Bintou Konaté, a Muslim, and her Christian friends have turned loss and suffering into an opportunity to help her community. By Stefania Tanesini, Egilde Verí, Marco Tursi. https://vimeo.com/430765602
“Charism and Prophecy” is the title of the new book by Jesús Morán, co-president of the Focolare Movement. It follows on his previous book, “Creative Fidelity – The challenge of making a charism a reality”. Morán offers in this text his reflection on Chiara Lubich’s “ecclesial genius”, starting from talks he gave on the subject over the past three years. We talk about it with the author. How did the idea for this book come about? Since I had several texts that had not yet been published, I thought of honouring Chiara Lubich in the centenary year of her birth and, at the same time, I wanted to make an act of love to everyone in the Focolare Movement. Since I began several years ago to use the expression, “Chiara’s ecclesial genius,” I saw that many people liked it, that is, they grasped in it a synthetic concept that could define the marvellous synergistic unity between Chiara’s person and her charism, as “all one piece”. I am convinced that Chiara, in addition to having been endowed by God with an “ecclesial instinct” is, indeed, an “ecclesial genius”, in continuity with others in the Church who have opened new horizons, always inserted in the tradition that goes back to Jesus himself. It was right to study it more deeply during this centenary. As you yourself have explained several times, the Focolare Movement, after its charismatic phase, is living its historical phase, the one you have defined as “a period of creative fidelity”. It is therefore the phase of giving Chiara’s prophecies concrete shape in the world today. What do you think is the main contribution that the Focolare Movement can make today to fulfil these prophecies in the ecclesial sphere, in the journey towards achieving “that they all may be one”? When I say that we have entered the phase of the historical foundation of the Movement, in creative fidelity to the phase of the charismatic foundation, I do not intend to dialectically oppose the two phases. In fact, the charismatic foundation has also been historical and, therefore, the historical foundation has a charismatic element. But they are two different phases, with different emphases, which touch both the foundation and the form of things. There is no doubt that today the theme of actualizing the charism of unity acquires a particular poignancy and urgency. Creative fidelity should always be exercised, keeping in mind two principles: listening to the questions that God proposes to the world and listening to what God continues to tell us in the foundational nucleus of the charism. In my opinion, one of the questions that God poses to the Church that lives and acts within history is what we could summarize as “synodality”, which implies openness, communal decisions, being close to one another, being attentive to the dignity of the person, especially the most vulnerable. The Focolare Movement contributes to this ecclesial journey with a very special emphasis, which comes from the heart of its charism, that is, a vital and concrete experience of the Triune God who has an impact on history, without which synodality is reduced to a new organizational form deprived of the life of the Spirit. And which of these prophecies still need more time and effort in order to be actualized? I think that in order to live up to our true vocation in the Church, the members of the Movement must grow in the sensus ecclesiae, to have “the mind of the Church”. Not that they do not have it, but there is a need to grow, which means overcoming, once and for all, every attitude of self-referencing and reaching the maturity that all the recent Popes have asked of us. Moreover, we need to overcome any dualism between civil commitment and ecclesial commitment, looking at the model that we have always held as Christians: the figure of Jesus, the man-God, truly man and truly God. In the light of the reflections you offer in your book, what would you like to say, from your heart, as we draw to the end of these six years in which you were co-president of the Focolare Movement? I pray that God will give us the necessary graces to update the charism of Chiara Lubich in a vital and radical way. I think that we must begin again, reborn from the heart of the charism, from what we call “the Ideal”, and from there set in motion the necessary reforms so that the Movement, also as an institution, may better reflect the human-divine life that animates it. And rebirth means purification and conversion.
Edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti
We are witnessing a period of great changes, transformations and contradictions that can open up new ways of seeking the common good. Through the new campaign #daretocare the young people of the Focolare Movement want to put the theme of care at the top of the political agenda, locally and globally. The new campaign of the youth of the Focolare Movement was launched on June 20th with the title #daretocare i.e. “dare and take care”, taking charge of our societies and the planet. The campaign is being constantly updated on the United World Project website What does #daretocare have to do with politics? Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, believed that there was a real vocation to politics, a personal call perceived in one’s own conscience and born out of certain circumstances, inspired by a social need that is asking for help, a human right that has been violated or the desire to do something good for one’s city or nation. But is it still valid today? 
