Apr 27, 2022 | Non categorizzato
Together for a New Africa (T4NA) is a training course conceived and implemented by young people from several African countries. It aims to teach responsible and participatory government and to equip students to face the key challenges of their continent by promoting and developing a culture of unity. Adelard Kananira told us about this experience of training, tutoring and networking and gave some examples of the results so far. Playing an active role in society and making choices that contribute to the common good of all, right there, where people live. This is the dream of Together for a New Africa, which, involving many young people, intends to rethink a new African leadership, capable of dealing with the multiple challenges of each individual country. Adelard Kananira, a young Burundian, who has lived in Italy for five years and is one of the organizers of the various T4NA Summer Schools, told us about it. After graduating from Sophia University, he works for the Secretariat of the Political Movement for Unity. Adelard, how did T4NA start? Together for a new Africa is a project that was born at Sophia university. And it came from Sophia university African students who thought from the experience they were having, what can they give back to their continent in the light of the culture of unity. They sat together, then they thought they put ideas together and they come up with this project and the first summer school was in 2018 in one of the little towns of the Focolare Movement, Mariapolis Piero which is in Nairobi (Kenya) and is where subsequent meetings also took place. What is the core of this project? Together for a new Africa is a project that was born at Sophia university. And it came from Sophia university African students who thought from the experience they were having, what can they give back to their continent. Initially we did not have a lot of resources and since Africa is very big and presents thousands of faces, we started with some countries of the Eastern Africa, hoping to eventually reach everyone. I remember that during the first Summer Schools, some participants didn’t even want to talk to each other. There were difficulties that led to saying: “We don’t know each other, how can we go ahead?” But surprisingly after spending time together we noticed how, little by little, all the barriers between cultures and tribes disappeared. We have actually witnessed this personal growth, as a group and as one immense continent. What are the results of this project? We can really testify that after three years of summer schools and training courses, there are a lot of results. We have seen some participants go into politics, become activists and leaders and do a lot of things for their communities. They have received many awards and in some countries they have joined hands with other associations to respond to the many emergencies. This not only gives us hope, but shows that the project is growing. And we are proud of it. What are the next steps? Today we concluded our first cycle of 3 years of training course which was amazing. And now we are going to the second cycle, which is going to start at the end of this year. And it will move from seven countries to 14 countries. It’s a challenge. We recognize that, but our dream was and is the whole of Africa. This step ahead is showing us that we can succeed because the young people have taken it on board as their own project and together we can go ahead.
Maria Grazia Berretta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoNkU2PI5Qo&t=108s
Apr 25, 2022 | Non categorizzato
“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” This is the word of life that we are trying to put into practice during April 2022. Chiara Lubich’s words also encourage us to be witnesses of the Gospel. How can we bear witness to Jesus? By living the new life he brought on earth, which is the life of love, and by showing others its fruits. With every neighbour I meet, I have to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit who helps me to “make myself one” with them and to serve them as perfectly as possible. The Spirit gives me the strength I need to love my neighbours even if, in some way, they are my enemies. It is the Spirit who enriches my heart with mercy, enabling me to forgive and understand their needs. It is the Spirit who makes me zealous in communicating, at the right time, all the beautiful things I most treasure in my soul… The love of Jesus is revealed and passed on to others through my love. It is like a magnifying glass that concentrates the rays of the sun. When you hold a magnifying glass over some straw, the concentration of the sun’s rays causes the temperature to rise and the straw catches fire. If instead we simply put the straw in the sun, it does not catch fire. The same can be true for people. They might seem to be indifferent to religion but sometimes – because this is what God wants – when they are in contact with someone who participates in God’s love, they “catch fire” because that person is like a magnifying glass that concentrates the rays, giving them fire and light. With and through this love of God in our hearts, we can reach further and further, and share our discovery with many other people:
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich in [Words of Life], Città Nuova, 2017, pages 691/2)
Apr 22, 2022 | Non categorizzato
