Jul 2, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
https://vimeo.com/132331626 Everyone who experiences its effects says that the Economy of Communion (EoC) is a way of life, more than a way of running a business. And it is precisely for this reason that the most diverse businesses decide to administrate their activities in the full spirit of the EoC. Complex Projekt, which is in the business of projection and construction of roads, motorways and bridges, is also an EoC. In 1990, when the EoC began in Brazil, the business was in trouble. The removal of the communist regime raised strong doubt and uncertainty, and the transition to a capitalist system generated constant questioning and mistrust. The very concept of private property created uncertainty and discomfort in entrepreneurs. Andrzej Milkowski, president of Complex Projekt, discovered the answer to “freeing himself from the pressures of private property” in the EoC. Thanks to the EoC, he found that he was “merely an administrator” and that “the business owner was God.” This made Milkowski realise that what mattered most in the business was its human capital, and that good management depended on the values one believed in. For him, they were the values of the Gospel put into practice by applying the teaching of St. John Paul II: “to be, rather than to speak”. This kind of talk can sound far removed from the real business world, but in the long run, in Complex Projekt, it actually made the difference. “Our work consists of creating complex infrastructure projects, and that carries a great responsibility,” Milkowski explains. “In the EoC proposal I found the interior freedom that was needed and the distance from myself, values which led me to no longer make decisions on my own, but through shared understanding. Such decisions then prove to be just right for growing the company.” Milkowski describes how colleagues and personnel strive to base their life on mutual respect as they strive to create a climate of trust and giving priority to interpersonal relations. The internal regulations include the Golden Rule, a version of which can be found in the sacred texts of all religions: ‘Everything that you want others to do for you, do also for them’. It is “understood as an opportunity,” the president explains, “offered to each employee for them to freely decide.” Two years ago, Andrzej Milkowski began handing over the administration of the business to his son, Stanislaw. This generational transition is also being carried out in the light of the values that have been acquired over years. Andrezej reflects: “I think it is a result of the working lifestyle that all of us in the business, personnel and administration, receive from God. If we make even a small attempt each day to live the values of the Gospel,” the Polish businessman concludes, “we receive ‘something more’ from the Creator, a greater capacity even in front of things like project planning, professional and family difficulties which can be listened to and discussed. This is how we build the Kingdom of God . . . and the rest will be given us as well. We experience it every day. Indeed, in spite of the economic crisis, the business continues to grow and develop.”
Jul 1, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Jun 30, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“When it comes to migrations, the numbers say more than the words. In one report published in October 2014, it was estimated that there were 7,124,000,000 people in the world. If the wealth were equally distributed, every person would have a median annual income of 14 thousand USA dollars. In reality, the income of 2,700,000,000 people is two USA dollars per day. Now, this economic inequality, which is a social inequality, has a very strong impact on migration. Entire populations pick up and move toward wealthier countries.” What is a migrant? In 2013, the United Nations claimed that there were 232 million married people in the world. And it defined a migrant as “a person who leaves his or her own country for reasons of employment and settles in another place for a period of more than twelve months.” That’s the only definition that you find, Flavia Cerino stressed. In fact, there are the refugees (the ones who are in need of political asylum in another country); the refugees fleeing from war situations, the so-called “illegals” (who move without having a document that makes them eligible to enter another country). And the reasons vary: war, poverty, studies, cultural interest, natural disasters . . . 
What were the most repeated words in the reports from the workshops at the New Humanity international training course where this topic was discussed? A few things stood out in the workshops. “The first was “fear,” fear of anything that is different from me,” continued Cerino. In reality, diversity is a great enrichment. We see that in nature where biological diversity is very enriching. If we lost it we’d be heading for extinction. We obviously have to consider the fear that is born of uncertainty; and this brings us to the topic of public order, national security. One thing is public order, and another thing is fear of diversity. Another topic that was frequently raised was the family. A migrant who travels alone, leaving the family behind, finds it difficult to describe the hardships he or she faces, in order not to worry their loved ones. But actually it would be important to tell one’s family what the real life situation is like, so that they will have a real understanding of what migration entails also in terms of reuniting the family, since families generally look forward to staying together. Another word that came up was interculturalism. That is the capacity to overcome the fear of diversity in order to create an environment of encounter and understanding. And it’s not only cultural understanding, but existential understanding, sharing problems. The migrant should be placed in a position of giving, but he and she believe that they have nothing to give when they are not recognized as persons who can act as active citizens, and therefore they are excluded from the start. Flavia Cerino cited a question posed by Igino Giordani many years ago: “What do I do for him?, referring to an immigrant. “That’s the question we’re asking ourselves now. What do we do? There are countless experiences, great projects. My experience is the same as many of you. It turns on two elements: the first is that everything depends on a personal sensitivity. As a human being I feel called, and my and put into question right where I live, by a problem that I see in my next door neighbor. And I try to figure out what I should do, turning to the people and institutions who have the authority to act. Because it’s a matter of alleviating, making the presence of a migrant easier in my city. Actually, to the question of “What can I do?” we can answer by acting and doing what is within our power; so, getting together with others who share this desire, beginning with small gestures, we can weave together a network right where we are: simple gestures that generate a renewal of humanity right around us.” Source: “Reflections on migrations and interculturalism,” intervention during the New Humanity international training course (February 2015), coordinated by immigration expert Flavia Cerino. www.umanitanuova.org
Jun 30, 2015 | Non categorizzato
Photo CSC Media
Photo CSC Media
Photo CSC Media
Jun 29, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Estelle is the eldest of eight brothers, in a family from Ivory Coast who, after having worked as a secretary at a medical clinic in Abidjan, moved to Man in 2006 where she volunteers especially as a contact person with sponsors of a medical centre run by the Focolare Movement. When the project finished, she decided to expand her administrative skills. Meanwhile, her father died and she had to provide financial support for the family. She applied for and received a scholarship from Fraternity with Africa. Now, along with working, she is specializing through distance learning courses in “Administration of NGO organisations and non-profit associations” at university in Burkina Faso. After finishing her studies, with the support of a tutor and of AMU, she will travel to Burundi where she will complete one stage in administration and finance at CASOBU, an NGO that promotes human and community development through acitivites and projects based on the values of sharing and sustainable development. “It was a nice concrete experience for me, because it was the first time I travelled outside Ivory Coast and got to know other cultures and learn much from CASOBU; their approach to microcredit, for example. When I returned to my own country, I decided to propose that same microcredit model, beginning with the people I knew. We’ve already begun two groups that up until now seem to be functioning quite well. . .“ Everything she received, spurred Estelle to become involved in Fraternity with Africa: “When I finished my studies, I thought that since I couldn’t make a financial contribution, I could share my time and talents with the project.” So, on the one hand there was the work in adminstration, running and finances of the medical centre, and on the other hand keep up relationships, taking care of the adminstration and, from within the adminstration, she evaluates scholarship candidates and accompanies the students who receive them. The medical centre in Man began in 2002, during the civil war when the hospital was closed. It was hosted in an apartment with three rooms. Then, in 2008, the current Social Medical Centre was opened with visiting rooms, one-day recovery rooms, pharmacy and laboratory. But now the number of patients has gown so much that a new centre is being constructed where diagnostic facilities will be added, and programmes for the reduction of infant malnutrition in the region of Man. There will also be training programmes for mothers, in the field of nutrition. The health situation of the people in Man is problematic. Medical bills are paid in advance and without the possiblity of riembursement. Given the poverty of the population, families are generally able to cover the cost of food and school fees. But if illness comes knocking, they only go the doctor when the illness is at its worst, and the patient is dying. The new medical centre will be able offer medical care to six thousand adult patients and three thousand children. See: AMU notizie 2/2015
Jun 28, 2015 | Non categorizzato, Word of
These words conclude Jesus’s ‘Farewell Discourse’ to his disciples at the last supper, on the eve of his being handed over to those who were to put him to death. They had had an intense conversation in which Jesus had revealed the inner truth about his relationship with the Father and the mission the Father had entrusted to him. Jesus is about to leave the earth and return to the Father, while his disciples will remain in the world to carry on his work. They too, like him, will be hated, persecuted, even put to death (see Jn 15:18, 20; 16:2). Theirs will be a difficult mission just as his had been. Jesus is well aware of the difficulties and the trials his friends will have to face. He had just told them: ‘In the world you will face persecution’ (Jn 16:33). Jesus is speaking to the apostles gathered around him for the last supper, but he is thinking of all the generations of disciples who would follow him throughout the centuries, including us. It’s so true! Even while joy is spread all along the path we follow, there is no lack of ‘persecution’ and sufferings. We experience uncertainty about the future, job insecurity, poverty and sickness, suffering as a result of natural disasters and wars, violence at home and among nations. There are in addition the persecutions that come as a result of being Christians: the daily struggle to be faithful to the Gospel, the feeling of impotence before a society that seems indifferent to the message of God, mockery, scorn and sometimes open persecution by those who do not understand or oppose the Church. Jesus knows about ‘persecutions’ having experienced them at first hand. ‘Take courage; I have conquered the world!’ This statement, which is so decisive and confident, looks like a contradiction. How can Jesus say that he has conquered the world when a few minutes later he is going to be imprisoned, whipped, condemned, killed in the cruellest and most shameful manner? More than having conquered, it looks as if he was betrayed, denied, reduced to nothing, and so defeated – utterly. What is the nature of his victory? It came about, certainly, in the resurrection. Death cannot hold him. His victory is so powerful that he makes us share in it too. He makes himself present among us and he takes us with him to full life, the new creation. But even before that, his victory was the very act of his greatest love in giving his life for us. He, in defeat, triumphed fully. Penetrating every corner of death, he freed us from all that oppresses us, and he transformed all that is negative in us, our every darkness and pain, into a meeting with him, with God, Love, fullness. Paul, whenever he thought of Jesus’s victory, seemed to go mad with joy. If Jesus, he would affirm, had faced every setback, including even the supreme challenge of his death, and he had won, then we too, with him and in him, can overcome every difficulty, and indeed, thanks to his love, we are ‘more than conquerors’: ‘For I am convinced that neither death, nor life … nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom 8:38-39; see 1 Cor 15:57). We are invited by Jesus, therefore, to fear nothing anymore: ‘Take courage; I have conquered the world!’ These words of Jesus, which we will keep in mind for the whole of this month, can fill us with trust and hope. However tough and hard may be our circumstances, we have the certainty that Jesus has already made them his own and overcome them. Even if we do not have his inner strength, we have him himself who lives and struggles in us. We can say to him when we feel crushed by difficulties, trials or temptations, ‘If you have overcome the world, you will know how to overcome this “persecution” I am going through. To me, to my family, to my colleagues at work what is happening seems like an impossible hurdle. It feels to us as if we can’t make it. But with you among us, we will find the courage and the strength to face it, until we come to be “more than conquerors”.’ It is not a matter of having a triumphalist vision of Christian life, as if it were easy and everything had been sorted out. Jesus is victorious precisely in the moment that he lives his drama of suffering, injustice, forsakenness and death. Perhaps we too, at times, like Jesus and the martyrs, will have to wait for Heaven’s response before we see a full victory over evil. Often we are scared of speaking about Paradise, almost as if the thought of it were a drug stopping us facing the difficulties with courage, an anaesthetic to lessen the pain, an excuse not to have to fight against injustice. The hope of Heaven and faith in the resurrection are instead a powerful spur to look squarely at every problem, to support others in their trials, to believe that the final word belongs to love that conquers hate, of life that defeats death. So every time we come across a difficulty of any sort – be it personal, or of the people around us, or of those we hear about in different parts of the world – let’s renew our trust in Jesus, present in us and among us, who has overcome the world, who makes us share in his own victory, who opens up Paradise where he has gone to prepare a place for us. In this way we will find the courage to face every trial. We can overcome everything in he who gives us the strength. Fabio Ciard
Jun 27, 2015 | Non categorizzato
“The French magazine “Paris Match” published a long article on a very important object which can tell us something about the One we love. I read it quickly but it made a deep impression on me. During this year, since the Gen asked me, I have tried to speak about only one subject: Jesus crucified and forsaken. We want to get to know this mystery, unpack it completely. We want to see and know and understand, as far as possible, what can be thought of as the height of Jesus’s passion. The article in “Paris Match” was about studies done on a cloth – the Holy Shroud – in which Jesus’s body was wrapped when it was buried. It is kept in Turin. The studies done on this extraordinary piece of cloth lead people to think it may be truly authentic. It tells us something, indeed a great deal, about Christ when he was going through his agony up there on the cross hanging between heaven and earth. I want to speak to you about this Man, Jesus, today. I am very interested in this because it was in that body that dwelt the Soul that experienced the terrible darkness of the abandonment. The cloth, as “Paris Match” says, tells its own story: in fact the markings on the cloth tell a great deal about Christ’s holy body. It says that Jesus was a strong man and a worker: the muscles on is right arm and shoulder show this. The leg muscles show that he had walked a lot: and we know about this from the Gospel. The scourging was terrible: more than 100 lashes given in a precise order. His feet were nailed so his whole body, without any other kind of support, leant forward, being held only by the nails in his hands. The crown of thorns was not as we usually think it was. The signs of big holes in his head show that they put a whole helmet of thorns on his head. The face shows that one eye was swollen, and his face was not as bloody as the rest of his body, which confirms the meeting with Veronica which we hear about from tradition. One knee has been wounded by a heavy fall. The body had bled all over. A sword has pierced through to the heart from the base of the thorax. Pain, pain, unspeakable, unimaginable pain. Three long, eternal hours like that, without relief, without ever losing consciousness. I understood that no one in the world can say they have ever suffered like Him; and that he could say something more to anyone in the world who experiences any kind of suffering. “Why did Jesus suffer?” I was asked by a young Korean a few days ago. There is something broken between God and humankind that needs fixing. Only a price like his was able to repair it. Nowadays it seems as though the days when Christians reflected on the sufferings of Christ and followed his footsteps up to Calvary seem almost over. Certainly some practices that had become old-fashioned and emptied of meaning have been dropped, because they were no longer the expression of true love. “Women, why are you crying over me? Don’t cry over me but over yourselves” (Luke 23:28). Jesus has said this today to some Christians who don’t understand things except superficially and still go on with what seem to be pietistic sentimental practices. There are two things we need to understand before entering into the mysterious suffering of our crucified Friend, the most alive amongst those who live, for ever and ever. It is the fact that he bore all this out of love. And that we must respond to his love with our love. How can we do this? We must transform every physical suffering, whether great or small, that comes to us, into a gift to Him, so that we too, 20 centuries later, can continue his Passion for the salvation of the world. He did warn us about this in fact: “If any want to be my followers… let them take up their cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24; Mk 8:34, Lk 9:23) .” Chiara Lubich From the editorial in “Gen”, June 1970 Source: Chiara Lubich Center
