“The very thought of talking about Mary makes my soul tremble and my heart patter. This is a topic that lies beyond our faculties and silence would be more appropriate than words. Mary! The most extraordinary among all created beings, exalted to the point of being clothed with the title and reality Mother of God and therefore Immaculate, Assumed into Heaven, Queen and Mother of the Church. Mary is closer to God than to human creatures, and yet she’s a creature just like us, and that’s how she stands in front of the Creator. This is why it’s possible for her to be like an inclined plane for us, which touches heaven and earth. And so, even in her extraordinary state, she can be: a girl, young woman, fiance, mother, spouse, widow… just like us who at any age or in any condition in life can find a connection with her and therefore a model. […] As for having a true devotion to her – while recognizing the many devotions that have blossomed down through the ages to provide the Christian people with the sense of her maternal love, bearing in mind all the large and small woes in life – I would advise a way that brings to life in our hearts a love for Mary that’s like the kind Jesus has for her. While Mary has all those magnificent and extraordinary qualities that you know about, she’s also ‘the perfect Christian’. And, as you can see from the Gospel, she doesn’t live her own life but lets God’s law live in her. She’s the one who can say better than any other: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me” (Gal 2:20). Mary is the living Word of God. If you really want to love her, ‘imitate her’. You be living Word of God! Imitating her makes you similar to her and leads you to love her because, as the saying goes, ‘Love either finds or makes equals,’ and it’s also true that equals love each other. […] So let’s imitate Mary, let’s become like her and love for her will suddenly blossom in our own hearts.” Chiara Lubich “Dialogo aperto”. Pubblicato in Città Nuova, 1976, n. 9, p. 33. See Centro Chiara Lubich
Igino Giordani treated young people with the love that emerges from the unity among generations. He was a brother to everyone, child or grown-up, because fraternity gathers us into one in the sight of the one Father: “Jesus used very vivid words to express his close kinship with people. One can only imagine how he loved his mother and cousins, childhood friends and the confidants of his youth. Yet, one time, when their arrival was announced to him as he was teaching, he responded: ‘Who is my mother and who are my brothers and sisters?’ And extending his hand towards his disciples, he said: ‘There is my mother, there are my brothers: whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, sister and mother’ (see Mt 12:48-50). The meaning of his answer is obvious: whoever accepts God’s fatherhood, becomes brother, sister and mother of Jesus. Christianity relates us to Christ and, through Him, to God, with the first degree of kinship which is brotherhood” [Igino Giordani, Il messaggio sociale del cristianesimo, 2001, p. 87]. Giordani compared the unity among generations to driving a car: youth is like the engine; old age like a prudent guide; both of them are required for arriving at the goal! From among his many letters, in 1979, a year before his death, there is one from a nine year old boy nicknamed Sandokan, who establishes a profound relationship with Igino, whom he calls ‘Little Grandpa with the heart of a Gen.” “Dear Grandpa, ever since I heard that you were sick, I’ve been trying to pray more for you. Today Mom, Dad and I asked the priest to remember you at Mass. And I asked Jesus in my heart to help and be close to you in this moment. I remember that in one letter I told you I’d visit you at home, but I couldn’t – but the important thing is to have you in my heart and [for me to be] in yours. When you’ve left us all, would you say hi to Jesus for us? You know, I’m sad that you’re going because I love you very much – but I’m glad that you’re going to be able to see Jesus who was everything for you. A big kiss from your Sandokan.” “Dearest Sandokan, also known as Fernando, I remember you very well. You and I are sons of the same Father, Jesus. And I spend my days alongside you, without a care for the fact that we live far from one another. Dad told you well: I’m a grandpa with the heart of a Gen. So that means we’re the same age as brothers. Just remember me to your little brothers who are also Jesus’s sons; and love them as you love Mom and Dad and as you love Jesus… A kiss on the nose from your Grandpa.” On the benches of the Mariapolis Centre, during the congresses that were offered to them by the Focolare Movement, the young people crowded around him, singing, dancing and discussing their lives with him. Each of them felt loved and made pacts with him to follow and live the Ideal of unity that Chiara Lubich had proposed. Giordani made a note of one of those joyful encounters in his diary: “Even though I’m without voice today, they asked me to say something at the school for the Gen boys and girls – three hundred people. I improvised, talking about different things, but focusing them on the mystery of love that is contained in the God-Brother-Me triad. There was an explosion of enthusiasm among the Gen boys and girls that was enhanced by songs and demonstrations of joy and unity among all” [from: Diario di fuoco, April 25, 1979].
The first event in Mary’s life mentioned in the New Testament is the Annunciation (cf. Lk 1:25ff). Mary had been chosen by God from eternity, but something very special happened to her at the Annunciation. The angel appeared to her with a message from God, and Mary accepted it. Because of her yes, a new reality was immediately born within her: the incarnation of Jesus in her womb. If we try to understand the lives of some saints, we can see that something analogous to what took place in Mary happens spiritually in them as well, when, for example, they come across a charism that God has given for the good of the Church. We know the story of Saint Clare of Assisi, the most perfect disciple of Saint Francis. It sometimes happens that, while visiting the Church of Saint Damian in Assisi, where she lived, the tour guide describes that sacred place by saying, “Here is where Christ was incarnated in the heart of Clare.” And these are not just words; they reveal a profound truth. Even though Clare of Assisi had, we may assume, lived in a state of grace, her meeting with Francis brought about something new in her. Francis was the personification of a word of God addressed to the world anew — the word “poverty.” Meeting him caused Christ to develop and grow in Clare, to the extent that she became one of the greatest saints of the universal Church. And is it not indeed the thought of popes, saints and Church Fathers, that the Word generates Christ in souls? Likewise, when at a certain point in our lives we come to know the charism of unity, through another person, a publication or a meeting, and we feel God’s call to make it our own, if we say our yes, something similar to that which happened to Mary and the saints happens to us. Christ can truly begin to develop and grow spiritually in our hearts, as though by an actualization of our baptism. I read that Clare of Assisi before dying said these marvellous words, “I thank you, Lord, for having created me,” meaning, by creating me you have acquired your own glory. Hers was a death of love. If only heaven would wish something like this for us! If we remain faithful, our own death too will not be simply a physical death, but a death of love. We too will rise up to meet our mother, our saint, our model, the one who on this earth was our head, our queen, and our mother. And we will see the glory of Mary, queen of heaven and of earth. Above all, we will see her surrounded by those who loved her in a special way. From Chiara Lubich, “Mary – Transparency of God”, New City, London, 2003 – pp. 52-53, 67.
Arriving from Manila 60 km away, your first sensation as you come upon the region of Lake Taal on the island of Luzon is one of deep peace. Visitors are enchanted by such a unique sight: a lake whose waters have filled an ancient caldera with an island in its midst. That island, in turn, which is set in a more recent crater, has another much smaller lake. And at the centre of that small water mirror sits another island. It has that Russian doll effect with one lake contained inside the other. From the top of the volcano the view extends over green hills of fields and forests, pineapple, coffee and endless varieties of banana plantations and tropical flowers. Ever since 1982 visitors have had the same sensation among the streets and buildings of Mariapolis Peace in Tagaytay, which was the first permanentMariapolis in Asia. “I have a dream,” exclaimed Chiara Lubich that year, as she observed the hills of Tagaytay: “that precisely there, a Focolare town would rise where the Gospel would be lived out in a steady way in order to give a picture of what the world would be like if we all lived the Gospel. The presence of the Focolare in Tagaytay is, however, far farther in time. The Focolare’s presence in the Philippines goes back much further in time. Already in 1966, the first meetings of Focolare members were being held in Tagaytay. Taken by the beauty of the natural surroundings, those members had prayed that one day there would be a centre for gatherings of Focolare members in that place, a “home for all of them”. Thanks to a generous donation the following year, that dream began to come true and take shape in 1975. Then came the events and dream in 1982, with the coincidental invitation to the Focolare Movement by the Philippine Bishops Conference to build, right there in the vicinity of Tagaytay, a “school” for Asian priests. Ever since then the development has been unexpectedly surprising. In particular, among the ten constructions that have been erected, there is a school of dialogue with the Great Religions of Asia, geared particularly towards Muslims and Buddhists, but also Hindus and Shintoists. Every year Buddhist youths from a lay Japanese association converge on the property to experience the joy of living living life together. Recently, in May, 200 members of the Great Religions from 13 Asian countries attended the School of Oriental Religions (SOR). From its founding, Mariapolis Pace has assumed the profile of a centre for human development, becoming one of the venues of the Bukas Palad Foundation, a non-profit NGO, founded near Manila in 1983 to respond to the social and sanitary needs of the poorest sections of the population, especially in rural regions. Entire families live in precarious situations – often in one-room homes with dirt floors and no running water – with little or no access to medical care and scarce job opportunities. With their motto: “Freely we have received; freely we give,” Bukas Palad (with open hands), has been on course for more than thirty years, improving the quality of life for thousands of people, not only medically, but also humanly and spiritualy, with an integrated and holistic approach focused on human health and development. The workshops are currently a highlight of the Mariapolis, which adhere to the Economy of Communion Project, with the hospital volunteer activities in several public health structures, along with the lively testimony of workers in the media and several education projects. The experiences of dialogue and sharing grow and multiply like the water in a lake that is replicated in other mirrors of water. But the reflections of Mariapolis Peace cannot be counted.
