I received a phone call from Carolina, a Jewish Community leader. She told me some of their families were transferring to Israel, and so had clothes and other items they’d be leaving behind. She was so happy when she heard we were collecting such things to benefit the Venezuelan community that she herself paid the taxi expenses to transport them over to us. During this telephone conversation, we also asked about each other’s families, and it called to mind a phrase from the Word of Life: “It’s friendship – which can become a network of positive relationships and helps to bring the commandment of mutual love to life – that builds true fraternity”. The exchange with this my Jewish sister showed me the truth of this. It’s wonderful to see how contagious fraternity is. The people who received clothes and blankets from us, in turn sent us photos and one of them wrote, “My next door neighbour was in need of clothing, so I shared what you sent with her”. A chain of remembering the needs of others has been forged. In this way fraternity finds a way of growing – even during quarantine!

by Ofelia M. as told to Gustavo Clariá

Why I didn’t want euthanasia…

Jul 1, 2020 | Non categorizzato

A diagnosis that left no hope and a mother who courageously chose to say “no” to euthanasia. But how could she explain this decision to her daughter who was only two and a half years old? During the last days of her life, she wrote a letter that her daughter could read when she grew up. This mother is no longer with us but her family who found help in the spirituality of the Focolare Movement throughout this experience, has allowed the publication of her words. They offer them as testimony and food for thought on a complex, painful and very topical issue. My darling, I haven’t written in a while. A lot has happened recently and, unfortunately, the situation is not good at all. My health has deteriorated in just one month. I was waiting for some results but the pain worsened very quickly. I was hospitalized for three weeks and then I completely lost the use of my legs. It is very hard to write this letter to you. I want to talk about euthanasia and that is a difficult topic. I want to leave this for you for when you are grown up and maybe you’ll think about death and ask yourself questions about dying. Next week I’ll have one last chemo treatment even though it doesn’t seem to be helping now and maybe I will have an operation that should enable me to eat because I can’t do that anymore. If this surgery doesn’t work, there’s not much more to do. The options are how and where to die. In short, I have decided that I want to die at home. I won’t go into all the painful details, but it’s where I feel most comfortable. Dad will explain everything else when you’re older. I’ll keep to the point – I want to tell you why I have decided not to die through euthanasia. I have been thinking a lot but in the end I have decided that I will ask God to accompany me on this journey and, if it means facing death, then that is the way it is – there are no shortcuts and this is no time for cowardice. I am convinced that God teaches us something in that moment of passage and that we must face it just as we face the passage of birth. I am writing to you because I wonder if you will ever think about these things and since I have spent so much time analysing everything from different points of view, maybe one of my ideas could help you. Everything started with me thinking that if death is imminent, why should we wait so long for it? If there is no hope of recovery, why should we let human beings suffer and leave them to a game where there is no one to join in with them? I have learned that it’s because this is a process – a preparatory process – and without it we would not be able to take the next step and go where it will take us. We should let God guide us because he knows everything. Lately, I have been thinking about those people who have not been able to take this step in the right way. To me it seems as if they were lost in limbo, between our earthly existence and the afterlife, unable to move forward towards heaven or return to earth, to their loved ones. So I finally realized the road to euthanasia isn’t for me. I am afraid to die in pain and I pray to God to be merciful and forgiving when the time comes. Hopefully, he’ll take me away, freeing me from pain and from my body. And this is the part that concerns me, the part that I alone will have to face. This is where I find myself today my love: the path ahead is difficult. And yet, I have the support of so many people who help me and my family. I receive lots of spiritual help from a priest friend but there are still moments of fear and dismay – although, I must say, there are not as many as I thought there would be. I feel supported by a strength without knowing where it comes from. I see clearly that my days are ending – nonetheless, I don’t feel downhearted. It is not easy, obviously, but fear is not part of my day.”

Edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti

What really matters

Jun 29, 2020 | Non categorizzato

In recent months, many people, including influential ones, have pointed out that one of the effects of the pandemic is that we have all been confronted with what is essential, what is valuable and what remains. Many of us have lost relatives or friends and have experienced the nearness of death. The following writing by Chiara Lubich touches on these two topics so close to what we are experiencing in the world today. …The very beginning of the divine adventure of our Movement … is set in a specific circumstance: the war – the war with its bombs, its destruction and death. … I don’t think we will be able to live our Ideal with perfection and in an intense way unless we always bear in mind that atmosphere, that environment, those circumstances. Even today, after more than 40 years, the Lord doesn’t leave us short of opportunities. The frequent “departures” of members of our Movement … are a constant reminder that “everything passes”, that “everything crumbles” and this is the necessary backdrop to understand what really matters. We are greatly impressed by what these brothers and sisters of ours who are “about to depart” constantly say to us. Just as when it is dark, you can see the stars, so they, in their particular situations, could see further. Because of a special light, they perceived the absolute value of God, and they declared that he is Love. We too, if we want to make of our life a real Holy Journey, while we are on this earth, then like them we should have clear ideas: we should consider everything that is not God as transitory and fleeting. However, our faith and our Ideal don’t stop at the goal of death. The great proclamation of Christianity is “Christ is Risen” and our Ideal calls us always to go “beyond the wound” so as to live the Risen Lord. And so we are called to think above all of “afterwards” and it is about this “afterwards”, this mysterious but fascinating “afterwards”, that I would like to speak today. I find that I often ask myself, and maybe you do too, “Where are all the members of our Movement who have died? … These thoughts go through my mind because, here on earth, until recently I knew where they were and what they were doing. Now I don’t know anything about them. Certainly, faith gives the answers to these questions of ours and we know them. But there is one expression of Jesus that recently has given me light and comfort, great comfort. It is what Jesus said to the good thief: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”^[1] Today, straightaway, immediately after death. … So what should we draw out from these thoughts? Let’s try to live in such a way that the word “today” can be said to us too. “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. We are familiar with the words, “To those who have, more will be given”.[2] If here on earth, out of love for God, we are Paradise for our brothers and sisters; if we are joy, comfort, consolation, help for individuals, for our Movement, for the Church and for the world, the Lord will give us Paradise.