An empty tomb, a light that illuminates the world and in its trail, we can build bridges of true unity. Heike Vesper, Enno Dijkema and Mervat Kelli, focolarini from different Christian Churches, tell us about Easter. “Easter is the centre of the Christian faith, it is the mystery of Salvation. Without Easter there is no Christianity. Jesus became incarnate to save us. All Christians believe in the same Jesus Christ who died and rose again.” These are the words that Mervat Kelli, an Orthodox focolarina from Syria, used to indicate to us the fertile ground where nothing ends but everything begins; the tangible space where we can meet, share and be enveloped by the light of the Resurrection. This is the ecumenical meaning of Easter, the inheritance that Christ leaves us. “It’s a time to adore him,” says Enno Dijkema, a Catholic focolarino from Holland. “Jesus,” he continues, “loves us to the point of abandonment to the Father, even unto death. He gives everything! I can safely entrust to him all my miseries, my limitations and everyone’s suffering. There is no darkness that is not overcome by the light of his love.” Heike Vesper, a German focolarina from the Lutheran Church, says that Easter means that Jesus Forsaken “has healed our relationship with the Father. In his cry, in his ‘why’” she says, “I find all my ‘whys’ and my anxieties.” Every resurrection is preceded by a period of waiting, the time to wait as Mary did, under the cross, without knowing what to do. There is the silence and the darkness of Holy Saturday before the dawn of Sunday arrives with the fire, the liturgy of light and the renewal of baptism”. Easter is a time of great communion with one’s brothers and sisters, rooted in an attitude of forgiveness. As Mervat says, “In the Syrian Orthodox Church to which I belong, Easter is called ‘the great feast’. The preparation begins at the beginning of Lent with the consecration of the oil of reconciliation. At the end of the liturgy, each member of the faithful dips a piece of cotton wool in the consecrated oil and goes towards, one by one, to ask for their forgiveness – bringing his or her own and receiving theirs in turn. They draw a small cross on their foreheads and say: ‘I forgive you with all my heart, let this oil be the sign of my forgiveness. I ask you to forgive me.'” The various traditions and the different forms of liturgy represent a great richness, and being able to live them together, as often happens in the Focolare Movement, highlights “the immensity of God Love” as Heike says. She continues, “For some time now, I’ve been living in a community with Catholics, and it is precisely these liturgies that we try to live together if the timetable of the celebrations allows it. So, almost every year on Good Friday we go together first to the Lutheran church and then to the Catholic church. The same thing at Easter.” “For me this is the first Easter in Italy,” says Enno, “but in Holland I have been able to attend the Good Friday service with the Protestant member of my focolare. It was good to do that.” Mervat, who according to the Julian calendar is preparing to celebrate the Orthodox Easter on 24th April this year, has been in Italy for some years now and has the joy of participating in all the services of the Catholic Church with other focolarine. She feels this is a wonderful opportunity: “We still have different dates, but we have the same faith, the same hope, the same Love of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We all have the same commandment: love one another as I have loved you. This is the key that opens the door to unity.”
Maria Grazia Berretta
Apr 21, 2022 | Non categorizzato
The Gospel speaks of God’s love. Sowing seeds that carry this proclamation and choosing to live it out is an expression of the beautiful, fruitful freedom we have been given. Condominium meeting When notice of the condominium meeting arrived, my first thought was to find an excuse and avoid this commitment. My youngest son, hearing me complain about these meetings that I thought were useless, objected. “But Dad, it’s an opportunity to make the whole building a family!” I hadn’t thought of that. But how could I turn that meeting into something beautiful and new? With the help of everyone in the house, we came up with a guessing game for the tenants’ names, their number of children, type of work… Then we made a plan to set up visits and dinners, plus a list of birthdays and other celebrations. The more ideas came up, the more I looked forward to the meeting. And it was a real party. My wife had prepared sweets, the children had prepared cards to set up visits, and our daughter, who was good at drawing, had prepared diplomas and prizes for the winners. Never had the condominium meeting seemed so short as that evening. A different air was beginning to circulate in the building. M., Italy Dolls After Dad’s death, thinking that Mom could no longer live alone, the question went around us children: “Will we be forced to put Mom in a nursing home?” My family lives in an apartment that is too small to house her. But my wife and I decided to trust in God’s providence, and with this in mind we rented for Mom the apartment next to ours, which in the meantime had become available. It seemed like a gamble, but the arrival of our kids’ grandmother enriched their lives and ours. She was very good at making fabric dolls and started giving them as gifts to those who had children. Then a person from the parish saw this and appreciated them, setting up a market where she could sell them along with other sewing items. Today, Mom’s home has become a small craft centre and a school for those with free time. We are happy to see her joyful and practically rejuvenated in feeling useful. H., France The wallet I was visiting my mother in the small town where she lives. I don’t know why, but before passing by, I felt the urge to have a cappuccino at the bar. Spotting a wallet on the floor in front of the cashier, I asked the cashier whose it was. She questioned the customers present, but the wallet did not belong to any of them. Upon examining the contents, the owner’s name was an acquaintance of my mother’s, so through her I could get it to him. The cashier knew my mother, so she trusted me with the wallet. Not far from the bar I saw the owner. I greeted him, we exchanged a few words and then I asked him if he had his wallet with him. When he realized he didn’t have it, I showed it to him. When I left him, he couldn’t stop thanking me. Later, thinking back to that sudden urge to stop by the bar, I realized that sometimes, unknowingly, we become instruments for doing good. M., Slovakia
Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta
From “Il Vangelo del Giorno”, Città Nuova, year VIII, n.2, March–April 2022.