As a child, I loved to tune in to Vatican Radio in the evenings, which would broadcast news in various foreign languages. Naturally, I didn’t know any of those languages, but listening fascinated me. It seemed like my heart was expanding to all humanity, its people and their everyday lives. It was during one of these evenings that I happened to hear Pope Pius XII invoke the name of God three times: “God, God, God!” That cry was imprinted on my conscience, even if, with the passing of time, it dimmed and was lost to memory. This was 1956.Nine years later, in January 1963, I found myself in Turin, in the military. A bunkmate invited me to a conference, which, strangely enough, I didn’t ask anything about beforehand. As I requested permission from my superiors, I found myself asking as if my whole life depended on it. When they unexpectedly agreed, I left for Ala di Stura, a small mountain village in a marvelous corner of nature. After having been welcomed by those present as if we had always known one another, it was there that I met Chiara Lubich – the founder of Focolare – and Igino Giordani, a co-founder. It made a strong impression on me to meet people from different cultures and religions. I also was able to meet during that time, since she was also hosted by Focolare, Assunta Roncalli, who was Pope John XXIII’s sister. He died that same year on June 3, 1963. One morning Chiara spoke about a new calling that had started in the movement. It was only when she explained the year and circumstances of how it had begun that something urgently returned to mind: “God, God, God! God will help you, God will be your strength. May this indescribable name resound, the source of every right, justice and freedom, in parliaments, squares, houses and offices…” That was what the pope said in his radio message on November 10, 1956, when the revolution in Hungary was crushed. “There was a society that erased the name of God, the reality of God, the providence of God, and the love of God from people’s hearts,” Chiara commented. “So there must be a society that is able to return him to his rightful place. Is it possible that the devil has his faithful followers, totalitarians, pseudo-martyrs for his cause, and God not have a small army of Christians that give everything to take back the world for him? Chiara responded to that call of the pope with her intuition to gather women and men of all ages, nationalities, conditions, bound by a single link: that of universal fraternity. They would form an army of volunteers, the Volunteers of God, part of the Focolare Movement that today is present in 182 countries. It is a modern, radical calling. Chiara Lubich gives it an additional fascinating touch when she describes it as the “attraction of modern times”: “To achieve the highest contemplation while remaining mixed in the crowd, side by side with people… to shine embellishing light on everyone, and at the same time, share with our neighbors their shame, fame, bruises and brief joys.” Igino Giordani compares it to “sanctity in worker’s clothing, spurred to bring God in parliament, in local councils, in hospitals, schools, offices, shops, studios, home, on the bocce field, but also in the world of art, communication, science, economics…” Because, he adds, “to bring God to these places means transforming them into abbeys, changing them into holy places where each day a special mass is celebrated!” Fifty-four years have passed since that day I heard the call to enroll with the Volunteers of God, who were born from a charism that, because it is genuine, can be measured by its tangible results in culture, society, economics, politics… so that the various areas of life do not remain mediocre, hopeless, divided and callous, but open to welcome the deep presence of God. Gennaro Piccolo, “A way for unity,” Centro Igino Giordani, Andria, Italy
Francesco was a rugged sportsman, especially on his bike. Every day he would ride several kilometres over the tortuous and picturesque paths of the Roman hills, to help keep in shape. He looks young, but it’s already been quite a few years since he decided to give his life to loving God in the neighbours he meets each day – but also in the hard times in his own life as well as in the lives of others. A few days ago, during one of his usual workouts, his bike hit a rock and the steering wheel broke, catapulting him into the air. The landing wasn’t gentle . . . and the first to hit the hard asphalt was his neck, resulting in damage to the C2 vertebrae. In a single second the whole panorama changed: from intense physical training to immobility on a hospital bed, inside an iron “cage” from the neck up, kept in place with screws pressing against the skull. . . That’s also why it was important to him to stay in shape. The apparatus is meant to impede movement and hopefully lead to the soldering of the injured vertebrae. He sends a phone message from his hospital bed: “C2 Vertebrae, you barged in on my day and changed everything. I didn’t even know you were there and, if you were, where? Then came that abrupt landing on the asphalt and amidst all the broken parts you were the one everybody was worried about. You had the power to cause my death, or to render me immobile in a wheelchair. It was enough for you to allow the axis vertebrae to break … that piece of bone which makes it possible for me to move my head. Let’s hope that after this blow, I won’t have to change my vision of the world and that with the help of this futuristic device you will be able to go back to being the fulcrum of all that moves. Big C2, I’m trying to rebuild my relationship with you, not only out of self interest, but to know the amazing things of which we are made. Every little piece matters! May these moments help me to discover how valuable everything is in me, all of it the fruit of Your love.” Francesco (Italy)
On July 13, 2017, seventy people from various places in Spain, Italy and Croatia attended the “Inclusive Schools, Social Innovation, Childhood and Sport Symposium” which was held at the Palau Robert Gardens of Barcelona. The event was organized by the Laboratorio de Investigación Prosocial Aplicada (LIPA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and by the Sportmeet International Network. Teachers, physiotherapists and sport players took a closer look at projects that promote inclusion, intervention models and disability from the standpoint of inclusion, in the belief that no part of life is not worth living. Life needs to have a place for weakness, to experience, through weakness, one’s own ability to recuperate. In the days that followed, the Mariapolis Centre of Castell d’Aro provided the forum for the Summer School in which topics regarding inclusive sport were examined and discussed. Twenty people attended and were guided through the experience by experts Eugenio Jimènez and Dr Javier Lamoneda. Through games they learned what it’s like to be in the shoes of a person with a disability. By its very nature sport is an everyday opportunity to come face to face with limitations, and offers opportunities for reflection on the obstacles of life, suffering and disadvantage. The reflections that were presented by Paolo Crepaz from Sportmeet led the participants to question the concepts of limitation, barriers, obstacles, suffering and disadvantage from the standpoint of things that can be turned into potential, an opportunity to “constantly tend, by force of habit, towards universal brotherhood” (Chiara Lubich). Sport’s ability to get us to face and overcome obstacles, to be inclusive, to struggle against all sorts of barriers and in every social context is quite striking. For example, what a small ball can do in uniting people on an isolated summer field or inside a refugee camp. Players come face to face with one another within an atmosphere of mutual trust and esteem. Javier Lamoneda Prieto, professor of Physical Education, in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, shared his own experience: “It seems like a team has formed over these days, a team that would like physical activity to become a source of encounter between different actors and sport professionals. It is the first time such a training course has been developed by the public university.” Roberto Niccolis, a sport operative from Verona, Italy: “The limit that I often encounter is that of the distance that separates people from each other; the handicap, I mean. Reducing this distance through sharing, getting to know one another and experiences with one another other make us feel closer.” Roberto Macri, President of the Opera Santa Rita Foundation, Prato, Italy: “Above all, you’ve created an opportunity for reflecting on ourselves and the values that emerge from our work. Not only our professional or volunteer work, but more generally what can give deeper meaning to being men or women.”
“Contemplating the immensity of the universe, the extraordinary beauty and power of nature, my mind rose spontaneously to the Creator of it all, to a new sort of understanding of the immensity of God. It made a new and strong impression on me; I felt like falling on my knees to adore, praise, and glorify God. I felt a great need of this, as if it were my actual vocation. 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 that he is so great, so great, so great, that it seemed impossible that he thinks of us. This impression of God’s immensity stayed in my heart for several days. Now, saying, “Hallowed be thy name,” or “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,” is different for me: it has become a need of the heart. (Rocca di Papa, 22.1.87) “… Contemplating perhaps an endless stretch of sea, a high mountain range, an impressive glacier or the night sky dotted with stars. What majesty! The immen¬sity of it! And through the dazzling splendour of nature, we would find our way to its author: God, the King of the universe, the Lord of the galaxies, the Infinite. … He is everywhere: beneath the sparkle of a glittering stream, within the blossoming of a flower, in a bright dawn or a red sunset, on a snow-covered peak. Nature is rarely preserved in our concrete cities, built by human hands in the midst of the noise of the world. Yet, if we want, a glimpse of blue sky between the skyscrap¬er peaks is enough to remind us of God; a ray of sunlight, which does not fail to pierce even through the bars of a prison, is enough; a flower is enough, a meadow, a child’s face. … This will help us go back into the midst of humanity, which is where we belong, strengthened, as Jesus certainly was when having prayed all night to the Father on the mountainside under the starry sky, he went back among people to do good. (Mollens, 22.9.88) From Chiara Lubich – “Cercando le cose di lassù” [Seeking the things that are above]– Città Nuova Editrice, Roma 1992, pagg. 5 – 111,112.
A book for the exam “I study architecture. I had a very important exam to take, but I was missing a fundamental book. Since I was from Spain, it cost four times the normal price. It was the last day to sign up for that exam and I was desperate. I left the university and ran to a nearby church, where I asked Jesus for help, praying for him to get me that book ‘by midday.’ Shortly after, back at the department, I heard someone calling me: it was a colleague I had not seen for some time. Hearing of my problem, he insisted coming with me to a another student’s house – someone I hardly knew. She had that book, and was even happy to lend it to me. It was midday. Some days later, seeing that there were typographic errors and important pages missing, I wrote to the publishing house via email. To thank me, a week later the publisher couriered me a free copy. How could I not see the love of God in all this?” (S. G., Argentina) Stepping in my husband’s shoes “After work my husband often lays down on the sofa to watch a movie. This creates tension and anger inside me, since I expect a bit of help after a day of being busy with the children and everything else that happens. One day, urged on by advice I received from some friends to start loving him first without expecting anything, I tried to put myself in his shoes. I thought about his work committments and his need to find tenderness and understanding at home. Setting aside everything I was doing, I sat down next to him to watch a film, and we shared our ideas about it.” (G. G., Siberia) Mutual help “My neighbor’s husband was hospitalized. His 70-year-old brother was left alone at home, and he doesn’t cook at all. Despite the fact that during that time my own husband and mother had the flu, I offered to look after him. For 15 days, as I took care of my sick family, I also cooked for him, and on Sunday I invited him to lunch at our house. He responded in turn by bringing some foodstuffs that he had. He became one of the family.” (C., Italy) Asking forgiveness “Since I have a tough, authoritarian and independent character, I typically judge people. This way of being made it difficult to relate to others, especially my husband. Some time ago I found myself participating in a meeting that was about going deeper into the words of the Gospel. There my certainties were shaken. I decided to start living those words at work, where I direct personnel in a large warehouse with more than 30 employees. I had a strong aversion to one employee in particular. When it was his turn to get paid, I used to throw the envelope with the money on his desk. This time? I tried to see him differently, as if I had put on new glasses. Making an effort, I approached him and in front of everyone asked him to forgive me. It was one of the greatest joys I had ever experienced.” (D., Brazil)
“Can law be a tool of integration in society?” While taking part in a study seminar in Malta last May, Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, the first woman lawyer from her hometown in Cosenza, Italy, says yes. “Most certainly it can, if we go beyond a merely formalistic approach and focus on law as an indispensable means that contributes to creating a reality of fellowship within society, or to re-establishing it where it has diminished. Law, in fact, concerns the yearning for justice deep within all people and it helps them to achieve it. Law teaches us how to live, how to build true relationships between individuals, groups, organisations and states. Law safeguards the individual rights of people, states and communities. However, it is essential to be aware of a higher goal, which is to achieve the common good and build up universal brotherhood.” At a time when war, terrorism and fear of diversity seem to obliterate such a vision of law Maria Voce recalls: “after the tragedy of the Second World War and of the Shoah, already states in the preamble, “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. Also successive European constitutions reiterate it. The German Constitutional Charter (1949-1990) declares in its first article: ““The dignity of man is inviolable. To respect and protect it is the duty of all state authority” (Article 1). The Polish Charter (1977) affirms: “The inherent and inalienable dignity of the person shall constitute a source of freedoms and rights of persons and citizens. It shall be inviolable. The respect and protection thereof shall be the obligation of public authorities.” (Article 30). Similarly, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, quoted in the Treaty of Lisbon of December 2009, places dignity as a value that comes before freedom, equality, solidarity, citizenship and justice, stating, “Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected.” (Article 1) Sixty years after the signing of the European Union Treaties, which founded the European Union, Maria Voce went on to say, “we know the European Union is experiencing difficulties and I feel I must affirm that the root cause of this crisis seems to be a crisis concerning relationships. The goal was to create a common market, trusting in the laws of capitalism, yet we have remained distant if not indifferent to one another. The crisis therefore demands a tough reappraisal of the deeper meaning of integration, which for the European Union in particular must be founded on a shared heritage, resulting from the encounter between the Greco-Roman heritage and the Judeo-Christian heritage, not forgetting the various contributions from all Mediterranean cultures.” In her speech, Maria Voce presented the Focolare Movement’s commitment to defend the principles of peace and unity that had inspired the founders of the European Union. “It is the experience of Together for Europe, which is a network of people belonging to various Christian movements. They have met regularly over the years, gathering from across the continent and locally. It is like a prophetic sign of what Europe could be if its citizens were to participate more in a shared experience, which goes beyond different cultures and different ecclesial traditions. Among other things, these meetings have identified a number of values shared by all: the family, life, peace, the environment, a just economy and solidarity with the least. They wish to bear witness that it is possible to achieve unity between people in Europe, from both North and South, East and West. We shall examine the positive experiences already in place and commit to multiplying them and identifying approaches and actions that can contribute, in the fields of law, politics, economics and education, to building up a society that becomes family.
The term “system” is perhaps among the most used in our language. Almost without realising, it always seems to crop up, whether we’re talking about elections, football pools, stars, units of measure, politics, irrigation, the kids’ algebra homework, security, transportation, medicines or mountain chains. Simple or complex, nerves or finances, a “system” (from the Greek systema, to combine) is always on our lips. In 1937, and more “systematically” in 1945, an Austrian biologist named Ludwig von Bertalanffy (b. Vienna, 1901–d. Buffalo, New York, 1972) was the first to announce General Systems Theory, a method for reading into and interpreting the world as it exists. “Every organism is a dynamic order of processes that reciprocally act on each other.” Jordi Marjanedas, from Catalonia, class of 1940, has scrupulously dedicated himself this theory in his recent volume entitled, Today’s Challenges in the Light of General Systems Theory, published by Città Nuova. The text stretches from biology to the life of the universe, from ecology to anthropology, from history to ethics, to social sciences and religion, searching every field of knowledge for elements of integration and cohesion, according to a unified vision of humanity and creation. Why is systems theory so important? The development of modern science brought about a proliferation of knowledge that is partial, fragmented and hyper-specialized. To the point that, ironically, to the writer G. K. Chesterton it seemed that “eventually they end up knowing everything about nothing.” In medicine, for example, a human being is not just liver or limbs, but a harmonious and unified togetherness of spirit – soul and body. In philosophy, there have been numerous theories and closed systems that claimed to explain all reality with a single meaning (totalitarianism is one example). Aristotle himself admitted that “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.”
A priest presents the Pope with the book
At the end of the 1900s, systems theory was developed at the university level as a science that aims at finding a united sense of existence – albeit in its multiple dimensions – in the various disciplines. Thus, for example, scientific developments cannot be ends in themselves, but in function of a greater good. The same can be said for the relationship between cultures, building dialogue and mutual respect. This is why, Marjanedas affirms, the importance of constructive relationships with others needs to be emphasized, in function of a greater good. “We need to open up and promote a sincere dialogue between people and groups of different cultures.” What is new about the theory, therefore, is its potential applications in all fields. “The idea of a system gives us a an tool to integrate and coherently structure our understanding of different disciplines. Education, for example, cannot just refer to scientific values, but ethical and artistic ones as well in order to globally develop one’s personality, taking into account all the components of education and the different roles of students, professors, parents, administrators and communities.” “Thought, in its highest and most noble sense,” writes Jesús Morán in his introduction to Marjanedas’ book, “is always open and in continual evolution, constantly developing. It takes in reality and, without closing itself within predetermined or fixed frameworks, allows us to move in a continual sense of wonder, despite being in just a corner of the horizon. Reality is something that precedes and supersedes us.” The vision of reality as a system can be more than just an intellectual exercise, but a proposal to put everything in play, a continual adventure of humility and creativity. This is truly a genuine challenge.