                                                                                                          Chiara Lubich

(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 10^th May 1990) [1] Cf. Lk 23:43 [2] Mt 13:12

Gospel living: building blocks for a more fraternal society

Jun 27, 2020 | Non categorizzato

All Christians, like the original disciples, have a mission. It’s to bear witness humbly, first with their lives and then with their words, to the love of God that they themselves have found. This way it can become a joyful reality for many, indeed for all. In a society often marked by the search for success and selfish autonomy, Christians are called to show the beauty of fraternity, which recognizes others’ needs and sets reciprocity in motion. The bill that was immediately approved I work as a surveyor for the city prefecture, and also participate in a human development project in a poor neighbourhood. Thinking about the precarious conditions of the people living there, I realized that when it came to widening a street or demolishing some buildings, the leftover material was often simply just used to level the ground. Why not use it to improve the homes of the poorest people? However, a special municipal law was needed. My manager liked the idea and, after visiting the location and realizing the need, made the necessary contacts on the spot. Once the city prefect accepted our proposal, a bill was presented and immediately approved. Thanks to this, the mayor is now authorized to donate materials that are being discarded for technical reasons to social welfare institutions. These materials are precious for those who live in the shacks, who have no possibility of improving their situations. A., Brazil Knowing how to forgive The civil war in my country caused grief and suffering in my family. My father and brother were among the victims of the guerrilla war. My husband was still suffering the consequences of a beating. As a Christian I should have been able to forgive, but only pain and resentment grew inside. It was only thanks to the witness I received from some genuine Christians that I was able to pray for those who had hurt us so much. When peace returned to the country, God put my integrity to the test when we moved back to my hometown from the capital. It had been at the mercy of the government and guerrillas for 12 years. The children had particularly suffered, so we organized a party that many people attended. I realised that among the authorities present there were some that had been involved with the guerrillas. Perhaps there were even those responsible for the death of my parents among them. Overcoming the initial rebellion inside me, I felt a great peace in my heart. I went to offer them a drink too. M., El Salvador The nuances of pain Back in Italy after an overseas experience as a doctor in Cameroon, I was drawn to people suffering from incurable illnesses and debilitating chronic diseases. Some deep convictions had emerged in me over the years. The first concerns the infinite nuances of pain, which is never monotonous. Every pain, like every person, is unique. Another strong impression I had was that the small daily moments of waiting were all part of the great expectation of the “final appointment”. But the most important thing I understood was: these patients, stripped by suffering, seemed to me like living building blocks in the construction of humanity and its values. Outwardly you see exhaustion, but also transparency; they are bearers of a particular light, the light of God. He seems to become incarnate in those disjointed existences. Often he seemed to dictate the final words of the dying. More and more I have become convinced that – as Simone Weil says – humanity, if it were deprived of such people, would have no idea of God. C., Italy

by Stefania Tanesini

(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VI, n.3, May–June 2020)  

The Ordinary General Assembly of the Work of Mary has been postponed

Jun 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato

It will be convened from January 24 to February 7, 2021. Due to the health emergency caused by Covid-19, the General Assembly of the Work of Mary (Focolare Movement), scheduled for September 2020, will now be convened from January 24 to February 7, 2021. This postponement has been approved by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. The ordinary General Assembly is convened every six years; it is extraordinarily convened when matters that require its deliberations arise (General Statutes Art. 73, 75). What happens during the General Assembly The General Assembly is entrusted with four main tasks (SG, Art. 74): 1) it elects the President, the Co-President and the general Councillors; 2) it deliberates amendments to the General Statutes of the Work of Mary, which are then submitted for the approval of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life; 3) it deliberates amendments to the Regulations of the different Branches of the Movement and to the Regulations of the General Assembly itself; 4) it deliberates on topics gathered by the Centre of the Work of Mary; these topics will be presented in a well-structured manner on behalf of the President, the General Council, a section, a branch or a movement. Every member of the General Assembly may propose  for discussion other issues that relate to the life of the Work of Mary. Chiara’s premise Chiara Lubich wrote a premise to the General Statutes to give meaning to all its contents and therefore also to the General Assembly: “The premise to every other rule – continual mutual love, which makes unity possible and generates the presence of Jesus among those gathered in His name, is for the members of the Work of Mary the basis of their life in all  its aspects: it is the norm of norms, the premise to every other rule”. (SG, p.7).