Jun 26, 2015 | Non categorizzato
published in Avvenire on 24/06/2015 
The cries of many victims, of many who have been ‘discarded’, raises a question of justice which weighs heavily upon our capitalist system; a question that is all the more serious because it is no longer being seen or heard. Pope Francis is the only figure of authority on global moral issues, who due to his particular charism, is giving recognition and ear to today’s pressing ethical question (corporate social responsibility), in the face of which he is not afraid to raise radical questions (generated by his fraternal concern and love – agape ). No other ‘world organisation or body’ exists that is as free as he is from powerful economic and political forces, a freedom that not even the United Nations or the European Commission can lay claim to, let alone politicians at national level, who continue on in their practice of “selling a poor person for a pair of sandals – (Book of Amos), as indeed Italy is at risk of doing with its introduction of new gambling laws. A number of commentators, self-professed supporters of the free market economy, claim that the Encyclical Laudato si’ is opposed to it ; that not only is it a statement against modernism, but a reflection of the Pope’s own Marxist views, going almost as far as predicting a global environmental catastrophe. But far from it. In fact, it does just the opposite. Pope Francis focuses on reminding us that both markets and business enterprise are precious allies of the common good as long as they do not become the ‘only rule’; or that the ‘part’ (the market) does not try to become the whole (life itself). The global market is a necessary part of the life of society which contributes to the common good (there are many examples quoted of responsible business owners and technology being used at the serving of the economy and providing employment). However, it is not the full story, nor the most important. Pope Francis also seeks to remind all participants of the global economy of their vocation to reciprocity and “mutual benefit“. It is on this basis that he criticises companies who exploit (all too often) people and land; by doing so, they negate the very nature of what the global economy is supposed to be, increasing their wealth at the expense of impoverishing other weaker players. On a second level, Pope Francis raises an issue that has been systematically neglected: the notion of “efficiency“, globalization’s new “in-word”, as being solely about technology and therefore ethically neutral, cannot be upheld (34). The calculation of cost-benefits (cost justifications), which underpin every ‘rational’ decision by companies and public administration, depends precisely upon what we choose to include in the costs and perceive in the benefits. For decades we have considered companies ‘efficient’ who neglected to include in their costs any damage done to the sea, rivers or atmosphere. The Pope invites us to enlarge our calculations to all types of species, including them as part of our cosmic fraternity, extending this reciprocity to all creatures, giving them a voice in our economic and political budgets. But there is still a third level. Even after acknowledging “mutual benefit ” as the fundamental law of civil society, extending it to include our relationship with all living species and with the earth, it cannot and must not be regarded as the only law in respect of life. Though important, it is not all there is. Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen, refers also to “duties of power“. We have a responsibility towards creation because technology is new form of power, the outcome of which can have unilaterally serious consequences for other living creatures to which we are all linked. The universe is filled with living things and this calls for responsibility. Moreover, there are times when moral duties come before benefits; the concept of “mutual benefit” does not cover the full spectrum of responsibility and justice. Even the best market, if it becomes the only criteria, may grow into a monster. There is no economic logic that convinces us to leave forests intact for those to come in thousands of years’ time, and yet we have moral obligations towards the future generations who will inherit and inhabit our earth. The question of ‘ecological debt‘ (51), is one of the most significant and most prophetic passages of the whole Encyclical. The widespread indiscriminate accumulation of national debt can bring entire nations to their knees (as in the case of Greece), and hold many others to ransom. Much aggression is used in the name of debt and credit. Yet a great ‘ecological debt‘ exists between North and South, between the 10% of humanity which has increased its wealth, whilst burdening everyone with the cost to the atmosphere, and continuing to contribute to “climate change”. The term “climate change” is itself misleading, as it is ethically neutral. The Pope, instead, speaks of “pollution” and the deterioration of that common good which is our climate (23). Climate deterioration contributes to the desertification of entire regions, having a direct impact on poverty, causing deaths and the migration of peoples (25). It is this ‘debt of ecology and justice’ that we fail to take into account when we close our borders to the many thousands who arrive because we have burned their houses as a result of our actions. This ecological debt seems to count for nothing in the political world order, there is no Troika to condemn one country for polluting or causing the desertification of another country and so the ‘ecological debt‘ to which the great and the powerful are increasingly indifferent, continues to rise. Lastly, a word of advice, to whoever has yet to read this wonderful encyclical, do not be tempted to read it sitting at your desk or relaxing on the sofa. Go out into the middle of a field or into the woods, to begin your meditation on this canticle of Pope Francis. The earth he speaks of is real and tangible, filled with the sights, sounds and scents of an earth that is loved. Then, go to a poor area on the margins of society, to conclude your reading, surrounded by poor people, and look at the world with its rich and greedy living, with poor beggars on its doorstep and embrace at least one of them, like Pope Francis. It is from such places as these that we will learn once again to be ‘in awe‘ (11) of the marvels of the earth and of fellow human beings. Perhaps then we will understand and pray the words “Praise be to you“.
Jun 26, 2015 | Non categorizzato
Sobriety “Every morning, before taking the bus, I walk part of the way on foot and am often drawn by the same scene: men and women, children and elderly, dressed with dignity, all equipped with shopping carts and rods, fishing for a bit of everything from the rubbish bins. They teach me something in their own way. As a Christian, I try to remain attentive to what is essential and to avoid waste: to opt for sobriety, recycling, answering with a firm ‘no’ every time consumerism tempts me with its offerings.” (Emilie – Italy) The Grandmother “’Love your enemies.’ This sentence from the Gospel shocked me because – thinking about it – I also have an enemy: the Grandmother whom my family hasn’t visited in because of old misunderstandings. When I heard that she wasn’t well, I thought I would go to visit her. My parents were amazed that I had suddenly remembered her. They didn’t feel like going after so many years, but I wanted to be able to see her. When I went into her home, everyone looked at me amazed and treated me with coldness. It wasn’t easy, but I stepped up. Grandmother was not at all well. She was dozing, but when she awoke, I was able to say hello, and she embraced me. “You’re my grandson, I know you. I’m happy, happy. . . We both wept for joy. When I returned home, I convinced my parents, and we went back altogether to visit her. It was a very emotional moment! Not even a week later, Grandmother left us for Heaaven.” (S. A. – Pakistan) It was me “We were in the countryside. There was a little boy next door, named Tino who was living in a difficult environment; perhaps for this reason he is so violent towards our Andrea. One afternoon, I found Andrea’s new bicycle broken. Losing patience, I wanted to know who it had been. Shortly afterwards Andrea came in, downcast and dejected. ‘Mamma, I broke the bicycle.’ Greatly surprised, I had to shout at him before I forgave him. The next day, when we were alone talking, the boy confessed: “You know, Mamma, it was Tino who broke the bicycle. But you were so angry yesterday that I was frightened for him. They’re always shouting at him in his house. . .’”(I.P. – Brazil)
Jun 25, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Buddhists and Catholics from the United States are holding an interreligious dialogue meeting for the first time near Rome this week, focused on the themes of ‘Suffering, Liberation and Fraternity’. The five day meeting, which opened on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Focolare Movement in Castelgandolfo, Italy, includes 46 Buddhist and Catholic participants from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. In an opening address to the group, which will meet with Pope Francis on Wednesday, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran said “in a world where diversity is seen as a threat”, the encounter is “a sign of our openness towards one another and our commitment to human fraternity”. “We are all pilgrims”, he stressed, adding that the dialogue between Buddhists and Catholics is part of “our ongoing quest to grasp the mystery of our lives and the ultimate Truth”. To find out more about this dialogue, jointly sponsored by the PCID and the U.S. Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Philippa Hitchen spoke to one of the Catholic participants, Fr Leo Lefebure, a theology professor at the Jesuit Georgetown University. Listen to audio recording Buddhists and Catholics from the United States are taking part in a meeting for the first time this week, focused on the themes of ‘Suffering, Liberation and Fraternity’. The five day event, which opened today (Tuesday) at the headquarters of the Focolare movement in Castelgandolfo, includes 46 Buddhist and Catholic participants from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC. In his opening address to the group, which will meet with Pope Francis on Wednesday, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran said: “in a world where diversity is seen as a threat”, the encounter is “a sign of our openness towards one another and our commitment to human fraternity.” “We are all pilgrims”, he stressed, adding that the dialogue between Buddhists and Catholics is part of “our ongoing quest to grasp the mystery of our lives and the ultimate Truth”. The meeting is jointly sponsored by the PCID and the US Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. In an interview with Philippa Hitchens on Vatican Radio, one of the participants, Fr Leo Lefebure SJ, a theology professor at Georgetown University said the PCID asked the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to begin a new series of conversations focused on the theme of ‘Be friends and help the world’ so the dialogue will explore beliefs and ideas that “resonate across both traditions”, especially the concepts of ‘suffering and the end of suffering’. He noted that the basic values and virtues of Buddhists and Catholics “converge to a great degree” and there is a long history in the United States of leaders of both traditions coming together to oppose violence and work towards peaceful transformation of conflict. Fr Leo says that every major urban area in the US has large immigrant populations from Asia, so part of the Buddhist population is made up of these people. Another part includes people who have converted from other faiths, especially from Judaism and Christianity. What is sometimes controversial, he notes, is that some see themselves as ‘practitioners of both their religion of origin and some form of Buddhist tradition’. But many Catholics, he says, find their faith much enhanced by practices such as meditation – in a survey of Christians in the US who engage in some form of meditation, he says most found their own faith experience ‘profoundly deepened’ by these practices… Fr Leo says it was very significant that this meeting is taking place in the year that we mark the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the document that for the first time described Buddhism and said the Catholic Church “rejects nothing of what is true and holy” in these traditions, “implying there are things we can learn from them.” Source Vatican Radio
Jun 25, 2015 | Non categorizzato
“The Bishop had assigned me to work in the council for ecumenism and dialogue. Fifteen years ago, when a priest-friend of mine from the nearby diocese of Fano came up with the proposal of an inter-diocesan project to promote Ecumenical Twinning between European parishes, I had said no.“As Fr. Giorgio Paolini recounts, this hesitation was soon resolved when he recalled that in London in 1996, Chiara Lubich launched an invitation to live an “ecumenism of the people,” an “ecumenism of life” (video). “So I resumed my contacts with my friend from Fano and together with other priest-friends we threw ourselves into the ecumenical twinning experience.” The first parish they contacted was the Orthodox parish of Fr Nicu in Romania. «The fraternal relationship among us generated an educational cooperation between the youth of the Diocesan Movement of the Marche region and his youth, and which spread out in concentric rings with the sharing of the Word of Life and the spirituality of unity between the Catholic and Orthodox youth through frequent meetings. The two important yearly meetings each year were held at Christmas in Rumania and in summer in Italy Then came the annual experience of the Ecumenical Youth Meeting in Loreto, organised together with the Head of the John Paul II Centre of Montorso (Loreto), who had proposed the creation of an ecumenical camp with all the youth contacted through the ecumenical twinning, but also open to all, to allow us to share the mutual wealth of our churches of origin. This year, from 29 July to 4 August, the seventh edition will take place and which foresees the participation of over 200 Orthodox and Greek Catholic youth from Rumania, Lutherans from Denmark and Sweden, Anglicans from England and Catholics from Italy.” 
Lastly, the promotion of the “culture of dialogue” among the youth. In January this year, during the Week of Prayer for Unity of Christians, for example, the parish of Borgo Santa Maria hosted around 20 Rumanian boys and girls of a parish it is twinned with. Together with the Italian youth of the Ecumenical Meeting, they then met with the students of four high schools in the provinces of Pesaro and Urbino. Barbara, spokesperson for a family of the parish continued with the story: “In a world oppressed by wars, divisions and terrorism, these boys and girls wished to propose and offer a message of joy and hope, and certainly a new culture of relationships and encounter that help us to comprehend that in the diversity of others we can discover that richness which brings unity and not division. After watching a film and listening to the testimonials of the youth, the Ecumenical Meeting broke up into groups to get to know the Romanian youth better, through a question-and-answer session. Despite language difficulties they did their best to communicate with one another. As a family we participated in these meetings as observers, but we feel that we have to thank all those who believed in this project, and continue to do so. I thank the parish priests and the Deans of the high schools, but above all God, who in his immense love made us come across such youth, motivated and determined to change things. They can count on our support and we have faith that they will be able to involve more and more young people, and create a better world where all can live in peace and harmony.”
