19 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
We continue to share stories of solidarity from Focolare communities in countries that are still facing the battle against covid-19. While in some countries we have “almost” returned to normality, in others the level of the pandemic is still high. Nonetheless, stories of fraternity continue to arrive from Focolare communities around the world. Brazil is currently the country most severely affected by covid. The Focolare community has continuously shown concern for the people in the greatest difficulty and has collaborated with other organisations in offering help. The various communities scattered throughout the country have also tried to assess who was suffering amongst their own members. They made a quick census and calculated that needs can be met for 2-3 months through a “communion of goods” and some extra economic support. Economy of Communion entrepreneurs have also begun a fundraising campaign to help some of the most disadvantaged communities. From the United States Matteo reports: “When covid-19 began its terrible and rapid diffusion here, we, the staff of Living City magazine and New City Press, asked ourselves what we could do, besides following all the guidelines of the civil authorities? How could we help people to overcome the crisis? It was immediately clear that “social distancing” should not prevent us and others from loving. So we created a series of videos, webinars and interviews with the hashtag #DareToCare, to inspire and encourage everyone to get in touch during these challenging weeks. We asked people to share in a 1-2 minute video how they “dare to care”. One woman said that while she was shopping she saw people panicking. So, instead of buying two large packages of chicken that had just arrived at the supermarket, she only took one to leave some for other customers. One pharmacist decided to stay open to serve his customers, but he had no protective equipment. ‘When the crisis started, we had almost no masks and gloves,’ he said. He shared his concerns with his customers and they brought him masks themselves and so saved him money. Another family of five people recorded their new daily routine: they work and follow lessons online from home, the daughter trains to keep fit for next year’s track and field events, and everyone is trying new recipes to share with one another. And the videos keep coming!” Ulrike, a psychiatrist, says, “I work in a clinic in Augsburg, Germany. At the moment, my job entails responding to phone calls from the public. When one lady called, I realised that it was going to be very difficult to respond to her requests and I needed to make a special effort. Eventually, I was able to give her the important information that she wanted.. An e-mail arrived in the afternoon: ‘Dear Doctor, my husband and I would like to express our heartfelt thanks for your extraordinary efforts. If everyone was as helpful as you during these difficult times, there would be fewer problems.’” From Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carlos tells us, ” Following the death of a homeless person from the cold, in July 2019 the Bel El Jewish community began a campaign to help the poor: the campaign was entitled ‘Don’t be cold in front of the cold.’ Our Christian friends, especially from the Focolare Movement, have come to help us distribute food to the homeless people. We are not talking about “dialogue” here – it’s a matter of sharing our lives. Then the coronavirus meant that homeless people could no longer live on the streets, so what were they meant to do? This was the beginning of the project ‘Another meal for hungry people in lockdown.’ Once again, Jews and Christians together, the Bet El Community and the Focolare Movement have embarked on the sacred task of loving our neighbours and not neglecting them.” The head of a junior school in Montevideo, Uruguay, tells us, “State funding enables us to provide free school meals for children from 48 different families who attend our school. Feeding these children became a big problem when classes were suspended due to covid. I started to pray and have more faith in God. Then, thanks to a foundation and some friends from Inda (National Institute for Food), resources arrived and we are able to distribute food baskets that will last for at least a month.”
Lorenzo Russo
18 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
Gen Verd’s new music video dedicated to Chiara Lubich Saying thank you to someone is a simple yet profound gesture. That’s the reason behind Gen Verde’s new video of the song entitled “Che siano uno” (May they be one). In this centenary year of her birth, the song is dedicated to Chiara Lubich and her ideal: universal fraternity. “With this video – says Adriana from Mexico – we don’t want to just celebrate Chiara Lubich by simply flipping through a family photo album and remembering the stories behind them. Instead we want this to be a living encounter with her today for many people, a chance to get to know her ideal which has permeated various aspects of life in civil, religious and political spheres. We want to dedicate the song to her because she is the one who gave life to Gen Verde, guided us in our first steps, and gave us the band’s first instruments from which it all began. Many of us have been fascinated by her words, actions and most of all by her life. Today we feel that we need to be authentic and credible witnesses of her message.” This powerful ideal, born during the destruction of the Second World War, is still very much relevant today when we see waves of racism and discrimination on TV and social media. While the emergency of Covid-19 has been handled with apparent success in some countries, it is also true that in some it has also widened the gap between the rich and the poor, between people of different races, between those who can afford necessary medical care and those who have nowhere to bury the bodies of their loved ones. “We are convinced – says Beatrice from Korea – that universal fraternity is possible and is not a utopia; this is what we experience everyday, and we try to translate those experiences into music. Often it is about doing simple acts that tear down cultural barriers and prejudices.” Since 1943, the year in which the Focolare Movement was founded, this is what Chiara Lubich did. Step by step with great tenacity, together with her friends she built new and profound relationships that became revolutionary, first in her city (Trent, Italy) and all over the world. Gen Verde’s music video captures some important images of historical moments: Chiara together with Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim people, or between the leaders of two different tribes in Cameroon. “Surely the best way to say thank you to Chiara – explains Nancy from the United States – is to live for her ideal; but with this video we also want to express our immense gratitude to her. She’s the one who formed us. Without her Gen Verde simply wouldn’t exist.” To see the video, click here! https://youtu.be/A3xuaqtkOj8
Tiziana Nicastro
16 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce is also among the signatories to the appeal promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio to re-humanize our societies. An invitation to spread it and to sign it in order to draw attention to the serious condition of the elderly following the “massacres” carried out by the pandemic. No to selective health care, no to a “culture of abandonment”, no to any expropriation of individual rights; yes, instead, to equal treatment and the universal right to care. “The value of life remains the same for all. Whoever deprecates the fragile weakness of the elderly, prepares to devalue all lives”. The international appeal “Without the elderly, there is no future, to ‘re-humanize’ our societies – Against ‘selective health care'” supports a culture of life without exception and it was on June 15th , on the occasion of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day , which Sant’Egidio celebrated in all the countries where it is present. Among the many high profile endorsements is that of the American economist Jeffrey Sachs, the Italian-British writer Simonetta Agnello Hornby, the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas, the Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells and then Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Deputy Director General, as well as the founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Andrea Riccardi, who is also the first signatory. The president of the Focolare Movement also joined in and signed, inviting the communities of the movement worldwide to do the same, to draw attention, especially in Europe, to the condition of the elderly. “I share what the appeal denounces, namely the emergence, in the face of the dramatic health conditions that Covid-19 has brought to light, of a dangerous model that promotes selective health care that would in fact justify choosing to care for the young, sacrificing the elderly. A society without the elderly cannot be said to be such; a society that cannot benefit from the indispensable intergenerational relationship is a poor, monotonous society, incapable of planning and achieving a better future for all, of being inclusive, because it is the result of the diversity that one encounters”. In a note circulated by the Community of Sant’Egidio we read: “The appeal stems from the bitter observation of the very high number of victims of Covid-19 among the elderly population, in particular among people in institutions and nursing homes, and it proposes a radical change of mentality that leads to new social and health initiatives”. A WHO report noted, as early as 2018, that precisely “in institutions abuse rates are much higher than in community settings” including various maltreatments including “physical restrictions, deprivation of dignity, imposition of daily chores, intentional provision of insufficient care, neglect and emotional abuse”. The situation worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic resulting, as is known, in a very high death rate in institutions, about twice as high as among the elderly living at home, according to data held by the Higher Institute of Health. For this reason, on the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day , the Focolare Movement joined the Community of Sant’Egidio in supporting the international appeal and the promotion of a “moral revolt to change direction in the care of the elderly”, proposing to the state and local administrations the implementation of a system that privileges home care and assistance for the elderly population.
Stefania Tanesini
Sign the appeal here
16 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
This week on 20th June the young people of the Focolare are launching #daretocare via YouTube livestreaming – their new campaign to “take responsibility” for our society and the planet. Jesús Morán, co-president of the Focolare Movement commented as follows: “We need a new ethical agenda; care has a strong political vocation and a strong planetary dimension. “#daretocare“. The young people of the Focolare Movement have taken seriously the words of Pope Francis and many other religious and civic leaders to find concrete ways of working together to care for our Common House. Through this new pathway they want to be active citizens, taking an interest in everything that is happening in the world to try and build a little bit of united world. As Jesús Morán, co-president of the Focolare Movement explained: “In this time of deep humanitarian crisis due to the Coronavirus, a new vision is emerging which is the need for a new way of behaving and living, a new kind of ethical agenda, as some experts call it. And one category which is proving central to this context is caring, taking responsibility and taking care of others, society and the planet”. Daring to take care therefore means being protagonists in everyday life to solve problems, initiating dialogue for a better society and being attentive to the environment and to all people whatever their colour, religion or culture. Especially today where racism is re-emerging, where human freedom is once again being undermined by totalitarian regimes, where weapons and wars are trying to impose their dominion on peace and unity among peoples. “Care is a vast, beautiful and multifaceted category,” Morán continues. The ethics of care has to do with the dignity of the person. This is fundamental. It is at the very heart of caring; it is not an intimate, private thing. On the contrary, care has a distinctly political vocation and a strong planetary dimension, whilst not forgetting the local dimension because it is at a local level that we take care of others, in personal relationships, in society and in the local environment. Neverthless, the planetary dimension is important.” Pope Francis spoke about this on 24 May on the fifth anniversary of Laudato si’, calling for a special year of reflection – ending on 24 May 2021 – to bring the theme of caring for creation to everyone’s attention. And by creation we mean not only the environment that surrounds us but also the people, the economy, politics, the social aspect, etc. Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement, defined politics as “the love of all loves”. A politician is someone who is at the service of their people, and Morán concludes, “today more than ever there is a need for this kind of love, and the category of care expresses it well. It is precisely a concentration of this love we are talking about. So the proposal of the young people of the Focolare Movement is this: to put care at the centre of politics and of our lives as citizens”. So, after a year dedicated to actions and projects on peace, human rights and legality, the young people of the Focolare will add another tile to the mosaic on 20 June with the #daretocare campaign, that of “care”, developed and refined around five main themes: listening, dialogue and communication, equality, fraternity and the common good, participation and care for the planet. And will this be done? By following the typical “pathways” methodology, the paths they have been following for three years: learn, act and share. So: let’s take courage and dare. Make an appointment for 20 June at 2pm (GMT + 2) with a worldwide online event on Youtube channel to launch this great idea #daretocare. For more information, visit the United World Project website.
Lorenzo Russo
15 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
One of the things that the pandemic has drawn to our attention is the importance of the bonds that form the social fabric in which each of us is located, the quality of the relationships that unite us with one another. They are an antidote to loneliness, poverty and discouragement. The following writing by Chiara Lubich is an invitation to strengthen these bonds. There is a page of the gospel which resonates with us in a special way. Jesus says, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. … This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”. (Jn 15:10 and 12). Therefore, everything depends on mutual love. … Just as you have to poke the fire in a fireplace occasionally so that it doesn’t get smothered in ashes, so too, in the great brazier of our Movement, it is necessary from time to time to deliberately revive mutual love among us, to revive our relationships, lest they become smothered with the ashes of indifference, apathy and selfishness. In this way we will truly love God and be the living Ideal. We will be able to hope that charity lived like this will generate solid virtues in us which, almost without noticing it and with God’s grace, will reach the point of heroism. In that way we will become saints.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, Rome, 26th May 1988
13 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
An independent film producer, a citizen of the world, a fan of cinema, television and universal fraternity. In the middle of the night in Italy, 11 am in Melbourne, we greeted Mark Ruse for the very last time via streaming. Mark was an Australian film producer who died after a very short illness at the age of 64. Mark was not only a highly respected and greatly loved independent producer on the Australian film and television circuit, but he was a citizen of the world who, through his work, but above all through his humanity and simplicity, had built authentic and deep ties with many people outside the film industry. Mark Ruse began his career as an independent producer and went on to found Ruby Entertainment with his partner, Stephen Luby. Over the last 20 years, they produced many films and TV series: their comedies received awards, recognitions and ratings that were among the highest in Australia. He also produced films and documentaries about social engagement, sometimes linked to the tragic history of his country: Hoddle Street about the 1987 Melbourne massacre earned him a major international award. Nonetheless, above all, Mark was a simple and kind person, passionate about his work, who faced difficulties – which for an independent producer are many – with a lightness of touch and a good dose of humour. We had met more than 40 years ago in Italy. We were among the many young people from different countries in Europe and from around the world, gathered together in a small town on one of the hills near Rome. It was the 70’s and we had come to hear what Chiara Lubich was proposing to the Gen, the young people of the Focolare Movement. It was an ideal that was revolutionary in many ways: at heart, it was strongly spiritual and personal, but at the same time, community and global aspects were not lacking. Our youthful dreams and passions (cinema and television) eventually became our work – I became a TV director and Mark a producer – and our desire to create a “space” where we could share the ideas and beliefs that we had in common was fulfilled. At the beginning of this millennium, we worked together in establishing NetOne, a large worldwide network of professionals in various fields of media and communication: directors, producers, screenwriters and journalists. Today as then, NetOne want to contribute to creating new and different ways of working, not only as regards the relationships among people involved in production but also in respect of the public, the final recipient of our work. Mark worked tirelessly in establishing this network. Every time we saw each other in Rome or Melbourne or somewhere else in the world, the conversation picked up exactly where we had left off, even after a gap of months or years. This continued till he sent a message a few months ago confiding in me about his illness: “I am beginning a journey I know, but I want to share it with you and everyone in NetOne. I have welcomed and embraced this new phase of life with love.” He left us within a few months, even though during our last Zoom call, a few days before his death, he was cheerful and full of plans for the future. Mark used to say, “The idea of wanting to love our neighbours is at the basis of my faith. Whatever we do should improve society in some way, people should be enriched by watching our films: that is another way of bringing love into our society.” Australian cinema has lost a good producer, we in NetOne network have lost a friend, a travelling companion who left us with his smile… “We’re crazy, we’re crazy people, but we need to feel part of a family”. That’s right, Mark, that’s right.