Javier Baquero from Bogotá in Colombia, Cristina Guarda from Italy and Frantisek Talíř from Zubčice in the Czech Republic help us to answer this question. They are young people from the Focolare Movement and are part of the network of the Politics for Unity Movement, an expression of the Focolare for a culture of unity in politics. Javier, who today works in the office of the mayor of Bogotá tells us: “I have worked in politics since I was 13 years old and formally in government since I was 18, and I have worked with people who have integrity, who have the capacity to deal with corruption, whose actions are transparent. So maybe there are corrupt people, but they are just a few. For me the most important principle in politics is service. Because one puts one’s knowledge, skills, professions at the service of a society, of humanity, of the planet. And you don’t do it alone but together with other people. So, the principle that should guide every politician is service, an attitude of service to meet the needs of a society. #daretocare, to dare and to take care means first of all to feel and to be close to the problems of my city but that’s not enough: it is to think and to formulate public policies to solve these problems”. 
Cristina who has been in politics for the last five years adds: “Yes, I know, sometimes I feel disgusted observing the hatred created by some politicians, the conspiracy of silence, laziness or deafness in front of some complex problems. But for this reason, we and I must act and do our best. In my political action, I want to express my intense love for others by doing my best to help them live better, to lighten their worries and give them all the elements to achieve the lives they dream about”. “Politics is not bad in itself. Politics is made by politicians, who can be more or less good at it “- says František, a regional political activist. “That is why it is necessary that new politicians continue to enter this field and try to do it in the best possible way. To speak of politics as a service is what Pope Francis suggested to me when we met a year and a half ago. I think this is the recipe for good politics. The key is really to serve others. The key is my thinking: do I do politics for myself or do I do it to serve? And every time I have to make a decision – small or big – I can choose: am I putting myself first or others? And if others are put first then everything will be fine”! That’s why it’s important to network, to think and to act for the common good, to take care of everyone. To follow the events of the #daretocare campaign visit the United World Project website.
By the youth of the Focolare
Sophia University: teaching, research and unity What are the future prospects for Sophia University? How will it respond to the educational needs of today’s young people? We asked the Rector, Professor Giuseppe ArgiAolas, appointed on 20 February by the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Holy See. Professor Giuseppe Argiolas, who became the Rector of Sophia University Istituto universitario Sophia on 20 February, tells us about future plans for the University. Today Sophia is a university athenaeum. You have been the RECTOR of the university for a few months now. What does this mean and what changes will there be for the students? “This is Sofia’s first ‘change of guard’, and it coincides with the conferral by the Congregation for Catholic Education of the title of “Rector” to the one who was previously the Dean. It is in recognition of how Sophia has developed over the last 12 years, for which we express our gratitude. Enormous challenges have been faced. Chiara founded this University in a flash, so all the teachers, administrative staff and students who were there at the beginning and those who joined later, have done an extraordinary job. We have just set up 4 Master’s degree courses with various specializations: “Economics and management” (specialization in “Management for a Civil and Sustainable Economy”), “Political Science” (specialization in “Fraternity in the res publica. Theoretical bases and operational lines” and specialization in “Governance of common goods”), “Trinitarian Ontology” (specialization in “Theology” and specialization in “Philosophy”) and “Culture of unity” (specialization in “Pedagogy of communion for a culture of peace” and specialization in “Communication processes with intercultural and interreligious mediation”). The Doctoral School is now a consolidated reality and we are developing a post-doctoral School at the service of young researchers. Chiara Lubich saw Sophia as a global university, one single university with different locations. In Latin America we see the birth of Sophia LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean), but we are also seeing the first buds in Africa and Asia. Our task will be to consider these projects in the spirit of a unitarian Sophia that is expressed in the diversity of contexts in which it develops”. The Covid-19 emergency has had quite an impact on the lectures: how is the teaching going ahead? “Thanks to everyone’s commitment, we have been able to continue the lectures and exams and enable students to complete their academic studies using the tools currently offered by technology. We have also arranged webinars dedicated to the Pandemic which offer our contribution in terms of reflection and