Apr 20, 2022 | Non categorizzato
The “Chiara Lubich” Home for the Elderly in the Peruvian Amazon is celebrating its first anniversary. The centre takes care of about fifty abandoned elderly people. “It is our contribution to peace”, say those who support them. 
Just when the Covid-19 crisis was at its worst, the “Chiara Lubich Centre for the Elderly” in the Peruvian Amazon jungle opened its doors on 8 March 2021– after many years the great dream had finally become a reality. “Right from the start, everything arrived as a gift with simplicity,” says Jenny López Arévalo, President of the Centre, “the house, the dishes, the ingredients for lunch for almost 50 elderly people, the chairs, tables, mattresses, sheets… To our surprise, each thing arrived and took its place”. The centre is located in Lámud, an Amazonian town in northwest Peru, 2,330 metres above sea level. A few kilometres away is the little town of Kuelap, an important pre-Inca archaeological site from the Chachapoyas culture. “Teamwork was really important. The volunteers really gave their all,” said Jenny López Arévalo, “There were difficulties but we managed to overcome them by concentrating on living well in the present moment. The months flew by and before we knew it we were celebrating our first anniversary. How exciting! We decided to organise a two-day event with a programme open to the public, involving local institutions, the press and social networks. It was a simple way to thank God and everyone. On the first day, we planned a walk in nature, outside the city, followed by games and dancing. We shared a delicious coffee with tamales (a corn-bashed dish) and sandwiches. We were surprised and excited to see how many people joined us, besides the volunteers – adults and children – to help look after the elderly. It was lovely to see our logo with Chiara Lubich’s face fluttering in the wind. The next day, we began with the Eucharist which was followed with a town festival full of colours, music and traditional dances, just after the national flag in honour of our country was raised by the elderly people. The day finished with a toast with the local authorities present and more traditional dances!” “Many friends from different parts of the world joined us in prayer,” said Javier Varela who acts as administrator for the Centre, “and much of the food we offered arrived as a gift. The elderly were so happy, they really enjoyed the day and, despite being a little tired, we shared their joy. We feel encouraged and strengthened to continue working to make our contribution to peace by taking care of the abandoned elderly who have already become part of our lives”. So one year on, the “Chiara Lubich Centre for the Elderly” is more than just a “Centre”. It is a real “family” that carries out this delicate and important work for the benefit of the least. It is a simple way of sowing seeds of peace every day right there where we live.
Gustavo E. Clariá
Apr 18, 2022 | Non categorizzato
Jesus is risen! And he entrusted to us to be witnesses of his living presence among us that would transform society. It’s an invitation to be bearers of the proclamation of the Good News in the environments where we live. Jesus told us that he would be present where two or more are united in his name?[1] Allowing the risen Lord to live in us and in our midst therefore is the secret, the most concrete way to bring about the kingdom of God. It is the kingdom of God in action. … These words are a mandate that Jesus left, not only for his apostles, but for the whole Church and for each one of us. The task of the Church is to witness to the risen Lord, not only by proclaiming him – as his ministers are called to do – but also and above all through the life of each of us who are its members. Witnessing to the Risen Lord means showing the world that Jesus is the living God, and this will be possible if the world sees that Jesus is alive in us. If we live his Word and reject the inclinations of our ‘old self’[2], and if, above all, we keep love for our neighbor alive in our hearts, then the risen Lord will live in us. If we make a special effort to maintain mutual love among us, the risen Lord will live in us and in our midst, and will radiate his light and grace around us, transforming our surroundings and producing incalculable fruits. It will be the risen Lord, through his Spirit, who will guide our steps and our activities. He will be the one who will arrange circumstances and provide us with opportunities to bring his life to those who need him. … We must not underestimate the projects for which we still have to plan, and the technological advances that are offering us new ways to proclaim the Gospel, but there is one thing above all that we must do: we must be his witnesses by allowing the Risen Lord to live in us.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, in [Words of Life], Città Nuova,2017, pages 315/8 [1] See Mt 18:20. [2] See Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10.