                                                                                                                     Focolare Communication Office

LIVING PEACE – A dice, Time-Out and a Professor

Jun 25, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Anna Moznich from AMU – Action for a United World explains the educational peace project, Living Peace International. https://vimeo.com/416354861

Sara and her baby

Jun 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Jully and Ricardo, a couple from Peru, and their domestic: a story of sacrifices and challenges that soon turned into pure love through the hand of God. After our family experience at the Loreto School, which is an international school for families in Loppiano, the Focolare community in Italy, we returned to Peru aiming to live the Gospel ideal we had found there. We settled in Lambayeque, a small and quiet town in the northwest of the country. We hired Sara as a domestic. After a while she informed us that she was expecting, explaining that she had hidden her news after being fired from previous jobs for that very reason. Listening to her brought to mind something we had learned at the school for families: that in his forsakenness on the cross, Jesus took on every painful situation and redeemed it, turning pain into love. We could see that the situation presented us with a face of that forsakenness. We responded by consoling her and assured her that we would help with the birth of her child. Apart from the pregnancy, she also had other challenges, because the father of her child was a soldier in the army who had left her. She had fled her parents’ house out of fear as well. At the barracks we discovered the soldier had been transferred to a distant barracks in the Amazon jungle. There was no way to contact him. To allow her to give birth at the hospital, we asked social services for help so that she could have the prenatal check-ups and delivery. But she was desperate and thought she would give the baby away, feeling lonely and unable to raise her child. We helped her understand that her child was a gift from God, and that his providence would always help her. Together with our children, we helped her to reconcile with her father and reunite with her family, awaiting the arrival of her child with hope and preparing for the birth with medical check-ups. Sara stayed with us until her son was born. Then she was able to return home. Through this experience we saw the hand of God, guiding us to help a mother to not separate herself from her son, reconcile with her family and receive their support. Here in Lambayeque, she would visit us with the child so we could see how he grew up. We continue to help her with clothes and supplies. She and her father always expressed their gratitude to us and – which was the most beautiful thing – we saw her happy being a mother. We were left with an immense joy in our souls for loving this young woman as Jesus asks us, seeing how a painful situation turned into pure love.

Ricardo and July Rodríguez, Trujillo, Peru

Right now!

Jun 22, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The following writing by Chiara Lubich helps us to see our reality as it is, in God’s eyes, regardless of the external circumstances in which we find ourselves, which can also be very painful. During his passion, Jesus too was always “turned to the Father” and conformed to his will. With this attitude he became the Risen One, the Saviour. … We have understood that each one of us is a Word of God from all eternity. In fact, St. Paul says: “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” (Eph 1:4-5). And in another passage, still speaking of us, he adds: “For those whom he foreknew” (Rm 8:29). And we understood that because we are Word of God, we must adopt just one attitude, which is the most intelligent: just like the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, we must always be “turned” towards the Father, which means towards His will. Moreover, this is how we can fulfil our personality and attain our total freedom. In fact, by living in this way, we allow our true self to live. Now, since we want to do all this, we should ask ourselves: when do we need to have this attitude? We know the answer: it is now, in the present moment. The will of God is to be lived in the present. It is in the present that we must live turned towards the Father, in that present moment which is an essential aspect of our spirituality and of our “asceticism”. We cannot disregard it. This way of living is pure gospel. In his gospel, St Matthew quotes these words of Jesus: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Mt 6:34) … Let’s go back, then to our commitment to live God’s will in the present moment as much as possible. Let’s also remember that the will of God to be fulfilled before any other, and in every moment of our day, is that of mutual love, loving one another as Jesus loved us. This is what guarantees our constant renewal.

                                                                             Chiara Lubich

Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 21^st December 1996

Gospel lived: a love that is made welcome

Jun 20, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Chiara Lubich wrote “Jesus was the manifestation of the Heavenly Father’s fully welcoming love for each one of us  and of the love that, consequently, we should have for one another. (…) The welcoming of the other, of the one different  from us, is the basis of Christian love. It is the starting point, the first step in the construction of that civilization of love, of that culture of communion, to which Jesus calls us especially today”[1] . Research Worker I was working on a research  project for which there was a deadline, when my neighbor knocked: she asked me to keep her sick husband company while she went shopping. I knew their situation and I couldn’t say no to her. He started talking to me about his past, about his  years of teaching… While I was listening, from time to time I was  distracted thinking of the  work I had interrupted. Then I remembered the advice of a friend: being able to listen to a neighbour out of love is an art that demands emptiness. I tried to do this by being entirely present to the man.  At a certain point  he, in  turn,  took an interest in me in turn, asking me about my work. Knowing what I was dealing with, he suggested that I look in the library for a notebook  in wihch he had taken notes at a conference on the very subject I was dealing with. I found it and we started discussing the subject. In short, I acquired new elements to see more clearly how to conclude my research. And to think that I was afraid of wasting time! (Z. I. – France) Prepare to live… When the doctor announced to me that there was nothing more to be done, it was as if every source of light switched off  and I was left in the dark. On the way home, I took the road to the church. There I paused in silence, while my thoughts swirled in my head. Then, like a voice, a thought formed in my mind: “You must not prepare for death, but for life!”. From that moment on I tried to do everything well, to be kind to everyone, without being distracted by my pain but ready to welcome others. My days became filled with life. I don’t know how much time I have left, but the announcement of death was like waking from a sleep. And I’m living with unexpected serenity. (J.P. – Slovakia) The  Transfusion I’m a nurse. I happened  to know of a patient who was seriously ill. In order to try to save her, we needed  blood of a certain group that had been unavailable for several days. I tried to find a donor  among my  friends and acquaintances and then I continued my research at work. There was nothing to do. I was about to give up  when I decided to ask Jesus: “You know I’ve tried to do my part, but if you want, you can do anything.” After my shift , the doctor I was assisting had  just left when a young woman arrived  for a consultatio. I couldn’t  let her leave, who knows how far she had travelled.  I rushed to call the doctor, who unlike on other occasions was willing to return to the clinic. I started  to write  the prescription and, asked for an identification document. The lady handed me  a card from the Association of Volunteer Blood Donors. With bated breath, I asked myself: what if she has that blood type? What if she’s willing to donate blood? She agreed, and a few hours later, the woman was at the patient’s  bedside for a direct transfusion. (A. – Italy)

by Stefania Tanesini

(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Citta Nuova, year VI, n.3, May-June 2020) [1] cf  C . Lubich , Word of Life December 1992