Marco Aleotti
Courtesy of Cittanuova.it
12 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, at the “Elijah Interfaith Institute” in Jerusalem “Everything that happens in life is directed by an Author of history who is God, and God wants the good of people […] So even if sometimes it seems the freedom of human beings leads to negative consequences, God is capable […] of bringing good even out of these negative situations”. According to Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, this is the greatest lesson that the Covid-19 crisis can offer. In an interview with Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, director of the “Elijah Interfaith Institute” in Jerusalem, the President of the Focolare Movement also speaks of the possible benefits that the pandemic can bring to the world. The interview is part of the Coronaspection project, a series of video interviews with religious leaders worldwide, sharing wisdom and spiritual advice as we jointly face a global crisis (here you can see the project’s trailer, which summarizes the spirit of the project). “There are values that are more evident than others at the moment – says Maria Voce -, such as solidarity, equality among all, concern for the environment. The world will come out better from this crisis if we know how to overcome the divisions linked to prejudice, to culture, to see everyone as brothers and sisters belonging to the one family of God’s children. This certainty is based on a profound trust in the human person: ” there is always a spark of good in every person and you can count on it”; a person responds “because ( good) is inherent in him/her”. It is an inner conviction that stirs hope: “God is Love and loves all creatures”. She continues ” In fact, it is enough to look around to see examples of solidarity. The efforts of doctors and nurses who try to awaken trust, a smile, and their pain for the people they failed to save, have had the effect of “edifying” the patients who recovered. In our Movement many people were able to make themselves available for their neighbors, to bring them what they needed; many children offered toys to others that were a comfort to them”. At the level of international relations – observes Maria Voce – “we see examples of solidarity in those doctors and nurses who have come to Italy from other countries to help. […] Even at the level of economic thinking, we are trying to do everything so that countries do not think only of defending their own goods but of integrating their own vision with that of other countries”. Nevertheless all this does not hide the challenges that the crisis brings. Alongside the personal ones she says there are those that come from leading an international movement: “making decisions that involve difficulties both on a personal and economic level. I felt I had to call my direct collaborators, so that decisions could be shared, so that people’s interest would prevail over all other interests”. She observed “Even fear should not be ignored, but accepted in order to overcome it: I would say that we should learn to live with fear and at the same time not to let it stop us – following Chiara Lubich’s example – “to remain anchored in the present. She concluded, quoting the founder of the Focolare Movement, ” Only lovedrives away fear, and there is no fear where there is perfect love. So increasing love diminishes fear because love helps you to carry out actions that fear, instead, would try to condition “. To watch the full interview click here
Claudia Di Lorenzi
11 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” Following this slogan, the Focolare community of the metropolitan area of Manila, Philippines, organized the very first Online Mariapolis on May 14 and 15. 
“We were on the verge of separation. With just the two of us together once the lockdown began, we felt we had to confront our issues, set aside our differences and start again. Thank you for all your love.” This was just one among many of the feedback we got from those who registered and participated via Zoom for the first ever Online Mariapolis held on May 14 and 15, 2020 in the Philippines. The unexpected Enhanced Community Quarantine due to Covid-19 pushed us to look for means to connect our people and sustain them through the spirituality of unity. The whole idea was an offshoot of the online Mass that we began live streaming privately to a small group of focolare members. Soon after, it became a daily appointment, with our Facebook group for the Mass reaching the homes of around two thousand people. We felt that if God hindered the possibility to carry on our big plans to “celebrate and meet” Chiara on her centenary, He opened this way, to do the same, in small bursts! From the outpouring of our Mass attendees through comments on Facebook Live, it was crystal clear that even for 30 minutes on a virtual platform, people are able to make an experience of God! In the meantime, we had our first experiences with Zoom, for example during the United World Week and the Run4Unity. We felt we had to go for the Online Mariapolis, in order to be with and beside our people, in this very difficult moment. We were against very big odds: the “Mariapolites” would be with all the distractions at home, and would most probably be multitasking – there would be children to look after, meals to cook, chores to finish, etc. Another major challenge would be the disparities in internet connectivity and service in a developing country like ours. Because of this, our Mariapolis were held for 2 days only, and just for 2 hours each time. We also considered to call it another name, not Mariapolis, so as to manage the expectations of people. But in the end, we all wanted it to be Mariapolis – just like every other Mariapolis we have had. And we wanted it not as a webinar, but a Mariapolis, a City of Mary, because we felt that we needed Mary now and that we have to be Mary, as Chiara taught us, to bring Jesus-in-our-midst, to our people, so that this experience may help give light to their experience of the pandemic. Registered Mariapolites reached about 950, not only from the Philippines, but also from other Asian countries, from Latin America, Canada, the United States and some even from Europe. The program, which was made available via live streaming for an unlimited number of participants, was composed of songs, Gospel-based experiences related to the current pandemic situation, spiritual inputs and an hour of in-depth communion during the breakout groups. One participant meaningfully expressed what this Mariapolis was: “For me it was really a very concrete sign of Mary’s love for all of us! As our mother, she really knows our personal and shared needs. Through the well-chosen theme, talks, experiences, and songs, she nourished us with the right food and vitamins both for the body and the soul.”
Romé Vital
9 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
The land of cedar trees, discusses ways that may help the country emerge from the serious political-economic crisis that hit it recently. Hope never dies in a country that has passed through so much hardship. During the recent United World Week, the Lebanese Focolare community opted to discuss, with both youths and adults, the difficult way foward in a country gripped by tensions and facing several crises. The political-social crisis has been going on since last October 17, when the “thawra” movement in Lebanon started protesting against a government accused of corruption and bad administration. The economic crisis exploded last March, when the government declared it could not repay its1.2 billion dollar debt to the European Union. In recent weeks there was also the collapse of the Lebanese pound, set at 1500 pounds to one dollar up to a few weeks ago and now trading for more than 4000. Lebanon is also facing a health crisis due to the coronavirus. The spread of the virus has not been excessive (less than a thousand people have been infected and there were less than 30 deaths) but the extended lockdown measures also hit the country. Owing to lack of prospects, this situation seems to be encouraging people, especially young ones, to go back to an old tradition, namely expatriation. It is good to know that for every 4 Lebanese living in the Middle East, there are about 12 others living in other different parts of the world. This is happening also in other neighbouring countries, especially with Jews, Palestinians and Armenians. Emigration is particularly painful for the Lebanese, who believe (and it is true) that they have an amazing country, rich in history and natural beauty, a Middle Eastern crossroads for every kind of traffic and commerce, home of Nobel Prize winners and great merchants, filmmakers and writers, saints and scientists. One needs to highlight the fact that the diaspora is very painful for the Lebanese, especially when one considers their strong family ties. In this context, the local Focolare Movement organized a Webinar with the specific title “Building a future by living for fraternity”. About 300 people from different countries, from Canada to Australia, to Spain and Italy, participated. The two lawyers, Mona Farah and Myriam Mehannan spoke about one of the most serious threats that Lebanon is facing, namely the dangerous lack of certainty about the rule of law. Yet, Lebanon has a remarkable capacity to find the best solutions in complex situations and boasts of a very ancient legal tradition. Therefore one can understand the young people’s desire to leave the country and at the same time the will of many who want to remain to build a more united and fraternal Lebanon, where 18 confessional communities are united by a political system of “confessional democracy” unique in the world. Then came the testimonies of two young couples, who decided to return to Lebanon twelve years ago, after working abroad for some time. They came back to contribute towards rebuilding their country after the so-called civil war. Imad and Clara Moukarzel,who work in the social and humanitarian field and Fady and Cynthia Tohme, who are both doctors, testified that it is possible to stay or return to Lebanon not to leave such a rich country in the hands of the most reactionary forces. Tony Ward, an entrepreneur in the field of high fashion, recounted his decision to return home twenty years ago, even though he was working in an established world fashion environment. He also spoke about his production change during the coronavirus crisis; for a few weeks he decided to produce sheets, masks and protection suits needed at Lebanese hospitals caring for Covid-19 patients. Tony Haroun, who has been working as a dentist in France for more than thirty years, spoke about the difficulties of expatriates, especially cultural ones, while he strongly affirmed that the willingness to listen to God’s voice allows one to overcome all sorts of obstacles. Michele Zanzucchi, a journalist and a writer based in Lebanon, highlighted three qualities of the Lebanese people, qualities that can really be of great help in the current situation.He spoke of their resilience, that is their ability to face setbacks without being crushed by them; their subsidiarity, namely their ability to replace the State when it fails to provide essential services; and finally he mentioned creativity to which the Lebanese attribute great value while creating an infinity of projects: humanitarian, economic, commercial, political and so on. Youmna Bouzamel, the young moderator of the Webinar, concluded by emphasizing that Lebanon seems to have all the qualities needed to welcome the message of fraternity and that this is the only real possibility that the country possesses. If John Paul II said that “Lebanon is more than a nation, more than a country, it is a message”, today’s message is above all one that proclaims fraternity. Great ideals and realism combined together.
Pietro Parmense
8 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Gospel is the Word of God expressed in human words and for this reason it is a source of ever new life, even during the pandemic. But in order for this life to develop, we need to put Jesus’ words into practice, to translate them into concrete acts of faith, love and hope. … “If you say so, I will let down the nets” (Lk 5:5). In order for Peter to experience the power of God, Jesus asked him to have faith. He asked him to believe in Him and to believe in something which was impossible from a human point of view, indeed absurd: to let down his nets during the day after a fruitless night. If we want life to come back to us, if we want to experience a miraculous catch of happiness, we too must have faith and, if necessary, take the risk of believing in the absurd things that at times his Word requires. We know that the Word of God is Life, but we obtain this life by going through death. We gain this life, but have it by losing it; it is growth, but we reach this growth by becoming less. So what must we do? How can we come out of the state of spiritual tiredness in which some of us may find ourselves? By taking on the risks that his Word implies. We are often influenced by the mentality of the world in which we live and end up believing that happiness is found in what we possess, in asserting ourselves, in enjoying ourselves, in lording it over others, in being noticed, in satisfying our senses by eating or drinking. But in fact it is not like that. Let’s try taking the risk of cutting away all these things. Let’s allow our ego to run the risk of a complete death. Let’s risk it, let’s risk it! Once, twice, even ten times a day. What will happen? In the evening we will find that love has gently blossomed in our hearts once more. We will find union with God in a way we could not have hoped for. The light of his unmistakeable inspirations will shine out again. His peace and consolation will fill our hearts and we will feel that we are enveloped by His Fatherly love once more. Enveloped by his protection, we will find that strength, hope and trust grow in us again and will be sure that the Holy Journey is possible. … We will be sure that the world can belong to God. But we need to take the risk of dying to ourselves, nothingness and detachment. This is the price to pay! Take courage then! Let’s take risks based on his Word in order to obtain a miraculous catch of happiness in our hearts, and in the hearts of many who love God.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from a telephone conference call Rocca di Papa, 17th February 1983
7 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
After the events in Minneapolis and the demonstrations worldwide we feel powerless and outraged, yet we continue to believe and work for a spirit of openness and participation so as to address the deepest needs of our time.