Jun 24, 2015 | Non categorizzato
Love is our mission: This is the title of the 8th World Meeting of Families (WMOF), which will begin with a Congress (from September 22nd to 25th) held by experts from all over the world and which will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, a structure which can hold up to 50,000 people. In the meantime, Pope Francis will travel to the headquarters of the UN in New York City and to that of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., having been invited, for the first time in his pontificate, to speak in such important civil locations. The Holy Father will arrive on the stage of the WMOF, which will be set up on the spectacular stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, on Saturday, September 26th. With this evocative backdrop, he will meet with families from all over the world, in a sequence of life experiences interposed with performances by international artists: a Festival-Testimonial which will be shown on TV worldwide and will culminate with the words of the Pope. The WMOF will conclude the following day, Sunday September 27th, with the solemn Eucharistic celebration, at which the pope will preside. More than one million people are expected to participate. Besides the numerous families of the Focolare from all over America, Marly and Hans-Peter Stasch from the International Office of New Families, and Anna and Alberto Friso, members of the Pontifical Council for the Family, will participate at the event.
Jun 24, 2015 | Non categorizzato
In 2013 the Colombian city of Medellín, with its 2.4 million inhabitants, was recognised as the city that achieved the most rapid modernisation process in the world, also due to the developments undertaken over the last years, like for example, the drop in carbon dioxide emissions, creation of cultural areas, and reduced criminality. The Mundo Mejor Foundation operates in Medellin and due to this was chosen as the seat of the 3rd UNIRedes Seminar, that was held from 3 – 7 June. There were representatives of over 30 organisations from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela and Colombia, with the addition of other 10 countries that participated via streaming. During this seminar the various social organisations inspired by the spirituality of unity accepted the challenge to strengthen their joint efforts. Anabel Abascal, member of the Coordinating Committee affirmed: “As social associations members of the UNIRedes believe that, in society today, working within a network is the only way in which we can call attention to universal fraternity which is our source of inspiration.” The discussions of the four-day meeting revolved around the tools available to be able to best respond, with daily work, to the great social challenges. Susana Nuín, of the Episcopal Conference of Latin America (CELAM) illustrated the Regional Church’s viewpoint, by presenting the 4-crossroads for social intervention: care of nature, building of peace, migration and social justice. An Italian Professor, Giuseppe Milan, expounded on intercultural pedagogy based on the spirituality of Chiara Lubich – a pedagogy that recognises and takes upon itself the sufferings and needs present in social diversity. Milan affirmed: “The principle of education is fraternity, education of universal-men who centre on dialogue to build new societies. The methodology is the art of loving. Accepting all and respecting the different cultures.” The other themes undertaken were related to the institutional consolidation of the organisations and network management. To this end, Francesco Tortorella of AMU (Action for a United World), explained how the projects are designed, starting from the funding phase up to direct participation of the protagonists. To conclude, the working groups formed a new Coordinating Committee and the various working commissions that will have to pursue the various UNIRedes objectives: develop new communication strategies to intensify communion and diffusion of the various actions, giving visibility to the hope of diffusing the small, but important changes our actions generate in the lives of people; achieve a greater impact in the local public policies; weave new bonds of cooperation between organisations; work in such a way so as to give the beneficiaries of the project an active, leading role; incentivise reciprocity; promote social volunteer work as a strategy to improve the management of organizations and form a new humanity. The various discourses of the 3rd Seminar can be view via streaming and in the web page Sumá Fraternidad.
Jun 23, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“Iraq is going through its worst period in ten years,” write Gemma and Pierre from the Focolare Movement in Jordan and Iraq, following their short trip to Erbil, Iraq. Their objective was to make the people there feel the closeness of the Focolare community that has been in that region for many years. “Being with them, even though we found them so tried and exhausted, we were struck by how their generosity towards others, and how they continue to believe in in God’s love.” “Nine months have passed since the villages of the Nineveh Plains were invaded by ISIS. The general situation of the country has worsened with recent developments, that is, the taking of new territories. The people, including our friends, feel a great sense of uncertainty about the future. Many have already fled the country and others are planning to do the same.” Spiritual closeness no small matter if, at the conclusion of the days together, one person confided: “We’ve lost everything, I wasn’t able to finish my university studies, there are no jobs . . . but finally, I have peace again, and I decided to begin my relationship with God again.” Pierre and Gemma recount: “During the meeting with the Focolare community there was one very important moment: it was when we openly declared our desire to give our lives for one another, to love each other with the measure of Jesus’s love, so that He could be present among us as He promises. Then we meditated on the link between the Eucharist and Church, using a 1982 talk by Chiara Lubich, The Eucharist makes the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist. We also met Archbishop Bashar Warda, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil, who was pleased by our visit. In concluding he asked us to pray for Iraq like never before.” I have come for you, each one of you is like the whole world to me. . .” said Bishop Salomone Warduni, Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, from the Chaldean Catholic Church, who had travelled from Baghdad just to be at our gathering. He exhorted everyone: “Have no fear, carry on in the life of the ideal of unity, because each one of us has a mission to accomplish.” One person said: “I try live love in concrete ways until [love] becomes reciprocal within the community. In the Eucharist I find the strength to carry on loving.” Then there is the joy of being together. In spite of the situation there is very lively group children and teenagers who held a local edition of the Run4Unity sport relay for peace, with 35 boys and girls. “These were intense days for us,” conclude the two focolarini from Jordan, “a deep and divine experience. They gave much more to us than we were ever able to give to them. Who knows how much life must be coming from this suffering that is being lived in a Christian way.
Jun 22, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“Upon my arrival, the first person I saw was the cardinal who took my bag. The art of loving, which Chiara Lubich speaks about in such a simple way, is life.” So says Mons. Ignatius Mascarenhas, bishop of Chandigarh, India, one of the 22 Catholic Bishops-Friends of the Focolare Movement reunited in Bangalore from June 3rd to 6th for a pan-Asian meeting. For the first time, among these, there are 12 Indian bishops and one bishop from Pakistan. This meeting was preceded by a preparatory meeting with a few bishops, who went together to visit the sick in a nearby hospital, to stress how contemplation is not separate from action, in the desire to be instruments of God’s mercy. The bishop from Pakistan lives near the border between Pakistan and India. He shared his pastoral experience: “Two weeks ago I was in a great desert near the border. For three days I was with a priest, visiting small towns who have been suffering for the last two years because of the drought. The children are dying. I celebrated the Mass using a box as an altar. Many people came, among them even a few Hindus. During the Mass we prayed that the rain would come.” The Indian bishops and the Pakistani bishop celebrated together: “It’s a sign of hope,” affirms Mons. Bobet Callari from the Philippines. Why the choice of India as the location to host this meeting? India, with its billion and 250 million inhabitants, in which Christians are only 3% of the population, represents a frontier for interreligious coexistence. The bishops, pastors of small communities, live in contact with people of other creeds, faiths, cultures. The “dialogue of life” must therefore precede any theological discourse, and communion, the affinity between the bishops (like that which was reinforced during the meeting and sealed by a “pact of mutual love”) is a great antidote against the discouragement which often seems at risk of prevailing. “In my diocese,” recounts Stephen Lepcha, Bishop of Darjeeling (West Bengala), “I have a lot of difficulty with some sects which sow seeds of hate and which put us to the test. I know it will continue to happen, but during these few days I have understand what to do: love with the love that comes from God, because be they Hindus, Muslims, Christians…they are children of God.” “We need the spirituality of communion,” affirms Mons. Elias Gonsalves, from the diocese of Amravati, India. “At times we are left alone. Communion between the bishops is very important, it helps the youngest but also the most elderly. We must improve our capacity to help one another reciprocally.” At the meeting, Hindu Professor Shubada Joshi also spoke, about her meeting with Chiara Lubich and the charism of unity. In fact, in 2002 Chiara, during a Hindu-Christian symposium, had shared with a group of Hindus her mystical experience of the summer of 1949, experiencing that with them, dialogue can be based on a plane of spiritual depth which is not always possible with others. The words of Shubada Joshi, along with the School for Oriental Religions (SOR), which took place in the preceeding months in Tagaytay in the Philippines, gave a panoramic view of the proposal of interreligious dialogue which starts from the spirituality of the Focolare. The meeting with the community of Bangalore, with various testimonies from families and young people, offered a cross-section of daily life lived in the light of fraternity.
Jun 20, 2015 | Non categorizzato
“Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.” These are the words of Pope Francis in the Bull of Indiction with which he announced the Jubilee Year of Mercy on April 11, 2015. God “does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living.” Pope Francis clearly does not intend to exclude fidelity to the truth and doctrinal clarity, but rather combine them with the reality which people live. And not to yield to compromise, but to be faithful to the God whose Truth fulfilled is Love. A freeing message which leaves no one out. This is the platform upon which the two Synods of Bishops on the family are moving forward. A path to be lived — as stated in the Lineamenta, sent to the dioceses in view of the upcoming Assembly– ” to read both the signs of God and human history, in a twofold yet unique faithfulness which this reading involves,” facing with realism the family of today and keeping at the same time, ” our gaze fixed on Christ to ponder, with renewed freshness and enthusiasm, what revelation, transmitted in the Church’s faith, tells us about the beauty, the role and the dignity of the family:” The Gospel of the family. Fidelity, on the one hand, to God’s design which “is to be understood not as a “yoke” imposed on persons but as a “gift”, ” as “good news” which places itself in the service of the deeper fulfillment and happiness of people; but fidelity, on the other hand, to people in what they live and often suffer in a complex society with an interiority -one’s own and that of others- not less complex, from which numerous vulnerabilities originate. The key phrase is the art of accompaniment. In this regard, Pope Francis highlights in Evangelii gaudium: ” without detracting from the evangelical ideal, they need to accompany with mercy and patience the eventual stages of personal growth as these progressively occur.” It is always necessary to learn to ” remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex 3:5). The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life.” In fact, ” Someone good at such accompaniment does not give in to frustrations or fears. He or she invites others to let themselves be healed, to take up their mat, embrace the cross, leave all behind and go forth ever anew to proclaim the Gospel.” A demanding agenda which the Church is called to carry out–as the Lineamenta states–” with the tenderness of a mother and the clarity of a teacher (cf. Eph 4:15).” That’s right, “The Church:” not only the bishops and the priests, but the entire People of God. ” Without the joyous testimony of married people and families, domestic churches, proclamation, even if done in its proper way, risks being misunderstood or lost in a flurry of words that is characteristic of society today.” The complete text in Italian, with reflections and testimonies, is found in: Periodical of Church life: Gen’s.
Jun 19, 2015 | Non categorizzato
All the popes, from Pope Paul VI on have spoken about the environment, focusing on the issue of ecology? Pope Francis’s encyclical on the Creation created a buzz even before its publication. What is the scope and significance of this document? “The uniqueness of this extraordinary document was highlighted at the presentation of the Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis, which I attended on June 18, 2015. Laudato si’ is the result of team work. The founder and director of the Postdam Institute for the study of the impact of climate change, Dr. Shellenhuber, said that it puts faith and reason together, and that its content is totally in line with scientific proofs. It is a concrete encyclical, as economist Dr. Carolyn Woo describes it, in which the Pope claims that it is important to protect the environment even from an economic standpoint because this will bear fruit and reduce costs. Metropolitan Jhon Zizioulas thanked Pope Francis several times, as he emphasised how the Encyclical highlights the relationship of man with the earth, along with his relationship with God and neighbour, a relationship very often forgotten. In conclusion, Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, highlighted how Pope Francis places integral ecology at the core of the document, affirming that “when we speak of the ‘environment,’ what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it.” What projects will EcoOne be bringing ahead for the protection of Creation? “First of all, there is the intellectual contribution, and international meetings for the elaboration of an ecological theory based on care, environmental conscience-responsibility, new person-nature relationship, and sustainable development. There have been many initiatives over the years at the level of study, personal and team research. I mention only one, which was the recent contribution by EcoOne to the ongoing reflection on ecology published under the title Focus sull’ecologia in Nuova Umanità (34, 2012/1, 1999), which presents:
- an essay on the media debate over climate change, the result of a discussion with climatologist, Antonello Pasini. This essay is connected to the results presented in the last part of the book Il pianeta che scotta, in which you find the ideas of EcoOne, written by Lucca Fiorani, president of the EcoOne Commission, and Pasini;
- essay titled: Un etica ecologica basata su una ecologia di comunione (an ecological ethic based on an ecology of communion), written by Miguel Olivera Panao. It offers a philosophical vision of the synthesis among three levels of ecological understanding: the natural, the human, and the spiritual.
But there are also other initiatives of a didactic-educative type that can support those would like to change their lifestyle, such as the Earth Cube which engages them in protecting the earth, with one of the phrases that are written on each of its sides. Then there is the scholastic project ‘Giving to Save the Environment’ which invites people into a ‘saving energy pact’ which turns acts of energy saving into scholarships for disadvantaged teenagers. In 1949, Chiara Lubich lived a period of intense mystical contemplation amidst the splendid natural surroundings of the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy, and this had a very important role. What insights are offered by that vision of the cosmos in the mysticism and spirituality of Chiara? “The culture that emerges from the charism of unity contains the foundations of a new understanding of the concept of sustainable development which is not yet fully developed. In Chiara Lubich’s mystical intuitions we’ve learned that looking at nature with God’s eyes, we catch the presence of God beneath all things. Nature comes to be seen as a gift of God, as an expression of His love. In those words of Chiara, ‘everything is substaniated with love,’ we see unity in the biodiversity just as in the non-biological diversity. Moreover, we see that God creates for and out of love. When God created, He created all things from nothing out of love, because He created them from Himself . . . He drew them from Himself because creating them he died (of love), died in love: loved and therefore created.’ Therefore, for Chiara, the logic with which God creates is forever that of self-emptying, so that creation emerges. Chiara sees the creation as an action of God that is not estranged from his internal dynamic, the dynamic of giving all of Himself. So, God not only created the cosmos, but He keeps it alive and sustains it in continuation second by second accompanying it with His providential love. Finally, we perceive the golden thread that joins all beings. ‘Everything on earth, therefore, shared in a rapport of love with everything: every thing with every thing. . . but you need to be Love in order to weave the gold thread among the beings.” The rationality in nature speaks to us of a Creator who is relationship, the rational being par excellence. God relates in a Trinitarian relationship, and all the things He created carry that Trinitarian stamp.