Small steps of fraternity during the pandemic

Jun 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato

We continue to share stories of solidarity from Focolare communities in countries that are still facing the battle against covid-19. While in some countries we have “almost” returned to normality, in others the level of the pandemic is still high. Nonetheless, stories of fraternity continue to arrive from Focolare communities around the world. Brazil is currently the country most severely affected by covid.  The Focolare community has continuously shown concern for the people in the greatest difficulty and has collaborated with other organisations in offering help. The various communities scattered throughout the country have also tried to assess who was suffering amongst their own members. They made a quick census and calculated that needs can be met for 2-3 months through a “communion of goods” and some extra economic support. Economy of Communion entrepreneurs have also begun a fundraising campaign to help some of the most disadvantaged communities. From the United States Matteo reports: “When covid-19 began its terrible and rapid diffusion here, we, the  staff of Living City magazine and New City Press,  asked ourselves what  we could do, besides following all the guidelines of the civil authorities? How could we help people to overcome the crisis? It was immediately clear that “social distancing” should not prevent us and others from loving. So we created a series of videos, webinars and interviews with the hashtag #DareToCare, to inspire and encourage everyone to get in touch during these challenging weeks. We asked people to share in a 1-2 minute video how they “dare to care”.  One woman said that while she was shopping she saw people panicking. So, instead of buying two large packages of chicken that had just arrived at the supermarket, she only took one to leave some for other customers. One pharmacist decided to stay open to serve his customers, but he had no protective equipment. ‘When the crisis started, we had almost no masks and gloves,’ he said.  He shared his concerns with his customers and they brought him masks themselves and so saved him money. Another family of five people recorded their new daily routine: they work and follow lessons online from home, the daughter trains to keep fit for next year’s track and field events, and everyone is trying new recipes to share with one another.  And the videos keep coming!” Ulrike, a psychiatrist, says, “I work in a clinic in Augsburg, Germany. At the moment, my job entails responding to phone calls from the public. When one lady called, I realised that it was going to be very difficult to respond to her requests and I needed to make a special effort.  Eventually, I was able to give her the important information that she wanted.. An e-mail arrived in the afternoon: ‘Dear Doctor, my husband and I would like to express our heartfelt thanks for your extraordinary efforts. If everyone was as helpful as you during these difficult times, there would be fewer problems.’” From Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carlos tells us, ” Following the death of a homeless person from the cold, in July 2019 the Bel El Jewish community began a campaign to help the poor: the campaign was entitled  ‘Don’t be cold in front of the cold.’ Our Christian friends, especially from the Focolare Movement, have come to help us distribute food to the homeless people.  We are not talking about “dialogue” here –  it’s a matter of sharing our lives. Then the coronavirus meant that homeless people could no longer live on the streets, so what were they meant to do? This was the beginning of the project  ‘Another meal for hungry people in lockdown.’ Once again, Jews and Christians together, the Bet El Community and the Focolare Movement have embarked on the sacred task of loving our neighbours and not neglecting them.” The head of a junior school in Montevideo, Uruguay, tells us, “State funding enables us to provide free school meals for children from 48 different families who attend our school. Feeding these children became a big problem when classes were suspended due to covid. I started to pray and have more faith in God. Then, thanks to a foundation and some friends from Inda (National Institute for Food), resources arrived and we are able to distribute food baskets that will last for at least a month.”

Lorenzo Russo

To Say Thank You

Jun 18, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Gen Verd’s new music video dedicated to Chiara Lubich Saying thank you to someone is a simple yet profound gesture. That’s the reason behind Gen Verde’s new video of the song entitled “Che siano uno” (May they be one). In this centenary year of her birth, the song is dedicated to Chiara Lubich and her ideal: universal fraternity. “With this video – says Adriana from Mexico – we don’t want to just celebrate Chiara Lubich by simply flipping through a family photo album and remembering the stories behind them. Instead we want this to be a living encounter with her today for many people, a chance to get to know her ideal which has permeated various aspects of life in civil, religious and political spheres. We want to dedicate the song to her because she is the one who gave life to Gen Verde, guided us in our first steps, and gave us the band’s first instruments from which it all began. Many of us have been fascinated by her words, actions and most of all by her life. Today we feel that we need to be authentic and credible witnesses of her message.” This powerful ideal, born during the destruction of the Second World War, is still very much relevant today when we see waves of racism and discrimination on TV and social media. While the emergency of Covid-19 has been handled with apparent success in some countries, it is also true that in some it has also widened the gap between the rich and the poor, between people of different races, between those who can afford necessary medical care and those who have nowhere to bury the bodies of their loved ones. “We are convinced – says Beatrice from Korea – that universal fraternity is possible and is not a utopia; this is what we experience everyday, and we try to translate those experiences into music. Often it is about doing simple acts that tear down cultural barriers and prejudices.” Since 1943, the year in which the Focolare Movement was founded, this is what Chiara Lubich did. Step by step with great tenacity, together with her friends she built new and profound relationships that became revolutionary, first in her city (Trent, Italy) and all over the world. Gen Verde’s music video captures some important images of historical moments: Chiara together with Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim people, or between the leaders of two different tribes in Cameroon. “Surely the best way to say thank you to Chiara – explains Nancy from the United States – is to live for her ideal; but with this video we also want to express our immense gratitude to her. She’s the one who formed us. Without her Gen Verde simply wouldn’t exist.” To see the video, click here! https://youtu.be/A3xuaqtkOj8