Foto: Josh Hild (Pexels)
Foto: Kelly Lacy Pexes)
Stefania Tanesini
[1] [1] Statement of U.S. Focolare Movement: our commitment to racial justice – https://www.focolare.org/usa/files/2020/06/Focolare-Statement-on-Racial-Justice.pdf [2] ibid
6 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
Testimony from Congo after difficult months fighting the Ebola virus. https://vimeo.com/402904193
5 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare’s Movement’s ‘universal vocation’ to build universal fraternity without distinction of race, religion, social or economic status. Part two of our interview with self-declared ‘non-believer’, Luciana Scalacci, member of the International and Italian Commissions of the Focolare’s Center of Dialogue with people of non-religious convictions. As a non-believer, how did you come across the Focolare? What impact did it have on you? One day our daughter wrote that she’d found a place where she could put into practice the values we had passed on to her. She had met the Focolare community in Arezzo. We’d never heard of the Movement and were naturally rather concerned. So we went along to see what it was all about. Immediately we had the impression of being in a place where other people’s ideas were treated with respect. We found a rare kind of openness among the people there. Meeting the Focolare Movement was like a light which allowed me to hope again in the possibility of building a better world. You met Chiara Lubich several times. How important has this personal relationship been for you? In an open meeting in 2000, Chiara answered one of my questions saying, “for us too, humanity has the solution for humanity. But precisely who in humanity? For us, it’s Jesus, the man Jesus. So take him for yourselves too, because he’s one of you, he’s a man”. That’s when I understood the Focolare Movement was a place where I could be active. I also understood why, even as a non-believer, I’ve always been fascinated by the figure of Jesus of Nazareth. As this dialogue has progressed over the years, how have you moved from a “them” and “us” to feeling united together in “us”? Our initial scepticism is the first thing to overcome. On our side, as non-believers, there’s the fear that it’s all aimed at proselytizing us. On the side of the believers, I think there may be a concern that we’ll try to shake their certainties and their faith. The only one who never had any kind of worry about it was Chiara herself! We’ve increasingly experienced that the one great resource for advancing towards the goal of universal fraternity is dialogue. Gradually we’ve established trust between both “sides”, until we no longer feel “them and us” but “united in us”. How do you find young people responding to this option of dialogue? Not all young people are well informed about such openness towards those who don’t adhere to any religious faith. But those who’ve had the opportunity of getting to know about it show a real interest in this reality. After meeting us recently, one girl wrote, “I see this dialogue like a face in a precious diamond, entrusted to us by Chiara … let’s be sure to keep it shining!” Click here to read Part 1 of the interview
Claudia Di Lorenzi
4 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
Building a united world without distinction of race, religion, social or economic status. “As a new Movement within the Church, we have a universal vocation. In fact our motto is ‘May they all be one’. We can’t do this without you, because this ‘all’ includes you. Otherwise we cut ourselves off from a third if not half of the world. How can we exclude all these while at the same time saying ‘May they all be one’!” This is how Focolare foundress, Chiara Lubich in May 1995 explained why her Movement was reaching out to dialogue with people who do not acknowledge any religious faith. We talk to 73-year-old Luciana Scalacci, from Abbadia San Salvatore, Italy. A self-declared ‘non-believer’, she is a member of the Italian and International Commissions for the Focolare’s Center of Dialogue with people of non-religious convictions. The Focolare Movement’s interest in dialoguing with people who have non-religious convictions goes back a long way. What are the most significant steps? The Focolare’s Center for Dialogue with ‘non-believers’ was opened in 1978. A year later, for the first time, people of non-religious convictions participated in a conference organized by the Focolare. Chiara encouraged the whole Movement to embrace a new openness towards ‘non-believers’, maintaining that as we’re all ‘sinners’, we can embark on a common journey of liberation to build universal fraternity together. In 1992 the Center organized its first international convention, entitled “Together to build a united world”. Chiara told us, “Your participation in our Movement is essential for us. Without you (as without its other parts) it would lose its true identity”. A second convention followed in 1994. At that meeting, Chiara affirmed, “our goal is to contribute towards the unity of all, starting from Love for every single person. Therefore we’ll try to see how strong the aspiration for universal fraternity and unity is among humanity at all levels”. After Chiara’s death in 2008, Maria Voce, as President, confirmed on various occasions that people with non-religious convictions are an essential part of the Movement. In the 1970s it was quite unusual for a Christian-inspired movement to open its doors to ‘non-believers’. Why do you think they did this? For the unity of the human race. To make the goal “May they all be one” more solid, because a united world can only be built with others, not despite or against them! What are the foundations needed to build a dialogue between ‘believers’ and ‘non-believers’? The existence of common values, like fraternity, solidarity, justice, help for the poor. We also share an understanding that we all have a personal conscience, which permits us to reflect on these values on our own and also together in a collective way, so they become a shared patrimony for everyone. What difficulties have you encountered along the way? To engage in dialogue when holding very different positions is not always easy. Connecting together to achieve something practical is simpler, because action doesn’t distinguish between colour, religion or ideas. The difficulties start when you move from action to values, to ideologies, to the super-structures. At this point, dialogue can risk running aground. But this hasn’t happened. Chiara has challenged both believers and us ‘friends’ to open ourselves up as much as possible, not as an ‘act of charity’ but to enrich and be enriched as we journey together towards a better world.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
2 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
Gabriela Bambrick-Santoyo is an Internal Medicine physician. She was born and raised in Mexico City and has been an active and committed member of the Focolare community since 1987. She currently works as an Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine department in a hospital in northern New Jersey, currently a hotspot in the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Here is an excerpt of the interview made by cruxnow.com Gabriela, can you say something about how your Catholic faith and Focolare spirituality informs your calling to a be a physician? My calling as a Catholic and part of the Focolare movement and my vocation as a physician are inseparable. I was born Catholic and I found the Focolare movement when I was about eighteen. This encounter changed my life because it was the first time, I was pushed to concretely live the gospel of “love your neighbor as yourself.” This profoundly changed me and has been what has guided my actions, both as a person and as a physician. What has it been like to be on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in a hotspot in New Jersey? It has put my faith to fiery tests. Especially the fear of death. It becomes a very real possibility when you see so much death around you. Once you say yes to the calling that we all have as Christians to lay our lives down for others the graces come pouring in and out of you! They really do! I also had to ask myself what it meant to “love others as yourself” in this COVID pandemic. When I first started seeing patients, I was full of fear. I wanted to go in quickly…and leave the room as quickly as possible. Then a twist: my daughter, a healthy 18-year-old, was hospitalized with COVID. During the evenings, she would call me crying from her hospital room saying “Mom, I have lost all my dignity. I need to go to the bathroom, and they won’t let me out. They don’t want to come in and keep pushing me back into my room and at some point I thought I was going to have to go to the bathroom on the floor.” That just crushed me, Charlie, and it made me wonder if I was doing something similar to my patients. At that point I resolved to change to fully give my life to my patients, to pour out more mercy and never let them feel abandoned. It must be so hard to deal with death on the level you’ve had to see it during the last few weeks. It is so difficult for the rest of us to even imagine it. That’s true, but at times there are graces too. One of my patients was a very sick 91-year-old that essentially knew she was going to die from COVID-19 and was at peace about it. My act of mercy consisted in being there in the last moments of her life. In spending time not only with my patient but also with her family over the phone. I will never forget when I told her that her family loved her very much and that they were at peace and they know you are ready and she just squeezed my hand. That is mercy. I had another patient with whom I had what I call “the double whammy” situation. Besides being a COVID patient, he was very aggressive, not completely stable and stated he would punch me if I did not do X or Y. It took two or three moments to remind myself that this person is also a child of God and that I needed to look on him with patience, love and mercy. Once he saw this in my eyes his anger began to evaporate. On his way to being admitted to a different ward, he turned to me, smiled and said, “You and [nurse X] have been the only ones that have taken the time to explain things to me.” What difference does your robust prayer life and theological commitments make for how you practice medicine under these circumstances? Prayer has been a central pillar of my life and has allow me to get through this crisis. It is in prayer that I find peace and solace. It is in prayer that I find myself in God. Lastly, I participate in weekly meetings (zoom meetings) with my Focolare community. All those things together are the armor I count on to live through this crisis. Here you read the full interview: https://cruxnow.com/interviews/2020/04/doctor-balances-faith-work-in-coronavirus-hotspot/
1 Jun 2020 | Non categorizzato
One of the many consequences of the coronavirus in all countries, but especially in the poorest ones, is to have taken away the means of subsistence from many people who had insecure or casual jobs. At this time, therefore, it has become even more important to look around and take the most varied initiatives for the benefit of those in need. This is Gospel: Jesus is there, in the least, waiting for us. … Jesus has a preference for the poor, for the “least”. After Peter had denied him three times[1], Jesus asked him the same question three times, “Do you love me more than these?” To Peter’s first affirmative reply, Jesus said, “Feed my lambs”. Instead, to the other two replies, he said, “Tend my sheep”. According to bible scholars, by “lambs” he meant the little ones, the poor, and the needy; whereas by “sheep” he meant everyone else.[2] In this way, Jesus showed his option for the poor long before many bishops, for example, especially in developing countries, formulated and put forward this option. Besides, we know that Jesus came to evangelize the poor.[3] He said so clearly, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”[4] While Jesus had already demonstrated this preference with words and works while he was living on earth, his Spirit has very frequently instilled it, down through the centuries, in those who would become his instruments for many, like St Francis, for example, St Philip Neri, St Ignatius of Loyola, St Camillus de Lellis and so on. It was the same for us. At the beginning of the Movement, when we were still at home with our families, the charism drew our attention first of all to the “least” of those around us: the poor, the sick, the wounded, prisoners, the homeless, the elderly, and children. And later on, in the first focolare in Piazza Cappuccini, to those who were the “least” among us. We tried to solve the first problem (the least around us) through works of charity, which were the seeds of the many social actions and works that would begin in later years; and the second (the least among us) through the communion of goods among all of us. Later on, we felt urged to look at everyone, to love every neighbor as ourselves, whether or not that person was one of the least of our neighbors, and to love one another. Now this way of living is so deeply inculcated in everyone that it has become the basic life-style of the whole Movement. But during this recent period … we have been reminded anew to give first place in our hearts to the “least” of our neighbors. How can we put this into practice? Above all, by looking with special attention to those among us who could be the least and by meeting every need through a freely given but intense communion of goods, extended to the Movement throughout the world. … And then by looking around us. … A motto? A question for our hearts: “Have I preferred today, among all my neighbors, those who were most in need?”
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 27th June 1991) [1] Cf. Jn 18:15-27. [2] Cf. Jn 21:15-17. [3] Cf. Mt 11:5 [4] Mt 25:40.
30 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
Supportive actions, mutual help, prayer and sharing generated by the Focolare communities all over the world. https://vimeo.com/402904028
29 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
An experience from Rolando, manager of a company in San Salvador: concerns and expectations for his country during this time of pandemic and the decision they made, as a family, to live for others. In San Salvador, we are under lockdown, just like the rest of the world. Fear which is understandable but, in my opinion, exaggerated, has taken hold and measures to contain the virus are being introduced which contravene human rights. The emergency is being exploited to undermine democracy and, once again because of fear, much of the population is calling for strong leadership. The pandemic has consequently generated a return to authoritarianism as a way to combat the virus. This in turn has led back to intolerance and a break in dialogue which has generated feelings of anger and revenge. On top of this is the negative impact that the closure of non-core activities, the high percentrage of informal economy and the reduction in remittances is having on the economy as well as the high level of debt caused by the emergency. This situation is a huge desolation for me. I experienced civil war as a young man and, despite many illusions, the arrival of dialogue and the signing of peace. I followed the slow process towards democracy, never completely satisfied but always hopeful. I never imagined that I would see armed forces dominating the political stage again and the collapse of constitutional order. It is a personal suffering and a suffering for society which has at times impacted negatively on my optimism. I think we are heading for an economic and social crisis in the near future that will affect democracy and especially the most vulnerable. The spirituality of unity we try to live as a family urges us all to take concrete action in favour of those close to us. On a personal level, as I am now working fulltime from home, I try to love Irene, my wife, in the first place by appreciating all her efforts to cope in this difficult situation, helping her and covering the gaps caused by the pandemic because there is noone to help us at home. With joy I try to prepare the dishes that Roxana, our youngest daughter, likes, and I offer encouragement to Irene Maria, our oldest daughter, who studies abroad. Every day I hear from my parents and take care of their needs. We try to support and offer reassurance to the people who normally help us at home, by guaranteeing their salaries, for as long as we can… Together with employees of the company where I work and other managers, we are introducing policies offering economic support and making it easier for employees to work remotely to secure their jobs. I am committed to dealing with my team as best I can and being understanding about their lower productivity. With a number of experts in different fields we share experiences, study the crisis, economic models, market development and politics, aware of the opportunity this is offering to learn new things and find innovative ideas to face the future. Without realizing it, the days pass quickly, and a feeling of peace often floods my soul. I continue to worry about the country’s health situation, its precarious democratic situation and the economy but I feel an ever-increasing strength to continue fighting for the values in which I believe, despite the fact that the storm is raging outside.
