Living the Gospel: becoming instruments in the hands of God

Jan 26, 2023 | Non categorizzato

One of the greatest sufferings for human beings is to feel worthless when faced with the realities of life, to accept that at times we cannot do anything. To be an instrument in God’s hands means to make ourselves available, rediscover our own value in letting someone else do something, and learn the art of entrusting ourselves to others. A bit of prudence As head of a department in my company, one day I noticed that my typically peaceful colleague had an aggressive attitude. When I invited him to talk, he confided in me his problems with his wife, who had turned out to be violent to the point of laying hands on him. She continually demanded more and more money from him. This was what was behind his working overtime. Since then, my colleague started phoning me outside work when things were going badly, certain that he would find a listening ear. However, when I realised that I had become a kind of safe haven for him, I felt the need to talk to my husband about it, out of Christian prudence. After helping me to understand that for that man I might not just be a friend, but the ideal of a woman, my husband put forth an idea that turned out to be a winner. We invited over the colleague’s family using the excuse of a birthday. After trusting in God, and thanks to the atmosphere created by our children’s games and prizes, the relationship established with the other couple gave hope for a change in their situation. (G.T., Portugal) Goodbye bicycle For some time now I have had to put my beloved bicycle, my companion on so many journeys, to rest in the garage. The fact is that, because of my bifocals, I am now forced to walk. To be honest, it has cost me a bit personally. The bike was very useful, because I could put my shopping and other things in the basket, which I now have to carry by hand. Luckily I live in a small town where everything I need is close by. That said, I have discovered an advantage of going without two wheels, beyond that of avoiding falls, which are so disastrous when one has reached a certain age. Walking gives me the opportunity to meet many people, have a chat… and there is always something sad or joyful to share. In short, everything is an expression of God’s love, if we are willing to do his will. Better to try to go to heaven without a bicycle than to go faster… and where then? (Marianna, Italy)

Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta.

From “Il Vangelo del Giorno”, Città Nuova, year IX, no.1, January–February 2023

Ecumenical dialogue: all part of the same people

Jan 25, 2023 | Non categorizzato

As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity concludes, here’s an experience of synodality, dialogue and bonding with brothers from various churches in Bari, Italy. It was a step forward to get to know each other and to walk together. For some years my husband Giulio and I have been following ecumenical dialogue with other movements within our diocese and on behalf of the Focolare Movement. Some time ago we received a letter from Cardinal Kock, Prefect of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, and Cardinal Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, on the need to involve brothers and sisters of other churches at the synodal tables. These are moments in small groups, organised to articulate reflections and proposals on the way forward for our diocesan church, for the occasion of the synod launched in October 2021. I seized the opportunity and went to see Father Alfredo, our bishop’s delegate for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, inviting him to consider this proposal. Later he contacted me to invite me to participate in a course for table facilitators in the diocese, which was very interesting. The next step was to start visualising our meeting with our Christian brothers and sisters, and then gradually make it come to life. We looked for a suitable room and involved friends from other movements in the preparation. Each of them knew people from other churches, who in turn became facilitators themselves. We set the dates, and in the morning we went together with my family to prepare the room to make it welcoming. We set six tables with coloured tablecloths, posters, coloured markers, as well as chocolates, drinks, glasses, etc. We didn’t know how many people would come, so we wanted to make sure and put six chairs per table. In the early afternoon our guests arrived. In the end there were 38 people from 9 different churches, and we had to add 2 chairs. It was a wonderful experience. We entered as strangers and left as family, with the desire to get to know each other more so that we could pray together and live fraternal charity. There was great enthusiasm at the discovery of being able to be together, with the joy of being one people of God.