Tiziana Nicastro

“There is no Future without the Elderly”

Jun 16, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Maria Voce is also among the signatories to the appeal promoted by the  Community of Sant’Egidio  to re-humanize our societies. An  invitation to spread it and to sign it in order  to draw attention to the serious condition of the elderly following the “massacres” carried out by the pandemic. No to selective health care, no to a “culture of abandonment”, no to any expropriation of individual rights; yes, instead, to equal treatment and the universal right to care. “The value of life remains the same for all. Whoever deprecates the fragile weakness of the elderly, prepares to devalue  all lives”. The international appeal “Without the elderly, there is no future, to ‘re-humanize’ our societies – Against ‘selective health care'” supports a culture of life without exception  and it was on June 15th , on the occasion of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day , which Sant’Egidio celebrated in all the countries where it is present. Among the many high profile endorsements is that of  the American economist Jeffrey Sachs, the Italian-British writer Simonetta Agnello Hornby, the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas, the Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells and then Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s  Deputy Director General, as well as the founder of the Community of  Sant’Egidio, Andrea Riccardi, who is also the first signatory. The president of the Focolare Movement also joined in and signed, inviting the communities of the movement worldwide to do the same, to draw attention, especially in Europe, to the condition of the elderly. “I share what the appeal denounces, namely the emergence, in the face of the dramatic health conditions that Covid-19 has brought to light, of a dangerous model that promotes selective health care that would in fact justify choosing  to care for the young, sacrificing the elderly. A society without  the elderly  cannot be said to be such; a society that cannot benefit from the indispensable intergenerational relationship is a poor, monotonous society, incapable of planning and achieving a better future for all, of being  inclusive, because it is the result of the diversity that one encounters”. In a note  circulated by the Community of Sant’Egidio  we read: “The appeal  stems from the bitter observation of the very high number of victims of Covid-19 among the elderly population, in particular among people in institutions and nursing homes, and it  proposes a radical change of mentality that leads to new social and health initiatives”. A WHO  report noted, as early as 2018, that precisely “in institutions abuse rates are much higher than in community settings” including various  maltreatments including “physical restrictions, deprivation of dignity, imposition of daily chores, intentional provision of insufficient care, neglect and emotional abuse”. The situation worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic resulting, as is known, in a very high death rate in institutions, about twice as high as among the elderly living at home, according to data held by the Higher Institute of Health. For this reason, on the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day , the Focolare Movement joined the Community of Sant’Egidio  in supporting the international appeal and the promotion of a “moral revolt to change direction in the care of the elderly”,  proposing to the state and local administrations the implementation of a system that privileges home care and assistance for the elderly population.

Stefania Tanesini

Sign the appeal  here

#daretocare, dare and take care

Jun 16, 2020 | Non categorizzato

This week on 20th June the young people of the Focolare are launching #daretocare via YouTube livestreaming – their new campaign to “take responsibility” for our society and the planet.  Jesús Morán, co-president of the Focolare Movement commented as follows: “We need a new ethical agenda; care has a strong political vocation and a strong planetary dimension. “#daretocare“. The young people of the Focolare Movement have taken seriously the words of Pope Francis and many other religious and civic leaders to find concrete ways of working together to care for our Common House. Through this new pathway they want to be active citizens, taking an interest in everything that is happening in the world to try and build a little bit of united world. As Jesús Morán, co-president of the Focolare Movement explained: “In this time of deep humanitarian crisis due to the Coronavirus, a new vision is emerging which is the need for a new way of behaving and living, a new kind of ethical agenda, as some experts call it. And one category which is proving central to this context is caring, taking responsibility and taking care of others, society and the planet”. Daring to take care therefore means being protagonists in everyday life to solve problems, initiating dialogue for a better society and being attentive to the environment and to all people whatever their colour, religion or culture. Especially today where racism is re-emerging, where human freedom is once again being undermined by totalitarian regimes, where weapons and wars are trying to impose their dominion on peace and unity among peoples. “Care is a vast, beautiful and multifaceted category,” Morán continues. The ethics of care has to do with the dignity of the person.  This is fundamental.  It is at the very heart of caring; it is not an intimate, private thing. On the contrary, care has a distinctly political vocation and a strong planetary dimension, whilst not forgetting the local dimension because it is at a local level that we take care of others, in personal relationships, in society and in the local environment.  Neverthless, the planetary dimension is important.” Pope Francis spoke about this on 24 May on the fifth anniversary of Laudato si’, calling for a special year of reflection – ending on 24 May 2021 – to bring the theme of caring for creation to everyone’s attention. And by creation we mean not only the environment that surrounds us but also the people, the economy, politics, the social aspect, etc. Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement, defined politics as “the love of all loves”. A politician is someone who is at the service of their people, and Morán concludes, “today more than ever there is a need for this kind of love, and the category of care expresses it well.  It is precisely a concentration of this love we are talking about. So the proposal of the young people of the Focolare Movement is this: to put care at the centre of politics and of our lives as citizens”. So, after a year dedicated to actions and projects on peace, human rights and legality, the young people of the Focolare will add another tile to the mosaic on 20 June with the #daretocare campaign, that of “care”, developed and refined around five main themes: listening, dialogue and communication, equality, fraternity and the common good, participation and care for the planet. And will this be done? By following the typical “pathways” methodology, the paths they have been following for three years: learn, act and share. So: let’s take courage and dare. Make an appointment for 20 June at 2pm (GMT + 2) with a worldwide online event on Youtube channel to launch this great idea #daretocare. For more information, visit the United World Project website.