Ever since I began my experience in the focolare in Thailand in 1984 I’ve been in ongoing contact with the poor. In 1985, when we took our first trip to Burma – now Myanmar – I was able to touch the extreme poverty with my own hands; up until then I would never have had the opportunity to see it in person. Then, because the civil war in 1988, refugees began arriving from Thailand, especially in the border regions. Their condition? Illness, lonliness, desperation, exploitation and a great longing for a real life. For us focolarini, they represented a face of Jesus crucified and forsaken who we tried to lift up and love. Over these 32 years our help has surely been insufficient, as one can see from the recent humanitariann distaster that isn’t receiving a lot of reporting. No one is ever prepared for the pain of seeing people die. We’ve taken over aprojejct begun by Father Justine, Burmese, who died after a long illness. He provided care for the children of migrants who were being left alone at home all day, and so we gave the last monies we had to be able to provide them hospitality. Now the school is called “Drop By Drop, the Latina Bridge Mae Sot.” It’s a collaborative effort between our children in Mae Sot that are originally Birmian and Karen and her friends from a school in Latina, Italy where several Focolare members work. It’s a bridge of solidarity which connects the two cities that are 10,000 km apart, and it has now involved some hundred poeple from many other places. A multi-national transport company helps us to take the containers of collected goods, paying all the customs and clearance fees (€ 1000) to their destination in Mae Sot on the mountains of Thailand. Currently,through Father Joachim from Myanmar, we are helping 200 people who are outside official refugee camps, undocumented and often without food. As Pope Francis puts it, we are experiencing what it means to “touch the flesh of Christ,” one of the many faces of Jesus Forsaken. Besides food, there is great need of love, warmth and affectioin… Chiara Lubich and our spirituality urge us to ‘make ourselves one’ with everyone. One of them said to us: ‘Thank you for everything you get for us,, but especially for making us feel loved. This gives us hope to live.’ There’s an association made up of some friends from Poschiavo in Switzerland, which has been recognized by the government and finances projects that are underway in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Six years later it seems like a real miracle! The projects in Vietnam are located in the southern zone, towards the Mekong Delta, in a parish. We build and repair small houses, wells with potable water; and we build bridges that are very useful for communication among the small islands.The so-called monkey bridges, constructed with bamboo stems are substituted with bridges made for humans with iron and cement. Now we’ve begun to work in the mountains too, in central Vietnam, in the zone of Gia Lai, which was known for the battles during the war. The Church is very involved in that zone and the poverty level has really reached levels of high concern in the mountain villages, especially among ethnic populations. In Laos we provide assistance for children through priests who have spent time at the priest school in Taygayta, Philippines. The help is sustained by genuine friendship, much creativity and a willingness to work. Love is like a bridge that joins everyone in a common dream: to live universal brotherhood concretely. Our budget? Free donations from many ordinary and also poor people. We feel that if God wants this project to carry on, he’ll provide for it. Luigi Butori Website:www.gocciadopogoccia.chFacebook page
When the international group Gen Verde passed through the city and school where Tiziana teaches, there were positive effects in her relationships with students. In particular, when she heard at the end of the course that one of them had declared themselves an atheist, she decided to write to him. The student’s response was unexpected. “Dear Luca, at this point we are at the end of your school journey. I wanted to write you a note because I didn’t get the chance to chat. So I’m doing so for no particular reason, only because I like having exchanges like this. I would have also liked to ask you about your atheism, as (Italian comic) Checco Zalone would say, but didn’t get the time. I’m convinced that there are no real atheists, only different sorts of believers. The longing for the infinite that consumes our souls is too strong. In my life, I made a fundamental discovery that changed me radically: that God loves me, and each of us, like crazy. Perhaps I would have also been an atheist if I had not gotten to know this God. Love touches all of us, and we madly thirst for it. If you, like me, believe in love, both of us are believers in a way. If your atheism brings you to not believe in a cruel, judging, cold, indifferent prime mover, grand architect, supreme being etc., etc. – then I too am an atheist with you! I can only believe in a God who was flesh and bones, who out of love was born, became man, died and rose. “Bye Luca, I just wanted to say thank you for these past years that we spent together!” “Dear Prof, it gives me the greatest pleasure to know that even beyond the school environment you still wanted to stay in touch (not that I didn’t already know, but this confirmed it). I too would have liked to discuss with you a number of wider topics, from politics to religion. I have always admired your availability and open mindedness, your ability to dialogue, listen, understand and take in others’ opinions, even if they were completely different from your own. I have always considered your perspective very important. Among other things, you taught me that changing my point of view is fundamental to understanding others, and above all ourselves. This year, together with some schoolmates of mine, I attended PULSE, the May 1 celebration at the little city of Loppiano. During our stay, we were hosted by the Sophia University Institute, where young people from all over the world continue their studies after having graduated. It was there that, for me, I experienced firsthand what equality and fraternity mean. This was thanks to the way we were generously welcomed by the institute’s students and teachers, who treated us as if we had known each other for a lifetime. What struck me most happened during the evening of the second day, when we ate together with our hosts. They had prepared the meal with passion, just for us, using everything they had in the kitchen. In that moment, despite being more than 1,000km from my city, I felt at home. I found myself at table talking about this and that with two from Lebanon and others from Germany, Cuba, Argentina, Colombia, and Bologna, sharing a plate of meat, spinach, potatoes and onions. After that we stayed up late talking about our experiences, plans, playing guitar, singing songs and sourcing a bit of wine from the German black forest. In that moment PULSE, at least for me, had achieved its goal. Thanks Prof, till next time!”
It began in April 2013. My wife Lucia and I were taking a walk when we noticed a five-cent coin on the ground. We were a bit embarrassed to pick it up. Then, walking along another stretch of the street, a man was tactfully asking those passing by for help. He held a five-cent piece in his hand, as if to say that he would be happy with even that. We’re not sure how best to say this, but let’s just say we felt ourselves blush. Some days later, thinking about what had happened, we felt an inspiring spark emerge – to start a project in our small circle. We decided to call it “Operation 1-2-5 in Freedom.” The idea is to freely consider the one-, two- or five-cent coins we get during our daily shopping as change, then invest it as a gesture of fraternity to alleviate situations of poverty locally and in poor countries abroad. The operation had come from an undeniable need to love. We received proof of this when we timidly brought the first 150 one-cent coins, 36 two-cent coins and 64 five-cent coins to the owner of a supermarket. Curious, he asked where they came from, and we explained it to him, asking whether he too would like to do something as well to meet the needs of the poor. From that day on, Antonio began to give something on top of whatever coins we brought him. Encouraged by his gesture, and beyond our families and at our condominium, we started to speak about it to even more friends of ours. The project went on to involve a number of families in Andria and then went beyond our borders: Lecce, Bari, Brindisi, Santa Maria a Vico, Naples, Rome, Spinazzola, Trani, Corato, Barletta Bolzano, Varese and Trent! This tangible good of collecting coins also brought something beautiful with it. Handing over the coins inspired many to wrap them: coins were collected in a tiny bag of white tulle, elegant envelopes and with flowers. We’ve even heard that this started happening in schools and between colleagues at work. Close to four years after the start of the operation, the collected coins now total $5,225 euros, all of which have been donated. Humanly speaking, a few cents might seem insignificant. But we feel that there’s something sacred about them, because they stimulate us to love others. They also recall a number of Gospel passages: the widow’s offering, the five loaves and two fishes, the few crumbs that the Canaanite woman begged Jesus for. It seems to us that little by little these ones, twos and fives, beyond any final figure, might contribute to increasing communion between people, placing talents and abilities in communion. Speaking of communion, it deeply touched us how, at the beginning of the project we uncovered, in an old notebook from 1991, something from our focolarino friend and sociologist Professor Tommaso Sorgi. Speaking about the Economy of Communion, he put it in these words: “The concept of communion is something deeper than the concept of solidarity. Communion brings it to life, illuminates it, puts it in motion and makes it possible. If this communion of souls is not a part of it, communion in the economy will never happen.” To sum up, we feel a special joy. Today Operation 1-2-5 in Freedom – which the Centro Igino Giordani in Andria has adopted – is more than ever motivated by love. That love that is like a tiny ray of light passing through a prism that refracts in the colors of the rainbow. In the same way, Operation 1-2-5 does this with the colors of fraternity and communion. Gennaro and Lucia Piccolo Centro Igino Giordani
At preschool Sonia is 5 years old. One day she says to her mother, “I don’t want to go to school anymore; no one there is my friend.” After a day or two her attitude changes and she goes to preschool voluntarily. “What changed?” her mother asks. “I saw that there was a girl who was always quiet and by herself. No one wanted to play with her, so I went to her and told her I loved her. She smiled and then started playing with me. You know, Mum, love really warms the heart.” (Sonia – Slovakia) My poorest friend “As I left Rome, I left Nicu, the poorest of my friends, who is forced to beg as he waits to get a liver transplant. We stay in touch by phone. Often I’d wonder how I could continue helping him, seeing that I could only come up with a small monthly “income” of 20 Euros. Remembering the story of Zacchaeus, who gave half of his goods to the poor, I started each day to set aside 10 Euros for Nico. After I had collected 70, I sent the money to him via a friend. I heard that he was quite happy – more about the fact that I had remembered him than the amount he received. (Angiolino – Italy) A generosity competition The economy has not been doing well for some time. In a meeting at our condominium, after two hours of complaints, I proposed that we start a “communion of goods” in our building. One lady who lived alone offered her apartment to collect the food and clothing. We contribute whatever we feel is superfluous or even give away some things we need. A true competition of generosity began and an atmosphere of optimism came into our homes. (L.D. C. – Argentina) Work and home My wife and I met a family of immigrants. The husband lost his job, then found another, but it was not a secure position. They needed to be helped with food and money. Three months ago, I had the opportunity to find him better work. After a while this family called me back; their sister’s house had been flooded after torrential rain. I went over to give some immediate aid and see what they needed. The owners of the house had made them pay two months’ rent in advance and a month deposit. On my own I could not help them, but with the Focolare community we were able to collect the money they needed in just three days. (Juan Ignacio – Spain)
Giving all children and teenagers the education they need, to restore their dignity and allow them to build their own futures. This is the commitment of the many activities carried out by Scholas Occurentes (schools of dialogue) and the Focolare non-profit New Families Association (AFN) with programmes that focus on children and teenagers from around the world, with a teaching method based on values. The roots of Scholas, an international organisation that last June began operations in Italy with an official inauguration ceremony at their new base in Palazzo San Calisto in Rome, go back twenty years. George Mario Bergoglio was archbishop of Buenos Aires, and he perceived the importance of the so-called escuelas de vecinos.In 2013 Pope Francis transformed those schools of the quarter into a Pontifical Foundation so that they could promote their educational model on a global level. Currently the network has more than 400 million schools that are connected with each other from the five continents, from every religious and secular background and also public and private institutions in 900 countries. The pope attended the ceremony which was conducted by Lorena Bianchetti from Rai1. Our reporters were on hand as the Pope spoke off the cuff in Spanish with the young people from around the world who were linked up via internet. “In this society, ‘teaching’ often becomes ‘selecting,’” he stressed. “Instead, we need to ‘join hands, embrace, never attack or say that any human being is a ‘no’. Everyone is a ‘yes’ and has significant role.” Sometimes in education “we select badly, we create closed groups.” “We’re incapable of thinking with the other, incapable of working with the other,” the pope said. Instead, education is the capacity to speak “the language of the mind, heart and hands.” Therefore, “unity is needed within each one of us” said Francis: “If I believe what I feel, what I think, what I love – then I’m beginning.” “We’re living in a world where globalisation dominates, and globalization is good,” the pope explained, “but the danger is that of understanding, perceiving globalisation as a billiard ball – all of them are the same – a sphere in which everything is equidistant from the centre, but a sphere in which the personal characteristics of a boy or girl are obliterated.” Instead, “authentic globalization is more like a polyhedron where we seek unity, but each of us maintains his and her own peculiarity their own richness.” The president of Scholas, José María Del Corral, explained how fundamental that step was for the international growth of the foundation.” Moreover the closeness of the Holy Father is a stimulus to “intensify efforts on the educational front where young people are involved.” Also in Italy, he added, “Scholas appeals to all the sane forces of society to unite their efforts and to offer constructive collaboration.” This is the challenge for Scholas and for the Focolare AFNonlus who are project partners of some hundred activities in fifty countries around the world, as well as educational programmes for disadvantaged youth. “It’s a demanding project,” said president of the AFNonlus, Andrea Turatti. “The global classroom being created by the web will help to develop educational strategies, human and social development projects in a spirit of solidarity and in view of universal brotherhood.” Giovanna PieroniSource:AFNonlus online
Augustine provides us with one of the most valuable intuitions on prayer: “God’s ear hears the heart’s voice” (Comment on Psalm 148). Letting God’s ear rest on our heart, opening our heart to God’s ear: this is what it takes, this is the art of praying, an art, by the way, that’s for everyone. Actually, it’s not ours, but of the Spirit that God gives to us, the Spirit who prays in us, for we don’t know how or for what we should pray (cf Rm 8:26). […] Prayer is elevating the heart to God. But are we capable of that? Isn’t the range of our understanding too limited for our heart to be able to elevate itself to God? Isn’t the impulse of our heart too weak? Don’t burdens attach themselves to our heart and weigh on it, paralyze it and bring it down? What gives us the courage to claim: Our heart is turned to the Lord? His ear. He has lowered it to us. The Father listens to the Son. And the Son came down among us, into our flesh, into our heart. Within the heart of the Son, the Father listens to every beat of our heart, in the heart of the Son he finds our heart. In Him in whom we were made, loved, supported, gathered – the Father hears us. To elevate our heart means to leave it where it is and discover that where it is, with us, is the heart of God in the heart of his Son. Abandon yourself in Him and he will hold you. In Him, God’s ear is upon your heart; in Him your heart is at God’s ear. […] The opposite is just as true: God keeps his heart against your ear. He revealed, conveyed, gave, not something of Himself, but His Self. If you believe in him, if you adhere to Him, if you stick to Him, then you don’t hear a novelty, a directive, a command: you hear his heart. Stay near to Him until you discover this heart of yours. He’s in need of your patient listening in order to open your heart; actually, only patience comprehends love and learns love. He will reveal Himself to anyone who loves Him, and He makes His dwelling with that person (cf Jn 14:21-23). […] God has your heart at his ear, so that through your ear his heart penetrating your heart, might become your heart. The ear of God on your heart – the heart of God at your ear – like the alternating found in prayer. Only the pray-er knows God. Only the pray-er knows the human person. From Klaus Hemmerle, Con l’anima in ascolto, Guida alla preghiera,(Rome: Città Nuova Ed.,1989), 9-11.