Jun 19, 2015 | Non categorizzato
Al convegno, promosso da AFNonlus, parteciperanno i partner di progetto tra cui l’Ente Nazionale per il Microcredito e il Dipartimento di Agraria dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. L’evento, patrocinato dalla Società Italiana per l’Organizzazione Internazionale (SIOI), si svolgerà presso la sala workshop 50 – Cascina Triulza EXPO Milano 2015. Il progetto Haiti, danneggiata dal grave sisma del gennaio 2010 e tra i paesi più poveri del pianeta con circa l’80% della popolazione sotto la soglia della povertà, è minacciata da una seria crisi ambientale, direttamente connessa al fenomeno della deforestazione. L’utilizzo di legname per le costruzioni e soprattutto come combustibile ha un impatto negativo sulla salute delle persone, sul clima e sull’ambiente con implicazioni sociali ed economiche. Il percorso per dare una risposta concreta a queste problematiche è complesso e lungo, ma può essere facilitato con la proposta elaborata da AFNonlus, basata sull’utilizzo di tecnologie a impatto zero e nello specifico un modello di cucina solare rispettosa dei bisogni sociali, ambientali, climatici e culturali del popolo haitiano. La sperimentazione avverrà presso la comunità di Mont-Organisé, nel nord est del Paese, dove AFNonlus è già presente dal 1985 e sostiene, tra l’altro, 20 scuole. E proprio queste scuole costituiranno il punto di partenza per sensibilizzare, utilizzare, formare e diffondere questa buona pratica.
Jun 18, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Here are some of the topics to be discussed and experimented with the youth, participants and businessmen/women of the EoC, during the Summer School:
- Is economy of communion possible? Experiences of entrepreneurs from all over the world.
- Is man really an homo oeconomicus? If not, what has changed in economic and corporate practices?
- Activity and generativity: keys to building a new economy.
- Experiences of companies that have invented new business modes.
- The courage to change dominant convictions and practices.
- What can we do personalise the changes we desire?
The programme will include dissertations of Professors from various European universities and Sophia University Institute (Loppiano-Florence), along with businessmen/women of the EoC worldwide, entrepreneurial workshops, research, communication and social innovation.. For further information
Jun 18, 2015 | Non categorizzato
Raimundo is a hairdresser and Edilene, an anesthetist and public administration clerk. So to take interest in the environment is not exactly their line of expertise. But in the face of the environmental and cultural invasion they are undergoing, together with other families with whom they share Christian ideals, they started to pose some questions to themselves. What heritage would we be leaving to our children? How can we diffuse our vision to a society that seems to be unaware of this destruction? How can we go against the current? They have been married for 29 years, and have three children and three grandchildren.They live in Abaetetuba (Parà – Brazil), an «island» that covers Igarapé-Miri, Moju and Barcarena, three cities that were famous in the 1980s for the mining and industrial settlements. Many families had left their fields to work for the multinational companies, and settled down in the suburbs, nurturing new areas of poverty, with the illusion of a wealth they never reached. The impact of these industries on the environment was devastating, to say the least. It had started with the indiscriminate felling of the açaizeiros (a regional native plant) to extract the palmito which was exported, depriving the families of an essential nutriment. The industrial residues dumped in the rivers had caused a visible reduction of fish and prawns, while atmospheric pollution reduced the production of fruits remarkably. This happened at a local level. But the effects of the deforestation had a repercussion at global levels.The Amazon, in fact is a region where everything is mega in size, like its extension (occupying over 50% of the entire Brazil), its biodiversity, its forests and volume of sweet waters. But with the deforestation underway, all these precious resources run the risk of completely losing their efficacy. It was not easy to see what had to be done. But Raimundo and Edilene could count on an element to make the difference: unity with the other families and the strength deriving from letting God guide them in their choices in life. So they made a joint decision to transform with their own resources, a grazing field of 34 hectares into a fruit grove. For trees, they chose the typical varieties of the region that were more at risk of extinction, and at that point, some of these were no longer known by the youth. They worked hard and with great enthusiasm to create in Abaetetuba, an area for the preservation of local biodiversity. The fruit grove, now producing edible fruits of 166 native species with two African species, makes up a collection of a unique genre: a wealth that offers an alternative to the region’s sustainable future. The area called Radini, in honor of their children, Raisa, Radi and Raoni, is often visited by internationally famed researchers and environmentalists, actors, singers and also bishops and common folk but especially the youth. In fact, the site offers theoretic/practical lessons on biodiversity and conservation of the environment,with the distribution of informative material. Even after the awards and acknowledgements received – like the important recognition in 2012 given by the Goeldidel Parà Museum – the site is now the subject of newspapers and magazines in the region. Edilene and Raimundo are always surprised to see the interest of so many people, some of whom feel the urge to follow their example and become, as they like to define themselves, “environmentalists with a heart.”
See reportage on page 47 of the journal Amazonia Viva http://issuu.com/amazoniaviva/docs/43_av_mar_2015_web_ok/1
Jun 17, 2015 | Non categorizzato
See call for papers The international congress sponsored by Communion and Law will be held in Castel Gandolfo (Rome). The focus this year will be on how citizen participation can help to protect and preserve the environment, and how this concept might inform discussions regarding legal rights and responsibilities regarding environmental protection. The themes to be discussed: Environmental law and the right to the environment – The relational feature of environmental law – Principles of environmental law– Publications on the protection of the environment and participation rights – Environment, the city and territory – Environmental protection and responsibility– Entrepreneurial responsibility– Environmental protection and lawfulness. The topics were chosen following the works and reflection points that arose during the preparatory phase of the Congress, particularly during the international seminar of March 2014 held in Castelgandolfo (Rome) and in the Summer School of Abrigada (Portugal) in July 2014. Programm Press releases All the news regarding the preparation and enrollment for the Congress will be found on the site www.comunionediritto.org/en/.
Jun 17, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
https://vimeo.com/130879600 Video highlights of the event (Italian soundtrack) “For me dialogue is not a ritual; it is not something we do once a year and then put back on the shelf again. For me it is an essential contribution to finding solutions to some of the most difficult problems European societies are facing today, problems linked to fear of what is different, linked to the consequences of the crisis, the need for environmental sustainability. Religions will have to play the role between the communities, to perhaps help us bring Europe in a better place than it is today”. These were Frans Timmermans’ words after the annual High-Level Gathering of Religious Leaders which addressed the theme “Living together and disagreeing well”. With the First Vice-President of the European Commission were Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Parliament and 15 religious leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Mormon traditions. An understanding of the role of religions is shown by the growing number of occasions which bring together political institutions and religious leaders. Religious leaders are invited not so much on an individual basis but so as to work together, to find solutions to conflicts and to seek a way forward towards peaceful co-existence. See the recent High Level Debate on Tolerance and Reconciliation at the United Nations, the meeting of religious leaders in Kazakhstan, the invitation to Pope Francis to speak at the United Nations and now, at European level, this meeting organised by the European Commission. Today’s event follows on from the meeting held on 2nd June with the philosophical and non-confessional organisations, and it falls within the framework laid down by the Lisbon Treaty. Some burning issues came up at the press conference – which concern European policies on immigration, the growth of foreign fighters (those who leave Europe to fight jihad), and the rise of far right groups in the European Parliament – which were answered by Imams, Rabbis and Bishops. Metropolitan Joseph, from the Romanian Orthodox Church, also highlighted the role of ecclesial Movements, like the St Egidio Community, referring to its work for the progress of interreligious dialogue. On leaving this long dialogue, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, expressed her joy at having participated in a truly free exchange, with genuine listening. She emphasised the Golden Rule, shared by all religions. Among the examples she gave of it being put into practice was the experience of the interreligious group “Vivre ensemble à Cannes”. Outside the main meeting she said: “There is no religion that does not want dialogue, there aren’t any religious leaders who don’t seek to do all they can to promote it. This gives hope because, despite all we see around us, religion can truly bring a new message and help in the process of dialogue which can at times seem almost impossible”. She further emphasised “that it is important for communities to be involved in dialogue and not only religious leaders, to foster a synergy that can lead to a shared effort in European cities to enable peaceful co-existence. This can come about only by overcoming feelings of fear – which are understandable when facing the unknown – with feelings of welcome, respect and the capacity to welcome the other truly as a brother or sister.” The outcomes of the debate on 16th June will be included in the discussion material for the first annual conference on Fundamental Rights, of the EU, to be held on 1-2 October 2015 and which will focus on the theme: “Tolerance and respect: to prevent and combat anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hatred in Europe”.
See also: Video of Religious Leaders being welcomed Video of Press Conference Photo gallery Press Release by the European Commission Press Release by Focolare Movement (June, 12 2015)
Jun 17, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
After the historic meeting between Francis and Tawadros II (Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Patriarch of Alexandria), which place on May 10, 2013 at the Vatican, for the first time a day of celebration was held in Alexandria between the two Churches in commemoration of that meeting. Three months after the election of Francis, Tawadros II went to visit him on the day of the 40th anniversary of the historic visit of Pope Shenouda III to Paul VI. On that occasion, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch had proposed that May 10th be celebrated each year as the Day of Friendship between the two Churches. The event was celebrated on June 7, 2015 at the Jesuit Cultural Centre in Alexandria, Egypt, under the patronage of the Coptic Catholic Patriarch, Ibrahim Ishak, in the presence of Tawadros II, who was joined by 8 Coptic Orthodox bishops and 5 priests. Also present, Papal Nuncio, Bruno Musarò, Latin Bishop, Adel Zaki, and around 100 Religious men and women, and Catholic priests. Promoters of the event included Sohphia University Institute (SUI); the current Director of the Cultural Centre and ex-student of SUI and friend from the Orthodox Church. Following a moment of prayer with readings and songs, a documentary film was presented that recalled the various stages of the historic meeting between the two Churches. In his message, Pope Francis reminded everyone that “what we have in common is much greater than what divides us” and that “we can persevere in our march towards full communion, and grow in love and understanding.The Coptic Patriarch immediately responded. That afternoon he telephoned Pope Francis, confirming his “will to continue in the common effort for the unity of Christians,” as Vatican spokesman Father Lombardi reported. In his speech, which was filled with affection for the Bishop of Rome, Tawadros II expressed his conviction that “today’s world is hungry and thirsty for concrete love. The unity between the Churches is in need of heroes of the faith,” and he indicated some necessary preconditions for reaching unity, such as openmindedness, and praying each day: “Give me an open mind, oh God, like the mind of Our Lord Jesus towards the Samaritan woman, and towards the Good Thief on His right.” But also a big heart, capable of going “beyond the letter.” And, finally, a humble soul that “safeguards the gifts and grace that God bestows.” His Holiness was moved as he described the touching humility of Pope Francis, when he met him and said to him again: “This day we have to celebrate every year!” Tawadros II personally greeted each of the guests. The joyful event ended by remembering the “ecumenism of blood” and the Egyptian and Ethiopian Martyrs in Lybia.
Jun 16, 2015 | Non categorizzato
The client I manage a banking agency. One evening, leaving the office, I was weighed down by a big, unresolved problem: it regarded a client who had misused his savings account. I could see only two solutions, which made me suffer: seriously damage the client, starting the legal processes, or risk shirking my duties. I had an appointment to meet my wife, to return home together. Usually I try to free myself from all my worries, but that evening I couldn’t. She immediately understood and said to me, “Difficult day today, right?” I began to confide in her. Mary did not know all the problems of the bank, but she listened attentively, in silence. After telling her everything, I felt relieved and more confident. The problem remained, but it was no longer only mine. The next day I was able to imagine a third solution that permitted me, in respect to my duties, to not harm the client. (G. K. – England) Hearing problems I had serious hearing problems, and urged by my parishioners, I went to a specialist. After asking me to which religious order I belonged, he began to list his resentments against the Church for all the inconsistencies and contradictions which had made him lose the faith. I listened to him with love, realizing that I found myself in front of a person who wasn’t satisfied with superficial Christianity. In turn, I responded that there are no arguments for defending the Church except a coherent life. I added, “God loves us as we are.” He asked for my address and phone number. That same evening he came to visit me, and he told me that he had been in the seminary until the age of 18 when it seemed to him that Marxism responded better to what he was seeking; now however these certainties had broken down. After a few days he confided to me that, entering a church, it seemed to him that God was telling him, “I have never abandoned you.” Now both he and his wife have returned to the sacraments. (P. G. – Italy) Layoff At the factory they recently distributed letters of termination of employment, one of which was addressed to Giorgio. Knowing his precarious economic conditions, I went to him and invited him to return with me to the personnel office. “I’m better off than he is,” I stated. “My wife has a job. Fire me instead.” Our boss promised he would have a second look at the case. When we exited, Giorgio embraced me; he was visibly moved. This event naturally spread by word of mouth, and two other employees, more or less in the same conditions as I am, offered their places to two other terminated employees. Management was forced to rethink its methods of choosing layoffs. Our parish priest, who came to know about the episode, told the story during his Sunday homily, without saying names. The next day he told me that two students brought him all their savings for the workers in difficulty, saying, “We too want to imitate the gesture of that worker.” (B. S. – Brazil)
Jun 15, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Live streaming of funeral 18 June (3.30 pm Italian time): http://live.focolare.org
Pasquale Foresi with Chiara Lubich
Jun 15, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
In 2011, three young people from a parish in the province of Córdoba (Argentina) were invited to a meeting in “Mariapolis Lia,” a small city of the Focolare Movement, 250 km from Buenos Aires. Participating at this meeting was a great experience for all three, a full immersion in the Gospel in action, an incentive to concretely give of themselves for others. “That meeting changed us,” says Susana. “We found that we were more enthusiastic, more welcoming, more trusting in God who we rediscovered is Love. It was a chance to grow as people but also as a group.” So much so that today there are about fifteen teens who are moving forward together with some very interesting initiatives. As an example, the “Clothing Fair,” a very useful idea for their region in which there are many families who live below the poverty line. In the parish, many items of clothing had been arriving which remained there, unused, because there was no one to bring them to those in need. So the teens took over: working hard, in a few Saturdays they had organized the location, which was a transformed basement; they had cleaned and perfumed it, thinking of those who would come to choose their clothes; they had displayed the merchandise, ironed and fixed up like new, and the result was the “Clothing fair.” At the beginning, they had thought not to ask for any compensation for the clothing, but then—thinking of the dignity of the buyers—they established prices that were accessible to everyone, without drawing attention to who was giving and who receiving, so that only love would circulate. 