Lorenzo Russo

Revive our relationships

Jun 15, 2020 | Non categorizzato

One of the things that the pandemic has drawn to our attention is the importance of the bonds that form the social fabric in which each of us is located, the quality of the relationships that unite us with one another. They are an antidote to loneliness, poverty and discouragement. The following writing by Chiara Lubich is an invitation to strengthen these bonds. There is a page of the gospel which resonates with us in a special way. Jesus says, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. … This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”. (Jn 15:10 and 12). Therefore, everything depends on mutual love. … Just as you have to poke the fire in a fireplace occasionally so that it doesn’t get smothered in ashes, so too, in the great brazier of our Movement, it is necessary from time to time to deliberately revive mutual love among us, to revive our relationships, lest they become smothered with the ashes of indifference, apathy and selfishness. In this way we will truly love God and be the living Ideal. We will be able to hope that charity lived like this will generate solid virtues in us which, almost without noticing it and with God’s grace, will reach the point of heroism. In that way we will become saints.

                                                       Chiara Lubich

Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, Rome, 26^th May 1988

Ciao Mark

Jun 13, 2020 | Non categorizzato

An independent film producer, a citizen of the world, a fan of cinema, television and universal fraternity. In the middle of the night in Italy, 11 am in Melbourne, we greeted Mark Ruse for the very last time via streaming.  Mark was an Australian film producer who died after a very short illness at the age of 64. Mark was not only a highly respected and greatly loved independent producer on the Australian film and television circuit, but he was a citizen of the world who, through his work, but above all through his humanity and simplicity, had built authentic and deep ties with many people outside the film industry. Mark Ruse began his career as an independent producer and went on to found Ruby Entertainment with his partner, Stephen Luby. Over the last 20 years, they produced many films and TV series: their comedies received awards, recognitions and ratings that were among the highest in Australia. He also produced films and documentaries about social engagement, sometimes linked to the tragic history of his country: Hoddle Street about the 1987 Melbourne massacre earned him a major international award. Nonetheless, above all, Mark was a simple and kind person, passionate about his work,  who faced difficulties – which for an independent producer are many – with a lightness of touch and a good dose of humour. We had met more than 40 years ago in Italy. We were among the many young people from different countries in Europe and from around the world, gathered together in a small town on one of the hills near Rome. It was the 70’s and we had come to hear what Chiara Lubich was proposing to the Gen, the young people of the Focolare Movement. It was an ideal that was revolutionary in many ways: at heart, it was strongly spiritual and personal, but at the same time, community and global aspects were not lacking. Our youthful dreams and passions (cinema and television) eventually became our work – I became a TV director and Mark a producer – and our desire to create a “space” where we could share the ideas and beliefs that we had in common was fulfilled. At the beginning of this millennium, we worked together in establishing NetOne, a large worldwide network of professionals in various fields of media and communication: directors, producers, screenwriters and journalists.   Today as then, NetOne want to contribute to creating new and different ways of working, not only as regards the relationships among people involved in production but also in respect of the public, the final recipient of our work. Mark worked tirelessly in establishing this network. Every time we saw each other in Rome or Melbourne or somewhere else in the world, the conversation picked up exactly where we had left off, even after a gap of months or years. This continued till he sent a message a few months ago confiding in me about his illness: “I am beginning a journey I know, but I want to share it with you and everyone in NetOne. I have welcomed and embraced this new phase of life with love.” He left us within a few months, even though during our last Zoom call, a few days before his death, he was cheerful and full of plans for the future. Mark used to say, “The idea of wanting to love our neighbours is at the basis of my faith.  Whatever we do should improve society in some way, people should be enriched by watching our films: that is another way of bringing love into our society.” Australian cinema has lost a good producer, we in NetOne network have lost a friend, a travelling companion who left us with his smile… “We’re crazy, we’re crazy people, but we need to feel part of a family”. That’s right, Mark, that’s right.