Rolando, El Salvador (received by Gustavo E. Clariá)
27 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
One way to remain united with Jesus is to welcome his Word. It allows God to enter into our hearts and purify them – cleansed of selfishness, they are able to produce an abundance of quality fruit. Giving confidence He was a man in his 40s, a bit sad, who didn’t look so good: dirty, shabby clothes smelling of alcohol and nicotine… But he didn’t ask me for money, just work, any job. He clearly needed help. What would Jesus have done in my place? I decided to invite him to my house, where I needed some repairs. He had told me that he just got out of prison and had expenses while on probation, but he had nothing. His wife had left him, too. He did the job I asked him to do, which I paid for. Before taking him back to where he was spending the night, he asked me if I had any other work. After we talked to some friends, we found other things for him to do. He came back several times, and our mutual trust and respect grew. After about a month or so, he never showed up. I was afraid he had ended up back in prison. Then one day he called me on my mobile. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, for the trust you’ve given me. I was able to pay my probation and buy a phone. Now I have a steady job. I’m very happy!” W., U.S.A. What I believe I’m a hairdresser, and I do home service. One day I was called by a young recently married lady who was expecting a baby. Sadly, she confided in me that she was planning to divorce her partner. Her mother-in-law made life impossible for her. I listened to her for a long time, then I advised her to wait. After a few days, her mother-in-law called me to get a haircut. Immediately she spoke badly of her daughter-in-law. “How strange,” I replied, “just two days ago I was at her house and only heard her say nice things about you.” When I met the daughter-in-law again, I told her, “Your mother-in-law spoke well of you, she loves you very much.” A few days later, the family got together at a party. After months, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were meeting once more. As they described it, it was a beautiful moment. And they thanked me. “Who teaches you the beautiful things you tell us?” they asked. So I was able to explain to them what I believe in: a Gospel that teaches us to be peacemakers. F., Pakistan Practically for fun My husband and I noticed that our children lacked knowledge in the basics of Christianity. So we asked ourselves, “Why not start a sort of catechism course at home?” I began with Mary, Jutta and Ruben, making sure that the concepts were simple and related to daily life. Then we added Jeroen and Rogier, Rose and Michel. The result was a new experience that was both fun and engaging. It was truly fun to prepare a sort of lesson each week, which some of the children wrote out on the computer and copied, while others put together some nice folders to keep the handouts in. Our children were so enthusiastic that many times they spontaneously would invite their friends to participate, which they did. When we covered the sacraments, we saw again how little they had understood. Yet now they have become a treasure in our life of faith. And this catechism course, which started practically for fun, continues. W., Holland
by Stefania Tanesini
(from “The Gospel of the Day”, Città Nuova, VI, n.3, April–May 2020
26 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
The experience of a community in Bangalore, India, during the covid-19 lockdown. What do you do when you suddenly find that everything is closed for three weeks and you don’t know what the near future will be like? What do you do when the work that has kept you going up until now ends and you don’t know if it will start again? I think this is an experience that is not limited to India at the moment but is being lived by many people in different countries all over the world. The Italians, unfortunately, were the first to experience this sense of bewilderment and now here in India we are in the same situation. However, here, as you may have seen on the news, there are 450 million people who work as day labourers, without any security, and most of them without any savings. Therefore, not being able to go to work means eating less every day and trying to survive. 
The Focolare community in Bangalore asked themselves how they could help people in need and how they could involve others people who were at home during lockdown. It all started with a WhatsApp message that someone in the community sent to Kiran who is a seminarian and lives in a village we visited a while ago. “Are there families in need in your village?” we asked. The village, which is in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, has a population of about 4560 families of which about 450 are Catholic. That same evening, Kiran (which means “ray” in the local language) had been out walking and visited various families who had confided in him and spoken about their fears for the future. They were already eating kanji (boiled rice with lots of water: you eat green chili pepper with it to give it some taste) and did not know what they would do during the 21 days of lockdown. It’s not normal for adults to talk to a young person about their problems and so Kiran had come home feeling worried. When he looked at his phone and saw the message, he realized that God was giving him a solution for those families who needed help. And so, we set to work. Kiran knew how many families were in trouble. We prepared a message to send to all the people we know, with details and information about where to send help. Our target was to help at least 25 families by providing a 25 kg bag of rice and a bag of vegetables – enough food for a family for about two weeks. This would cost about 1500 rupees, about 20 euros. The response was immediate. Many people participated – families and many young people. Some gave a thousand rupees, others three thousand, and others five thousand rupees. Within a few days we reached the target set. But the contributions continued and so we were able to help more than 30 families. There was an average of four people per household and so this support has reached at least 120 people. However, there are many other villages where people we know are in need and so we started to help in other places too. Now there are three villages that we are supporting. We always work in collaboration with local people who know the situation well and know how to help in the most appropriate way. Chiara Lubich taught us to love people one by one and it seems we are doing just this: we are trying to love one village at a time, but without stopping! What we are doing is very small – it’s only a drop in the ocean – but many people have become involved. Here in the diocese of Bangalore, the Archbishop has worked extremely hard to help workers blocked in the area due to the lockdown. We have also collaborated in this initiative. Now Bangalore is asking Mumbai, New Delhi and Goa to take up the challenge and do everything possible to help circulate whatever we have so that no one is in need. We are all realizing that, in the end, everything passes and all that remains is the love we share: this love fills our hearts.
The Focolare community Bangalore, India
25 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
To cope with the pandemic, individuals and associations, health workers and scientific communities, governments and international organizations are responding in a variety of ways. Creativity and generosity, which are often heroic, are never lacking. To all these efforts should be added the decisive contribution that comes from prayer that is able to move mountains. […] Just as each child in this world trusts his or her own father, believes in him, relies completely on him, lets him take care of every worry and feels secure with him, even in difficult, painful or impossible circumstances, the very same thing is what a “child” of the Gospel does and should do with our heavenly Father. This childlike attitude is very important, always, because we are often overwhelmed by circumstances, by things that happen or trials that we cannot overcome only with our own strength, but which call for help from above. At this very time we are particularly aware of our need to have a great faith in the Father’s love and in his Providence. … We have been worried and we still are; and we have been wondering what we could do. … The first answer that took root in our hearts was to pray: to unite all together and pray so as to avert disaster. And everyone – to a greater or lesser extent – has surely begun to do this. … To pray. But we need to pray in a way that will obtain results. … In the first letter of St John we find a very beautiful and encouraging expression: “… If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us (1 Jn 4:12). “His love is perfected in us.” But if His love is perfected in us, and as long as his love is perfected in us, we are perfect. Therefore, we have this perfection of love by living mutual love. In the last few days … we have introduced [into the Regulation of the focolarini] a norm which is basic and essential for them. It’s the duty … to make a pact with the other focolarini, to be ready to die for one another, as required by Jesus’ commandment. But this decision, this pact, is certainly not the monopoly of the focolarini who live in community. It is the law for all the members of our Movement. Living out this pact ensures that love in us is perfected and that we are perfect in love. Thus we are pleasing to God and in the best condition to obtain the graces we desire, even the ones needed to move mountains. I think that if we want to work effectively for a united world, then in the next few days we need to renew with one another and with all the people we meet who know our Movement, our readiness to give our lives. Of course, we must first prepare the ground and create the right atmosphere, so that we can courageously say to the other person: “With God’s grace, I want to be ready to die for you” and so that we can hear the other person say: “And I for you.” Then we must act accordingly, stoking up the fire of love with regard to every neighbour. … On this basis, we can pray being sure that our prayers will be answered.
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Mollens, Switzerland, 13th September 1990)
24 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
A global campaign that involved thousands of faithful through interactive and educational seminars on the care of our common home. Launched by the Pope, it was organized by the Department for the Service of Integral Human Development with the support of a group of Catholic partners. From May 16th to 24th the Laudato Si’ Week was held under the title “Everything is connected”, a global campaign on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the care of the common house. The event engaged Catholic communities worldwide involving dioceses, parishes, movements and associations, schools and institutions to deepen their commitment to safeguarding Creation and promoting an integral ecology. Strongly desired by the Pope, it was organized by the Department for the Service of Integral Human Development with the support of various Catholic partners including the Global Catholic Climate Movement which includes more than 900 Catholic organizations worldwide among which the Focolare Movement. During the Week there were various online initiatives following the indications of Laudato Si. In fact due to the Covid-19 emergency, the event took place entirely online through interactive and formative seminars. On Sunday, May 24th the event concluded with a world day of prayer: at 12 noon (local time in each time zone), everyone was invited to pray for the Earth with this prayer. In March the Pope sent a video message in which he encouraged the faithful to participate in protecting our common home. Together, through action and faith, we can solve the ecological crisis. “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who will come after us, to the children who are growing up? – says the Pope – I renew my urgent appeal to respond to the ecological crisis. The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor can no longer wait. Let us take care of creation, a gift from our good Creator God “. In these 5 years, the Pope’s encyclical has stirred the consciences of many citizens. People have formed communities with the aim of doing something for the environment, driven by the Pope’s words on a more attentive ecological vision of our Common Home. Yet after five years these words resonate very topical in today’s world torn apart by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Vatican Department for the Service of Integral Human Development also stresses how the teachings of the Encyclical are particularly relevant in the current context of Covid-19 that has brought life to a standstill in many parts of the world. “The pandemic has struck everywhere and teaches us how only with the commitment of all can we rise up and defeat even the virus of social selfishness with the antibodies of justice, charity and solidarity. To be builders of a more just and sustainable world, of an integral human development that leaves no one behind”- underlines Don Francesco Soddu, director of Caritas Italiana – During this week we have not only talked about ecology. The organizers asked themselves: what role does the economy play in terms of safeguarding Creation? In fact, on Thursday May 21st an online meeting was held with the English economist Kate Raworth, from Oxford University and Cambridge University, one of the most influential economists internationally. This meeting was also part of the preparation and formation process for “The Economy of Francesco”, the event wanted by the Pope to be held in November in Assisi for which 3000 young entrepreneurs from all over the world have already registered. On the subject of safeguarding Creation, ” the economy is responsible for at least 50% if we consider each individual’s economy, the economy of enterprises and the economy of States and the effects that all this has on the pollution of the Planet . Then there is politics, our lifestyles, etc…. (…) If we also look at what has contributed to the the failures of these decades , global warming, for example, we realize that in short, the capitalist economy really has a great responsibility. So if we want to make a change we have to change the economy”- says the economist Luigino Bruni – Therefore, to live Laudato Si means to show our sensitivity to the theme of safeguarding Creation but it also means we make life choices in the economic sphere. We can contribute to a profound economic and ecological conversion through practical experiences. We also need to understand what political change we need to promote in order to truly listen to the cry of the earth and of the poor.
Lorenzo Russo
23 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
The testimonies that Card. Désiré Tsarahazana, President of the Madagascar Episcopal Conference and Mgr. Christoph Hegge, Auxiliary Bishop of Munster ( Germany) shared during the internatiional meeting that brought together 7 cardinals and 137 bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement. The meeting was held last February in Trent and at the international small town of Loppiano. https://vimeo.com/415940273
20 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
When we live the Word we are bound to go out of ourselves and meet our brothers and sisters with love. We start with the ones closest to us: in our cities, our families, wherever we are in everyday life. This friendship becomes a network of positive relationships, that aims at living the commandment of mutual love, which builds fraternity. Finding the right words My two children, seven and five years old respectively, were out playing without any thought of danger. I was not quick enough to reach them, when a grenade exploded and both were bleeding. We picked them up and ran off to hospital. I felt a great turmoil inside me: dismay, fear, pain ….. but I had to take care of the children and instil peace in their hearts. My son had splinters in his head and he had to be operated on immediately; my daughter was not in such a bad state. At night, I watched over their bedside. Every now and then they complained and had nightmares: “Why did they do this to us?” I looked for the right words to explain to them that the one who threw the grenade was someone who had suffered a lot, who might have no parents, and who just wanted to destroy the weapons on our side… When the children dozed off, I began to pray. I entrusted them to God while I prayed that they would be free from any hatred in their hearts. Decades passed since that painful episode, and today my son considers it as an incentive to contribute towards world peace. (R. S. – Lebanon) Change of apartment When we asked the owner of the apartment where we were staying for permission to make some renovations at our expense, she said nothing about her intention of selling the flat. Of course, when we finished the work and came to know about her decision, we felt bad and betrayed. Moreover, the new owner asked for a much higher rent. So, from one day to the next, we found ourselves on the street. But we trusted in providence; we were certain that God would not abandon us. In fact, shortly afterwards, we were offered a possibility that fitted our family needs even better. But the most important thing was to have no hard feelings and maintain a good relationship with the former landlady. We could feel that she was sorry about what happened, even though she did not express it outrightly. We were friends again and forgot all about the past. (E.V. – Turkey) Disorder I am enrolled in the Faculty of Psychology and I live with other colleagues in the students’ quarters. When we do not go to the canteen, we share the use of a common kitchen. One of us, who is quite messy, never bothers to clean the kitchen after making use of it. This morning when I went to the kitchen to make myself a coffee, I found that there was a big mess. He had guests the night before and he did not bother to clear up. I wasn’t the only one to notice the disorder in our kitchen. Someone, who was furious about it, suggested that we should leave everything until our colleague realizes it and does something about it. However, shortly after when I went back to my room to study, I was not at peace with myself; the thought of the mess in the kitchen kept coming back to me… What should I do? Should I teach a lesson or do an act of love? I wasted no time, I went back to the kitchen and started clearing up: I washed glasses and dishes, I took the garbage out ….. When I returned to my room, it seemed that I could understand better what I was reading. Life with others is a form of education that completes the lessons I listen to at university. (G. T. – France)
Edited by Stefania Tanesini
(see Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, anno VI, n.3, April–May 2020)
18 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
This reflection by Chiara Lubich reverses our usual way of interpreting the joyful or painful events that are woven together in the fabric of our life. She invites to see things in a completely different way, with new eyes, trusting in the fact that nothing escapes God’s love. This deep inner conviction fills us with hope and helps us be more courageous. … If we love God, our life and its many circumstances become a divine adventure in which we are astonished every moment by the newness it brings. This divine adventure is full of treasures to be discovered that enrich us all the time and are like little pieces added to the mosaic of our holiness. In fact, [Scripture] tells us. “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28). All things… for those who love God. All things. Nothing — and we must believe this — happens by chance. No situation, whether joyful or indifferent or sorrowful; no meeting or situation, in the family, at work or at school; no state of physical or moral health, is without meaning. Instead, all things, events, situations, and people, are bearers of a message from God, which we should know how to read and accept with all our heart. All things work together for good for those who love God. God has his own design of love for each one of us. He loves us with a personal love, and—if we believe in this love and respond with our own love (that is the condition!) — He leads all things toward the fulfilment of his plan for us. It is enough to look at Jesus. We know how much he loved the Father. If we think of him even for a moment, we can see how he lived this Word to the full all his life. For Jesus, nothing happened by chance. Everything had a purpose. However, we see this Word personified in him in a unique way during the last days of his life; nothing in his passion and death happened by chance. For Jesus, even the extreme trial of feeling forsaken by the Father worked together for good, because by overcoming it he brought his Work to completion. His passion was caused unknowingly. Those who made him suffer and die did not know what they were doing. They didn’t know who it was they were torturing and crucifying; they did not know that they were conducting a sacrifice, the most perfect sacrifice that would bring about the salvation of humankind. Jesus suffered at the hands of people who did not have this end in mind. But since he loved the Father, he transformed all these things into means of redemption, seeing in those terrible moments the hour he had so long awaited and the fulfilment of his divine, earthly adventure. Jesus’ example enlightens our own life. We should understand that everything that comes to us, all that happens, all that is around us and all that causes us to suffer, is either the will of God who loves us, or has been allowed to happen by God, who loves us still. Then everything will take on new meaning, everything will have a purpose and it will all be extremely useful. Let’s take heart. We are still alive. We are still on the journey. Our life can still be transformed into a divine adventure. The plan of God for us can still be fulfilled. It’s enough to keep on loving and look out for his ever splendid will.