action on such a delicate and urgent issue, and we have started with the different scientific disciplines by initiating dialogue on an interdisciplinary, international and intergenerational level. The new academic year starts as normal in a presential form and at the same time online, for students who will not be able to go to Sophia because of the international restrictions imposed due to Covid-19”. What plans are there for the future? How do you see Sophia in 10 years? “Sophia has managed to maintain its charismatic drive and be innovative whilst remaining faithfulness to the Charism. I think that we need to continue along this path: remain faithful to the Charism with its inherent specificity to read the signs of the times. This is what Pope Francis told us with three keywords – “Wisdom, Pact, Going Out” – which he addressed to us in our meeting with him last November, giving us a clear reference for our future. So I would like to develop Sophia on three fronts: didactics – going forward in the direction undertaken but with great attention and sensitivity so as to respond adequately to the educational needs of young people; research – valuing the development of the various disciplines and fostering an ever more marked interdisciplinary approach, indispensable in current scientific research; relationship with other agencies of the Focolare Movement and with other university and cultural institutions so that the service we offer for the common good may be ever more incisive. We will try to do this, together, in unity, with all the passion that we can express. The founding phase has finished, in some respects, and the consolidation and developments phases are just beginning. What must not cease is the charismatic thrust, this must continue, indeed it must always accompany us as the Guiding Star on the journey we have just begun and which we are called to travel together with many companions and with “joy, vision and decision”.
Lorenzo Russo
The presence of Jesus, the Risen Lord, in the midst of two or more people gathered in his name, is one of the cornerstones of Focolare spirituality. The movement, in fact, feels called to “generate” this presence in all areas of human life. But what can you do when you find yourself alone? Chiara Lubich suggests spiritual training. In today’s world we often come across people who are honest and good but who don’t feel the need for a religious belief. Some of them would even like to have faith but being immersed in a world that should be Christian and often isn’t, they don’t find the strength to go further. They wait and categorize themselves as people who are searching. Perhaps, without realizing it, they are waiting to meet Jesus one day. And here … we note the absolute timeliness, relevance and urgency of our spirituality and the point of the spirituality that we sum up in the words: Jesus in our midst. … Jesus himself shows that he does not belong only to the past. Being faithful to his promise, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age”,[1] his presence is living, shining and loving here today among his brothers and sisters. It is our duty to bring with us this presence of his. We can do so by keeping his commands that are summed up in the new commandment and by living it according to our model, Jesus forsaken. However, keeping his commands – and he told us this – means bearing a yoke that is easy and light[2]. But can it always be like this? Generally speaking, yes. But there must be two or more people united in his Name. But what about when we are alone? Or when our love for others is not reciprocated? We know that by embracing Jesus forsaken in such moments we can stand firm, in peace and even joyfully, and we can continue to work, pray, study and live with fullness in our hearts. Yet there can be times in which it seems difficult to describe the Lord’s yoke as being easy and light. There are periods in life, for example, when our health breaks down and this has an influence on our soul too, closing us in on ourselves and making it almost impossible for us to relate to our brothers and sisters. … There might be sudden deaths or accidents that leave us aghast, when we feel that no one can understand us. We might be diagnosed with an illness which we think might be fatal … and so on. These are all painful circumstances that God allows in order to work on us by means of the cross, which is indispensable in the Christian faith and which Jesus himself experienced. What should we do in these situations? We should try to be glad, at least with our will, that we are a little bit like him forsaken, and cast all our anxiety into the heart of the Father[3]. We should keep on offering up our suffering, supported by the grace of the moment, which will not be lacking, until God brings our troubled soul back to the fullness of peace. Let’s keep in mind, however, that we must always love our brothers and sisters, just as much as we can of course. We can also confide in them, at least in general terms, saying, for example: “I’m going through a difficult time”. You can say this out of love, to maintain the communion-fellowship amongst you. Moreover, communicating is always the best remedy in any situation. In this way, Jesus in our midst will keep us afloat at those times too and he will show us that always, and whatever happens, his yoke can be easy and light.