“One day,” recounts one of the teens, “a mother of eight children came. Seeing those affordable prices she chose a lot of clothes, and when she went to pay, with tears in her eyes she confided to us that it was the first time she was able to buy something for her children. Another time a woman came who seemed very interested: she walked around, looking at all the clothing but without buying anything. In the end she stopped to talk for a long time with us teens. We found out later that she came back other times, too, because as she herself confided, she knew that here she would always find someone who listened to her.” Leaving after her turn at the Fair, one of the girls noticed a man on the church steps who was crying. Knowing that Jesus is concealed within every person, especially the poor, she thought of something: “If he were Jesus, would I leave him alone to cry?” She decided to approach him, and the man sorrowfully described that for days he had lived on the street, he had nothing to eat and he suffered from serious health problems. The girl returned to the Fair to call the others from the current shift to search for a place for him to stay and for some food. Afterwards, they also found him a job. In many countries in Latin America, a girl’s 15th birthday is an important date. One young girl in the group was about to arrive at this date, but her family had no means to celebrate it, inviting friends and family. Hearing about this, the teens from the group wanted to help. First, they dedicated themselves to the decorations of the hall, according to the preferences of the girl’s mother. Then, they organized themselves to serve at table. But they, too, would have wanted to participate in the party and at the dance with elegant attire. What to do? Lined up in waiters’ uniforms, they welcomed guests at the door and served them at table, and then, for the dance, they ran to change, surprising everyone, especially the birthday girl. At the end of the party, they changed back into work clothes to put everything back in place, leaving the hall clean and in order. Talk about love!
Jun 13, 2015 | Non categorizzato
“… One way of applying this faith in God is when we are worried about something that makes us anxious. Sometimes it is fear for the future, or concerns about our health, we are frightened about suspected dangers, we are worried about our relatives, apprehensive about a job we have to do, we are uncertain about how to behave, there is the shock of bad news. There are fears of various kinds. Well then, at times like these, precisely in times when everything is uncertain, God wants us to believe in his love and asks of us an act of trust. If we are really Christians, he wants us to make good use of these painful situations to prove to him that we do believe in his love. This means believing that he is a Father to us and he thinks of us, and casting upon him every anxiety we have, burdening him with them. Scripture says: “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Pt 5:7). … The fact is that God is our Father and he wants his children’s happiness. This is why they unload every burden onto him. Besides, God is love and he wants his children to be love. All these worries, anxieties, and fears block our soul, shutting it up in itself, and get in the way of our opening up towards God by doing his will and towards our neighbours by making ourselves one with them so as to love them in the right way. In the early times of the Focolare, when the Holy Spirit was teaching us our first steps on the path of love, “casting all our anxiety on the Father” was something we did every day, and often several times a day. In fact we were leaving behind a purely human way of living, even though we were Christians, so as to move into a supernatural, divine way of living. That is, we were beginning to love. Worries are stumbling blocks to love. So the Holy Spirit had to teach us how to get rid of them. And he did. I remember we used to say that just as you cannot hold a hot coal in your hand, but you would drop it at once so as not to get burned, so too with the same speed we had to cast every worry onto the Father. I can’t remember any worry cast into the Father’s heart which he did not take care of. … So let’s cast every anxiety on him. We will then be free to love. We’ll run faster on the path of love which, as we know, leads to holiness.” C.Lubich, Cercando le cose di lassù, Roma 19924, p. 26-29. Read the whole text: Chiara Lubich Center
Jun 12, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
The meeting with the religious leaders will take place on 16 June at the Berlaymont Building in Brussels, seat of the European Commission. The top-level operational meeting is regularly held among the organisations of the European Union and churches, religions, philosophical associations and non-religious organizations, as provided by Art.17 of the Treaty of Lisbon. The results of the debate with the religious leaders will contribute to preparations for the European Union’s first Annual Convention on Fundamental Rights that will be held in Brussels on 1-2 October 2015 on the theme “Tolerance and respect: foresee and combat anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim phenomena in Europe.” The topic chosen for the debate, “Coexistence and acceptance of diversities,” underlines – in the words of Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, that – “in our heterogeneous European societies, dialogue is essential in creating a community in which each feels at home. Living together means being able to accept the differences even in the presence of profound divergences.” Among the 15 religious leaders invited, are the Catholic Church’s representatives: Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and President of the Episcopates’ Commission of the European Community (COMECE), and Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement.
Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission
Jun 12, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“The sun is beating down, but we need to get to the next village. Today we did another stretch with Grey from South Africa, a young television presenter. We were surprised to find people from all over the world, on the road to Campostela – from Korea, Japan, China, United States, Brazil, Canada and, naturally, Europe. Thirty years ago, only some 100 people would pass through Ronceveaux each year. The walk seems to respond to a need that is felt by the people of today. The reasons for taking the walk are many and it is interesting to share them. Peter, a 35 year old German hotel keeper from the vicinity of Monaco, sits at our table. He hasn’t gone on holiday for two years and, then, his girlfriend left him. He wants to think about life. Paul and Celine from Canada are doing the walk to give thanks for their life. Tracy from Australia is following a dream: she wants to have a great tale to tell her children and grandchildren. Antonella confided to us that she doesn’t know how to weep, she would like to get to know herself more and find her freedom. We took up El Camino 19 days ago: Bernard and Jean-Paul from Belgium and Ivo from Brazil who was frightened at the idea of having to walk 740 km. It seemed like too much. As the road stretches on you realise that the feet and legs are doing just fine, and with each new day your courage increases. Jean Paul, a married doctor, has been retired for a month. He makes frequent stops to explain the plants we find along the way. He helps us to take in the fragrances of the rich nature all around us. We are struck by the beauty of the flowers, the churches like in Burgos and in Lyon, but also in the small villages. We often turn around to enjoy the panorama behind us. Each morning we make a pact with one another to help us in the difficult moments. The walk brings us into touch with our limitations, sufferings, tiredness, thirst, hunger. . . and that can easily make us forget our neighbour. 
Ivo brings a lot of vitality to our little group, and others enjoy walking a few kilometres with us. They share their questions, difficulties and joys. One evening a priest told us the meaning of the word Compostela: Stars Field. We should also follow our star and be stars (light) for one another. Each day we come into touch with many hearts, but we are also touched by them. We try to open the door to God because we feel He is here amongst us through evanglical love. We have dinner with the others and pray altogether. Nicole is looking for people who would like to pray the Rosary. She recites it in Latin, Jean-Paul in French and we in Italian. Then Nicole begin to sing in Tagalo (Philippine language) and Ivo in Portuguese. Nicole recounts her story: she is on her way to entering a Religious community. Another time a policeman – Doriano – walks with us to 10 metres. He tells us he has prayed with us. This is a new experience in his life. Some cloistered nuns are also praying for us and for all the pilgrims; it is their vocation. Many wonder why we are speaking in Italian. We tell them our story, the story of Chiara Lubich and the Focolare Movement. To others we speak about the Gospel, the vocation and the journey of life. The experience of the Way of is different for every person. We are wondering what will happen when we reach the steps of St. James of Compostela. It will be a surprise like the one we will receive at the end of our lives. It will be joyful because of the journey, and having met so many people who have remained in our hearts. We wish them well with a ‘Buen camino’. Who knows when we’ll meet again?” Bernard, Jean-Paul, Ivo
Jun 11, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
The Summer School is an opportunity for international scholars and students from multiple disciplines to imagine the future – to recognize the possibilities hidden in the present and to understand the complex conditions required to navigate the possibilities. The Summer School will cultivate the skills and knowledge necessary to responsibly usher in a future of hope – a future charted with a moral compass directed by a commitment to the idea of the inherent value of the human person in the light of a culture that blossoms from the deep roots of relationships. The Summer School will encourage scholars to pursue research that informs paths to a positive future relying on epistemological questions derived by studies in economics, politics, law, theology and other technical and social science disciplines. For more information: Summer School 2015
Jun 11, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Thousands of signatures within a few short days under the title: Unity is strength. In April 2015, the Italian National Olymic Committee (CONI) launched a project for teenagers and young Italian residents of disadvantaged areas, titled: Vinvcere da grandi, meaning, becoming a winner as an adult. The news that was given with such large covereage has left a positive impression in many. The situation, which is paradoxical and painful, has created a tear in the social fabric that must be mended. Ths Focolare Movement in italy has noticed, along with many other associations in the country that fight for legality, transparency, and social justice. Universal brotherhood is also built in this way: joining together to ask the Italian National Olympic Committee to discontinue its collaboration with Lottomatica. The Focolare Movement in Italy has launched an online petition asking the Italian Government and Parliament to intervene in supporting an authentic culture of sport in the country, and a concrete commitment to the growth of young people. It is a bet that will only be paid off later, and we are conscious of the disproportion between the forces (like David and Goliath), but we are equally convinced that it is important to give a signal that goes against the trend. If you are interested in the project Stop Progetto Coni Lottomatica “Vincere da Grandi”, go to the New Humanity website.
Jun 10, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“Last year a two year old girl who is quite dear to me almost lost her life. I thought that because she had been born here, she was immediately given every medical cure and surgery. But what if she had been born in a country with less resources, how would it have gone for her? And why should she have had the good fortune of living here? Do other children not have the same right?” Thus Gabriella got to work organising a fundraising project for disadvantaged children, asking the Mayor for a public space on the main square of her town, Marcignago di Pavia, Italy. She also involved the Parish, the Diocese and the local press. “How will it turn out, I dont’know,” she admits, “I know why and for whom I’m doing this, and the only thing I can do is hope for the best!” This is but one of the many testimonies of supporters who have become involved in the #obiettivo15mila campaign of the New Families Association begun on May 24 in Rome, Italy, at the Città dell’Altra Economia. “The goal” – Association president Andrea Turatti explains – is to “give visibility to what we are already doing through on-going projects in 50 countries, and to expand our involvement, by involving others in projects of solidarity.” Solidarity projects have multiplied in many Italian cities and in several social projects that are underway around the world. With internet link-ups they have been able to present their activities: surgical clinics, nursery schools, primary schools and after-school programmes, through which children and teens receive adequate nourishment and medical care, scholastic assistance and other professional services. These programmes are inserted in wider interventions, in cooperation with national and international partnerships in favor of families and entire communities until they are able to be autonomous, and in favour of the well-being of children worldwide. “We would also like to contribute to the solidarity,” said Youn Vera who, thanks to the distance support is now attending the second year of secondary school at the Collegio Gue Pascal of Man, on the Ivory Coast. “To help out four classmates who were ill and in need of medical care, we had the idea of a garden where we could grow salad and spinach.” “Distance support is a project that does much direct good for us, not only to the ones who receive, but because it makes you grow, it puts you in contact with different people and cultures, it helps you to discover the value of sobriety and creates community,” said Vincenzo Curatolo, president of the Sad Forum which joins hundreds of associations in Italy. One example is Guido and Azzurra who together with other teenagers from the Roman quarter, tell how they have founded an association that has been operating for nearly two years, in which they carry out several activities in favour of others. The most beautiful experience has been in the Philippines, responding to the emergency in the aftermath of hurricane Hayan. Hosted by the Focolare and in cooperation with the New Families non-Profit Association they went into several barrios on the peripheries of several cities and touched with their own hands what previously had seen so distant from their daily lives and could only be seen on television. Living them out in daily life, really changed our way of thinking. Then we wanted to make a long-term commitment in supporting a girl in a wheelchair: Princess, with her sunshine smile.” Giusy, from near Pisa, Italy, tells of how one group of Focolare New Families slowly got the whole area involved, the municipal council and some 300 families. “The project was begun by me and my colleague, twenty years ago,” says Massimo Grossi of the RCS Corriere della Sera, and it has involved more than 250 journalists and printing services. Thanks to many small donations, we received 50 distance supporters for children in Africa and Asia; many small contributions that united together: this is our spirit and our strength.”