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 2nd August 1984)
16 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
The testimony of those who face social challenges by rediscovering the potential of the Internet. Some initiatives supporting those who are alone or in situations of poverty. https://vimeo.com/402903671
13 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
On the occasion of the day of prayer and fasting for humanity on 14th May, the prayer of Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement In this time of trial, loneliness, anguish and dismay, we feel the need to re-discover the meaning of life and of death, of what does not pass and will remain forever. Our hearts, purified and disarmed by suffering, unite in prayer to You, Almighty, Compassionate, Merciful God and Father of us all. Strengthen in us the faith that everything You allow to happen is for a greater good, and that nothing of all that happens is outside Your infinite goodness. Help us continue this journey of life with renewed trust and hope, rooted in Your divine will in every present moment. Comfort those suffering the loss of family and friends; grant them strength to go ahead, and patience in adversity. Grant that in the face of anxiety about the future, the loss of work and the social and economic consequences of the pandemic, we are able to discover in them opportunities to practice solidarity and greater justice. Forge in us, more and more, a spirit of concrete love, to share the pain of those who are weeping and rejoice with those who are glad. Grant that we may consider others as ourselves and want for them what we want for ourselves. Help us experience, Most High and Almighty God, that the more we love our neighbor, forgetful of ourselves, the more our burden of pain lightens and in our hearts remains the ineffable and tangible sweetness of Your presence. Grant strength, health, safety and wisdom to the doctors, nurses, health personnel and all those doing their utmost for their brothers and sisters who are sick or in need, so that they can be Your instruments in accompanying those entrusted to their care. O God, Light of the world, grant that scientists may be illuminated by Your Wisdom and make their knowledge available for the good of all humanity. Sustain the leaders of nations and all those who decide the fate of peoples, so that they know how to make forward-looking decisions and find social and economic solutions in favor of the weakest. Enlighten their minds, so that they may find every possible means to avoid conflicts and promote peace. Make each one feel that they are responsible not only for their own people, but for all humanity. May Mary, who is loved and venerated by many, help us to stand firm in faith and bring consolation and hope to all. Amen. Download the prayer
13 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
The exhibition dedicated to Chiara Lubich in her hometown in Italy is enriched with a multilingual virtual tour that will allow visitors from all over the world to visit the exhibition composed of images and documents. May 13th marks the launching on the web , a significant date for Trento and Lubich. “Chiara Lubich Città Mondo“, the exhibition set up at the Gallerie in Trento, the birthplace of the Focolare Foundress, is now transformed and enriched with a virtual tour. The exhibition, closed for a period due to the pandemic and now extended until the beginning of 2021, can also be visited online. (http://mostre.legallerietrento.it/chiaralubich) The exhibition in Trent, which is part of the events linked to the Centenary of Chiara Lubich’s birth, continues in this way to implement the motto of the centenary: “Celebrate to meet with this extension on the web, “. Winding its way through history, life, images and color, it offers an opportunity to ‘meet’ with Lubich, and now the tour extends beyond the Galleries’ exhibition venue , to offer access to visitors from all over the world. Moreover, the date chosen for this launch on the web is no coincidence: on May 13th , 1944 Chiara Lubich’s story intertwined significantly with that of her city. That day when Trent suffered the second heavy bombardment also marked a turning point for the emerging Focolare Movement. Chiara Lubich was among the people displaced from the city towards the Gocciadoro woodland, after the family home was damaged. “I remember that night,” she would write years later, “on the outskirts of the city, lying with the others on the ground, just two words: stars and tears. Stars, because, throughout the night, I saw them all passing over my head; tears, because I was crying, realizing that I could not leave Trento with my loved ones. By then I saw with my companions the movement coming to life: I could not abandon them. And it seemed to me that the Holy Spirit, in order to make me understand His will, suggested words to me that I had studied at school: “Omnia vincit amor[1], Love conquers all”[2] .The next morning, Chiara Lubich informed her parents of her decision to stay in Trento, and soon afterwards, with her first companions, she set up the first focolare. The little house that housed the first focolare is one of the stages on the virtual tour that the visitor takes “Chiara Lubich city world” from the birth of the founder of the Focolare Movement in 1920 to the current worldwide expansion of the Movement. Even in the virtual setting, it is Chiara herself, through images and documents, who “tells her story “: her life as a young teacher, her consecration to God on December 7th, 1943, the growth of the first Focolare community. And then the summer of 1949, the beginning of a period of light for Chiara Lubich from which will flow the charismatic novelty that would give life to a new Work in the Church. Light and colours are the protagonists of the last part of the tour which, through words and images, allows us to know experiences of unity, spaces of fraternity born of the Charism of Lubich which continue to grow and develop in the present day in order to contribute to the fulfillment of what she considered the “testament” of Jesus: “That all may be one” (Jn 17:21). “For that page of the Gospel we were born,” Lubich wrote, “to bring unity in the world, unity with God and unity among all our brothers and sisters”.
”Even though we were aware” – she explained –“ of the divine audaciousness of the program that only God could carry out, kneeling around an altar, we asked Jesus to make his dream come true using us too if it was part of his plans”[3]. A dream also formed on that night of May 13th 1944 when, faced with the collapse of everything, bewilderment, the anguish of the unexpected drama of the moment, among stars and tears, she chose to believe that “Omnia vincit amor, love conquers everything”.
Anna Lisa Innocenti
[1] Virgil, Ecloghe, X, 69 [2] Chiara Lubich, Nascita di una spiritualità, in Michele Zanzucchi, Enzo Maria Fondi, Un popolo nato dal Vangelo, San Paolo, 2003, pp. 9-10. [3] Ibid., p.17
12 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
What effects has this pandemic had on life in society and in the Church? What did it bring about in the Focolare Movement? How can we live these new and as yet unknown times that await us? An open dialogue with Maria Voce. From an interview with Radio Inblu (Italy). From 18th May, Mass can be celebrated again [with a congregation], by taking all necessary precautions of course. Could you comment briefly on this? Maria Voce: We have always followed the Pope’s Mass and there have been very many opportunities to pray together online. But we cannot hide the fact that Christianity is an embodied religion. We feel the need to be physically present at the liturgy, to participate more directly and actively in the sacraments of Christianity. So we certainly missed participating in the Eucharist in a real way and this gift is now being given back to us. So we are ready to do all that is required, to take precautions in order not to miss this opportunity. Q: Of course, many things have happened during this time. We have had to review our behaviour and what we buy. What do you think the pandemic is bringing out in social life and therefore also in church life? Maria Voce: It is bringing out beautiful things but there can also be bad things. A first thing worth emphasizing is equality among all. The pandemic has shown that faced with this small virus that we have been hit by, we are all the same. It has affected the powerful as well as the poor, the rich and those who have nothing, children as well as adults, those in prison and those outside. So in this sense we are all truly equal. At the same time the pandemic has also revealed many inequalities that are not created by the fact of being human, but are created by different cultures, by prejudices and by lifestyles. So some people can afford treatment and others cannot; some people have homes where they can isolate themselves and others are forced to live with several people in a very small space. Some people have lost their jobs and can draw on savings set aside in a bank account; others don’t have anything to draw on and when they lose their jobs, they and their families are in danger of going hungry. So, unfortunately, inequalities have become even more obvious. And this should make us reflect, because it’s clear that these inequalities are not wanted by God, nor are they willed by human nature. They are due to the ill will of people who have not been able to manage correctly the gifts that God has given us all. We need to make up for these inequalities so as not to find ourselves, when the pandemic is over, in a worse state than we were before. Instead, we want to come out of this having gained from realising the need for equality and make programs that respect the equal dignity of all. Q: What about the church community? Maria Voce: For the church community, I feel this period has highlighted what is essential, because so many things have fallen by the wayside. We have seen that church walls are not essential but that living the Church as communion is essential. We’ve seen that going every day to visit Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist is not essential, but it is essential to love our neighbour; it is essential to answer with love to the people near us; it is essential to seek out inspiration for our lives from Jesus’ words in the Gospel. Many things have fallen away even on an ecclesial level. However, this has done us nothing but good, because it spurs us towards the rebirth of which Pope Francis continually speaks, to the resurrection and the completely new start we can make in truly reforming the Church in a vital way, not in an institutional or formal way. Q: Which of these essentials is most essential? Maria Voce: The most essential thing is to keep in mind that we are one human family. Being part of one human family must push us all to take care of each other and take care of creation, which is the only house this one human family is living in. We must care responsibly, attentively, precisely because Christianity makes us look at this reality also in a responsible way. We are all members of a family but we are all responsible for this family. Therefore, every person in this family is important; everyone has rights but they also have duties. There is a collective responsibility. I think this must push us to make proposals, to put forward programs, to see what can be done to truly include everyone. We must propose ways forward both in the economy and in politics, ways that can truly look to the common good, not to the good of one group or another, not to the interests of one side or the other but to the good of all. So proposals should be put forward that aim towards a communion of goods on a more universal level. Then the Church itself – and we too, in fact, as Focolare Movement – is universal, it has no boundaries. In a certain sense, the Church competes on equal terms with the virus. The virus is not afraid of borders but neither is the Church; the Church is universal because it is God’s family on earth. We must look to this, God’s family, to see how to make it truly be one family. We must see how to create structures that enable the integral development of all, which respect the history, culture and way of life of each people, without coercing them into developing according to our models or our plans. At the same time, we should make available to each other all the talents with which God has endowed every people, every culture and every person. We can make them available to each other so that all together we can make the world become a common home that is ever more beautiful and ever more worthy of being inhabited by the children of God. Q: Maria Voce, what reactions has this time brought about in Focolare Movement? How have you been reflecting on this? Maria Voce: The same reactions as everyone, in the sense that we too, from one day to the next, found ourselves not being able to organise our lives, neither personally nor as a Movement. So we had to change all our programs. It is an important year for us because it is the centenary year of Chiara Lubich’s birth. We have the General Assembly of the Movement planned for the month of September and several preparatory meetings for the Assembly were scheduled. All this ground to a halt from one moment to the next, from one day to the next, so we found ourselves completely unable to foresee, plan and think what could be done. Naturally, this was a shock. At the same time, Chiara Lubich taught us to live the present moment, wanting to do only what God asks us to do. Therefore we want nothing other than His will and to seek together – precisely by listening to each other and trying to understand the needs of all – to hear together what God wanted to tell us through this circumstance. In doing this, first of all we changed all the programs, thinking always not only of the needs of the people who were supposed to participate in the programs, but also of the needs of those who would perhaps suffer economic losses from the changes, who would experience upheavals; there were many things of this kind. We did this and did it joyfully, without letting ourselves be overwhelmed by the situation. And now we are seeing that it was all in God’s plan, because it has led us to greater simplicity in life, to reviewing our lifestyles, to a greater sense of moderation when deciding whether to buy something now or not. We have put off acquiring something we had planned to buy, delaying or deciding against it entirely in order to make that sum of money available for more immediate needs. It led us to seeing how all our families are and how they are coping at the moment. Many of our people, like others, have lost their jobs and don’t know how to manage. This has brought about a more complete, open and transparent communion of goods among all. So we have communicated more about the various needs but also about what Providence has sent us. Truly we can say that Providence has shown us once again that it is true, that it is a reality, that the Father sends what is needed to his children if his children want to live for him and in mutual love. So, in a way, he has given us the light to see the driving force that moves us, this love which is the love that God has placed in our hearts, not as focolarini but as people, as human beings. For us focolarini, this light takes on many colours because it becomes love that leads to unity, a love that enables us to give our lives for one another and risk everything. This really is something that has energised the Movement throughout the world. The Movement, like the Church, is also universal, so we suffered what our people in China were suffering, what those in America, the Middle East, everywhere, or in Italy were suffering. And we lived all these things together so that people who had more gave to those who had less. Aid has come from China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Syria. Maybe it was aid in terms of encouragement and good wishes, but everyone said that this great family that lives the Ideal left to us by our founder, Chiara Lubich, wants to be one. Through unity we want to help the world become one. From an interview with Alessandra Giacomucci for the Ecclesia (Radio InBlu) column, 8 May 2020
11 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
“With the day of interreligious prayer on May 14th, the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity reminds us that the current pandemic has marked a point of no return: our future will be secure only by looking to the common good, not to the good of one group or another, not to the interests of one side or another but to the good of all.” Thus, Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, affirmed the Movement’s full participation in the day of prayer for humanity, which was proclaimed also by Pope Francis on Sunday, May 3rd, asking that: “On this coming 14th May, believers of all religions should unite spiritually for a day of prayer, fasting, and works of charity, to implore God to help humanity overcome the coronavirus pandemic.” “We are one big family – Maria Voce added – formed by Christians, by believers of various religious traditions, together with people without specifically religious beliefs. I encourage everyone to live Thursday, May 14th, in a spirit of prayer – according to their respective faiths and traditions – of fasting and concrete commitment to help those close to us, especially the weakest and marginalized. We will do this at the local level, as every community deems best, always abiding by the directives in force, and in a spirit of true and effective fraternity.” “We are certain that the prayers lifted up to God by his sons and daughters will be heard, for the good of the great family of humankind; and that the trial we are all experiencing will truly make us stronger in the shared pilgrimage of life.”