Chiara Lubich
(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 24th April 1997) [1] Mt 28:20 [2] Cf. Mt 11:30 [3] Cf. 1Pt 5:7
Raul and Mitali are dancers from Mumbai, India, they’re married with two daughters. They show us how dance can become a powerful instrument of mutual knowledge between different religious traditions. By Marcello Vaz.
At 100 years of age, Father Bonaventura Marinelli OFMCap has died. He was the first member of a religious order to follow Chiara Lubich’s spirituality. Father Fabio Ciardi looks back on his life. On July 15 we celebrated the feast day of his namesake, Saint Bonaventure. On August 1, Fr Bonaventura Marinelli left us for heaven, where he could celebrate the centenary of his inseparable contemporary, Chiara Lubich. What a deep and faithful friendship they shared! In the years 1942 to 1946, as a young priest studying theology while living in the Capuchin monastery in Trento, he was, as he loved to say, “an eye-witness, albeit at a distance” of the beginnings of the Focolare Movement. At a distance, because in those years, no close contact was permitted. But eye-witness because he saw for himself the way those “extraordinary Third Order Franciscans” were living. “After the bombardment of 1944,” he recalled in an in-depth interview, “Chiara and her companions were always in our sight. They came to Mass, not in our church which was bomb-damaged, but in the sacristy which was even smaller and so we were brought even closer together. I remember what a deep impression they made on me every time I saw them. I’m rather shy by nature and find it hard to talk to people. But I can still remember how throughout the summer of 1943 and afterwards, when I was out almsgiving among the people, it became easier and easier for me to meet with families, children and others. This new way of seeing people came not from my nature, but from the life I saw in Chiara and her companions. In 1946, a year after I had been ordained a priest, my superiors sent me to a university in Switzerland. For the first few months I regularly received letters from my companions with whom I’d made a pact of unity. Then, suddenly, nothing, silence. The Vatican’s Holy Office (now known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) had started investigating the Movement, but I didn’t know. Personally, I found myself slipping into unutterable desolation. Until 23 April 1948, precisely. I’d returned to Trento to vote in the elections, and that morning, before leaving to go back to Switzerland, I met Chiara. She brought joy back to me, but in a much deeper way than before. I understood that what matters is to love. I felt I was touching heaven with my fingertips. When I arrived back in Fribourg I wrote to her. That was the first letter”. So began a correspondence through which Chiara communicated what she was living in that period. It’s thanks to Fr Bonaventura that today we have such a priceless patrimony of writings, some of which have become very well known. For example the letter dated 30 March 1948, in which she confides, “the book of Light the Lord is writing in my soul has two aspects. One page shines with mysterious love: Unity. The other shines with mysterious suffering: Jesus Forsaken”. The letters demonstrate the deep relationship which sprang up between them. 11 May 1948: “Your letter confirmed for me the impression I had of your soul, so beloved of the Lord. And immediately, without delay I would like to give you all that is mine, all God has built in me, using my nothingness, my weakness and wretchedness. (…) What I wish to write to you today is that we mustn’t break the unity God has made. (…) Saint Francis will not be happy until you revive it in yourself and also in your brothers. So make a start. You can do it”. 8 September 1948: “Your letter gave me such joy. Jesus is present. I found Him in your thirst for ‘life’, in the optimism it contains, overflowing through the pages, and above all in the peace that comes from your desire to love Him more and more. You can be very sure, as long as I’m never parted from Jesus (and how could that ever be? In Paradise I’ll have Him even more), I’ll never stop following your soul with a vigilant eye and fraternal care”. 