Jun 9, 2015 | Non categorizzato
“Casa Emmaus,” located in the international town of Loppiano – Incisa Valdarno (FI), wishes to be a “school of communion” and a “school of life” for all the religious worldwide. The course will offer some tools to help participants acquire a deeper knowledge of the spirituality of communion the Church has proposed for the Third Millennium, in the light of unity and life of the Gospel. All are advised to bring along their own Constitutions, to be able to compare their own charisms and share with the others the innate treasures within, in a spiritual climate of reciprocity. See: Brochure
Jun 8, 2015 | Non categorizzato
In the face of immense challenges which also the European society has to tackle – particularly this year, after the attacks in Paris and Copenhagen – one can feel the growing distrust within and between communities. Already at the start of the 1990s, on the initiative of Jacques Delors, the EC President at that time, dialogue with the Churches and the non-religious organisations had been an occasion for an exchange of views on European politics between institutions and the main players of civil society. How can we live together and build a society in which every person and community can feel at home and safe? How can we find ways of accepting the differences when substantially there is no agreement? These are some of the open questions the religious leaders will confront together.. Also the President of the Movement, Maria Voce has accepted the invitation to participate, underlining how the priority of the Focolare is to “build bridges through respectful dialogue at various levels, and to contribute to the peaceful coexistence and fraternity between people of diverse faiths and the most varied ethnic and social origins.”
Jun 8, 2015 | Non categorizzato
We are breathing an air of peace,” Cardinal Puljic had exclaimed on the vigil of the Pope’s arrival. The city was expecting him with much joy and had begun preparing for his visit several months in advance. Rumuors that had put the security on guard were put to rest by the concerted preparatory efforts Church and State working in harmony. This effort and the willingness of the citizens in following the rules allowed everything to turn out quite well.” Sarajevo, the city that John Paull II called the European Jerusalem was festively awaiting sthe Pope. Peace be with you was the motto of the Pope’s visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, “a land tested by conflicts, the latest of which is still very present in the memory of “Bosnians, Serbs and Croats,” as Novi Svijet Gina Perkov (Croatia) writes. “The war has indeed had tragic consequences: death, destruction and the exile of so many people. The number of Catholics (primarily Croation) has been reduced by half.” The population was grateful that, this time, the eyes of the world were fixed on them for a happy reason, and hopeful that this fact might help in resolving several political questions; one being that “several EU countries are culpable for having permitted and assisted the ethinic cleansing,” as attested to in a recent book by Bishop Franjo Komarica, Bishop of Banja Luka, Serb Republic. During the Eucharistic Celebration at the Olympic Stadium of Kosevo in the presence of 70 thousand people – 23 thousand of them, Croation – the Pope offered a strong message of peace. “Peace is the dream of God, the plan of God for humankind. . . Today, the cry once more arises from the people of God and from all people of good will: War never again! Making peace is an artisanal task: it requires passion, patience, experience, tenacity. Blessed are they who sow peace through their daily actions, with attitudes and gestures of service, fraternity, dialogue, forgiveness. . . Peace is the work of justice. . . practiced, lived out justice. True justice is doing to the other person, to the other people, what I would want to be done to me, to my people. Peace is a gift from God, because it is the fruit of his reconciliation with us. . . Today let us together ask the Lord for a simple heart, for the grace of patience,” he concluded. In the afternoon, Pope Francis met at the cathedral with priests, men and women Religious and consecrated people and, in the end, with young people. The Focolare Movement offered gifts to the Pope and attended all the moments of encounter. The spirituality of unity arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1975 through several young people who had attended the Mariapolis of Zagabria, Croatia. In 1992, war broke out: countless were lost, destruction, death and refugees. Many, many people fled to the different countries of Europe. There was a huge effort to continue to support those who had stayed behind, but since roads were closed only a few letters and foodstuffs were able to reach the people. Through the love of the people who lived the spirituality of unity, many Muslims and Christians found a point of encounter in the Ideal of unity. When the war ended and they returned to Bosnia, they themselves became the bearers and witnesses of this new spirit. “At the beginning of 1996 it finally possible to go to them, in spite of the war,” say some witnesses to the events. We were met by rubble everywhere, crumbling houses, armoured vehicles, constant police surveilance and, once in a while, an exploding grenade. . . The city of Sarajevo was treeless because they had all been burned by the people who tried to warm themselves during the freezing winters.” The first spark of the Ideal of unity that had been welcomed by several people many years earlier, and treasured in their hearts, burst into flames during the war among a people marked by suffering, in need of so many things, who were able to intuit what was essential, thirsty for something true. They were Catholics, but also Muslims and Orthodox, all of them grateful for the discovery of God-Love which had transformed their lives. The current situation Bosnia is still unresolved. The Catholics emigrate, especially the young, and their is fear of future conflict. The Focolare community draws its strength from unity, a small sign of that unity which was desired by John Paul II in 1997 when he visited and wished for Sarajevo that after the war, it would become the convincing model of the third millenium.
Jun 7, 2015 | Non categorizzato
“To me, Chiara Lubich’s talks on the Eucharist were like a revelation that led me to a broader and more precise knowledge of the Eucharist’s deep impact not only on the individual but on society. I saw that the progress of Christian conscience in the individual and in society depends on the depth of the knowledge Christians have of the Eucharist. In other words: if we know what the Eucharist is, and we live its reality as such, we can draw forth from Christianity the deepest value our soul and society needs. In fact the Eucharist unites man with God and is the mystery of Christ’s love for humanity. It is communion with Christ and our brothers; it is unity with both. If we want to see the progress of society’s highest communitarian and universal aspirations that oppose egoism, racisms, tyrannies of sorts, etc., we have to make the Eucharistic conscience grow, and live it profoundly. We can say that the relationship with God and man himself is a Eucharistic mystery in which God makes himself man because man can be like God. It is nothing less than that. With her explanations, Chiara makes us consciously enter not only into the mentality of Christ, but into his humanity and divinity. She wants us to coexist, through the sacramental communion, with both the divinity and humanity of Jesus. It is a revolution that defies man and sets him in contrast with and above the process of moral degradation besetting society today. The revolt against death starts from the Eucharist. Chiara has thus stamped on our lives a mark of heroism and sanctity. There is no need for mediocrity to be able to live within human coexistence. What comes to mind is the question the angel asked the souls that entered Dante’s purgatory: “Oh you humans who have been born to fly – why have you fallen under the breeze?” Meaning to say, oh man, why do you, who are born to fly to God, let yourself fall into sin so easily and lose this chance to fly? Sanctity is heroism, but which is immensely facilitated by daily nutriment of the Eucharistic bread. It implies a daily, assiduous devotion, going one step higher each day, beyond the mediocrity in which a greater part of humanity lives in today. This mediocrity consists in lies, lust, thefts, and violence which is not a way of living but of stupidly organising our own agony. The Eucharist gives us wings to fly!” Igino Giordani, The Eucharist gives us wings to fly, «GEN» November 2004, pp.10-11
Jun 6, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“The last time we ever saw anything like this was when Pope John Paul II visited in 1983,” writes Filippo Casabianca, from El Salvador. It is a land with a population of 6 million people in an area of 21 thousand km2 that had amongst its sons this bishop who is widely recognized as one of the most important ecclesial figures of the American continent. The Cause had been opened by Bishop Rivera y Damas, his successor as shepherd of the Diocese, on the tenth anniversary of his death on March 24, 1980. That was the year Marita Sartori and Carlo Casabeltrame visited three Franciscan friars who had begun to spread the ideal of unity in El Salvador. In that tragic decade, which opened with the murder of Archbishop Romero and culminated with the murder of 7 Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter, the Focolare Movement spread in an extraordinary way in several points of the country, in the midst of a theatre of war. The women’s focolare was opened in 1989 in spite of the danger for the foreign focolarine who went to live there. Since then the country has been through a process that led to the signing of a peace treaty in 1992, and then to a more democratic form of governement with some political stability, but not the long desired reconciliation that today is expressed in a destructive polorization. To this is added the scourge of insecurity because of the proliferation of young criminal gangs and of large segments of the country. The Focolare community are involved in many projects in support of disadvantaged families, through programmes of the New Families Project and the Action for a United World, that have allowed hundreds of children to complete their education supported by the projects of educational centres for poor children, and through interventions in one at-risk quarter for the promotion of social integration. With Romero’s Beatification the awareness of an historic opportunity has grown amongst the people. His message is being preceived as a medicine that could contribute to overcoming opposing views, healing hearts that have been hardened by resentment, and provide what is most necessary in the process of reconciliation. Maribel remarks: “It is a challenge that begins with following the example of Archbishop Romero, which for me continues to help me and my students to nurture peace and justice in people’s hearts .” Whereas, for Amaris: “the celebration will have to give way to reconciliation that lies in forgiving and asking to be forgiven, to heal wounds that are still festering.” Commitment to unity and reconciliation have always been present in the Focolare community, but now they take on the new connotation of a mandate in light of the heroic witness of Archbishop Romero “who knew how to weep with those who weep,” Flora Blandon observed, “and rejoice with those who had a reason to rejoice. The Beatification is the recognition of his life that was anchored in love.” In the messages sent by Pope Francis to the current Archbishop of El Salvador, Josè Luis Escobar Alas, the Pope calls Romero “one of the best sons of the Church,” attributing him with the characteristics of the Good Shepherd who was so dear to him. “Because (God) had bestowed upon the bishop martyr the capacity to see and listen to the suffering of his people and to shape his heart that, in his name, he might guide and illumine.” Francis also also recognised his exemplarity and invited all to encounter in the figure of Romero “strength and courage for building the Kingdom of God and being involved in the search for a more dignified and equal social order.”
Jun 5, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“Last September,” says Luigi, trade unionist, who seeks to live the spirituality of unity along with Fr. Peppino and others in the parish, “we had the idea to organize meals for solidarity for those on the margins of society, for the lonely.” The place to do it? “We realized that with a little work the space we use for parish meetings could become a welcoming dining room. It wasn’t even difficult to make the guest list. Their faces are familiar to us: people we see on the street, who live in the same neighbourhoods where we live, who are our next door neighbours, those who are helped by the Caritas, the elderly, foreigners…” “We started by dividing up the tasks to be done,” interjects Grace. “One offered to do the shopping, notifying restaurants and supermarkets; one offered to cook, with close attention to preparing dishes that even our Muslim friends could eat. The strongest offered to fix up the room and the teen girls offered to prepare the entertainment. A well-rounded team: young people, adults, and even children.” The first lunch was held in October 2014. For everyone involved it was a sunny Sunday, as was the radiant face of the elderly man with the cane and the woman who loved to dance and enjoyed herself so much. A few days before Christmas, the second lunch was held. “You can’t imagine the joy of the anticipation,” remembers Vincent, “when the hall was opened there were already a few elderly participants sitting on a bench waiting. As soon as they saw us they came to embrace us and give us the season’s greetings, and then went to find a place to sit. Immediately after wards all the others arrived, including the children and their parents. Between courses there was music and karaoke, and then the Moroccan girls instructed everyone in dances to songs from their country.” The children, meanwhile, played, coloured, and tried to wait patiently for the big surprise…the arrival of Santa Claus, who distributed gifts for everyone. “For us, the organizers, there were no wrapped presents,” says Carla, “but we received a much more precious gift: the scene of all those people, finally smiling and happy.” After the Christmas lunch followed that of Epiphany, and still many others: a tradition which continues, and each time becomes a chance to intertwine oneself in many cultures and religions. Among the guests, who gradually become more and more numerous, there are Arabians, Ukrainians, Catholics, Orthodox, Evangelicals, people of no religious conviction and especially many Muslims. “Is there difficulty? Commitment? Problems? Of course,” admits Luigi, “because it isn’t easy to organize meals like these from nothing. But the joy that moments like these bring us is indescribable, leaving in each of us the desire and the inventiveness to do more. They are truly opportunities to grow as a person and to grow in the sense of community, in us organizers and in the guests, who are no longer guests but truly brothers and sisters.”