Rita and Giulio Seller

Great Britain: Filling up the cracks

Jan 24, 2023 | Non categorizzato

Building unity beyond age-old prejudices, distrust and rifts. Generating, day after day, a dialogue that has become a way of life. This is the daily life of the Focolare community in Great Britain, whose members belong to various Christian Churches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJWtzhL2tew&list=PL9YsVtizqrYsxCVExqFc_vvuzCKyNbr43&index=2  

Communion, a Mission

Jan 21, 2023 | Non categorizzato

On 19^th January, 2023, the first “Communion in Action, A Lifestyle of Sharing” Report of the Focolare Movement was presented at the “Focolare Meeting Point” premises in Rome. It is an overview of the activities and initiatives promoted by the Movement in the world in the two-year period 2020-2021. The first report of this kind published by the Focolare Movement was presented to an audience from the diplomatic, political and religious worlds and to journalists from the Italian media.

Margaret Karram

From left:: Dott.sa Geneviève Sanze, Prof. Luigino Bruni, Prof. Andrea Riccardi, Sr. Marilena Argentieri.

Carlos Mana

Watch the video of the presentation here https://youtu.be/HcJ5poGmq8A

“Walking together” builds the 2021-2024 Synod

Jan 20, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The continental stage of the Synod  has begun. The Focolare Movement contributed with a worldwide reflection and study. We interviewed Francisco Canzani, Councillor of the International Focolare Centre for the aspect of “wisdom and study” and Coordinator of the Synod Commission to learn more about this contribution. What is your assessment of the work done in the Focolare Movement for the Synod? Very positive. Over 15,000 members of the Movement participated in the first stage of our  synodal journey. They represent 520 communities around the world. We received 21 regional summaries that demonstrate the depth of reflection and the interest shown by Focolare in all cultures. Alongside this work within the Movement, which was in response to the Secretariat of the Synod, which specifically asked us for a contribution,  many members of the Movement took part in the processes in their dioceses and parishes. The involvement of people of different Christian Churches and of faithful of different religions in the process of reflection was particularly relevant.  We also received two important contributions from dialogue groups between Christians and people without religious convictions that the Movement hosts. How can this experience help us to acquire the practice of synodality within the Movement?

Synod path team Focolare Movement

Carlos Mana

Contribution of the Focolare Movement to the Secretariat of the Synod – Download PDF https://youtu.be/VMP7jQpoVC8

Chiara Luce: Solidarity Award

Jan 18, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The first annual prize of the Chiara Badano Foundation is underway Do you like helping others? Do you have an idea about a solidarity project and can’t wait to get going? Well, there’s an initiative in which you might be interested. On 29^th October, 2022, during the anniversary of the birth of Blessed Chiara Luce Badano, the Foundation that keeps her memory alive established the Solidarity Prize. It is an annual event to promote solidarity projects around the world. Since childhood, Chiara Luce demonstrated her passion for the most needy, the weakest, the marginalized of society, the elderly and in particular children. This is why the Chiara Badano Foundation decided to establish this award. The objective is to support and encourage projects to promote positive actions aimed at the weakest sections of the population (the elderly, people with disabilities, immigrants…) and actions aimed at combating exploitation and violence against women and children, new poverty and for the protection of the planet. Each year the prize will identify an innovative project of social importance, with the aim of disseminating its contents to make it available to everyone. The idea is to support the project with a financial contribution of 2,000 euro, to promote it through effective communication on social media and open it up to new forms of support. Organizations and groups, even informal ones, can apply for the prize. They should be composed mostly of young people under 30 years of age, who have a project that promotes and furthers the culture and practice of solidarity. The deadline for submission of projects (20^th January 2023) has been extended to 20^th February. For more info read the announcement. The Chiara Badano Foundation also promotes the Art Prize, an initiative to give young people the opportunity to express through artistic talents, how much Chiara Luce’s lifestyle has fascinated and inspired them. The call for tenders for the sixth edition will be launched in March 2023. www.chiarabadano.org

Lorenzo Russo

Living the Gospel: “Learn to do good, seek righteousness” (Is 1:17)