“Every life has hope.” This is the recurring theme of Fazenda da Esperança in all of its locations around the world. “We’ve seen and lived through hell, but during these days we’ve been changed into artists.” This was one of the statements gathered during an exchange of experiences at the conclusion of the five days of work that included two presentations of “Campus – The Musical”.A hundred and ten young people from Fazenda da Esperança and from Puglia, southern Italy, were prepared in workshops on dance, voice, theatre and percussion to then go out on stage with Gen Rosso at the Fasano city Kennedy Theatre for several scenes of Campus, last 7th and 8th of July. “We had to learn it fast and well in spite of the heat and our own limitations.” The motto helped: Welcome the different. There were people from 15 countries, from different cultures, age groups and backgrounds…” Our adrenaline was really pumping just as we got on stage to give the best of ourselves, while fear and worry seemed to disappear as we encouraged each another. Several said: “We felt a strength from above that was supporting us and instilling faith in ourselves.” “The thing I learned was never to stop during the show because of a mistake: this made me think a lot. I’ll carry this into my daily life, always continuing on in spite of the failures.” The inauguration of a new Fazenda da Esperança was held on Sunday, July 9, in Monopoli. It was attended by civil and religious leaders, Gen Rosso and a group of 60 youth “missionaries” from the Fazende, who came from around the world, together with their founders. The experience of several young people who had been in prison and were now helping other young people like themselves, was quite meaningful. “For us from Gen Rosso,” Franco explains, “collaborating with the Fazenda, as we have been for many years, is always a great enrichment and gives a decisive push to welcome the strong signs of hope that can be found anywhere in the world.” The festival concluded with the singing of Io ero lì (I’ve been there), a song written by Gen Rosso in tribute to Fazenda da Esperança. Gustavo Clariá
1944:Chiara Lubich left her beloved books in the attic to join the school of the one teacher, Jesus, leaving behind her dream to study philosophy at Catholic University, where she had thought she would be able to know God. Fifty-three years later, Catholic University of Mexico City conferred on her an honorary doctorate in philosophy. It’s been 20 years since the honorary doctorate, and the Focolare community in Mexico organized three events in memory of her message and to fulfill it: the philosophy of being, the Church as communion, and inculturation. June 29, 2017: “The face of God as communion” was the title of the symposium held at the Pontifical University of Mexico. Msgr Piero Coda, Dean of the Sophia University Institute, conducted two conferences: “Pope Francis: four points for an emerging Church” and “Chiara Lubich: a mysticism of ‘us’ to live through the change.” These two reflections urged those present, mostly priests and men and women religious, towards pastoral work that shows a Church that is merciful, synodal, humble and open. “What surfaced,” affirmed Msgr Coda, “is the need to maintain an open dialogue with the vibrant strength that is in the Mexican church, to enthusiastically take up the challenge of pastoral change as advocated by Pope Francis. This encourages efforts by the laity at a cultural and societal level, working closely with young people, and the work of synods in the Church, where charisms can give their contribution.” June 30, 2017: Welcoming everyone to the hall at La Salle University in Mexico City, Dr Enrique Alejandro González Alvarez, dean of the university, explained the importance of the honoris causa doctorate conferred on Chiara Lubich in 1997. “Through her acceptance, it was she who honored the university,” he said, pointing to the profound harmony between the charism of unity and that of La Salle. “The University identifies with the Focolare Movement, because we work as allies to bring the kingdom of God here on earth, which without a doubt was Chiara’s primary mission,” Alvarez said. “May we continue to tighten the bonds that unite us. This is not only Chiara Lubich’s home, but of all who carry on in her spirit, so that today she can continue to live through her followers.” For the occasion Msgr Coda conducted a conference on “Chiara Lubich’s contribution to a new philosophy of being.” “Chiara’s speech 20 years ago,” Coda said, “showed itself to be prophetic for Mexico, as a new search for meaning and light, and the need for a new cultural paradigm at the social and cultural level. So her talk gave direction and can be connected to the commitment of Sophia University Institute.” New contacts and plans to collaborate were established between Sophia University Institute, the Pontifical University of Mexico and La Salle University.The Focolare community threw a celebration in honor of June 7, 1997, together with the apostolic nuncio, Msgr Franco Coppola, and the Dean of the Pontifical University of Mexico, Dr Mario Ángel Flores Ramos. There was music, dance, video and testimonies from those present on that memorable day, which served as the perfect context to rediscover the depth of Chiara Lubich’s message. “In the basilica of the Madonna of Guadalupe,” said Maria Voce in her message to the Mexican community, “in front of the ‘Morenita,’ Chiara highlighted the wonderful symbols that Mary clothed herself in, presenting her as an extraordinary example of inculturation.” Chiara’s legacy, which obviously echoed the original message of Guadalupe, still strongly resonates, Focolare’s president said. “Let’s entrust ourselves to her, icon of the ‘culture of meeting,’ so that we might fully ‘make ourselves one’ and bring the spirituality of communion everywhere.”
During the first school for married focolarini, Chiara Lubich paraphrased what Pope Paul VI had said a day earlier at the General Audience. Chiara announced on that July 19, 1967, that “an explosive, apostolic and diffusive Movement” for families would be born at the very heart of the Focolare. Fifty years later it is easy to see that those words were proven to be true. Married and engaged couples and many others who have a part in the world of the family have seen their love for one another grow through their contact with the charism of unity, transforming it into a living witness of love for God and for the human family. That love has also resulted in the Movement spreading in a large part of the world’s countries. New Families is committed to giving an answer to the needs of today’s family that is in line with “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”). They don’t do it with words, but with the concrete fruit of the real life experiences by a multitude of families with their testimonies of unity, and with their hundreds of projects of international cooperation and at-a-distance support. They work for the renewal of society and for the realization of Jesus’s testament: “that all may be one.”
The mayor Against my wishes, my husband became a mayoral candidate, not out of ambition, but purely for the sake of of serving the community. My resistance to the idea came from the fear that, since our town can be a difficult place, such a committment could have negative repercussions for our family. But any argument or ultimatum of mine had no effect. One Saturday morning I saw in the paper that he had signed up to be a candidate. I started feeling really sick. The day after at mass, the Gospel spoke of the fruitless fig tree. In that moment I felt like that fig tree, not able to bear fruit. And not just that: my attitude was also blocking my husband from bearing fruit for the community. I understood that Jesus was asking me to give him even my family, despite my fears. When I returned home, I told my husband and our daughters my experience, and we all agreed to support him. Ever since that moment I have been at this side for all the rallies and speeches, and now that he is mayor I continue to do so for all his official visits. (F.D. – Italy) Tensions at home My husband and I had just got home, tired and stressed. Losing control, we got into a violent argument, to the point that it seemed that our marriage had come to an end. I then tried to mend the situation, but he remained quite angry at my way of doing things. The day after we were meant to go to help a poor family. But wouldn’t that have just been an easy way out if we didn’t first reestablish peace and harmony with my husband? Even though all my good reasons kept coming to mind continually, I tried to overcome them. On top of that, he was going to an important meeting that same day. Overcoming my fear of how he would react, I called him and asked his forgiveness. All was forgotten, and I felt free and loved, and this also gave meaning to my giving to others. (F. – Panama) Shards I can see the street from my office, and one day I saw Michael pass by. He’s homeless and usually argues with everyone when he’s drunk. This time he stopped and picked up the remains of a broken bottle and put it in the garbage. Then he moved on. I had noticed the glass too, but had not gathered up the pieces because I was in a hurry. What a lesson, and from someone who is on the margins of society! I imagined Michael at the Gospel’s Last Judgment, with Jesus saying: “Enter into my kingdom: you gathered the glass that could have hurt one of my brothers – you did it for me!” (P.O. – ltaly) Dirty socks In the locker room at the pool a disheveled elderly lady was seated on a bench, with some socks next to her that were pretty dirty. Everyone stayed clear of her, including me. She was having a hard time putting on a singlet because her body was still wet, so I went over to help. Thankful, she asked me if I could also help her with her socks. Oh my. Really? Then I immediately had a thought: “Jesus, it is you in her who are coming to meet me.” I kneeled down and helped her with her socks and shoes. Even today I can still remember the joy I felt. (Rosemarie – Switzerland)
I heard on TV… I’m watching the news, continually being interrupted by appeals from the public utility commission. The last one just said: “Urgently needed pharmacy drug…” My God! I jot down the telephone number and call. They tell me that person in need is an elderly woman, that it’s really urgent and that she lives in the same city as me. I quickly contact the lady’s children, but in this moment the situation on the streets doesn’t allow me to go out. We agree to meet the next day, early in the morning, in fron of the community health centre. When we finally meet, the lady asks me: “How much does the medicine cost?” I asked for it from the United States, but they weren’t able to send it to me.” “Nothing, ma’am,” I answer. “Let’s pray together that peace quickly returns to Venezuela.” We don’t know each other but hug and say goodbye. There is more happiness in giving than in receiving My friend calls me: “Do you by any chance have this medicine? I can’t find it anywhere . . .” It happened to be just the medicine that a woman had donated to my parish. In that moment I had thought: “But will this be useful to anyone?” It’s a very specific medicine…” It was jus the one my friend needed, with the exact dosage information – and there were 50 pills! God knows what each person needs. The happiness was shared, but mine was greater. Create bridges with people from other Churches I received an SMS: “I would need this medicine, do you have it by chance?” Yes, I had it and asked Armando to take it over to him, since the one asking was an Evangelical like him. I also thought of asking: “If by any chance you any medicine that we’re looking for, would you return the favor?” She sent me the exact medicine that is hard to find in pharmacies, equipped with a nebulizer. She gave mine to another person who wasn’t able to expectorate because of a strong cough. I was an experience of the Gospel sentence: “Give and it will be given to you.” Moreover, the medicine I received was of a superior quality and with fewer side effects than the one I had before. It’s amazing: when you give, love is transformed into brotherhood. Sunday, day of rest… It’s Sunday!!! Finally I can get some rest! I planned on a very interesting film when, all of a sudden, the doorbell rings. I begin to fear that rest in relaxation is in danger. Seeing my reaction, my son asked if I would like him to tell the person at the door to come back at a nother moment. I almost say yes . . . but no . . . I’ll open it. I see an acquaintance standing there who asks me if I’m busy. She had an urgent look on her face. I let her in. “I just ahvef to talk with you…” “Okay, come in. My husband’s here too. Is it okay if he joins us?” We sit there for three hours listening to her. She tell us she wants a divorce, but before telling it to her husband and filing the papers, she thought of talking to us. It’s not easy to listen to her venting filled with pain, misunderstanding and anger…At the end, many of her doubts are clarified. We conclude with a prayer and the decision to start being the first to love. Thus she returns home with renewed strength and ready for the fight to save her marriage. It was a Sunday spent as the Day of the Lord, in which we think we did what Jesus would have done – loved without judging.