Marco Aleotti

Courtesy of Cittanuova.it

Covid-19: Overcome fear and increase  solidarity

Jun 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato

Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, at the “Elijah Interfaith Institute” in Jerusalem “Everything that happens in life is directed  by an Author of history who is God, and God wants the good of people […] So even if  sometimes  it seems the freedom of human beings  leads to negative consequences, God is capable […] of bringing  good  even out of these negative situations”. According to Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, this is the greatest lesson  that the Covid-19 crisis can offer. In an interview with Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, director of the “Elijah Interfaith Institute” in Jerusalem, the President of the Focolare Movement also speaks of the possible benefits that the pandemic can bring to the world. The interview is part of the Coronaspection project, a series of video interviews with religious leaders worldwide, sharing wisdom and spiritual advice as we jointly face a global crisis (here you can see the project’s trailer, which summarizes the spirit of the project). “There are values that are more evident than others at the moment – says Maria Voce -, such as solidarity, equality among all, concern for the environment. The world will come out better from this crisis if we know how to overcome the divisions linked to prejudice, to culture, to see everyone as brothers and sisters  belonging  to the one family of God’s children. This certainty is based on a profound  trust in the human person: ” there is always a spark of good in every person  and you can count on  it”; a person  responds “because ( good) is  inherent in him/her”. It is an inner conviction that stirs hope: “God is Love and loves all creatures”. She continues ” In fact, it is enough to look around to see examples of solidarity. The efforts of doctors and nurses who try to awaken  trust, a smile, and their pain for the people they failed to save, have had the effect of “edifying” the patients who recovered.  In our Movement many people were able to make themselves available for  their neighbors,  to bring them what they needed; many children offered toys to  others that were a comfort to them”. At the level of international relations – observes Maria Voce – “we see examples of solidarity in those  doctors and nurses who have come to Italy from other countries to help. […] Even at the level of economic thinking, we are trying to do everything so that countries do not think only of defending their own goods but of integrating their own vision with that of other countries”. Nevertheless all this does not hide the challenges that the crisis brings. Alongside the personal ones she says there are those that come from leading an international movement: “making decisions that involve difficulties both on a personal and economic level.  I felt I had to call my direct collaborators, so that decisions could be shared, so that people’s interest would prevail over all other interests”. She observed “Even fear should not be ignored, but accepted in order to overcome it: I would say that we should learn to live with fear and at the same time not to let it stop us – following Chiara Lubich’s example – “to  remain anchored in the present. She concluded, quoting the founder of the Focolare Movement, ” Only lovedrives away fear, and there is no fear where there is perfect love. So increasing love diminishes fear because love helps you to carry out actions that fear, instead,  would try to condition “. To watch the full interview click here

Claudia Di Lorenzi

Philippines: Mariapolis goes online

Jun 11, 2020 | Non categorizzato

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” Following this slogan, the Focolare community of the metropolitan area of Manila, Philippines, organized the very first Online Mariapolis on May 14 and 15. “We were on the verge of separation. With just the two of us together once the lockdown began, we felt we had to confront our issues, set aside our differences and start again. Thank you for all your love.” This was just one among many of the feedback we got from those who registered and participated via Zoom for the first ever Online Mariapolis held on May 14 and 15, 2020 in the Philippines. The unexpected Enhanced Community Quarantine due to Covid-19 pushed us to look for means to connect our people and sustain them through the spirituality of unity. The whole idea was an offshoot of the online Mass that we began live streaming privately to a small group of focolare members. Soon after, it became a daily appointment, with our Facebook group for the Mass reaching the homes of around two thousand people. We felt that if God hindered the possibility to carry on our big plans to “celebrate and meet” Chiara on her centenary, He opened this way, to do the same, in small bursts! From the outpouring of our Mass attendees through comments on Facebook Live, it was crystal clear that even for 30 minutes on a virtual platform, people are able to make an experience of God! In the meantime, we had our first experiences with Zoom, for example during the United World Week and the Run4Unity. We felt we had to go for the Online Mariapolis, in order to be with and beside our people, in this very difficult moment. We were against very big odds: the “Mariapolites” would be with all the distractions at home, and would most probably be multitasking –  there would be children to look after, meals to cook, chores to finish, etc. Another major challenge would be the disparities in internet connectivity and service in a developing country like ours. Because of this, our Mariapolis were held for 2 days only, and just for 2 hours each time. We also considered to call it another name, not Mariapolis, so as to manage the expectations of people. But in the end, we all wanted it to be Mariapolis – just like every other Mariapolis we have had. And we wanted it not as a webinar, but a Mariapolis, a City of Mary, because we felt that we needed Mary now and that we have to be Mary, as Chiara taught us, to bring Jesus-in-our-midst, to our people, so that this experience may help give light to their experience of the pandemic. Registered Mariapolites reached about 950, not only from the Philippines, but also from other Asian countries, from Latin America, Canada, the United States and some even from Europe. The program, which was made available via live streaming for an unlimited number of participants, was composed of songs, Gospel-based experiences related to the current pandemic situation, spiritual inputs and an hour of in-depth communion during the breakout groups. One participant meaningfully expressed what this Mariapolis was: “For me it was really a very concrete sign of Mary’s love for all of us! As our mother, she really knows our personal and shared needs. Through the well-chosen theme, talks, experiences, and songs, she nourished us with the right food and vitamins both for the body and the soul.”

Romé Vital

What is the future for Lebanon?