Jan 17, 2023 | Non categorizzato

Learning to do good means learning an alphabet that allows us to intuit the will of God in our lives and go towards other people. It is an alphabet made of concrete action. Justice is the precious treasure to be sought, the desired gem and the goal of what we do. The accident I was on my way home for lunch when the car in front of me swerved and turned over. I stopped and got out of the car to help. Thanks also to other rescuers, we were able to remove the injured an old lady, a young man and a child from the vehicle. They were covered in blood. For fear of being involved in the accident, no one offered to take them to the hospital. So it was up to me! I am very sensitive and sometimes the sight of blood has made me faint. But this time I took courage and was able to help. There is a fee to be paid to be admitted into the emergency department.  I didn’t have the amount in cash. I was hesitant to write a cheque but I could not abandon them so I did. After making sure that the injured were being looked after (like the Good Samaritan), I left. I felt light, like you do after sitting an exam: I had overcome the obstacle of my sensitivity but above all I had been of help to my neighbours at a crucial moment. I felt the true joy of the Gospel. (Marciano – Argentina) Rebirth The rebellious adolescence of one of our children, his depression, panic attacks, destructive friendships and addictions had caused a serious wound in our family. A river of anger and hostile feelings welled up inside me that made me act negatively towards my husband and other children. I felt I had failed as a mother and I became more and more closed in on myself. A dear friend, seeing me in such a state, advised me to talk to a priest. I received a grace in that very meeting. It was as if God broke through the thick walls of my heart where my tears were locked up. I cried for a long time, I cried for all the terrible things that happened to our son over the years. That day the liturgy contained a phrase from Ezekiel that confirmed my rebirth: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). I found peace in prayer and was able to be close to my children and become a safe place for them. (W.Z. – Poland) Forgiveness An acquaintance of mine received a message from her brother announcing the sudden death of his wife and begging her to go and see him. She had never been on good terms with her sister-in-law, especially since she had prevented her husband from visiting their mother on the verge of death. She even had some friends who told her that it was good not to go to a brother who had not behaved well with the whole family. The woman, in her very religious way, began to pray for her sister-in-law, to have Masses celebrated for her… but she did not move: she could not forgive her brother. How could I convince her of the incongruity of her Christianity? That month, the Word of Life was focussed on mutual love. I brought my acquaintance the leaflet with the commentary that explained how to live that evangelical commandment. A few days later, she came to my house smiling: she wanted to tell me that after she read the leaflet she had not been able to prevent herself, she had gone to see her brother and had reconciled with him. (D.P. – Brazil)

Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta

(Taken from The Gospel of the Day, New City, year IX – n.1- January-February 2023)