«While playing games in the shade of the fir trees beneath the rocks, Chiaracontinued to speak to her companions about God, the Virgin, and supernatural life, the nature of which was supranature. She co-inhabited always with the Lord, an effect of charity which was edified, atom upon atom..And so when they would go to the countryside, those alpine forests were transformed into cathedrals, treetops seemed like the heights of holy cities, and flowers and grass were coloured by the presence of angels and saints: all were enlivened in God. The material barriers were removed. This was also a form of reconciliation between the sacred and the profane, due to which, once the ugly, the evil, and the deformed were eliminated, everywhere the values of the life of nature were recovered in all its aspects. Her words, like her works seemed to be an assiduous clearance of mortal debris to reestablish communication. In itself it was simply a merging of nature and the supernatural, of matter with the spirit, and of the earth with heaven. It was a duplication of the values of life on earth, to open a gateway to Paradise. It was the summer of 1949. That enjoyable holiday was enhanced by the inheritance of a cottage in Tonadico di Primiero from Lia Brunet. In July, Chiara Lubich, Foco (Igino Giordani) and the focolarine had gone there to bask in the sunlight and take some personal rest, after the works achieved all year round for the poor. The cottage consisted of an upper barn which they entered through a winding ladder from the ground floor, and was composed of a room and small kitchen. They set up some cot beds and a cupboard that was hauled up by a winch, and the place acted as their dorm. Foco went to the Orsinger Hotel and had the chance to speak before the hall of Capuchins. In their Church he felt the desire to bind himself “tightly” with a vow of obedience, which Chiara felt, however, did not conform to Focolare customs. Instead she proposed making a pact of untiy, in the sense that at the next Eucharistic communion, on the nothingness of their souls, Jesus in her would seal the pact with Jesus in him. That morning at mass, upon receiving communion the two of them made Jesus seal the pact with Jesus. It was then that she started to experience a series of enlightening insights». Igino Giordani, History of the Focolare Movement, an unedited piece.
On July 12th the Venezuelan bishops sent out an “urgent message to Catholics and all people of good will.” They ask the government to “retract the proposal of a constituent assembly and allow the elections that are authorized by the Constitution,” and to “recognize the autonomy of the public authorities, abandoning the inhuman repression of those who show dissent, to dismantle armed groups” and free “the people that were deprived of their freedom for political reasons.” The bishops called upon political leaders to be committed “solely to the people and never to their own self interests,” respecting “the democratic will of the Venezuelan people.” Moreover, to work at “solving the very serious problems of the people and to allow humanitarian aid to reach those who need it most.” They asked the National Armed Forces to “perform their duty of serving the people with respect and in accordance with the constitution.” They ask educational and cultural institutions to collaborate in “bringing down the walls that divide the country,” encouraging “every effort in favour of peace and coexistence, based on the law of brotherly love.” The message concludes with an invitation to “our brothers in the faith and other believers, to a Day of Prayer and Fasting on July 21st, to ask God to bless the efforts of the Venezuelan people in favour of freedom, justice and peace.”
A project that is already a real life experience, an invitation to build bridges of brotherhood and contribute to the tearing down of barriers of indifference, prejudice and selfishness. Begun in 1973 from an idea of Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, the Genfest is a gathering of young people from across the globe. The 11th edition of Genfest will be held in Manila. The Genfest has turned out to be a festival of ideas and projects that inspire thousands of young people from different ethnic groups, cultures and religions to change and point their lives towards ideals of brotherhood and a united world. The main event will be held in the World Trade Centre Metro Manila, while all the workshops will be held at De La Salle University. BEYOND ALL BORDERS is the title of the next Genfest, which underscores the frontiers to be overcome both personally and as a society in order to build a happier and more united world, to breathe, love, work and live with an open and inclusive vision. The program will include musical and artistic performances, forums and expos. The Genfest’s logo can be summed up in one word: essential. “Less is more.” In a world where communications and information is too much, the message from Manila will be marked by simplicity and the power that every word can bring to the world. Therefore, the Genfest logo is made of only three letters and a simple line underneath the title. A stark symbol that calls us to beyond the borders, to underscore the only thing that matters in life: reaching out to everyone and moving together toward universal brotherhood. Contact us: info@y4uw.org Registration will begin from October 2017 Source:Y4UW International https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8NvjNYgNEc
Elisa lives in the Focolare Centre in Welwyn Garden City, 35km north of London, in the County of Hertfordshire. It is a “garden city”, founded in the 1920s, with graceful neo-Georgian buildings, roses around the porches, tree-lined avenues. She recounts: “I was born in Northern Italy in a small village. The nearest city was Novara. I am the eldest and I have two brothers. My family was a very Christian family and gave us all solid values, such as always thinking of others. I was twenty, I had just finished studying and I was looking for a job. I studied French and English. Finding a job in a small town was difficult and I was very discouraged. Then a friend invited me to a meeting where plans were being made to go to a Genfest in Rome, a huge youth festival of the Focolare Movement at the Flaminio Stadium. It wasMay 1980. I went just to get away for the weekend. Instead I was was taken aback by the scene that met me, posters talking about a united world and tens of thousands of young people. During the first break I was in tears because I knew I had found something precious. I kept in touch with those people. I can’t put my finger on it but there was something that attracted me to the point that I went to every meeting. I started to visit the Focolare centre and gradually inside of I started to understand what I wanted to do with my life. It was to give my life to God through the Focolare. I got a job with Caritas, the social action of the Diocese. It was challenging and interesting. After three years I was asked by the Focolare to transfer to Bologna. But the priest tried to convince me not to leave. On that day, the Gospel reading at Mass said ‘Those who do not leave mother, father, fields… cannot be my disciples’. I felt as if Jesus was speaking directly to me. I left without delay. During the years 1985-1987, I attended the international school of formation in Loppiano(near Florence, Italy). And then … Africa! My first impression was like being in a film because everything was new and different. The next day I went into a chapel and I saw the tabernacle and I said: ‘You’re the same Jesus, I gave my life to you and I find you here too.’ Initially I spent one month in Fontem, Cameroon. Then I went to Nigeria and lived there for twenty years.In Lagos, in 1989, we started a project for girls who wanted to know more about the spirituality of unity. There was a religious sister who offered us accommodation in the staff quarters of her missionary hospital. Then a family gave us a house for five years free of charge. Later we found a piece of land and those same people, together with others, helped us build the first focolare house in Nigeria. Everything about that house came from providence. We started a small business making items in batik as one girl knew how to dye material. Someone in the community gave us some money in order to start it up. Everyone supported us and the project has helped countless girls over the years. In 2002 around one thousand people in Jos, northernNigeria lost their lives in a clash between Muslims and Christians. No-one could understand how it had happened because these groups had always lived peacefully side by side. Our community asked if the Mariapolis could be held in Jos even though it was still a dangerous situation. There we spoke of dialogue, peace, reconciliation because there were a lot of physical wounds and emotional hurt. People had lost their businesses, places of worship had been destroyed. There was a lady invited by her sister and was one of the people inciting the boys from her village to fight against the rebels. At the end of the Mariapolis she said she had understood that violence was not the answer. The Bishop also came to the Mariapolis and was planning to undertake a reconciliation process for a month going from village to village. I subsequently went to Douala (Cameroon) where I lived for six years. Then, in 2013, I arrived in Great Britain and am now living in Welwyn Garden City. In my first year here it snowed from February to April! While externally everything is different, nothing has changed.Wherever God wants you to be, that is yourhome.” Source: New City Magazine (UK)
Fifty years have passed since that first quiet meeting which would produce unimagined openings between the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church and the Focolare Movement – They write from the Focolare of Istanbul -. A few weeks ago Metropolitan Gennadios Zervos said it in this way: “Up until today the full importance of that encounter has not yet been appreciated” (see Quel dialogo volute da Dio). We can have some sense of the vital force of that seed when we consider the first Honorary Doctorate in Culture and Unity that was conferred on Patriarch Bartholomew by Sophia University Institute in Loppiano, Italy, last October. That led to a project that is now a reality and enriches the formative offerings of the Institute with a permanent Chair for dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, named after Patriarch Athenagoras and Chiara Lubich. On June 13th, the actual anniversary of their meeting, several of us gathered spontaneously at the Orthodox Patriarchate in Fanar. In front of the beautiful icon of Mary we concluded the day with the Magnificat, our song of thanksgiving: “The Mighty One has done great things…Holy is His Name.” But it was also a golden anniversary at the local Mariapolis held in Istanbul. Just as Pope Francis had visited the Mariapolis in the city of Rome last year, this year the citizens of the Mariapolis in Istanbul were joyfully honored by the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew. The School of Theology on the island of Halki with its splendid park provided the backdrop of an unforgettable celebration. On Sunday, June 25th, the Mariapolites from a variety of confessions, nationalities and languages, went up to the hall where Patriarch Bartholomew gave his speech: “We are now talking about a story that is fifty years old, of a very strong bond between the Greek Patriarchate and the Focolare Movement. And we can by now call it a tradition, because Our predecessor Patriarch Demetrios had continued the relationship with Chiara and the Movement. And We have continued and brought forward that tradition for 26 years. We are very happy and it is a cause of great joy for Us that the major part of the years of this tradition were spent with Us.” We are not new to such expressions of affection and esteem from the Patriarch, but he always manages to surprise us. His joy because of the part he played for 26 years out of 50 is no formality, he told us! And speaking off-the-cuff he added: “But already before being patriarch, working beside my predecessors, I lovingly served this relationship. He went on to say: “I see that the good God has blessed you, because your number and your service have grown, because with the life and testament of Chiara that you have embraced, you give service to all humanity with the same pure heart, with the same faith, with the same love and with the same industriousness [as Chiara]. Like the blessing of Pope Francis, so too Our blessing and Our prayer is with you always that you might sow seeds of peace and of love in people’s hearts. May God always lead your steps toward good works.” His speech was followed by an exchange of gifts, which included a framed photo of Athenagoras and Chiara during one of their meetings. Everyone then sang in several languages, including Greek, the Focolare song Love and you’ll understand which was a favorite song of Patriarch Athenagoras and describes the essence of the Mariapolis: the light that comes from loving. The Patriarch invited everyone to an exquisite lunch in the adjoining dining room and the morning concluded with the official photos, selfies and conversations with Bartholomew. “Golden is the inheritance left to us by Patriarch Athenagoras and Chiara, the protagonists and initiators of the ‘dialogue of Love,’ great creators of the dialogue of the people (…) initiators of the new ecumenical Era; they taught peoples, giving them courage, strength, patience, fidelity, willingness, love and unity” (Metropolitan Gennadios Zervos).
After the rise of interest in The Day of Five Billion on July 11, 1987, the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to continue the project to increase awareness regarding the connections between population size, environment and human development. World Population Day was celebrated for the first time on July 11, 1990 in over 90 countries.