Stefania Tanesini
11 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
Our relationship with nature, whether as individuals, organisations or nations, is ever more the focus of attention. We have a duty to protect the environment and repair the damage already done. The pandemic we are currently experiencing has highlighted this duty of ours and also given the natural world some breathing space. Chiara Lubich’s spiritual experience leads us to the One who is at the root of all things: God. … While taking a short break, I watched a documentary on nature. Unlike some other TV programmes, that film had a great effect on my soul. Contemplating the immensity of the universe, the extraordinary beauty and power of nature, my mind rose spontaneously to the Creator of it all, giving me a new understanding of the immensity of God. It made such a new and strong impression on me that I felt like falling on my knees to adore, praise, and glorify God. I felt a need to do that, as though it were my vocation in that moment. It was as if my eyes had been opened, to understand as never before who it is that we have chosen as our ideal; or rather, who has chosen us. I saw God as so great and so immense that it seemed impossible he should think of us. This impression of God’s immensity stayed with me for several days. Now, when I pray, “Hallowed be thy name,” or “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,” it’s different for me: it has become a need of the heart. … We are all on a journey. When people are travelling, they are already thinking of the place they will be in on their arrival and getting ready to be in that environment or that city. We need to do the same. Up there in heaven will we be praising God? Then let’s start praising him right now. Let our hearts cry out with all our love to God and proclaim him, with the angels and saints: … “Holy, holy, holy.” Let our heart and our lips tell his praises. Let’s take the opportunity to revive some of our daily prayers which have this purpose. Let’s give God glory also with our whole being. We know that the more we empty ourselves (imitating Jesus Forsaken who made himself nothing) the more our lives cry out that God is everything, and in this way we praise him, glorify him and adore him. When we do this, our “old self” dies and out of its death the “new self” comes to life, the new creation. During the day let’s be on the lookout for many opportunities to adore God and praise him. Let’s do it during our meditation [or other prayer times]. …Let us praise him beyond nature or in the depths of our hearts. Above all, let’s live dead to ourselves and alive to the will of God, to love of neighbour. May we too, as Elizabeth of the Trinity used to say, be “praise of his glory.” In this way we shall have a foretaste of Heaven and make up for the indifference to God in so many hearts living in the world today.
Chiara Lubich
(Form a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 22nd January 1987)
10 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity sent a video message for United World Week 2020. In these difficult times we’re living through, marked by the corona virus crisis, many people are confined to their own homes and forced to live in quarantine. The very word “quarantine” brings to mind the forty days of Lent, rather than the celebration of Easter. And in fact our liturgical services, particularly the most important Holy Week and Easter liturgies were affected by government bans and so took place behind closed doors in churches without the presence of the faithful and transmitted via streaming. This out-of-the-ordinary experience has brought to my mind a detail in the biblical account of Easter more vividly than I’ve ever experienced in the past. The evangelist John opens his account of the apparition of the Risen Christ to his disciples with the words, “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews …” (Jn 20:19). Even though the Lord had already risen and was on his way to his disciples, they were still living Holy Saturday, as is evident from their fear and those closed doors. To this place, beleaguered by fear, Jesus comes and radically changes the situation, as the Gospel highights. “Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (Jn 20:20). Joy is the visible expression of the fact that Holy Saturday is transformed into Easter. And today too, in this moment afflicted by the corona virus crisis, we can rejoice because we know that the Lord does not leave us alone in our fears and worries, but he comes among us and gives us his presence and precious company. Christ is always among us, especially when we await his coming. Chiara Lubich never tired of repeating this message to us. When Jesus comes among us, he brings us a gift. It’s the same gift he brought to his disciples that Easter night. The Gospel narrates how Jesus came among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Peace is the first gift Jesus gave to his disciples after his resurrection. Peace is the true gift of Easter. Peace is the gift Jesus offers to us as well. It’s a peace we human beings are not able to create on our own; we can only receive it as a gift. Nevertheless, it’s the most important kind of peace, and all other forms of peace we aspire to are but reflections of that peace. In fact, only the peace that comes from Christ can give us the unity we desire so much: unity in our communities, in our Church, among all Christians and in the whole of humanity. Naturally, this peace cannot remain closed in on itself. The Gospel narrative continues after the greeting of peace, with Jesus telling his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (Jn 20:21).These words are also addressed to us. We too are called to transmit to others the peace we receive from Christ. In this way, particularly for those living in fear and anxiety, Holy Saturday can again be transformed into Easter. In this time of trial due to the corona virus, your motto “In Time For Peace” is true and indispensable. My heartfelt wish for a joyful and peaceful Eastertime for all of you. May the Risen Lord of Peace bless and protect you!
Kurt Cardinale Koch
9 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
The testimony of those who are on the front lines and those who stay at home: many ways of living for others. https://vimeo.com/402903328
8 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
A day for communities, movements and countries to meet and witness peace and solidarity among peoples May 9 is the feast day of the European continent, celebrating peace and unity among peoples. This year the Covid-19 pandemic prevented people from seeing each other in church, city squares, gatherings or conferences and prayers. This does not mean that this day’s activities were cancelled. On the contrary: with a lot of creativity, digital conferences, prayers, discussion groups and online dialogues between communities, movements and political representatives were held, for example, in Utrecht, Graz, Rome, Lyon or Esslingen. This year’s events had the papal blessing, through a letter from Pope Francis that arrived on 22 April. The pope appreciates the service to the common good that the Together for Europe network operates through committed communities and movements, inspired by the values of solidarity, peace and justice. The Together for Europe network emerged from the historic signing on 31 October 1999 of the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” between the leaders of different Evangelical and Catholic movements and ecclesiastical communities from Italy and Germany. It has been a journey together to rediscover the old continent’s values of peace and fraternity. For the Feast of Europe, together with Graz, the Together for Europe committees in Italy organized and promoted an online event dedicated to a “yes to creation,” defending nature and the environment, entitled “Holistic Ecology: A Sustainable Utopia for Europe” on May 9. Through the reflections of Stefania Papa, professor and ecology expert, and Luca Fiorani, climate physicist, and a video of three messages from Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew I and Antonio Guterres (UN) for the 50th World Earth Day, we are becoming more aware of how we can work together for a better present and future, respecting our Earth, in a culture of respect, cooperation and reciprocity. One of the objectives of Together for Europe, in fact, is a “culture of reciprocity”. In it, different individuals and peoples can welcome each other, get to know each other, reconcile, and learn to esteem and support each other. This includes many activities in favour of reconciliation and peace, the protection of life and creation, a fair economy, solidarity with the poor and the marginalized, the family, the good of cities and brotherhood on the European continent. Diversity should not be a reason for fear or separation, but rather a wealth that is developed and harmonized for a united, living, fraternal Europe.
For more information visit together4europe.org.
Lorenzo Russo
7 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
Message sent by Rev. Prof. Dr.Ioan Sauca, Acting General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. We would like to thank Rev. Prof. Sauca for his support and encouragement for this edition of United World Week. We make ours his urge to be always builders and promoters of unity in everyday life for the whole world. Greetings to United World Week 2020 Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca Acting General Secretary It is a joy for me, as the acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches, to greet and encourage you in your celebration of Unity Week with the resounding Easter affirmation: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! The worldwide fellowship of churches stands in solidarity with you as we pray for healing and recovery of humanity and all of God’s creation, especially during this time of uncertainty and fear caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In such circumstances, we realize all the more just how united we are as one humanity: we share the same fears, the same challenges, and the same yearning for the well-being of our one human family. Yet, in light of the resurrection of Jesus, we have cause also to share one hope for renewed life, working and walking toward God’s reign of justice and peace. Focused so clearly on uniting humanity, you, the youth of Focolare, reveal the true breadth and ambition of Chiara Lubich’s vision for the ecumenical movement: not simply to bridge ancient divides among Christians but also to live Christian discipleship in such a way as to heal the world. You are a gift to our communities. Your passion and desire to change the world inspire and motivate the rest of us as we confront the realities of today. In ways big and small, this generation is stepping up to meet the daunting challenges of climate change, economic inequality, the needs of migrants and refugees. And, as we see today, your generation’s digital expertise leads us in new ways of reflecting and reflecting on our common vision for Christian unity as expressed in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21. There Jesus prayed “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Jesus’ vision is not limited to our Christian family. Rather it is inclusive of all of humanity and of God’s creation. So, despite uncertainties and fear, ours is also a resurrection time of enormous opportunities to come together and serve one another, sisters and brothers. Jesus’ prayer reminds us that unity grows to serve a greater need. In John 20:23 Jesus appeared to his self-isolating disciples in a locked room. Jesus assured them, saying, “Peace be with you.” But he didn’t stop there. Imparting peace a second time, he added, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” The task and call to work for peace are clear. As you begin this Unity Week series in different parts of the world, I invite you to reflect on the words of Jesus in the context of today’s need for unity and peace: how do we live out God’s unity in a hurting world today? As young people, how do we respond to the disparities and needs of the world, so that God’s peace resides in all of humanity and the entire creation? Geneva, 28 April 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p39HC8PmYM&feature=emb_logo
6 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
He was one of the first members of a religious order to adhere to the spirituality of the Focolare Movement. A contemplative in full action; a man of God immersed in humanity. What does “contemplation” mean and what is the point of contemplation today? And how does one contemplate in the 21st century? In times like these, closed in for Covid and pressed by concerns about the future, taking time to get in touch with the Absolute may not seem a priority. A few days ago, however, I had to think again: I encountered the extraordinary character of Father Ermanno Rossi, an Italian Dominican, a pioneer of the Focolare Movement in the ’50s who left for heaven last Easter Monday. His existential parable says that only an intimate relationship with God could make it possible. This is confirmed by one of his writing, on the occasion of his 90th birthday: “The events of my life have been many! I only remember an inner conviction that guided me in all my choices: ‘Ask for nothing and refuse nothing’. This meant for me: evaluating well the task entrusted to me, putting all my strength into it with the certainty that God would take care of the rest. For this reason, I never asked for anything or refused anything, whatever task was asked of me, even though it was almost always contrary to my feelings. At this age, however, I can assure you that it was worth trusting God. (…) Along with the difficulties I have had some extraordinary graces. Among these, the meeting with Chiara Lubich and her Movement has a very important place. This meeting was the beacon of my life“. And his life was intense to say the least: from 1950 to 1955 he was in charge of the young aspirants to the Dominican Order; he wrote that his cell was his car: “I was always travelling around central Italy”. It was in those years that Father Ermanno came to one of the first Roman communities of the Focolare Movement and met Graziella De Luca: “I asked only one question: ‘Now while you are alive, everything is all right; but when the first generation has passed, won’t there inevitably be decline, as happened to all the foundations?’. Graziella answered me: ‘No! As long as Jesus is in the midst, this will not happen’ “. From that moment his life intensified even more, if that’s possible: he was rector and bursar of a seminary; he taught Moral Theology at Loppiano; he travelled around Europe to make the spirit of the Focolare known to many members of religious orders. He was responsible for the Missionary Centre of his Order’s province, then parish priest in Rome and superior of a small community. With what spirit did Father Ermanno live all this? He himself explains: “In all these events one thing was constant: every time I had to start over; I had to “recycle “myself. It was as if they had entrusted me with a new job every time. Another constant: at the first impact, the new situation always turned out to be painful, then I saw it as providential. Now I have the certainty that what Providence arranges for me is the best that can happen to me”. In the spirituality of Unity Father Ermanno found the way to a new relationship with God. Until then, God had been sought in solitude. From Chiara Lubich he discovered that the brother is the direct way to go to God; a way that does not necessarily require solitude: it can also be achieved in the midst of people.