Lisbon 2023: a step towards World Youth Day

Jan 16, 2023 | Non categorizzato

To go towards others “with haste” like the Virgin Mary – this is the heart of the message of the next World Youth Day (WYD) which will take place in Lisbon 1–6 August. Here are some interesting facts about the preparations. “Dear young people, I dream that at WYD you will again experience the joy of encounter with God and with your brothers and sisters. After long periods of distance and isolation, in Lisbon – with God’s help – we will rediscover together the joy of the fraternal embrace between peoples and between generations, the embrace of reconciliation and peace, the embrace of a new missionary fraternity!” These were the hopes of Pope Francis at the Basilica of St John Lateran in Rome as he addressed young people from all over the world on 15 August 2022. On the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he explained the profound meaning of the theme chosen for the next World Youth Day: “Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39). In such difficult times, in which humanity, tried by the trauma of the pandemic, is torn by the drama of war, the Gospel episode of the Visitation is the path which so many young people will take from 1–6 August, as they will take part in the international meeting in Lisbon. It will be a moment of great joy and an opportunity to witness, meditate and share together in Mary’s footsteps. But how are the preparations going? Mariana Vaz Pato, a young designer from Lisbon, is part of a team from the Focolare Movement that is in charge of the organisation. “When I heard that WYD would be held in Portugal, I reacted to this news with great joy,” she says. “I immediately decided to be part of this team because I felt I could contribute, dedicate my time to building this great event.” Mariana, what is going on behind the scenes at the moment? Behind the scenes there is a lot going on, and generally there is a spirit of great enthusiasm. Right now, the main focus is on registrations, which have just opened, and we have to spread the word so as not to leave anyone out. My team has been working on different parts of the WYD programme. One of these is the preparation of a catechesis in the light of the charism of unity, and at this stage we are working on the content related to the WYD theme, following the guidelines of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. We are working on the creation of a stand in the City of Joy (a vocations fair), where pilgrims will find interactive content and experiences from around the world related to the various stages of Mary’s life. With the international performing arts group Gen Verde we are preparing another moment – the Start Now workshops – which will take place in a neighbourhood in a Lisbon suburb and will culminate in one of the stages of the youth festival. In addition to the main WYD programme, we feel the need to offer a post-WYD meeting, where participants can experience and reflect on everything they experienced during WYD. The meeting will take place at the Focolare’s Arco-Íris community and is open to all those who wish to participate. We are also involved in other groups to welcome pilgrims, manage volunteers and the official choir. What does it mean for a young person today to “arise” and leave in a hurry? The theme of this day calls us to go on mission, using Mary, who responded to God’s call, as an example. I think that for young people, “arising” means being missionaries. That is, to be ready to leave, get out of ourselves (from the comfort of sitting), go towards our neighbours, and not remain indifferent to the problems that exist around us. This WYD is also entrusted to some patron saints or witnesses of the faith, reference figures who have their processes still going on. Why is it so important today to aspire to holiness? I think that to aspire to holiness is to aspire to happiness. For young people it is important to have a role model, and saints are proof that it is possible to have a Christian lifestyle that is different from what we see around us. The figure that strikes me most, for example, is Blessed Chiara Badano. The way she lived, swimming against the current with great trust in God, is an inspiration and shows us that it is possible to become a saint even in today’s world. For more information visit: JMJ Lisboa 2023.