27 January 1951: “You can’t imagine how your soul is ‘penetrating’ my own (almost literally, as if I could almost feel the effect on me!)” I remember the joy whenever they met and spontaneously started talking in their Trentino dialect. They were the same age, but he felt he was a disciple and she was his mother. In one of their first letters, Chiara signed herself “s.m.”, which Bonaventura straight away interpreted as “sua madre” – “your mother”. So he replied, signing his name as “s.f.” (“suo figlio” – “your son”). And Chiara herself understood. A Focolarina remembers hearing Chiara greet him in 2000 with the words, “this is my first son who is a religious!” Fr Bonaventura lived a long life. A Professor of Sacred Scripture, a translator of German biblical commentaries, bearer of various roles of responsibility in his Order including Provincial, Formator, and in the General Definitorium. He was then invited by Chiara to lead the international Centers of Spirituality for Religious men at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome and at Loppiano, the Focolare Movement’s small town in Italy. Self-effacing and extremely humble, he knew how to witness unostentatiously and sincerely the Ideal Chiara had transmitted to him. He was, in the words of one of his confreres, “a true child of the Gospel, in wisdom and simplicity of life”. I have my own personal memories of Fr Bonaventura, from the time in 1978 we went to Canada together for a whole month, to animate a formation school for religious men. Later I lived in community with him at Castel Gandolfo. I found an entry in my diary for 10 November 1999, when he had already left to take up a new posting and came for a visit. I wrote, “Bonaventura arrived and there was a really festive atmosphere, as usual”. I was struck by that “as usual”. Perhaps my most beautiful moment of all with him was on 18 March 2008, at Chiara’s funeral in Rome, in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. At the end of the ceremony, he asked me to help him approach the coffin, despite infringing official protocol. He was an old man by then, and he had difficulty bending down. But he managed to kneel down in order to hug and kiss the coffin. So I too knelt down and kissed the coffin (but actually for us, it was embracing Chiara not the coffin). And with that, everyone started to surround the coffin to kiss it. But with Bonaventura it was a unique gesture of a son towards his mother. I too always felt his love for me. In one of his last letters, he wrote, “You’re in my thoughts and I’ll always remember you with gratitude. I hope to have the joy of meeting you once more in person. This morning I entrusted you especially to Saint Francis. A hug!”
Fr. Fabio Ciardi OMI
Grateful for the solidarity received and committed together with other various religious communities to help the country rise again and be a messenger of peace. We all know that Lebanon is still under a great shock. And Beirut is an unrecognizable city with apocalyptic scenes: destruction, high tensions, distress, anger and even violent episodes. A few days ago, a letter arrived from this country that has been hit with such widespread destruction. It comes from the Lebanon Focolare community and it is addressed to Focolare members worldwide. The letter reads: “With these words, each one of us would like to express a personal thank you to each one of you. We are deeply and immensely moved by the immediate closeness shown to us from all parts of the world, from old and young, far and near, through phone calls and messages”. Members of the Focolare Comunity continue to say: “Every morning, when we wake up and continue to discover the massiveness of the catastrophe, the material damage, the number of hospitals badly damaged and rendered unfunctionable, the polluted air we breathe, we feel like ‘survivors’. Each one of us could have been right there at the scene of the drama. And maybe some of us were, but a providential hand made them change place. However, we all feel that a new life has been given to us, as a young woman, just out of an elevator gutted with the explosion, said”. They continue to relate that in the streets, where everything seems to cry out despair, “many people from north to south, members of various religious communities, are working hard to clear the rubble. Each one, in his own way, is a living witness that the ‘resurrection’ will win over the death of the city, the country, the dreams of many”. They conclude: “Together with you, we want to move ahead so that a Lebanon that passes on a message of peace, unity and universal brotherhood and be a model of a united world, will be reborn”.
edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti
________________________________________ The Emergency Coordination of the Focolare Movement, which will intervene through the AMU and AFN organizations, has been activated. For those who want to collaborate, the following current accounts have been activated:
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.