Stefania Tanesini
4 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
The following writing by Chiara Lubich leads us to the heart of the Christian faith. “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his or her life” [1] It is a choice that proves to be very daring in these times, but no less true for that. This time we want to speak about prayer once again. It’s the life of our soul, the oxygen of the whole of our spiritual life, the expression of our love for God, the fuel for every activity we do. But what kind of prayer will we speak about this time? We will speak about the prayer that – with its infinite and divine riches – is completely contained in one word, in just one word which Jesus taught us and the Holy Spirit put on our lips. But let us go to its origins. Jesus prayed. He prayed to his Father. For him, the Father was “Abba” and that means “Daddy”, his “Dad”, to whom Jesus spoke with words of infinite trust and boundless love. He prayed to the Father from within the Trinity where he is the second divine person. It was precisely because of this special prayer that he revealed to the world who he really was – the Son of God. But since he came on earth for us, the fact that only he could pray in this privileged way wasn’t enough for him. When he died for us and redeemed us, he made us children of God, his brothers and sisters. Through the Holy Spirit he also gave us the possibility of being taken into the heart of the Trinity, in him, together with him, through him. So we too can make the divine invocation “Abba, Father” (Mk 14.36 and Rm 8:15) – “Daddy”, “my Dad”, “our Dad” with all that this entails. We are certain of his protection, we feel secure, we are able to abandon ourselves blindly to his love, we have divine consolations, strength and ardour – an ardour that is born in the heart of those who are certain that they are loved. This is Christian prayer, an extraordinary prayer. It cannot be found anywhere else, or in any other religion. At the most, if people believe in a divine being that can be venerated, adored and beseeched, they do this from outside the divine being, so to speak. For us it is different: we enter into the heart of God. And so? Let’s remind ourselves, first and foremost, of the dizzy heights to which we are called as children of God, and, as a consequence of this, of the exceptional possibility we have of praying. Naturally, we can say “Abba, Father”; with all the depth of meaning of this word only if it is the Holy Spirit who pronounces this word in us. For this to happen, we have to be Jesus, nothing other than Jesus. How? We know how. He is already living in us through grace but we have to do our part. This means to love, to be in an attitude of love towards God and our neighbour. The Holy Spirit will put this word on our lips with a greater fullness if we are in perfect unity with our brothers and sisters wherever Jesus is among us. Let’s make “Abba, Father” our prayer. … In this way, we will fully correspond to our calling to believe in love, our calling to have faith in the love which lies at the root of our charism. Yes, Love, the Father, loves us. He is our dad: what should we fear? In the plan of love he has for each one of us, a plan which opens up for us day by day, we cannot fail to see the most extraordinary adventure to which we could be called. “Abba” is the most characteristic prayer of the Christian and, in a special way, of us in the Focolare Movement. So, if we are sure that we are living our Ideal, that is, if we are living love, let’s speak to the Father in the same way as Jesus did. What will the effects be? We will experience them in our hearts.
Chiara Lubich
(Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 9th March 1989) [1] Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas est, 1.
2 May 2020 | Non categorizzato
30 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
United World Week (May 1–7) has never been such a local and global event at the same time. More than 400 micro and macro events are being held in 65 countries, all strictly online. Live streaming of the #InTimeforPeace event will be Saturday 2 May at 12 noon (UTC +2). This United World Week sees us spoilt for choice: you can start by participating in Run4Unity in Australia or Texas, then join a prayer for peace in Cuba, before checking out the “political café” in Argentina. There’s an interesting webinar series promoted by the United World Project, and for lovers of World Music, there are concerts in various African countries. The great thing is, you don’t even have to choose: you can participate in everything from the comfort of your own home. Covid-19 could have driven this year’s United World Week, and instead it isn’t just about that. The title and motto for the more than 400 events in close to 65 countries around the world is #InTimeforPeace. This means that for at least one week, peace, human rights and legality will be the topic for reflection and action, for 24 hours a day at the different latitudes. It also means that an increasing number of people believe that building a world governed by rules, economies, and cultures inspired by peace in all its forms can no longer be put off. It all starts on May 1 and goes until May 7. As the young people say, peace is for everyone. The United World Project’s homepage shows a wide choice, which says that there is no single way to support peace, to fight for human rights, to practice legality. Whether we make masks, distribute food, keep company with those who are alone or simply do our part by staying at home, every neighbourly gesture of solidarity and support at a distance falls under the great umbrella of peace. Among the key activities this United World Week is a petition calling for an end to the embargo against Syria, promoted by the NGO New Humanity and signed by many celebrities. The appeal will be sent to the UN Secretary General and to the President of the European Parliament. It has the force of a global call to save a country that is already on its knees after 10 years of war and now risks falling into an abyss because of the Covid threat. HOW, WHERE AND WHEN TO FOLLOW UNITED WORLD WEEK EVENTS The place for the #InTimeforPeace multimedia marathon remains unitedworldproject.org, where you can also see a calendar of local events. The main events On Saturday 2 May at 12 noon (UTC +2), the #InTimeForPeace web event will be live streamed and connect a number of cities across the planet. There will be sharing of stories and actions, as well as hosting debates and artistic performances. On Sunday 3 May from 11am–12 noon in each time zone, there will be a virtual Run4unity, a non-stop sports relay that will embrace the globe, with games, challenges, experiences and commitments to symbolically spread a rainbow of peace on Earth.
Stefania Tanesini
unitedworldproject.org
29 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
It all depends on how we view “the other”, brother or sister: situations can completely change if we choose to love. Hard times Krystyna told me about hard times in Poland in a state of war: “There was a shortage of food and toiletries. We were getting stuff from friends in what was then East Germany while our neighbours were often having parties with an abundance of alcohol. One day, however, we noticed how it was unusually quiet in their apartment, and we discovered from the little girl who was on her own that the mother was in hospital. I went to see her, bringing soap and toothpaste with me, items that were hard to find at that time. When she saw me, she was amazed: “I can’t believe that you, whom I have always given so much grief, have come to see me? None of the friends who hang out with us has come.” As soon as she was discharged from hospital, she invited me to her house. She welcomed me warmly. Then she started telling me about her sad childhood, the meaninglessness of her life and how she needed to get out of a certain situation. I listened to her with love and assured her of my prayers. Not long afterwards, the man who had been living with her left and the noisy company stopped coming to the house. The mum was now able to offer her little girl a “normal” life.” B.V. – Poland Young couple from the South The young couple from Southern Italy had moved to the North to get out of a small village which was dominated by the Mafia. They needed to find a home and work for both of them. My financial situation was rather precarious but with faith I started to help them look for somewhere to live. Unfortunately, a lot of people closed their door on me when I said they were from the South. I cried with them and it made me realize once again that only a poor person can really understand another poor person. I shared so much humiliation with that young couple and, when we finally found a house and a job, I felt I had been enriched by what we had shared together. V.M. – Italy The stolen tablecloths I work as a cashier in a restaurant and I have no qualms about asking for leftovers from the kitchen to take to the children who live on the street. I always meet so many on my way home every day. One day, as I was getting off the bus, someone snatched my bag from my hands and ran off! I was stunned: the bag contained ten tablecloths from the restaurant which I had just picked up from the launderette. What was I to do? How was I going to tell my employer? Buying fabric to make new ones was out of the question because I couldn’t afford it. I didn’t know how I was going to tell my mother or the restaurant manager, but I was sure the Eternal Father would help me. The following day I told my employer what happened to me and, without getting upset, he tells me he wants new tablecloths as soon as possible. Just at that moment, a customer who had overheard our conversation approached us and said he was willing to buy the fabric needed to make new ones. I couldn’t believe it! I was so happy and immediately thought of the children I would still be able to help with the food. D.F. – Philippines Trust I met Alvaro in a trattoria. He was 35 years old, scruffy and unkempt. When he asked me to help him fill in some job application forms, I offered him an appointment in my office the following day. He arrived as night was falling and told me he was really just looking for friendship. I felt sorry for him and, trying to overcome the disgust I felt because of the smell he was giving off, I offered him a brandy. He understood that I didn’t judge him and started to tell me his problems, from when he was abandoned by his mother as a child and his father had ended up in prison. The hours went by and, as if in confession, he continued to tell me about himself. He eventually got up when he realized it was daytime and, apologizing, he said goodbye to me. I met him again on other occasions and introduced him to my friends who welcomed him with equal warmth. He reciprocated by doing various jobs in the house: a real jack-of-all-trades. He eventually managed to find a stable job, built a career for himself, got married and became the father of two children. When he told me all this, years later, he was a completely different person. He had regained his dignity thanks to the trust we had shown him. B.C. – Italy
by Stefania Tanesini
(taken from The Gospel of the Day, Città Nuova, year VI, no. 2, March-April 2020)
27 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
In his homily on Good Friday 2020 in St Peter’s Basilica (Rome) the Capuchin Father, Raniero Cantalamessa, said that “there are things that God has decided to grant us as the fruit both of his grace and of our prayer”. The following writing by Chiara Lubich is an invitation to collaborate with God by asking for graces and putting ourselves in the best situation to obtain them. “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24). With this Word of Life, Jesus has told us clearly that there can be no union with God, real worship or authentic prayer unless we are reconciled with our brothers and sisters. So let’s hope that his message has entered deeply into our hearts. It is with this hope that I would like to speak to you about prayer, which, if we live this way, is certainly acceptable to God. I would like to speak, in particular, about the prayer of petition: that is, our asking for help and for favours. I have the impression that some of us may not stress it enough, and perhaps this is for very noble reasons: now that we have become more deeply involved in our faith and have begun to practice our religion much more, we have understood that religion is not simply a matter of going to church and repeatedly asking for things, but of loving God and, therefore, of giving. And to do our part, as we say, we have committed ourselves to living out all those principles of the Gospel that our spirituality emphasises. Certainly this is all well and good. Nonetheless, we must realise that loving God means many things. It implies keeping all his commands. And one command that Jesus repeats insistently is to ask: “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” (Mt 7:7). So what should we do, then? We should ask more and ask in a better way because this is what Jesus wants. It’s another way to show him our love. … Certainly we pray and that means we don’t rely only on our own strength. Nonetheless, we can improve in two directions: first of all, not by multiplying the number of our prayers, but by becoming more fully aware of what we are already asking for. If we reflect for a moment, we’ll see how many graces we ask for in the prayers [we already say]. … Secondly, we can improve, as the saints point out, by praying in such a way that we receive what we ask for. Our prayers are heard if we ask with humility, aware that we can do nothing on our own; with trust, confident that with God we can do anything; and with perseverance, lovingly insistent, as Jesus wants us to be. In short, we must focus on the requests we already make, giving them greater attention, and expressing them better each time, praying with the same effort that we put into living our Ideal. In this way, everything we do will be more fruitful. And let’s pray while we still have time! I always remember the advice given us by the mother of one of the first focolarine just before she died: “Pray during your life, because at the end you won’t have time”.
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 16th February 1984)
24 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
Chiara Lubich wrote “Faith is a new way “to see”; it is, so to say, the way Jesus sees” [1]. Faith helps us meet Jesus in every neighbour and understand deeply even his inner feelings. Never lacked anything One day, the owner of the company where I work called a meeting for all the employees. After enumerating the problems that the company was facing, he proposed reduced ours of work with a 30% decrease in salary to avoid redundancies. What did this mean to me ? I was faced with a very difficult decision , because I have a large family and a lot of expenses…. but since this meant that many of us would still be working, I accepted the proposal. My wife and I were determined to trust in God’s providence. We also involved our children, asking them to pray not only for the needs of our family, but also for other families who were facing difficulties. We soon found out that God was listening to our prayers; I received a sum of money that I lent to a friend of mine. I gave this money to him quite a long time ago, and I thought that I would never get it back. Now, that so many months have passed, we realize that we never lacked anything, and our children have acquired a greater sense of responsibility. S.d.O. – Brazil Teleshopping Most of the time I find myself in the awkward position of having to say no to a telemarketer. These unwanted phone calls often arrive at the least appropriate time of the day. Over the years, I’ve adopted a variety of answers that range from faking foreign accent and pretending not to understand to the usual “I don’t have time” while hanging up quickly. However, every time I use these or other similar tactics I feel uncomfortable because I know that I am causing more unpleasantness to someone who has no other choice but to work in teleshopping. What can I do? Reject gently but firmly before any proposal is made to avoid wasting time ? When I remember that the person doing this work is always a neighbour to love, the more I listen, the more miserable I become when I finally declare my refusal. I’m trying to say at least a quick “Good day!” before I hang up. C.C. -USE Perceiving love A 52 year old man who shot himself in the head because of family problems was admitted to my ward. Fortunately, his brain was not damaged, but his eyes were, and he had to undergo very complicated surgery. In the visits that followed, he kept on saying that he wanted to die. After a period of intensive care, he was brought to my ward, where I took every opportunity to stop and greet him. One day I asked him, “Do you know who is next to you?” He answered: “I can’t see, but I think it’s the doctor who operated on me. During the operation, I felt so much love”. I promised him I would do my best to save at least one eye. One morning he told me that he was beginning to see a glimmer of light. His eyesight improved daily. A few months after he was discharged from hospital, he came to see me. He was a totally different person: he started a new life, even a new married life. But above all, he told me that he discovered faith. Jokingly I said to him that the loss of an eye gave him better sigħt ! F.K. – Slovakia
Edited by Stefania Tanesini
(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VI, n.2, March-April 2020) [1] C. Lubich, Word of Life, April 1980, in Parole di Vita, compiled and edited by Fabio Ciardi (Works of ChiaraLubich 5; Città Nuova, Rome 2017), pp. 169-170.