Maria Grazia Berretta

Luisetta, the teacher

Jan 12, 2023 | Non categorizzato

On 31st December 2022 Luisa Del Zanna, one of the first focolarine in Florence, left us. She was born in 1925 into a Christian family as one of eight children. When she got to know the spirituality of unity she immediately made it her own. In 1954 she joined the focolare in Florence. In the following years she saw the birth of and followed various communities of the Movement. From 1967 she lived in Rocca di Papa (Italy) where Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, had entrusted her with taking care of its secretariat, the archives, which she coordinated until 2007, and the nascent St Clare Centre (Centro Santa Chiara) for Communication, together with one of the first focolarini, Vitaliano Bulletti. “The guardian of the ‘treasures of the Focolare’” – we read in a article from 2008 in Città Nuova, “Luisetta, a name that caresses you, that makes you think of a delicate and gentle creature. And that really describes Luisa Del Zanna with her petite figure; one of those people who are usually entrusted with important tasks because of their discretion, competence and fidelity, whose value we don’t always realise because they remain behind the scenes, but without whom the cogs of the wheels would stop turning…”. In her early years, she worked as a schoolteacher in a small village in the mountains of northern Italy which she reached by taking part of the road on foot or on a donkey. It is her experience of that time that we are publishing here, keeping the original style of the year it was written, 1958. “Please, which is the road to Bordignano?[1]” After a four-hour bus journey, I had arrived at the principal municipality of that area which I had been unable to find on the topographical map (scale 1:100,000).  No information agency had heard of it, and there was no mention of it on the timetables for the various means of transport. Yet the appointment letter stated quite clearly: ‘Your ladyship is invited to take up service on Friday 7 October at Bordignano Primary School in the municipality of Firenzuola”. And the name was written in block letters.  There could be no mistake. The person to whom I had addressed the question – a tall, robust man – looked at me, puzzled: “What did you say?” and made me repeat the question. He thought he had misunderstood. Then he pointed into the distance: “You see that hill over there? Behind it are two others and then there’s Bordignano. I’m just going there now to deliver the post”. I realised immediately that he was going there on foot by the big boots he was wearing and his tanned face. I gasped in dismay for a moment. I looked at that hill, then at the man’s boots and realised there was no other way, so I took courage. “I’ll go with you,” I said resolutely. The postman didn’t seem to understand, just as before, but I set off and followed him. It was a long three-hour journey, interrupted only by brief pauses at the top of the steep climbs where there were impetuous gusts of wind where the valley opened up. Eventually, I arrived and saw three stone houses in a row, and further up, at the top of a tree-lined lane, the church with its bell tower. I greeted an old man, sitting with a pipe in his mouth, on the doorstep. I told him I was the teacher. He got up and moved to accompany me. We went through a bumpy door into the second of the row of houses, all of which were owned by the old man; the first was the shop that stocked everything (except for a few things I didn’t have which I really could have done with). There were hobnailed boots, matches, mousetraps (all kinds of mousetraps), stale bread, notebooks, everything. We climbed a ladder and entered the school. It was a large room with a few desks stacked in a corner (I had never seen such desks: six children could have fitted in one of them), a splintered chair, a broken blackboard.  That was all the furniture. – Over here is your house,’ the old man explained to me, ‘you can be happy! This year there is running water. I had it installed, at my own expense! He ushered me into a small kitchenette; an unlit fireplace stood out in one corner. I was cold. It was starting to get dark: I looked for a light switch but there was none. (In the days that followed, I learned to use the carbide lamp and work and write by the light of that flickering tongue of fire). I sought out the priest that very same day (I learned that his church was the Pieve, the most beautiful of all the churches in the valley and the surrounding hills) and begged him to announce at Sunday Mass that school was starting. “But, signorina, it’s harvest time. Now there are chestnuts, then olives; the children help a lot with this work.  School?” he added, “we’ll talk about that in January”. It all seemed impossible to me. I had learned some time ago not to shy away from difficulties.  Quite the contrary. I had been told they serve as springboards, and I had seen that it was true. I found another way to let people know I had arrived. I spotted my pupils’ homes among the scattered, isolated cottages and went there. The first was Angiolino and Maria’s house. I am left with a vague memory of blackness and smoke from that one. There was Maria crouching in a corner among the ashes of the hearth (she had a sore throat), holding her arm over her face so that I wouldn’t see her. Angiolino was standing in the corner with his head down, following the conversation I was having with his mother. During the conversation I realised how much the people distrusted the school and the teacher even more. I listened in silence. I tried hard to understand the woman who spoke in a harsh, rancorous, almost incomprehensible dialect. I discovered that the boy had left school two years ago, without having completed his elementary studies, because of the mischief he was causing against the teachers. I just said a few things: I had come for them, the school was free and the children would have the afternoon off to help in the fields. “We’ll see,” said the woman, “I’ll send Maria”. As I was leaving I greeted the boy: “I would like to make the school beautiful for the little ones who come, if you can come and help me… I’ll be waiting for you”. There was no need for many more invitations. One by one the children arrived, the little brothers in pairs, uncertain, fearful. They had spread the word about school when they met for games, or in the fields, while tending the flock, or by being together in the woods collecting chestnuts. “Are you coming too? It’s nice, you know!” “It’s nice there, the teacher doesn’t hit!” The school soon became cosy with Angiolino’s valuable help. October’s nature offered rich ornamental material in the varied colour of its leaves. I established a relationship with each of the pupils and the pupils’ relationships with each other based on Jesus’ commandment: “Love one another…”. It was the basis for all the work that year. The school became a little paradise. The favourite book was the Gospel and those children’s minds, unused and closed to human reasoning, opened up to the logic of the Gospel with surprising spontaneity. The method was challenging. “Pro eis sanctifico me ipsum” (For them do I sanctify myself), Jesus had said, otherwise it would be ineffective. I realised at the end of the year that the evangelical life of those little ones had not remianed within the confines of the school, but had spilled out into their homes and their families. I realised this from the grateful greetings of the parents who had not remained indifferent to the breath of joyful life that the children brought back to them. The rough exterior that had made them seem insensitive disappeared from their souls and, unconsciously, that same life had entered them.

Experience of Luisa Del Zanna

[1]     Bordignano, in the municipality of Firenzuola (Florence, Italy)