The 100 years of Danilo Zanzucchi. A married Focolarino – one of the first in the wake of Igino Giordani – Danilo along with his wife Anna Maria, would soon become the couple leading New Families at a world level Chiara always had a predilection for that young engineer who, after having erected his first important buildings in the north of Italy (“all still standing” Danilo assures with pride), left a promising career to move to the capital, and as a family collaborate full-time for the purpose of the Movement. But Chiara’s esteem for Danilo is above all for having been able to grasp, in its entirety, the charism that the Spirit had given her. Among his first assignments was the collaboration on the construction of the Mariapolis Center in Rocca di Papa that would become the International Headquarters of the Focolare Movement. A married Focolarino – one of the first in the wake of Igino Giordani – Danilo along with his wife Anna Maria, would soon become the couple leading New Families at a world level; developing in the following decades an innovative and effective Family Pastoral Care appreciated at all latitudes for the rich spirituality from which it draws and for its openness to the demands of the contemporary world. The profound interior life of Danilo did not go unnoticed by ecclesiastical leaders who were struck by his brilliant presence, his skills. Diocesan President of Catholic men in Parma (Italy), when transferred to Rome he became consultant and, later, member of the Vatican department for the Family. These latter responsibilities, accompanied by Anna Maria, made him a guest several times in the home of Pope Wojtyla and also a testimonial of service to the Family in television broadcasts, also shown in world wide vision. When welcomed by Danilo during a visit (1984) to the International Centre of the Movement, the Polish Pontiff did not hesitate to promote him sympathetically as “Foreign Minister of the Focolare Movement “. A collaboration that also continued with Benedict XVI, and his request to the Zanzucchi couple to write the text for one of the Stations of the Cross (2012) at the Colosseum in Rome presided over by him was significant of this. Danilo is celebrating his 100th birthday with Anna Maria (90), his 5 children (two Focolarini and two married Focolarini), his 12 grandchildren and the whole Focolarino world. In particular with the countless families of the various continents for which with Anna Maria, he has been an example, a confidant, a guide, remaining a lovable and safe point of reference for each one. His psycho-physical condition remains excellent, despite the fact that many years ago Chiara herself, with all of us, feared for his health which has obviously been well recovered. He is able to go to Mass almost every day and it is not uncommon to see him participate in the periodic meetings of his Focolare and those of the Focolare-Families. Perhaps because he was invested with a special mission, the Lord preserved him in two particular episodes in the Second World War. He himself tells us that if it had not been for the providential shove of a comrade who pushed him elsewhere, he would have died under a bomb that was crashing right where he was standing. Another time, it was his knowledge of German that saved him from an already deployed firing squad . It can happen that Danilo, in order to dilute somewhat complicated moments, still decides to let everyone enjoy one of his mythical and resonant speeches in that language , putting everyone in a good mood for the various lexical licenses he grants himself. The gratitude of the entire New Families Movement for this century of Danilo’s life given to God and his brothers, goes to this great figure of a man of Faith and Works. Thank you Danilo for being a giant of righteousness and tenderness, an example of simplicity and wisdom, a temperament of leader and artist: a Saint who lives next door. Thank you also, Danilo, for having never stopped, not even now that you are a hundred years old, to impersonate the Evangelical Child that has always shone through your being, your speech, your good humour, your water colours, your countless cartoons often improvised on paper napkins, which masterfully capture and express the best that is in each of the protagonists to whom they are dedicated. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANILO! From the New Families website
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
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
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’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
After the devastating explosion in Beirut on the evening of August 4th, 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 4th 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 4th 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:
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 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 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, 19th June 2003)
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
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
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
“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.
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.
Chiara Lubich and interreligious dialogue, a way to give a soul to globalisation. https://vimeo.com/429999013
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, 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
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)
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 16th July. For a number of years, July 16th 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.”
Dialogue with Vinu Aram, Director of the Shanti Ashram International Centre. By Marco Aleotti, Roberto Catalano, Giulio Mainenti. https://vimeo.com/430298225
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
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
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 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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
“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
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
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
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, 10th May 1990) [1] Cf. Lk 23:43 [2] Mt 13:12
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)
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
Anna Moznich from AMU – Action for a United World explains the educational peace project, Living Peace International. https://vimeo.com/416354861
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
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, 21st December 1996
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
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
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