“My country, Lebanon, was under Syrian control for many years. This is why serious tensions developed between the two countries. And it only got worse when a large number of Syrian refugees arrived: almost two million people. Compared to our 4.5 million inhabitants, it was almost half the population. “When the war began in Syria, some families from the Focolare community in Aleppo came to Lebanon to get away from the war for a while. After that, when the situation worsened in their country, they were no longer able to go back to their homeland and were taken in at a Focolare center. Within that hostile atmosphere, helping them was a decisive choice that went against everything. It meant that we had to make an effort to erase all the prejudices that the Lebanese have about Syrians. “We wanted to give witness to peace and love between us. We started by visiting them, building strong bonds with them. Parents, teens and kids – we all lent a hand so that these families wouldn’t feel alone in such difficult times. We spent the days together, organizing evenings and trying to lighten their load, listen and understand them. “While we could not resolve the problem between countries, we could at least build an oasis of peace around them. They didn’t have anything, having had to leave their country without bringing their things or clothes. We put what we had in common, collecting clothes in particular. These we offered them sensitively, since it was not easy for them to accept material help. “Their living conditions were hard. They were unemployed, in enemy territory, and often hoping to hear news about relatives or friends. We young people went to the beach together to try to ease the tense atmosphere. We started hanging out a lot, spending a lot of time together. We read the Word of Life so we could share our life experiences. We started to feel like we were part of the same family. “A year later, these families had to look for someplace to live. They were stressed and had a lot of financial difficulties. Yet together we believed in God’s providence. Searching with them for houses and work, we were quite aware of the difficulties we would face. We went into houses searching for somewhere for ‘our Syrian friends’ to stay, and we would get harsh reactions. For example, the apartment owners would charge extremely high prices in order to turn them away. “On their last day before leaving the center, one family still had not found a house or furniture. One of us reminded everyone that we had to have faith that God would intervene. To our great joy, the next day we found a house that didn’t cost anything, and someone else who was moving gave us their furniture, too. We also found schools for their children that cost very little. We started a French school with a group of teachers, which allowed the Syrian children to start school. “Now these families have left Lebanon and moved to Canada, Belgium or Holland. They wrote us to say that they felt so supported and at home in Lebanon. One family said, ‘Without the support of the Lebanese families, we would never have been able to start all over again so easily.’“When they departed, they left what they had for other families who would come after them. Now we have three residences available that we use to help Syrian and Iraqi families who are in Lebanon before emigrating. We try to be always available to love them and safeguard these relationships of peace.”
I have found you in so many places, Lord! I have felt you throbbing in the perfect stillness of a little Alpine church, in the shadow of the tabernacle of an empty cathedral, in the breathing as one soul of a crowd who loves you and who fills the arches of your church with songs and love. I have found you in joy. I have spoken to you beyond the starry firmament, when in the evening, in silence, I was returning home from work. I seek you and often I find you. But where I always find you is in suffering. A suffering, any sort of suffering, is like the sound of a bell that summons God’s bride to prayer. When the shadow of the cross appears the soul recollects itself in the tabernacle of its heart and forgetting the tinkling of the bell it “sees” you and speaks to you. It is you who come to visit me. It is I who answer you: “Here I am, Lord, I desire you, I have desired you.” And in this meeting my soul does not feel its suffering, but is as if inebriated with your love: suffused with you, imbued with you: I in you and you in me, that we may be one. And then I reopen my eyes to life, to the life less real, divinely drilled to wage your war. Chiara LubichEssential Writings New City Press 2007 p. 91
After a violent 12-year civil war, Burundi is currently undergoing a political crisis that has generated great divisions among the institutions and citizens. There have been numerous demonstrations against the government and many young people were arrested. Homicides and abductions followed and many left their own villages and even the country. The gen, the youth of the Focolare, undertook to “live for their own people”, recognising in every difficulty of the suffering person, the countenance of Jesus crucified and forsaken, to love him concretely. “We went to help the many wounded- recounted Lewis – during one of the visits to a hospital in the capital we washed the clothes of the sick and shared our meals with some of them. We visited the children of an orphanage, and played and shared the afternoon with them, trying to make them happy. We took the occasion to give a hand also in the cleaning.” Many of the gen who are university students organised a “Peace conference, at the Burundi University, with the participation of many. “The hall which was full, confirmed how people really aspire for peace. Our musical group called the “Smiling Gen” performed, and was greatly applauded by all. Particularly the song “I Believe” (see the video) composed by them, encouraged our country’s youth to go against the current, and become aware of the suffering of others, with the invitation to do their share in changing the world. When we shot the video clip, we had to make an effort to go beyond the adverse situations around us and believe that despite all, peace is really possible.” To make their commitment more visible and effective, together with the local focolare community, the youths gave rise to the “Project for Peace in Burundi”which includes a series of initiatives in favour of peace and reconciliation: «Through theme conferences, radio programs, charity events, art, poetry and song contests, and a grand closing event, all, of which were diffused by the social media, we try to involve as many people as possible to join us in building peace in our country.” https://youtu.be/Q2fobgsqI7c
This past March 25th was the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which gave rise in concrete terms to the “community of peoples” which Robert Schuman had already so clearly envisaged. In fact, on the 7th May 1950, he had suggested to Konrad Adenauer a “solidarity in coal and steel production”, which would make any form of war impossible between France, Germany and other countries that would have joined. It was an extraordinary step to reconcile peoples shattered by the most terrible conflict ever experienced.Europe had been devastated and over 35 million people had died. There was not only physical destruction but social, political and moral destruction too. There was absence of law, public order and public services. At the time, it would already have been an achievement to secure borders and maintain the peace agreements. How, then, could they imagine such a deep healing of wounds as to bring together many opposing peoples into one European people? Who inspired Schuman, Adenauer, De Gasperi and others? We would like to believe that God gave the ideas and the strength for Europe. God had shown his love for people to the point of dying a terrible and shameful death for them. He had identified himself with all the pain of humanity, including those resulting from violence and wars. Today too, God urges peoples to be reconciled and become a single universal family. The founders of Europe had their own experience. They did not allow themselves to be crushed by the absurdity of evil, by inhuman dictatorships, by conflict and the Shoah. Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, spoke of the culture that arises from profound reconciliation: “…every person can give his or her particular contribution in each field, whether it is in science, the arts, politics, communications or other areas. Each will be more effective if he or she works together with others united in the name of Christ. It is the incarnation that continues, the complete incarnation that encompasses all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ. This gives rise to and extends what we could call the “culture of Resurrection” in the world: the culture of the Risen Lord, of the new Person and in Him, of a new humanity.[1] If this was to some extent the adventure of Europe’s founders, we can – and I would say we must – aspire to continue their work. All of us are called to this. The unity of European peoples is a path to be followed simultaneously in the fields of education, culture and spirituality; and also in politics, economics, social structures and communications. Here, therefore, are some further steps that could be taken: First, we Christians are asked not only to be reconciled but also to pursue a path of shared witness, one that has recently seen historic meetings at Lund, Sweden; in Lesbos, Greece; in Cuba. All of us have the task to enable steps towards full and visible communion, knowing how decisive this will be for the unity of Europe and to better serve humanity. We also want to extend our vision to the whole of Europe – from the Atlantic to the Urals – and this means mutual recognition of values and contexts that allow collaboration between North and South, East and West. Wars, totalitarian regimes and injustices have left wounds that need healing. If we truly want to build European unity, we must be able to recognise that what we are today is the outcome of a shared history and a European destiny that we must fully own. If, then, as a result, relationships can be renewed between the European Union and European countries that are not part of the Union, this would already be an important step ahead for peace, especially in the Middle East. In Europe, there is a great need for citizens to be fully engaged in the life of their cities and of the whole continent. This means, in other words, giving new life to democracy, which began in Europe but today needs a new dimension, one that is more incisive, more engaging, more suited to our times. Furthermore, in a European context that is both multicultural and multifaith there is great need for a new capacity for dialogue. Dialogue can be founded on the “Golden Rule” which says, “Treat others as you would have them treat you”[2] (Cf Lk 6:31), a rule shared by the world’s major religions and accepted by those who do not have religious beliefs. Additionally, it will be necessary to review and apply the motto chosen for the European Union “unity and diversity” also at the level of institutions. It would be a gift for peoples in other continents who are seeking ways to unite. The founding fathers never envisaged Europe as closed in on itself, but instead they saw it open to the unity of the entire human family. It is particularly meaningful to be able to reaffirm this here in Malta, the southernmost European state, set by its very vocation, food and language, in the Mediterranean. From being a watery graveyard this sea must become once more “Mare nostrum” for a united Europe, Africa and Middle East. Many ongoing international crises give us a clear picture of the long road ahead in order truly to reach this goal. Chiara Lubich also said, “What is needed, then, is patient study, what is needed is wisdom. Above all, we mustn’t forget that ‘Someone’ is following our history, Someone who desires – if we collaborate in good will – to fulfil His plan of love for our continent and for the entire world.”[3] We can conclude that it is certainly worthwhile spending our whole lives for such a high goal. My wish is that this Forum may contribute to establishing: “Europe – a family of peoples” which, according to Pope Francis, is “A Europe capable of giving birth to a new humanism based on three capacities: the capacity to integrate, the capacity for dialogue and the capacity to generate.”[4] Maria Voce President of the Focolare Movement Malta – St John’s Cathedral, 7 May 2017 ____________________________________________ [1] Chiara Lubich, 23rd September 2006, “Jesus Forsaken and the Collective and Cultural Night”, to the Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops. [2] Lk 6:31 Do to others as you would have them to do you”. [3] Chiara Lubich to the European Movement in Spain, Madrid, 3rd December 2002. [4] Address of Pope Francis, Conferral of the Charlemagne Prize, 6th May 2016.
People travel for various reasons: curiosity, thirst for knowledge, spirit of adventure, or in search of oneself. This was not so forGianni Ricci who has indeed travelled far and wide and who is the co-author with Delfina Ducci, of an unedited book published by New City, The long journey tto “making yourself one.” He “lived on the road” so to say, with aim of bringing solace to humanity’s infinite forms of suffering. Born in Ripalta Cremasca, in northern Italy, in a simple but dignified family, he was raised with authentic Christian values. At the age of 20 he met Chiara Lubich’s spirituality of unity which revolutionised his idea of Christian life, so much so that he made the Focolare way of life his very own. In 1964 he left for Loppiano (Florence, Italy), the newly born town of the Movement, to which he faithfully dedicated twenty years of his life. After Loppiano, he accepted God’s will which led him first to Turkey, where he helped the newborn community to grow, then to the Lebanon, the Holy Land, Algiers, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia and Morocco. “How many sudden changes I underwent! I am now in Turkey. There is nothing that can stop me from reaching sanctity. There is so much to do here,” he said. Gianni Ricci, the soulful globe trotter, took note of all he encountered, sometimes foregoing the difficulties, especially in relating with such diverse peoples. Though he saw the tragedy of the wars that caused deep wounds in the population, smothering hopes in a possible future stability and peace, he did not seek solutions or possible solutions in history books. He simply lived alongside the people he met, with a free and open heart towards an “infinite” humanity, that speaks the same language of the heart and of suffering. «At the end of January 1986, with Aletta (focolarina of the early times) he travelled from Istanbul to Ankara and from there to Beirut, in Lebanon. The airport was half-destroyed by bombs! Lebanon was devastated by civil war (…). The check points were severe, the authorities suspected everyone and everything. Each check point was guarded by different factions. After eight days, Gianni left again for Istanbul. Along the 120 km that separated Beirut from the confines with Syria, they had to pass through 13 check points. At the first one they risked their lives. He stopped in front of a guardhouse where a soldier armed to his teeth asked to see his documents. He showed them and was able to leave. After a few steps a boy warned him to go back, making him note that the guard was pointing his gun on him and had not given the order to proceed. He didn’t press the trigger, thanks to Allah,” he said.It is not a political narration, but solely a “humane” one. The humanity he speaks about has no colour, language, passports, confines, laws or customs. In every place he was assigned to, Gianni undertook to nurture the relationships with the local Churches, Islam, the Hebrew world, with the aim of sustaining all the people he met, to defeat the fear and uncertainty of the future, the tensions provoked by war. A chain of memories in a perspective of unity – this is the “logic” that still drives Gianni, a stupefied observer of God’s works. The citations were taken from “The Long Journey to “making yourself one.” Experiences in the Middle East, Città Nuova, 2016.