Jun 4, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
In a ceremony held on Saturday May 30th, a traffic circle was dedicated to Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement and honorary citizen of Rimini, between Savonarola Street, Giacomo Matteotti Boulevard, and Mille Street, overlooking the University complex “Navigare Necesse.” “A moment of attention for an important figure connected to our city,” said Irina Imola, the assessor to the General Services of the municipality of Rimini, who opened the ceremony. “For this, I thank all the authorities present and the many who have drawn teaching and comfort from the work of Chiara Lubich.” In 1997 the Municipality of Rimini had conferred upon Chiara Lubich honorary citizenship, “for her work of construction,” among the motivations expressed by the City Council, “of a civilization of love, tolerance, and solidarity among peoples.” Source: Altarimini online
Jun 4, 2015 | Non categorizzato
While gender is the topic under discussion in the Western world, in developing countries the concern is for the tragedy of exploitation; in the Middle East the rights of women, and peace. Still in the West, women forced to choose between work and family; lives that are subjected to violence… These are a few of the challenges and problems – differing according to the various geographical areas – in discussion at the United Nations, in view of the new agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, to be carried out after the year 2015 (the date by which the 193 member states hoped to achieve the famous Millennium Development Goals). These challenges and problems were also discussed during the three days sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (Rome, May 22-24, 2015), in collaboration with the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations and the World Women’s Alliance for Life and Family. Not only an overview of the most urgent issues linked to woman’s conditions, nor a mere moment of condemnation of the violations of her dignity and her rights. The 120 women from different countries wanted to offer a contribution of experiences and ideas, then synthesized in a final document towards the new United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda. In his message to Cardinal Turkson, president of Justice and Peace, Pope Francis wanted to give voice to the petitions promoted by the Catholic feminine world in international proceedings, inviting those who are “engaged in defending the dignity of women and promoting their rights,” to allow themselves “to be constantly guided by the spirit of humanity and compassion” in the service of their neighbours. “In this way,” continues the pope, “you will manifest the countless God-given gifts which women have to offer, encouraging others to promote sensitivity, understanding and dialogue in settling conflicts big and small, in healing wounds, in nurturing all life at every level of society, and in embodying the mercy and tenderness which bring reconciliation and unity to our world.” The contributions ranged from: feminine anthropology, women and education, women and interreligious dialogue, technologies related to life and to procreation, human rights, women and agricultural work, to business and finance etc., followed by work in thematic atelier, or workshops (a term which recalls the “artisan work” of finesse and industriousness, typical of women) on the Sustainable Development Goals, for an elaboration of proposals. Rita Mousallem, co-director of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue of the Focolare Movement, spoke on the subject of “Interreligious Dialogue, means for a lasting peace. The roll of women,” taking inspiration from her personal experience as a Christian in the Middle East. In the various interviews to which she responded, she stressed the ability to listen, a typical characteristic of women, which provides the possibility to enter into the innermost part of oneself and of others; to know how to suffer and how to hope until the end, because – being a mother – she well knows the value of life. These aspects and others are part of that “feminine genius” – also quoted by Pope Francis – the gift and beauty typical of woman, called to give her contribution to today’s society, for the benefit of all. Read more: Aleteia
Jun 3, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
In order to look toward the future, on the last day of the meeting, the Congress turned its gaze on the new generations. With the first engaging words of Anouk Grevin, Professor of Management at the University of Nantes and member of the International Commission of the EoC, everyone broke into applause: “When a baby is born,” he said, “the whole community shows care, the child that was born belongs to everyone.” His words express one of the most important values of the African continent and that is,”You need a village to grow a child”. Grevin went on to say, “We lived such wonderful dreams with the young people at the International EoC School!” With much enthusiasm Anouk moved around the hall. The walls were covered with pictures of the young people’s projects, and their dreams. With unique creativity and a passion that would be difficult to describe, the young people presented those projects: some already underway, others only dreams, although for them that didn’t matter! John Mundell launched an appeal to his friends: open your businesses to introduce these new generations into the work world: “The experience in an EoC business makes you experience a wealth of true relationships along with professionalism!” 
The real life events of the business people from around the world – especially the young people – gave glimpses of a better future: from Italy to Argentina, to Paraguay, to the presentation of a thesis on the EoC by a young Brazilian woman who is about to finish her studies at Sophia Institute. If today our gaze is pointed towards the future-present, then it is an important moment for making strong and binding commitments: “We should promise ourselves that we will never turn back,” said Luigino Bruni. “ We’ve lived some miracles over the past few days, our stories that need to be told to everyone. The EoC isn’t a consumer good, many people in the world waiting for it. We need to continue to be “producers” of communion, not only its consumers.” The final statement was a powerful appeal. The promise to give one’s life for an economy of communion. Then the business people wished to leave a visible sign of their personal commitment, which materialised in the form of a “pact,” which everyone was free to sign.
Genéviève Sanzé and Luigino Bruni addressing the conference
Jun 3, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“The Economy of Communion (EoC) has returned to Africa. We’re here from around world, drawn by both the blessings and the wounds of this great continent, to take a look at the world economy from an African perspective; also to be taught by these peoples, by their great calling to life, social relationships and encounter. I have always been struck by Africa’s ability to create, and by its life. There is a lot of dancing in Africa, a lot of feasting and celebration. One thing that I find stupendous in Africa is that you even see elderly women dancing. Nowadays, in Europe and in the Northern hemisphere it is less common to see elderly men and women freely celebrating and dancing over the joy of being together. We also came to Africa to learn how to dance, men, women and children. Africa certainly has a vocation to generate life in all of its dimensions. The sense of brotherhood with the earth and with all of nature is a great value of African culture. This is one of the many gifts that Africa offers to the entire Economy of Communion worldwide, and many future generations should make this discovery. What messages can reach the Africa of today from the EoC? We will take the time to tell our stories, both great and small, and from there we will set out into a new land. The first contribution that the EoC would like to take to Africa is appreciation and esteem for what Africa already is and not only for what it might become. The people’s first strength is their dreams, especially their collective dreams and those of the poor. Generating is very connected to an economic term that is important for Africa and for everyone: innovation. A first message that we receive from the logic of this new budding is subsidiatiry: our hands and our technology can only subsidize, that is, help the bud to bloom; they cannot invent it. The economic and social innovations of Africa will grow primarily from its own soil, from its land and not from the outside. The gift of the EoC is that of having eyes that can see buds where others see only deserts. There are many young people here in Africa who have already begun the walk, often together: and it is from these buds that we should learn to see the forest. The essential energy of any undertaking is the hunger for life, and for the future of young people and the poor, who are very abundant here in Africa. In order for the poor and excluded to become an engine of change of a country, the role of political and economic institutions is essential. New financial institutions are being born from the EoC. But banks and all the other institutions are only able to assist economic innovations, not create or invent them. Without people with creativity, talent, competence and passion, you will never give rise to the experience of a new economy. It is necessary that each individual activates his or her own innovative skills and, if possible, join it to that of others who have the same wish to do and create. Our dream is to create one of these institutions right here at Mariapolis Piero. It will be a centre that can be a place for trust, for accompanying and serving new EoC ideas that will be born especially from young people.”
![Poland: Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Katowice]()
Jun 1, 2015 | Non categorizzato
In Poland, with its population of 38 million, 90% of whom are Christian, the Muslims are a religious minority. They number 25 thousand, 0.08% of the population. Their presence presence back to the Tartars of the 14th century; then there was the immigration of the second half of the 20th century and the years after the Berlin wall. The recent day of dialogue is inserted amongst three major events in the ongoing dialogue amongst Christians and Muslims in Poland. Father Adam Was, from the Polish Catholic Bishops Conference’s Committee for non-Christian Religions, describes the event: The Day of Islam in the Catholic Church in Poland, instituted in 2000 by the Polish Catholic Bishops Conference at the request of the Mixed Council of Catholics and Muslims, is celebrated each year on June 26; also the Prayer of Peace and Justice in the World, begun in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, promoted by Polish Tartars; and finally “the unprecedented event,” as described by Mufti Nedal abu Tabaq, the “Christians Amongst Muslims in Poland,” established on May 29, 2015 and begun three years ago by the Muslim League in Poland. Fifty guests were invited to speak at the event, invited by Imam Abdul Jabbar Koubaisy, Director of the Centre and vice-president of the Muslim League in Poland: local civil authorities, representatives from the Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran Churches; representatives from the University of Silesia and from the Jewish Community of Katowice. Focolare president, Maria Voce, and co-president Jesús Morán were the guests of honour. 
”Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities” (EG, 250), recalled Metropolitan of Katowice, Archbishop Wiktor Skwore, in his message that was ready by Father Tadeusz Czakański, the Metropolitan’s delegate for the dialogue with Islam. And focusing in on the theme of the meeting, he underscored how: the foundation of the entire teaching of Jesus Christ lies in merciful love towards one’s neighbour,” and he wished that this interreligious meeting in Katowice would help all “to live more deeply the mystery of God’s Mercy” and that “it would contribute to a greater openness towards one another, to more efficient cooperation on the ground in caring for the marginalised and oppressed.” Then, in her speech, Maria Voce recalled some passages of the Christian Scriptures that speak of Jesus even before his birth, highlighting his concrete love towards the human person. “It was this universal love, without reservations that has fascinated everyone who belongs to the Focolare, and it has become our rule of life,” the Focolare president noted. One of Chiara Lubich’s intuitions, which constitutes one of the fundamental points of her spirituality of unity, was the discovery of the Jesus’ commandment par excellence: ‘This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:12-13). “Loving in this way is not always easy,” Maria Voce admitted, “at times, or very often this love towards our brother or sister requires sacrifice and fatigue. . . But also here Jesus is the model: he loved to the point of giving his life for us.” In concluding, she expressed her wish that: God, “the greatest and most merciful, would help us to look upon everyone with the gaze of a brother or sister, with the measure of love that he revealed to us, so that together we can build a world that everyone is waiting for where brotherhood and true peace reign.” While speaking of Jesus Christ, Mufti Nedal Abu Tabaq, who is responsible over all the Imams in Poland, affirmed that in the Koran it is written that “Jesus is the sign”. “He was not only miraculously conceived, but he also performed miracles, cured the sick, raised the dead. Each one of us must resuscitate the light in those who suffer (. . .) We are not candles that can burn out; we are the fire that is already come forth from it, and this light is present in every human being, but we must revive it, make it emerge (. . .) in the needs, as Jesus Christ had done (. . .) This is the Jesus whom I love, whom I know, whom I praise.” Common action in favour of interreligious dialogue: the threat against the value of the family and the need, as believers, to protect it; educating children in dialogue: these were a few of the issues that were dealt with in a fraternal dialogue with Maria Voce and Jesús Morán, during the second part of the programme. The programme concluded with the Lord’s Prayer recited by Christians and the Dua recited by Muslims. There was a sign of peace, expressed in a handshake or embrace celebrating the fraternal love that was experienced in those hours amongst Christians, Muslims and Jews.
Jun 1, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Roberto Catalano (right right) with Minoti Aram, of the Shanti Ashram in Combiatore (India), and other Hindu participants at an interreligious workshop.
“The conference is of great value,” continues Roberto Catalano. “There were speeches in the plenary session and also in parallel sessions of great theological and spiritual depth. Great human and intellectual openness, and a desire to deepen our understanding of an event like the Council from different points of view: geographical without a doubt, but especially of perspective and of content. There were speeches that sought to contextualize what happened between 1962 and 1965, and why. Others confronted the historical aspects which brought about the unfolding of the council event. But another important topic was the interpretation of all that has happened after the council and how these fifty years have not been sufficient for its fulfillment. The opinions came in succession in an atmosphere of profound listening, interest and intellectual and spiritual openness.” “Even among different opinions, the Council emerges from this period of study half a century from its conclusion, as an event that changed the Church and humanity. The prophetic dimension which characterized the documents that were promulgated at the end of the council assembly is especially striking.” And it is precisely on this dimension of prophecy which his discourse is founded, upon the role of some movements, such as the Focolare Movement and Sant’Egidio, in the actualization of Nostra Aetate. Dialogue as a duty, dialogue as a culture of meeting, dialogue as a pilgrimage and dialogue as open and emphatic thinking are just a few of the points expounded by Catalano. One day of the convention was entirely dedicated to ecumenism and to what the Council has meant for this aspect. There followed discourses by Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Orthodox, and Episcopalians: “There was also a serious tone due to missed appointments and obstacles that still remain for a true communion between the various Churches. But the most significant speech, marked by several minutes of thunderous applause within the Episcopalian National Cathedral, was that of Cardinal Walter Kasper, who, after a masterful analysis of the history and a few theological aspects of the ecumenical matter, concluded with his pragmatic but refreshing optimism; “Unity perhaps has already started!” “It is clear,” concludes Catalano, “how in these fifty years enormous steps forward have been made, and that unity will never be a ‘return’ or a unification, but a ‘communion.’“
May 31, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
While visiting Poland, Maria Voce and Jesús Moran, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement, respectively, held a meeting on 26 May in the Mariapolis Fiore (Poland) with a group of priests and religious who were bound in various ways to the Focolare. Fr. Zdzislaw Klafka, a Redemptorist, recounted his encounter with the spirituality of unity and the positive effects in living his specific vocation in a more radical manner. «I feel so grateful to Chiara Lubich for having been God’s docile tool in bringing about in the Church, a spirituality that has helped me face the difficulties in life: When I was nominated the Superior of my congregation, I found a challenge before me. I was in Rome and before returning to Poland, I asked her to suggest a phrase of the Gospel that could enlighten my path. She answered: “No one has greater love than he who gives up his life for his friends.” I was then 29 years old and that phrase became the compass that showed me the way. In living the spirituality of unity I started to look up to my founder, St. Alphonse, in a new way. This was how I rediscovered not only my roots but the evangelical force that lies within every other charism of the Church. Someone asked me whether my adhering to the spirituality of the Focolare was not time stolen from my duties as a Redemptorist. The fact is, and I have experienced it repeatedly, that when I return from my meetings with the religious of other orders, I feel the desire to live my own choice of God even more radically.»