Apr 14, 2022 | Non categorizzato
Easter greetings from Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement https://youtu.be/AYrr6xg1XmI 
Apr 12, 2022 | Non categorizzato
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the Emergency Committee of the Focolare Movement has promoted a fundraising campaign to support the people affected.
In this video, Mira, a Slovenian focolarina who lives in Ukraine and works for Caritas-Spes, tells us what is happening, the actions we are carrying out and the aid we are providing, thanks to the contributions of all of you.
https://youtu.be/qLrk8JR78ms
To contribute to the fund of the Emergency Committee of the Focolare Movement, you can donate to the following:
Azione per un Mondo Unito ONLUS (AMU) IBAN: IT 58 S 05018 03200 000011204344 presso Banca Popolare Etica Codice SWIFT/BIC: ETICIT22XXX
Azione per Famiglie Nuove ONLUS (AFN) IBAN: IT 92 J 05018 03200 000016978561 presso Banca Popolare Etica Codice SWIFT/BIC: ETICIT22XXX
Causes: Emergenza Ucraina
Apr 12, 2022 | Non categorizzato
The Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University (Rome) and professor of International Law, affirms that there is not and cannot be a ‘just’ war. Nothing can justify an armed conflict. Peace is something we must build individually and together. We must keep our hearts open to the whole world; not forget any conflict and act to make our contribution to peace at all levels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsnUiPDPII8
Apr 11, 2022 | Non categorizzato
We are just beginning Holy Week and at its heart is Holy Thursday when we re-enact the moment when Jesus washed the feet of his apostles. He carried out this act of love putting himself in the last place. In the following text, Chiara Lubich draws us in to the essence of Christian love, which has to be lived in our practical way of behaving and which then generates reciprocity and peace. The unity, given by Christ, has to be constantly renewed and should be expressed concretely through our behavior which should be totally motivated by reciprocal love. This is the basis for the following suggestions about how to live our relationships with one another. Kindness: wanting the good of others. This means “making ourselves one” with them, approaching them being completely empty of ourselves, of our own interests, our own ideas, of the many preconceived notions that often cloud our vision. In this way we can take on ourselves their burdens, their needs, their sufferings, and we can share in their joys. It means entering into the hearts of the people we meet in order to understand their mentality, their culture and their traditions, so as to make these, in a certain sense, our own. In this way, we can really understand what they most need and we can discern in them the values God has placed in every person’s heart. In a word: kindness means to live for whoever is next to us. Mercy: welcoming others as they are, not as we would like them to be, for example, we would like them to have a different character, or to share our political views or our religious convictions, or not to have those faults and habits that annoy us so much. No, we need to enlarge our hearts and welcome everyone, with all their differences, their limitations and their problems. Forgiveness: always seeing the other person with new eyes. Even in the most beautiful and peaceful environments – in the family, at school or at work – there are inevitably moments of friction, differences of opinion, clashes. We might reach the point of totally avoiding someone or refusing to speak to them, not to mention actually nurturing an attitude of hatred towards those who don’t think as we do. Instead, we need to make a strong and determined decision to try to see each brother or sister every day as though they were new, completely new, with no memory of how they may have hurt us, covering over everything with love. We need to have an absolute amnesty in our hearts, imitating God who forgives and forgets. Furthermore, true peace and unity can be attained when kindness, mercy and forgiveness are lived not only by individuals, but together with others in a reciprocal relationship. Just as the embers in a fireplace need to be stirred up every now and then, to prevent them from being smothered by the ashes, so too from time to time it’s necessary to revive our mutual love intentionally, to revive our relationships with everyone, so that they won’t be smothered by the ashes of indifference, of apathy and of selfishness. These attitudes need to be put into practice in concrete ways. Jesus himself showed us what love is when he healed the sick and fed the crowds, when he brought the dead back to life and washed the feet of his apostles. Actions, concrete actions: this is what it means to love. We too can fill our days with concrete, humble and intelligent acts of service that express our love toward others. And we will see fraternity and peace spread around us.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, in Parole di Vita [Words of Life], Città Nuova 2017, pages 786/8