Every life bears hope within. Even in the dark tunnel of addiction a light can still shine. In 1983 in the city of Guaratinguetá, in the State of Sao Paolo (Brazil), Nelson Giovanelli, encouraged by Fr. Han Stepel, a German Franciscan friar, approached a group of drug addicts. The young Nelson won their trust and one of them, Antonio Eleuterio, asked him for help to be able to get out of the drug ring. Those were the first steps of the big Fazenda da Esperança family. In 1989, Iraci Leite and Lucilene Rosendo, two girls of the same parish, following Nelson’s example, left everything to dedicate themselves totally to this new mission. In 2007 Pope Benedict XVI visited the Pedrinhas community in Brazil, at the Aparecida shrine. Since then the Fazenda da Esperança’s mission has spread worldwide. The operators of the current 118 Fazendas diffused in 17 nations are volunteers, often with a background of drug and alcohol addiction, and who, after rehabilitation, felt God’s calling to become in turn, harbingers of hope for those who have plunged into the same dark pit. In the first days of May 2017, 60 volunteers of various Fazendas of the world went to Assisi, the city of St. Francis and St. Claire, and to Loppiano (Italy), to start a new “hope mission” through the roads of Europe. For two weeks, they were accompanied also by the international band, Gen Rosso.Germany, end of May. Some members of the band recount: “every morning, a caravan of cars and minibuses set out for a new destination, within an area of 400 kilometres: schools, communities, groups, and jailhouses. The boys and girls of the Fazenda share their past experiences, triggering and answering the question they are posed. Above all they light up hope: if they were able to make it, why can’t I do the same? These are stories of drugs, desperation, solitude, fear, crime, and jails. When the darkness becomes absolute, a light shines out: God loves me, just as I am, in the conditions I have reduced myself to. What do they hold on to, in order to be reborn? It is to the “Word of life,” and mutual love, the daily nutriment to get up on one’s feet and start again. An explosive message which flies to the sound of words, and also to the rhythm of music and dance steps, increasingly involving all. At first, all this generates simple curiosity and moments of doubt. Then the uncertainty melts away and smiles appear on the faces of many of the youths, up to when a heartfelt exchange of ideas occurs. Also today, the message of hope has pierced the hearts of many.” The tour Every Life Has Hope has travelled kilometres across various cities and regions, testifying to the presence of God in society today, and the chance for all, nobody excluded, to start again. In the jail of Bielefeld, the “caravan” encountered a hundred prisoners, and in Arnsberg, in north Germany, the members of the Shalom movement On Pentecost day in Koln, there was a stopover in a parish community, and in the afternoon, a meeting with the Caritas was held. Invited by the Auxiliary Bishop, the band sang the mass in the Cathedral, offering the song “I was there,” composed specifically for that occasion. In Gut Hange there were celebrations for the first five years of the opening of a women’s Fazenda. Furthermore, there were visits to homes for wayward tramps and terminally ill people, and meetings with students and drug addicts hosted in a public structure, with a congregation of nuns who dedicate their lives to accommodating girls with serious problems. The tour also made a stopover in Belgium at the community in Peer, a town that will soon open a new Fazenda. After two intense and joyful weeks, the Fazenda group will proceed to Berlin and Poland, while Gen Rosso will return to Loppiano to prepare for their next tour with the musical “Campus” in Apulia (southern Italy), where there will be the inauguration of a new Fazenda. Once again, together, they will light up new hope.
How many times must we forgive? “Three years ago my elder brother came to the house and offended my wife while I was away at work, When I returned home I got very angry, but together, we decided not to react. We then discovered that his daughter, who at that time, was living with us, returned to her house saying that she had to prepare lunch by herself. Besides, to our great surprise, my brother started to recount to the other people in our community that we had insulted him and that he would have forgiven us only if we asked his pardon. At this point this was just too much for us and for a year we no longer spoke to each other. One day I remembered that Jesus had taught us to forgive seventy times seven, in whatever situation we would encounter and even pray for our enemies. So, on the last day of the year, I organised a meeting of reconciliation, in the presence of all the enlarged family. . I was the first to speak, I told the members of the family that we were not there to give long speeches, or to judge one another, but simply to ask my elder brother’s forgiveness and that we were sorry for having offended him. Then I got up and knelt in front of him, in a gesture of humility and goodness of heart, two Christian virtues. The members of the family, including my brother, were so surprised and taken aback by this gesture, and none of them dared to speak. After a few minutes he told me that he had forgiven me. We returned home happy and serene for having re-established peace among our families. (Christopher and Perpetua Idu – Africa) Pearl of great price I was living through a really hard marriage. My husband developed an alcohol addiction due to having served in the Army. Shortly after coming back to England and eating fairly normally again, he developed a duodenal ulcer, which gave him appalling abdominal pain and appeared to be incurable. It was then that he discovered alcohol as an effective pain killer. I lived through this horrific time with him. I only speak of all this because I need to describe how I found myself physically and mentally at the end of my tether. I spoke with various doctors and professionals but they were unable to help either him or me. I hadn’t yet discovered Alcoholics Anonymous. A year or so later we met the Focolare Movement. At the event I ended up writing to someone in the Focolare community that I really respected and trusted. I told him about the impossibility of our lives. His response was: “Thank you for sharing with me your ‘pearl of great price’..”’ I was aghast. How could all the huge difficulties that I had described to him be called my ‘pearl of great price’? It took me years to begin to understand how to turn suffering into love, to ‘let go’ of everything I thought was necessary in order to be accepted socially; to make things tidy and whitewashed. To be honest, to be able to say my ‘yes’ rather than ‘no’. I began to understand the innumerable things that make up one’s ego! Now in my old age I am beginning to discover or rather I have a ‘murmur’ of what it is to experience what ‘melt down’ means. It’s an absolute surrender, allowing God to wrap me in his arms and to let him do all the work. Before he died, my husband had a direct experience of Jesus’ love and never drank again. Also I was released from depression. All this has taken years, most of my life really. But it certainly was and is my ‘pearl of great price’ – truly. Source: New City (London)
“Contemplating the immensity of the universe, the extraordinary beauty and power of nature, my mind rose spontaneously to the Creator of it all, to a new sort of understanding of the immensity of God. It made a new and strong impression on me; I felt like falling on my knees to adore, praise, and glorify God. I felt a great need of this, as if it were my actual vocation. 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 that he is so great, so great, so great, that it seemed impossible that he thinks of us. This impression of God’s immensity stayed in my heart for several days. Now, saying, “Hallowed be thy name,” or “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,” is different for me: it has become a need of the heart. (Rocca di Papa, 22.1.87) “… Contemplating perhaps an endless stretch of sea, a high mountain range, an impressive glacier or the night sky dotted with stars. What majesty! The immensity of it! And through the dazzling splendour of nature, we would find our way to its author: God, the King of the universe, the Lord of the galaxies, the Infinite. … He is everywhere: beneath the sparkle of a glittering stream, within the blossoming of a flower, in a bright dawn or a red sunset, on a snow-covered peak. Nature is rarely preserved in our concrete cities, built by human hands in the midst of the noise of the world. Yet, if we want, a glimpse of blue sky between the skyscraper peaks is enough to remind us of God; a ray of sunlight, which does not fail to pierce even through the bars of a prison, is enough; a flower is enough, a meadow, a child’s face. … This will help us go back into the midst of humanity, which is where we belong, strengthened, as Jesus certainly was when having prayed all night to the Father on the mountainside under the starry sky, he went back among people to do good. (Mollens, 22.9.88) From Chiara Lubich – “Cercando le cose di lassù” [Seeking the things that are above]– Città Nuova Editrice, Roma 1992, pagg. 5 – 111,112.
Ecumenism is important for peace. Can you explain why and how? “Ecumenism is important for peace because ecumenism is unity. Unity is peace. Unity means being one heart and one soul. It means loving. It means sharing belongings, sorrows, joys. This is what generates peace. What is peace? Peace is not the absence of bombardments. It’s not just a signed truce. This is not what peace is all about. Peace is the unity of hearts. Ecumenism serves to build and to spread this union of hearts and therefore it serves peace; it takes peace ahead. When Christians show they are united, they certainly have more impact. Together they can embark on peace initiatives, especially since peace is continually threatened. They can help put into practice the sharing of goods in the world, give help to those who flee from war-torn countries in search of a better life, show welcome. But they can only help if they are united. And if they are united, they can instigate the necessary steps for the realization of peace filled.” What contribution does Pope Francis give to the ecumenical movement and what kind of style is he communicating to the Churches? “I saw his commitment the very first moment he appeared on the balcony when he presented himself to the world as the Bishop of Rome. It was the Pope’s first contribution to the ecumenical journey of the Churches. His is an ongoing commitment; this is evident in his desire to reform the Church by leading it towards greater collegiality and participation, both of the pastors and of the faithful, as well as in engendering mutual humility and acknowledgment of the past errors. It’s a process that goes in the direction of the ecumenical journey.” The participants at the Ecumenical Week 2017 attended the General Audience at the Vatican, during which Pope Francis spoke of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as a the one who remained alongside her son throughout his Passion. Is Mary a model of the ecumenical journey? “I would say ‘yes’, because Mary is a mother; she was the Mother of God and Mother of Jesus and, therefore, mother of all human beings. And surely a mother wants to see her children united. She tries her best to bring her children together, to help them recognize that God had come down from heaven for them. She wants them to love one another, not to quarrel or speak badly about each other; she helps them find new ways to understand each other. Mary gives us a hand in this. And then I believe that Mary helps us to remain standing underneath the cross, through the example of her own desolation. It seems to me that there, underneath the cross, she herself lost her greatest treasure and she wants to teach us to lose something too, to lose the richness which every Church has in order to embrace the richness of all the others. If Mary was able to lose her Son, the we can lose an idea, the recollection of past wounds, which we still carry within us, in order to be builders of unity.” Interview by M. Chiara Biagioni – Source: S.I.RSee Part 1
“The Revolution of the Gospel. A return to the Gospel and the Life of the Gospel in the World.” The putting into practice of the Word of God today as the early Christians did, contains therein the ecumenical journey that began 50 years ago by Chiara Lubich and taken ahead by the Focolare Movement all over the world. It is a journey in which Christians of all Churches fully partake in as seeds of peace in a world wounded by wars and divisions. Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement spoke about this recently. We met her at a press conference with journalists of various newspapers, at the end of the 59th Ecumenical Week, which took place at the international Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo during 11-13 May. The hall was jam packed. There were about 700 Christians belonging to 69 Churches and ecclesial communities, from 40 countries around the world. The translation booths were in full swing with 17 different language interpreters. The participants were of all ages and races, and the clothes they wore showed their different backgrounds and affiliations. A highlight of the Ecumenical Week was the recital of the prayer for unity in the Catacombs of St Sebastian in Rome, in the very place where the first Christians and martyrs used to meet. Here, they made the so-called ‘Pact of Mutual Love’ through the exchange of the sign of peace, asking forgiveness for the harm inflicted in the past and so that “renewed by love, we take this witness lived between us to our communities in our countries, and in our society”. “We have built so much together,” commented Maria Voce. “Now it is about accelerating the pace, so that communion is full and visible. We need to go forward.” The world yearns for universal brotherhood as never before. Do you think it is possible? Is it possible in this century?“I know it’s possible, though I can be sure it will happen in this century. One thing is certain that we will reach this goal, because it is God’s wish. God wants the whole human family to be a family of brothers and sisters. And if God wants it, then this plan of unity for humankind will be fulfilled. Perhaps it won’t succeed in this century. But what’s important is that that we take the steps that God asks of us today, and today God asks us to work in this direction and as Christians to at least recognize each other as brothers and sisters. In the ecumenical world, one perceives the suffering of Christians belonging to different Churches of not being able to participate in the same Eucharistic celebration. How do you respond? “It’s undoubtedly a suffering for everything. However, we believe that the presence of Jesus in the world is not limited to a Eucharistic presence. Jesus is present in the world in so many ways. He is present with his love; he is present in the people around us because we recognise Jesus in every neighbour; he is present in the poor, in those who guide us in the Church’s magisterium, and in the various Churches and institutions. We, as the Focolare Movement, feel that two things are particularly important. The first is that suffering is the presence of Jesus in the world. Jesus has taken upon himself all the sufferings of humanity, and hence the pain of division. It is a suffering that Jesus himself endured when he was crucified and abandoned. The second thing, which is of utmost importance, is contained in the words of Jesus: “Where two or more are gathered in my name …”. He did not say gathered in the Eucharist, but rather he said “in my name”. And what does it mean to be united in the name of Jesus? It means to be united in reciprocal love which he brought on earth. So where two or more are united in his name, there is his presence. This presence of Jesus in the world is in a way proof that we already live a true communion, and therefore we could also say: “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” While it’s not possible to receive the Eucharist together, we can’t but receive the love of God, we can’t but live this love among us in the hope that one day we can arrive to that full communion which will be added to the communion that we already live.” (to be continued) Interview by M. Chiara Biagioni – Source: S.I.RSee Part 2
The official magazine of the Focolare Movement in the US, Living City, has won 5 awards by the Catholic Press Association of North America. First place was awarded for “Best coverage of ecumenical/interfaith issues” for the articles “Growing together”, “Start bridge-building now”, and “A compass to guide our way”, by Sarah Mundell, Susanne Janssen, David Shaheed and Jordan Denari. “Fantastic pieces that tell compelling stories while making a statement on the larger issue of building bridges with those of other faiths,” the judges commented. “The authors do an excellent job of creating articles that spur readers to think deeply and open their hearts.” Third place was given in the category “General excellence — National General Interest magazine.” In the category “Best interview”, Susanne Janssen’s interview with Andreas Widmer, Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at The Catholic University of America, entitled “What is work all about?” received an Honorable Mention. And in the category “Best essay”, both Amy Uelmen’s article “Listening beyond the echo chamber” and “Even being ‘anti’ can open up dialogue” by Sarah Mundell, earned Honorable Mentions. The judges wrote, “The issues are filled with pithy, interesting stories that offer depth, insight and variety.”