Fr. Zdzislaw Klafka
May 30, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
They arrived from: Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Banias, Kfarbo and Tartous. Who would have ever imagined spending a week-end with the youth from all parts of Syria. Is this pure madness? The organizers asked themselves. Maybe so, but it became a reality. The number kept growing day after day, until it reached a total of 67. «This is how our adventure began,» they recounted. «We chose a safe place which all could reach, even if the trip took 10 hours. The idea was to spend three days together to live, share, pray, cry, and play, immersed in nature but with mutual love among us.» «What matters most in my life?» was the title of the week-end, a question that echoed even more in an uncertain situation like that of the young Syrians. They divided into four groups that focused on different themes: “A special bond with the Father,” “With Jesus every day,” “the Love that makes us free,” and “Love for Mary,” which they deepened with passages of the Holy Scriptures, the Popes and saints, accompanied by true stories of other youth who had preceded them along the path towards sanctity. When I arrived for the week-end I was tired of the war – confided Fatima – and I felt that life was stagnant, but then once again I experienced God’s presence in my life and his Love for us through the love of the others. Now when I undergo difficult moments, I just need to think that someone is praying for me and is trying to live in the same way, and this gives me a great inner peace. I have understood that the most important thing is to live life … loving Jesus in every neighbour.» On the first day they delve d deeper into one of the main tenets of the spirituality of unity, «God who is Love.» Tracing the story of the beginning of the Focolare in Trent during the Second World War, in the destruction of all, they traced also the reality of Syria today. «Everything passes, only God remains,» someone said, and so: «What matters most in my life?». One of them said: «Living Christianity in a radical way.» On the second day, through a discourse of Chiara Lubich to the youth in the 1970s, «Jesus the Master,» their choice of God emerged. «We even sang, danced and played in the evenings, and it made us all feel like a true family,» Murad and Lina wrote. Upon leaving, some said: «I thank Jesus for all the moments of joy and pain.» Haashim said «I experienced God’s caress once again – I feel the responsibility of bringing this grace to all around us.» Unforgettable days. «During the week-end – Samir wrote – «we made our fill of peace and serenity that have given us the strength to return to living in this dramatic situation.» And Nahda concluded – «Despite the absurdity of the war, I no longer feel alone.»
May 29, 2015 | Senza categoria
“When I can, I attend a group for retirees in my neighbourhood. I see that certain people are avoided by the ‘decent’ folks in the group, because of their scruffy appearance: alcoholics, homeless, who bide the time with a bottle as their only companion, and no one tries to involve them in the games, or the conversation. So I began learning how to play cards and bocce, in order to be able to spend time with them without any judging. At first I had to put up with their frequent reprimands. But I made an effort anyway to be friendly and disposed towards them; also to accept their language and their ramshackle way of playing. One day, Giulio, whom everyone considered the biggest vagrant, was admitted to hospital because of an alcoholic problem, but no one which hospital he was in. I did some searching and made several phone calls, but because of privacy I wasn’t given any news. In the end, I contacted the city police and they were able to track him down. I took care of him. His doctor explained his medical condition to me if I were a relative. Then I took him home, obtained his medicines and some packages of food. Silvio, another alcoholic whose driver’s license had been removed, was about to lose his job. I stepped in to help him get it back. Now he’s out of his addiction and has become the animator of a group of Alcoholics Anonymous. Ulysses was a competitive player, and he bragged about being a “priest-hater”. For two years I put up with his rather aggressive statements. Then, he developed a tumour but, proud as he was, he wouldn’t accept help from anyone. One day he asked me to take him home. This unexpected request was like an answer for me, that perhaps I had made a breakthrough and conveyed a bit of my faith to him. Gianni, the youngest one in the group, was 50 years old. He was tall as a giant and lived a very disordered life. Because of his lifestyle he was considered last in the ‘good conduct’ rankings. I stood by him until the last day of his life. His family members were surprised, and so was he. A few days before his death he squeezed my hand inside that giant fist of his, expressing his esteem and gratitude. Guido is a deaf mute; the most isolated one in the group because communicating with him is very demanding. We’ve become friends, and now he’s my partner when we play trump. One day, Giulio, the homeless man, removed a picture of Saint Padre Pio from his pocket and, in front of the whole group, said to me: “For me, you’re another Saint Padre Pio*.” From that day on everyone in the circle began calling me by that name and, despite the fact that I found it embarrassing, the name stuck. These friends now await my arrival with joy and I often find myself playing cards with my deaf mute friend against the two alcoholics. We’ve become the most famous team in the circle, and also the noisiest! Before going to the circle, I make a visit in a nearby church – something that has not escaped the attention of the group – to ask Him for the strength and guidance in loving these socially disadvantaged friends of mine.” * Padre Pio of Pietrelcina is an Italian saint renowned for his miracles.
![Poland: Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Katowice]()
May 28, 2015 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Audio of the June Word of Life
We can become slaves to what we do, getting all ‘hot and bothered’. Jesus invites us to focus on the only thing that matters: living his word as we live for him. This makes our work a creative act of love. There is much affection in repeating this name: “Martha, Martha”! The house in Bethany, near Jerusalem, was a place Jesus would stop and rest with his disciples. In the city, he was drawn into debates; he found antagonism and rejection. In Bethany, instead, he felt welcome and found peace. Martha was enterprising and active. She showed it later when her brother died and she engaged Jesus in a lengthy conversation, questioning him energetically. She was a strong woman who showed great faith. When “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life… Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe’” (Jn 11:25–27). She answered without any hesitation. At this point she was extremely busy, organizing a special welcome for the master and his disciples. She was the mistress of the house (as her name suggests: Martha means “mistress”), and so she felt responsible. She was probably preparing the evening meal for her important guest. Her sister Mary had left her all alone to do the work. Contrary to the traditions of the East, Mary did not go to the kitchen but remained with the men to listen to Jesus, sitting at his feet, just like the perfect disciple. This gave rise to the rather resentful comment by Martha: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me” (Lk 10:40). And Jesus’ affectionate, yet firm reply was:
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.”
Was Jesus not happy with the enterprising and generous service of Martha? Didn’t he appreciate her concrete and practical way of welcoming him, and wouldn’t he be happy to eat the food that was being prepared? Shortly after this episode, in his parables he will praise the administrators, businesspeople and employees who know how to use their talents creatively and do business with their goods (see Lk 12:42; 19:12–26). He even praises shrewdness (see Lk 16:1–8). He could not but rejoice at seeing a woman so full of initiative and capable of giving a warm and abundant welcome. What Jesus calls attention to is the state she was in, how bothered and worried she was about her work. Martha is agitated, “distracted by her many tasks” (Lk 10:40); she has lost her calm. It is no longer she who controls her work, but it is her work that has taken control and tyrannizes her. She is no longer free; she has become a slave to what she does. Doesn’t it happen also to us at times that we get lost in the thousands of things to do? We are drawn to and distracted by the internet, by messaging, by useless posts. Even when we have serious commitments to occupy us, they can make us forget to be attentive to others, to listen to people right next to us. Above all, the danger is that we lose sight of why and who we are working for. Our work and other concerns become ends in themselves. Or else we are overcome by anxiety and agitation when we face difficult situations and problems with our family, money matters, career, school and the future of our children —to such an extent that we forget the words of Jesus: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Mt 6:31–32). We too deserve Jesus’ criticism:
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.”
What is the only thing needed? To hear and live the words of Jesus. Before these words and before he who speaks them, we cannot put anything at all. The true way of welcoming the Lord, of making him feel at home, is to welcome what he says. This is what Mary did: forgetting everything else, she put herself at his feet and did not miss a single word. If we do that we will be guided not by our desire to be noticed or to have the first place, but only by pleasing him, by being at the service of his kingdom. Like Martha, we too are called to do “many things” for the good of others. Jesus has taught us that the Father is happy when we bear “much fruit” (see John 15:8) and that we will even do greater things than he did (see Jn 14:12). He looks therefore at our dedication, our passion in doing the work he has given us to do, our imagination, courage and resourcefulness. He wants us to do many things without getting bothered and agitated, but keeping the peace that comes from knowing we are doing God’s will. The only thing that matters therefore is to become Jesus’ disciples, letting him live in us, being attentive to what he suggests with his gentle voice that prompts us moment by moment. In this way he will be the one who guides us in every act. In doing “many things” we will not be distracted and side-tracked, because by following Jesus’ words we will be moved by love alone. In all we do, we will always do only one thing: love.
Fabio Ciardi *
*Fr Fabio Ciardi, OMI is a theologian and close collaborator of Chiara Lubich Read more on this topic: Lubich, Chiara. Here and Now: Reflections on Living the Present Moment. New City Press, Hyde Park, New York, 2005. Lubich, Chiara. “A divine balance,” Essential Writings. New City Press, Hyde Park, New York, 2007. Pg. 123. Next month: Word of Life for July 2015 “Take courage; I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33).
May 28, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“My current parish is found in one of the neighbourhoods of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia,” says Fr Ludovit. “The city has about 4,300 inhabitants, of which 3,500 are Christians, and the numbers continue to grow. When I arrived here in July 2009, I knew my first task was to love people with the love of Jesus. Now I can say that I’m happy because a beautiful community has sprung up between people of different ages and social status, from different Slovakian cities, who have discovered a new relationship with God, not just through the Bible and prayer, but also through the community and various parish activities. They have found here the joy in the faith which is worth living for. When I first arrived, there were no young people: the government had banned the construction of new buildings, so many young couples had moved elsewhere. Furthermore, there was no program of formation in the faith for the few teens there were. I met three young people who had the desire to help me, but they were immersed in their own work and studies. At that time I invited the teens and the young people who had recently been confirmed to a barbecue. They came as a sign of respect, but they never returned. “We’ve already received Confirmation, so there’s no need to go to Mass anymore,” they told me. In this situation, I entrusted everything to Jesus. Since September 2009, I have been teaching Catechism in all of the elementary and middle school classes (about 150 children and teens). At the same time, I started a Sunday Mass for families. I tried to take advantage of every occasion to build relationships: greeting people on the street, visiting others in their home, exchanging a few words at the shops, in the office, or at school. And again: invitations to a barbecue and to play sports on the parish grounds. Little by little people began to participate. Gradually a community was forming; there were children who didn’t want to miss out, young mothers who discovered a common bond because their children were the same age, dads who invited one another to help with various odd jobs in the church or in the parish house, but also to play tennis or have a beer together. Even the mayor and some members of parliament began to participate. One day, Jesus also sent me Blanka, who is now the choir director and the leader of many events.” “Many say that ours is ‘a live parish’,” affirms Blanka. “In spite of our individual differences, we constantly search for what unites us, and we always return to the fount of unity, of love, and of forgiveness, which is Jesus. We parents try to create the practical conditions so that many activities can be carried out. Often they are to the detriment of our time, our rest or housework, but it is truly wonderful to see that everyone supports not only their own children, but all of “our” children. This is the case with Michael, an autistic boy who is now adolescent. I am very glad to see that the other teens are open towards him inviting him to join them and considering him their equal. And Michael loves them a lot and feels that they all are part of his big family.” “I am an allergist/immunologist and I work in a non-government capacity at the Pediatric University Hospital of Bratislava,” continues Dagmar. “The Pastoral Center and the parish Nursery School which were constructed have become ‘poles’ of different activities for our children, teens, and young people, of which the number is constantly growing. One day, in May 2012, Fr Ludo asked me if I were available to participate as a medical doctor at a summer camp for teens in our parish. I immediately said no. But then, I remembered the faces of the teens that I knew. In the end I said yes, and now it is already my 4th year! I have become more sensitive to the suffering of the children and to their fears for their health when they find themselves without their parents. This experience has helped me to understand the deeper significance of service to others.” “A very important meeting occurred last year in Benevento (Italy), organized by the Parish Movement,” concludes Fr Ludovit. “Our young people came away with ‘an encouragement, a spiritual strength, a closer relationship with God,’ they said, ‘and above all, the desire to live “committed to love,” because whatever we do, if it does not have love, loses its value and significance.’ For me it was a confirmation that the community had not only been born and consolidated, but that it rests on the faith of the young people. The future, therefore, is secured.”
May 27, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Also called the City of Dialogue, Katowice – in the south of Poland, is a mining city par excellence – because it is one of the Polish municipalities that has the most numerous interreligious representatives. It boasts a Centre for Islamic Culture dedicated to prayer and education, and the Doha Centre for Dialogue and Culture dedicated primarily to dialogue, which will celebrate on 29 May, the «3rd Day of Christianity among Muslims» focused on the theme “Jesus – brother of each one of us,” as seen from the Christian and Muslim perspective. Also Maria Voce and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare, respectively, will participate, and who also will be travelling to Belarus and Poland to visit the communities of the Movement. In retrospect, there has been for some time now in Katowice, a network of fraternal relationships and cooperation among Christians of various Churches, Jews, Muslims, the academic world and civil institutions. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the city’s founding, the international Gen Verde band was invited to bring a message of fraternity with its music. The band has for some years now, brought to the public an educational artistic project implemented through workshops that feature onstage the youth who have attended their workshops of various disciplines: dance, singing, theatre, percussions on various instruments and even “body percussion.” About 140 boys and girls attended the workshop in Poland and contributed with their talents to the show staged with the band. But what really stirred up interest is the fact that the project also saw the participation of young Muslims, Jews and Christians of various denominations. The posters announcing the event drew the attention of so many that only six hours after the opening of the box office, the 1,450 tickets were already sold out. A Muslim girl who participated in the workshop and the show, thanked the group since she had never “felt so warmly welcomed.” This fact impressed all especially against a background of the recent terrorist acts. Upon returning from Poland, Gen Verde wrote: «We worked with 140 marvelous young people, who were the expression of an open, profound and sensitive people, forged by a faith that has been harshly tested by great suffering. They said that they experienced unity and trust that transformed them and made them fly.» «The show was held in the NOSPR, the new auditorium built over the old mines and for the first time in history, this temple of symphonic music, opened out to our rock music. Every corner of the auditorium was filled to the brim with the public that vibrated with us right from the start, in a crescendo. On hearing the first Polish words we sang (the refrain of two songs) they burst into a moving applause, and at the end of the concert, immense joy pervaded.» A little show within the show unfolded when the mayor, a representative of the Catholic community, a representative of the Jewish community and an Imam, appeared on stage in a spiritual and ideal embrace to testify to a true fraternity that was nurtured through the years. A priest remarked: “We are testimonials to something short of a miracle. If we have these young people among us as we saw today, the world will not die. With this method of dialogue you can save the world. ” The Rabbi then added; “We do not fear the future because… we are together.”