23 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
An unexpected way of living Chiara Lubich’s centenary. Maria Voce’s talk in the Osservatore Romano . 2nd April 2020 
“Celebrate to meet” is the motto that we in the Focolare Movement have chosen to commemorate in 2020, all over the world, one hundred years since the birth of our foundress Chiara Lubich. Until a few weeks ago, this motto seemed a fitting choice through which to celebrate, in the most varied ways, the person of our foundress and the charism that God gave her, which she generously communicated. In fact, we would like people to meet her alive today and not think of her as a nostalgic memory; We would like people to find her in her spirituality, in her works and above all in her “people”, in all those who are now living her spirit of family, fellowship and unity. And beginning with 7th December 2019 we have rejoiced in the many events that have taken place throughout the world. We would have liked these celebrations to continue. But in a very short time the scenario has changed and the motto “celebrate to meet” might even seem anachronistic. We too have put all kinds of celebrations or events on hold. The pandemic caused by the coronavirus is forcing more and more countries all over the world to take drastic measures to slow down contagion. For now, isolation and physical distance are the most effective ways. This is shown by the information coming to us from China, which we accompanied with trepidation for weeks. But here in Italy and in a number of other countries around the world the situation is still very serious.
© Horacio Conde – CSC Audiovisivi
By Maria Voce
Source Osservatore Romano – https://www.vaticannews.va/it/osservatoreromano/news/2020-04/radicarci-bene-nel-presente.html
22 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
Regina Betz, a German focolarina, professor of sociology, pioneer of the Focolare Movement in Germany and Russia, who was passionate about ecumenism and fully commited to the Christian renewal of society, passed away on March 17, at the age of 99 years. Ever since I met her, I have always known her to be a very busy person, yet she never made you feel that she had no time for you. She rather gave one the impression that she had a goal to reach and was reluctant to waste time. When she stopped to have a word with you, she was fully present; her smart lively look and her broad mischievous smile brightened your day. Regina led a very full life. The elder of two children born into a Catholic family, who lived in Göttingen (Germany), she grew up in area where the majority of the people were Lutherans; so she practised natural ecumenism, strengthened further by the common resistance to Hitler’s nationalism. Having spent a few years in Italy during the Second World War, after finishing her studies in Social Economy, she settled in Rome where she worked at the Pontifical Council for the Laity for three years (1955-1958). During this time she met the Focolare Movement, and when speaking about this encounter in a book (1) she wrote later on, she revealed that she was struck by “a light and a force”. Being eager to discover the secret behind all this, she decided to participate in the Mariapolis of 1958. There she met “Christians, who freely chose to live unity” and the model of a “new and human society” and she remarked: “After a long time, I found what I have been looking for and my heart sang a song of great joy”. When Regina returned to Germany, where the Focolare Movement was not yet present, she continued to work for the Church and made important trips to Asia and South America. In 1966 she was among the volunteers of the Focolare Movement, and she was invited to teach sociology at the formation school in Loppiano (Italy). There, at the age of 46 she felt the call to be a consecrated member of the Focolare. From ’68 to ’90, Regina was a professor of sociology in Regensburg (Germany) and a collaborator of the “Institute for Eastern Churches”. She had the opportunity to meet Christians from Eastern Europe and to travel to various countries in the Balkans, to Bulgaria and Romania. She was particularly impressed by the enthusiastic behaviour of young communists and their concern for the lower class. In 1989 she was offered academic work in Moscow, and thus the first Focolare was opened there. She related: “Life in Moscow turned out to be a life of togetherness: together in the focolare, together with so many Russians who came to know our way of life. I discovered the great generosity and cordiality of the Russian people, and experienced great hospitality and sharing. No structures, but many friends”. Life around the Focolare flourished; however this happened at a price. Confiding to me personally, Regina expressed her wish that the “dark” part of her life would also be communicated after her death. In a diary of that period she wrote: “I have nothing more to give, but it is consoling to know that He is with me in this emptiness … I feel exhausted all the time, I am afraid and I feel that I cannot manage to conclude anything anymore”. When Regina returned to Germany in 2008, she went to the small Ecumenical town of Ottmaring. The years she spent there were marked by the relationships she established with so many different people; she kept these relationships alive through visits and through thousands of handwritten letters, full of wisdom. She followed the events of the Church and society with attention and participation. In spite of her fragility, she remained faithful to the personal Word of Life she recived from Chiara Lubich, which said: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 16:25). “Many times I had to leave everything and go to start all over again somewhere else! But what a lot I have gained from this: so many experiences, so much knowledge about the life and culture of people in different countries, so many relationships with a countless number people!”. On March 17, Regina Betz ended her race; she definitely left everything. I’m sure she discovered an unimaginable life.
Joachim Schwind
1) Regina Betz, Immer im Aufbruch, immer getragen, Verlag Neue Stadt, München 2014.
20 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
The following text by Chiara Lubich touches on a subject that the current pandemic has brought much into evidence: suffering. It helps us to perceive a mysterious presence of God in suffering, since nothing escapes his love. This genuinely Christian approach instils hope and encourages us to make every suffering our own, those that affect us directly or that of the people around us. … Suffering! The suffering which at times affects our whole being and the suffering which crops up and blends bitterness with sweetness in daily life. Suffering: an illness, a misfortune, a trial, a painful circumstance… Suffering! How should we … consider the suffering which is always ready to appear in all our lives? How can we define it, how identify it? What name can we give it? Whose voice is it? If we consider suffering from a human point of view, we are tempted to look for its cause either within us or outside of us, in human wickedness for example, or in nature or other things. And all this might actually be true. But if we think only in these terms, we forget what matters most. We forget that behind the story of our lives there is the love of God who wills or permits everything for a higher purpose, which is our own good. That is why the saints take every painful circumstance they encounter directly from the hands of God. It is impressive how they never go wrong in this regard. For them, suffering is the voice of God and nothing else. Immersed as they are in the Scripture, they understand what suffering is and must be for a Christian; they grasp the transformation that Jesus worked in suffering, seeing how he changed it from a negative factor into a positive one. Jesus himself is the explanation of their suffering: Jesus crucified. For this reason it even becomes lovable, it even becomes something good. That is why they do not curse suffering, but bear it, accept and embrace it. If we too open the New Testament, we will find this attitude confirmed. Didn’t St James say in his letter, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy” (Jas 1:2)? So suffering can even be a cause for joy. After having invited us to take up our cross and follow Him, doesn’t Jesus then affirm, “Those who lose their life” (and this is the height of suffering) “will find it” (Mt 10:39)? Suffering therefore is hope of salvation. For St Paul, suffering is even something to boast of, indeed the only thing to boast of: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14). Yes, for those who consider it from a Christian viewpoint, suffering is something great: it even makes it possible for us to complete in ourselves the passion of Christ, for our own purification and for the redemption of many. So then, what can we say to those who are struggling with suffering? What can we wish for them? How can we relate to them? First of all, let’s approach them with the greatest respect. Even though they may not think so, at this time they are being visited by God. … Let’s assure them of our continual thoughts and prayers, so that they may be able to take all that distresses and causes them suffering directly from the hands of God, and unite it to Jesus’ passion so that it can bear the greatest fruit. Let’s help them to always have the value of suffering present before them. And let’s remind them of that marvellous Christian principle of our spirituality, in which suffering, when loved as a countenance of Jesus crucified and forsaken, can be changed into joy.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 25th December 1986) Published in C. Lubich, On the Holy Journey, New City Press, New York 1988, pp. 162-164
18 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
In Italy the “Villaggio per la Terra” (Village for the Earth) event is transformed into a multimedia marathon. 
Everything is connected. The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated on 22 April, cannot be viewed in isolation from the coronavirus pandemic challenging humanity. At the time of this year’s Earth Day, the current health emergency is giving rise to a global community demanding different economic and social models which are fairer than before. This Earth Day coincides with the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si on the theme of integral ecology. Events in 193 countries will be hosted online. In Italy, the Villaggio per la Terra, traditionally held at Villa Borghese in Rome, is being transformed into a multimedia marathon live on Rai Play and reports on other broadcast platforms. We spoke with President of Earth Day Italy, Pierluigi Sassi. The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is taking place as humanity faces the coronavirus challenge which is forcing us to review our priorities, values and objectives … Today, more than ever, we feel the urgent need to change the economic and social model which has governed development for decades. We want to give a message of hope, to offer a perspective which focuses on the person and the need to respect the planet. We’ve raised awareness about these subjects in the world, reinforced by Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si expounding the principle of integral ecology. There is a new sensitivity to this topic in the world, but it has to transfer into action. The coronavirus makes the need for this change even stronger.
VILLAGGIO PER LA TERRA, Earth Day Italia, Villa Borghese, Roma 21 April 2018
© Lorenzo Gobbi/Smile Vision Srls
Claudia Di Lorenzi
16 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
How the idea of creating the Sophia University Institute came about, and how it has developed to date, showing the cultural scope of Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity The Sophia University Institute was born from a Christian spiritual heritage that is in constant dialogue with the principles upon which various civilizations flourished and developed. It is located in Loppiano, Italy, a Focolare little city that since its founding in 1964 has trained families, young people and adults in a Gospel-based lifestyle. 
Professor Piero Coda, Dean of Sophia from its birth until last February, explains how the project has developed over the years. How did Chiara Lubich come up with the idea of creating a university? The idea has been there since the beginning. This was confirmed in 2008 at Sophia, when Fr. Casimiro Bonetti, the Capuchin who was with Chiara in the early 1940s, inaugurated the university. It is in the DNA of the charism of unity, because it is a charism that unleashes a culture: a tangible vision of the human person and the world. In concrete terms, its start came after the Abbà School’s breakthrough in the 1990s, when together with Chiara they began to study the cultural scope of the charism by drawing from the heritage of light from Paradise ’49. When did Sophia start? How did it develop? The initial stage of the university was the Superior Institute of Culture, which was aimed at the youth of the Focolare Movement (Gen). It was inaugurated on 15 August 2001 by Chiara with a speech that constitutes its Magna Carta. In 2005, given the success of the experiment and at the urging of cultural critics such as Stefano Zamagni, President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the planning of a true and proper university institute began. It was true to original form, according to the concept that sprang from the charism, and completed by the Holy See on 7 December 2007. What is the link with the Holy See? It was Chiara’s premeditated choice to build a university that was not formally recognized by a country, but rather by the universality of the Catholic Church. This also meant, for Chiara, recognising the fact that the charism of unity, like the great charisms of Christian history (from Benedict to Dominic and Francis, to Ignatius of Loyola and Don Bosco), is a charism in which the Church recognizes a project in action of human and social formation that expresses the Gospel. With the extension of the Bologna Process (the bilateral recognition of degrees at the European level and beyond, in which the Church participates), we could see viable scenarios for the institution that was being born. How has it changed over the years? Sophia began and developed on three pillars: academic-level teaching and research; formative experiences shared in community life between teachers and students of various cultures; and a relationship with the tangible expressions that embody the values inherent in the charism of unity in the various areas of social, political and economic life. In all these respects, great strides have been taken forward. Suffice it to say, for example, that we started with a single degree course and now there are four. The original program in the “culture of unity” blossomed into the theological and philosophical, economic and political fields, as well as education, dialogue and communication. What is Sophia today? It is an important confirmation, a certain hope, a strategic investment. It is a confirmation of the value and relevance of Chiara’s intuition. It is a hope that the search for the new cultural paradigm that our change of era asks of us is not a utopia. Finally, it is an investment to promote with seriousness and vision the development (not only cultural) of the charism of unity and its historical impact. In the past there has always been a dean, but today there is a rector; what does this mean for the university? The fact that the Vatican department for studies and the university wanted this change underscores the validity of the path taken. It is also recognition of the institute rising to the status of university. One can also see an echo of what Pope Francis told us in our audience with him last 14 November: “I am happy with the journey you have made in these 12 years of life. Forward! The journey has just begun.”
Lorenzo Russo
11 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, sends her Easter greetings: to experience a continuous passing from death to resurrection through love of neighbour. Only in this way will we overcome this painful time of pandemic and any other suffering. Easter 2020 Dear All, This year, Jesus’ passing from death to a completely new life challenges us and puts us in an attitude of listening. And it is here that faith and our charism come to our aid: we find the answer in Jesus crucified and forsaken, the God of these present times that are so hard to understand. Even the loneliness we are now perhaps forced to experience, if lived with him, can be inhabited and filled by His Kingdom.[1] Only by choosing him, embracing him in all that is painful, and loving him in an exclusive way, will we and the whole of humanity find the path towards the light, towards a new birth. JESUS IS RISEN! Let us have this experience of passing continually from death to resurrection and share it with many, with everyone. This is how we can prepare for tomorrow and lay solid foundations for the world of the future, when we will go back to meeting one another and embracing one another once more. HAPPY EASTER! [1] Vedi Chiara Lubich, “Dov’è la schiavitù?”, [Where is slavery] Fermenti di unità, pg. 130, ed. 1963.
11 Apr 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Coronavirus crisis has caused a range of restrictions in many countries and people cannot leave their homes. Isolation can be a real problem. But the power of solidarity and the desire to remain united and linked through social media are even stronger. Here are just some of the Easter greetings circulating the globe. https://vimeo.com/406318544
9 Apr 2020 | Senza categoria
- Date of Death: 10/04/2020
- Branch of belonging: Volunteer
- Nation: Germany