June 1967: It was precisely fifty years ago that Israel occupied the Palestinian Territories. Ever since then, there has been a succession of violent encounters and many deaths. Nevertheless, many continue to work at building a peaceful future. Among them is Margaret Karram, already a member of the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue from the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, and collaborator in the direction of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI). Since 2014 she has been working at the Focolare International Centre in Italy. Margaret K.: “I was born in Haifa, a city in Galilee, and my land has always been under conflicts, battles, and the domination of several peoples. Our home is on Mt Carmel, in a Jewish quarter. We were the only Catholic Christian Arab family orginially from Palestine. I remember when I was small, maybe six years old, some children began to insult me heavily saying that I was Arab and couldn’t stay in that quarter. I ran to my mother in tears, asking the reason why. In response, my mother told me to invite those children over to our house. She had baked some Arab bread and gave it to them to take to their families. From such small gestures we began to make contact with our Jewish neighbours who wanted to know the woman that had performed such a gesture. This taught me that even a small act of love towards a neighbour is capable of overcoming a mountain of hatered.” Margaret’s story continues with a description of memories and events that bear witness to the difficulties she had to face. Arab, Catholic Christian, Margaret is an Israeli citizen. Like other Christians many of her relatives had to flee to Lebanon during the war years. So she never got to know much of her family, because her father decided to stay with the grandparents. She felt a growing desire to build bridges of brotherhood. “I dreamed about peace from the time I was small. I often used to go to the Arab quarters in Jerusalem, Bethlehem or in other Palistinian territories. Arab was spoken – which is my first language – the people could tell from my accent that I came from Galilee which is Israel territory. Likewise, if I spoke in Hebrew they made me notice that my accent was different from theirs. I had a sense of confusion about my identity: I was neither Palistinian nor Israeli… At age 15 I got to know the Focolare Movement, and the spirituality of Chiara Lubich gave me wings to fly. I felt that I didn’t have to change people, but change me, my heart. I went back to believing that other people were a gift for me and that I could be a gift for them. Living in Jerusalem I was often tempted to get discouraged, especially during the Palestinian uprising. We had some very bad moments in the city: many times the attacks happened in public places, even on the bus I took every day to work. I was frightened. I carried on because I had a community I could share the Focolare spirituality with. And I finally found my true self as a Christian, Catholic, witness to hope. It was an important step which freed me from the fears and uncertainties. I could love everyone, Arab and Israeli, assisting at small miracles, seeing Jews and Muslims change attitude and start to build peace.” Obviously, there are a lot of projects. Many organizations work for peace through art, education, social action… Many people like her try to enkindle the light that can illuminate the darkness with glimmers of heaven. In June 2014, Margaret was invited to be part of the Christian delegation at the prayer invocation for peace with Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, Shimon Peres who was the president of Israel at the time and Abu Mazen, president of Palestine. “Right after that meeting there was war on the Garza Strip. The Pope’s invitation to the two Heads of State to work for peace between their people seemed in vain. But it was a historic event, an important step. I perceived the power of prayer and understood that human hearts can only be changed by God. We should continue to invoke peace from God. Like the olive trees we planted that day, that peace might take root and let us see the fruits.” Video (Italian)
Joseph Absi, Patriarchal Vicar of Damascus, has been elected to guide the Greek Catholic Church. The new Patriarch, who succeeds 85 year-old Gregory III Laham, studied theology in France and Lebanon. He earned a licenciate in philosophy at the Lebanese State University and a PhD in music at the Pontifical University of Kaslik. Archbishop Absi belongs to the Missionary Society of Saint Paul (Paulist Fathers). He has been a priest since 1973 and Superior General since 1999. He was ordained a bishop in 2001 and was president of the Syrian Caritas, promoting more than 40 projects in Damascus, Aleppo and Hassaké with the help of collaborators. One topic that is particulary dear to the new Melkite Patriarch is the unity among Catholic Eastern Churches.
After the arrival of the “Pilgrim Cross” where the World Youth Jubilee 2019 will be held, Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., launched the initiative in which, on the 22nd day of each month “prayers will be said together” for this important event. The prayer of last 22 June was entrusted to the local Focolare communities. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Archbishop placed the “Pilgrim Cross” in the hands of the Focolare young people along with the icon of Our Lady. “It was beautiful to receive and carry the Cross of the World Youth Jubilee,” the young people wrote, “and we took the opportunity to tell the Archbishop that he could count on us; and he answered: “I do count on you. It was a celebration of the family of the Church!”
iving from Manila 60 km away, your first sensation as you come upon the region of Lake Taal on the island of Luzon is one of deep peace. Visitors are enchanted by such a unique sight: a lake whose waters have filled an ancient caldera with an island in its midst. That island, in turn, which is set in a more recent crater, has another much smaller lake. And at the centre of that small water mirror sits another island. It has that Russian doll effect with one lake contained inside the other. From the top of the volcano the view extends over green hills of fields and forests, pineapple, coffee and endless varieties of banana plantations and tropical flowers. 
Ever since 1982 visitors have had the same sensation among the streets and buildings of
Francesco was a rugged sportsman, especially on his bike. Every day he would ride several kilometres over the tortuous and picturesque paths of the Roman hills, to help keep in shape. He looks young, but it’s already been quite a few years since he decided to give his life to loving God in the neighbours he meets each day – but also in the hard times in his own life as well as in the lives of others. A few days ago, during one of his usual workouts, his bike hit a rock and the steering wheel broke, catapulting him into the air. The landing wasn’t gentle . . . and the first to hit the hard asphalt was his neck, resulting in damage to the C2 vertebrae. In a single second the whole panorama changed: from intense physical training to immobility on a hospital bed, inside an iron “cage” from the neck up, kept in place with screws pressing against the skull. . . That’s also why it was important to him to stay in shape. The apparatus is meant to impede movement and hopefully lead to the soldering of the injured vertebrae. He sends a phone message from his hospital bed: “C2 Vertebrae, you barged in on my day and changed everything. I didn’t even know you were there and, if you were, where? Then came that abrupt landing on the asphalt and amidst all the broken parts you were the one everybody was worried about. You had the power to cause my death, or to render me immobile in a wheelchair. It was enough for you to allow the axis vertebrae to break … that piece of bone which makes it possible for me to move my head. Let’s hope that after this blow, I won’t have to change my vision of the world and that with the help of this futuristic device you will be able to go back to being the fulcrum of all that moves. Big C2, I’m trying to rebuild my relationship with you, not only out of self interest, but to know the amazing things of which we are made. Every little piece matters! May these moments help me to discover how valuable everything is in me, all of it the fruit of Your love.” Francesco (Italy)
Ever since I began my experience in the 
Currently, through Father Joachim from Myanmar, we are helping 200 people who are outside official refugee camps, undocumented and often without food. As Pope Francis puts it, we are experiencing what it means to “touch the flesh of Christ,” one of the many faces of 
The projects in 
Giving all children and teenagers the education they need, to restore their dignity and allow them to build their own futures. This is the commitment of the many activities carried out by 
“Every life has hope.” This is the recurring theme of
Our adrenaline was really pumping just as we got on stage to give the best of ourselves, while fear and worry seemed to disappear as we encouraged each another. Several said: “We felt a strength from above that was supporting us and instilling faith in ourselves.” “The thing I learned was never to stop during the show because of a mistake: this made me think a lot. I’ll carry this into my daily life, always continuing on in spite of the failures.” 
It’s been 20 years since the honorary doctorate, and the Focolare community in Mexico organized three events in memory of her message and to fulfill it: the philosophy of being, the Church as communion, and inculturation. June 29, 2017: “The face of God as communion” was the title of the symposium held at the Pontifical University of Mexico. Msgr Piero Coda, Dean of the 
hese two reflections urged those present, mostly priests and men and women religious, towards pastoral work that shows a Church that is merciful, synodal, humble and open. “What surfaced,” affirmed Msgr Coda, “is the need to maintain an open dialogue with the vibrant strength that is in the Mexican church, to enthusiastically take up the challenge of pastoral change as advocated by Pope Francis. This encourages efforts by the laity at a cultural and societal level, working closely with young people, and the work of synods in the Church, where charisms can give their contribution.” June 30, 2017: Welcoming everyone to the hall at La Salle University in Mexico City, Dr Enrique Alejandro González Alvarez, dean of the university, explained the importance of the honoris causa doctorate conferred on Chiara Lubich in 1997. “Through her acceptance, it was she who honored the university,” he said, pointing to the profound harmony between the charism of unity and that of La Salle. “The University identifies with the Focolare Movement, because we work as allies to bring the kingdom of God here on earth, which without a doubt was Chiara’s primary mission,” Alvarez said. “May we continue to tighten the bonds that unite us. This is not only Chiara Lubich’s home, but of all who carry on in her spirit, so that today she can continue to live through her followers.” For the occasion Msgr Coda conducted a conference on “Chiara Lubich’s contribution to a new philosophy of being.” “Chiara’s speech 20 years ago,” Coda said, “showed itself to be prophetic for Mexico, as a new search for meaning and light, and the need for a new cultural paradigm at the social and cultural level. So her talk gave direction and can be connected to the commitment of Sophia University Institute.” New contacts and plans to collaborate were established between Sophia University Institute, the Pontifical University of Mexico and La Salle University.
During the first school for married focolarini, 
heard on TV… I’m watching the news, continually being interrupted by appeals from the public utility commission. The last one just said: “Urgently needed pharmacy drug…” My God! I jot down the telephone number and call. They tell me that person in need is an elderly woman, that it’s really urgent and that she lives in the same city as me. I quickly contact the lady’s children, but in this moment the situation on the streets doesn’t allow me to go out. We agree to meet the next day, early in the morning, in fron of the community health centre. When we finally meet, the lady asks me: “How much does the medicine cost?” I asked for it from the United States, but they weren’t able to send it to me.” “Nothing, ma’am,” I answer. “Let’s pray together that peace quickly returns to Venezuela.” We don’t know each other but hug and say goodbye. There is more happiness in giving than in receiving My friend calls me: “Do you by any chance have this medicine? I can’t find it anywhere . . .” It happened to be just the medicine that a woman had donated to my parish. In that moment I had thought: “But will this be useful to anyone?” It’s a very specific medicine…” It was jus the one my friend needed, with the exact dosage information – and there were 50 pills! God knows what each person needs. The happiness was shared, but mine was greater. 
fty years have passed since that first quiet meeting which would produce unimagined openings between the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church and the Focolare Movement – 
This past March 25th was the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which gave rise in concrete terms to the “community of peoples” which Robert Schuman had already so clearly 
How many times must we forgive? “Three years ago my elder brother came to the house and offended my wife while I was away at work, When I returned home I got very angry, but together, we decided not to react. We then discovered that his daughter, who at that time, was living with us, returned to her house saying that she had to prepare lunch by herself. Besides, to our great surprise, my brother started to recount to the other people in our community that we had insulted him and that he would have forgiven us only if we asked his pardon. At this point this was just too much for us and for a year we no longer spoke to each other. One day I remembered that Jesus had taught us to forgive seventy times seven, in whatever situation we would encounter and even pray for our enemies. So, on the last day of the year, I organised a meeting of reconciliation, in the presence of all the enlarged family. . I was the first to speak, I told the members of the family that we were not there to give long speeches, or to judge one another, but simply to ask my elder brother’s forgiveness and that we were sorry for having offended him. Then I got up and knelt in front of him, in a gesture of humility and goodness of heart, two Christian virtues. The members of the family, including my brother, were so surprised and taken aback by this gesture, and none of them dared to speak. After a few minutes he told me that he had forgiven me. We returned home happy and serene for having re-established peace among our families. (Christopher and Perpetua Idu – 