Jun 9, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The land of cedar trees, discusses ways that may help the country emerge from the serious political-economic crisis that hit it recently. Hope never dies in a country that has passed through so much hardship. During the recent United World Week, the Lebanese Focolare community opted to discuss, with both youths and adults, the difficult way foward in a country gripped by tensions and facing several crises. The political-social crisis has been going on since last October 17, when the  “thawra” movement in Lebanon started protesting against a government accused of corruption and bad administration. The economic crisis exploded last March, when the government declared it could not repay its1.2 billion dollar debt to the European Union. In recent weeks there was also the collapse of the Lebanese pound, set at 1500 pounds to one dollar up to a few weeks ago and now trading for more than 4000. Lebanon is also facing a health crisis due to the coronavirus. The spread of the virus has not been excessive (less than a thousand people have been infected and there were less than 30 deaths) but the extended lockdown measures also hit the country. Owing to lack of prospects, this situation seems to be encouraging people, especially young ones, to go back to an old tradition, namely expatriation. It is good to know that for every 4 Lebanese living in the Middle East, there are about 12 others living in other different parts of the world. This is happening also in other neighbouring countries, especially with Jews, Palestinians and Armenians. Emigration is particularly painful for the Lebanese, who believe (and it is true) that they have an amazing country, rich in history and natural beauty, a Middle Eastern crossroads for every kind of traffic and commerce, home of Nobel Prize winners and great merchants, filmmakers and writers, saints and scientists. One needs to highlight the fact that the diaspora is very painful for the Lebanese, especially when one considers their strong family ties. In this context, the local Focolare Movement organized a Webinar with the specific title “Building a future by living for fraternity”. About 300 people from different countries, from Canada to Australia, to Spain and Italy, participated. The two lawyers, Mona Farah and Myriam Mehannan spoke about one of the most serious threats that Lebanon is facing, namely the dangerous lack of certainty about the rule of law. Yet, Lebanon has a remarkable capacity to find the best solutions in complex situations and boasts of a very ancient legal tradition. Therefore one can understand the young people’s desire to leave the country and at the same time the will of many who want to remain to build a more united and fraternal Lebanon, where  18 confessional communities are united by a political system of “confessional democracy” unique in the world. Then came the testimonies of two young couples, who decided to return to Lebanon twelve years ago, after working abroad for some time. They came back to contribute towards rebuilding their country after the so-called civil war. Imad and Clara Moukarzel,who work in the social and humanitarian field and Fady and Cynthia Tohme, who are both doctors, testified that it is possible to stay or return to Lebanon not to leave such a rich country in the hands of the most reactionary forces. Tony Ward, an entrepreneur in the field of high fashion, recounted his decision to return home twenty years ago, even though he was working in an established world fashion environment. He also spoke about his production change during the coronavirus crisis; for a few weeks he decided to produce sheets, masks and protection suits needed at Lebanese hospitals caring for Covid-19 patients. Tony Haroun, who has been working as a dentist in France for more than thirty years, spoke about the difficulties of expatriates, especially cultural ones, while he strongly affirmed that the willingness to listen to God’s voice allows one to overcome all sorts of obstacles. Michele Zanzucchi, a journalist and a writer based in Lebanon, highlighted three qualities of the Lebanese people, qualities that can really be of great help in the current situation.He spoke of their resilience, that is their ability to face setbacks without being crushed by them; their subsidiarity, namely their ability to replace the State when it fails to provide essential services; and finally he mentioned creativity to which the Lebanese attribute great value while creating an infinity of projects: humanitarian, economic, commercial, political and so on. Youmna Bouzamel, the young moderator of the Webinar, concluded by emphasizing  that Lebanon seems to have all the qualities needed to welcome the message of fraternity and that this is the only real possibility that the country possesses. If John Paul II said that “Lebanon is more than a nation, more than a country, it is a message”, today’s message is  above all one that proclaims fraternity. Great ideals and realism combined together.

                                                                                                      Pietro Parmense

Taking risks, based on his Word

Jun 8, 2020 | Non categorizzato

The Gospel is the Word of God expressed in human words and for this reason it is a source of ever new life, even during the pandemic. But in order for this life to develop, we need to put Jesus’ words into practice, to translate them into concrete acts of faith, love and hope. … “If you say so, I will let down the nets” (Lk 5:5).  In order for Peter to experience the power of God, Jesus asked him to have faith. He asked him to believe in Him and to believe in something which was impossible from a human point of view, indeed absurd: to let down his nets during the day after a fruitless night. If we want life to come back to us, if we want to experience a miraculous catch of happiness, we too must have faith and, if necessary, take the risk of believing in the absurd things that at times his Word requires. We know that the Word of God is Life, but we obtain this life by going through death. We gain this life, but have it by losing it; it is growth, but we reach this growth by becoming less. So what must we do? How can we come out of the state of spiritual tiredness in which some of us may find ourselves? By taking on the risks that his Word implies. We are often influenced by the mentality of the world in which we live  and end up believing that happiness is found in what we possess, in asserting ourselves, in enjoying ourselves, in lording it over others, in being noticed, in satisfying our senses by eating or drinking. But in fact it is not like that. Let’s try taking the risk of cutting away all these things. Let’s allow our ego to run the risk of a complete death. Let’s risk it, let’s risk it! Once, twice, even ten times a day. What will happen? In the evening we will find that love has gently blossomed in our hearts once more. We will find union with God in a way we could not have hoped for. The light of his unmistakeable inspirations will shine out again. His peace and consolation will fill our hearts and we will feel that we are enveloped by His Fatherly love once more. Enveloped by his protection, we will find that strength, hope and trust grow in us again and will be sure that the Holy Journey is possible. … We will be sure that the world can belong to God. But we need to take the risk of dying to ourselves, nothingness and detachment. This is the price to pay! Take courage then! Let’s take risks based on his Word in order to obtain a miraculous catch of happiness in our hearts, and in the hearts of many who love God.

                                                                      Chiara Lubich

 Taken from a telephone conference call Rocca di Papa, 17^th February 1983

The Focolare’s commitment to a world free from all forms of racism

Jun 7, 2020 | Non categorizzato

After the events in Minneapolis and the demonstrations worldwide  we feel powerless and outraged, yet we continue to believe and work for a spirit of openness and participation so as  to address the deepest needs of our time.

Foto: Josh Hild (Pexels)

Foto: Kelly Lacy Pexes)

Stefania Tanesini

[1] [1] Statement of U.S. Focolare Movement: our commitment to racial justice – https://www.focolare.org/usa/files/2020/06/Focolare-Statement-on-Racial-Justice.pdf [2] ibid