Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
For humanity to carry on
we need to have the courage to “invent peace”.
Of course we’ve asked ourselves:
Where do the kamikazes get the radicality
such a terrible choice as theirs requires?
Shouldn’t we be ready to give even our life
for the great ideal of love of God and love of neighbor.
Every person can love
because brotherly love is written in our DNA.
The brotherhood that Jesus brought on earth would then flower everywhere.
He became our brother, and made us all brothers and sisters to one another.
Perhaps Divine Providence
makes use of destructive situations
to spark an unexpected moral jumpstart
and unleash unimagined energy
with which to build a whole new peace
and allow humanity to breath again.
Chiara Lubich
(Excerpt of Editorial no. 24/2003 Città Nuova )
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
For humanity to carry on
we need to have the courage to “invent peace”.
Of course we’ve asked ourselves:
Where do the kamikazes get the radicality
such a terrible choice as theirs requires?
Shouldn’t we be ready to give even our life
for the great ideal of love of God and love of neighbor.
Every person can love
because brotherly love is written in our DNA.
The brotherhood that Jesus brought on earth would then flower everywhere.
He became our brother, and made us all brothers and sisters to one another.
Perhaps Divine Providence
makes use of destructive situations
to spark an unexpected moral jumpstart
and unleash unimagined energy
with which to build a whole new peace
and allow humanity to breath again.
Chiara Lubich
(Excerpt of Editorial no. 24/2003 Città Nuova )
![A Christmas of Peace]()
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
For humanity to carry on
we need to have the courage to “invent peace”.
Of course we’ve asked ourselves:
Where do kamikazes get the courage that
a terrible mission such as theirs requires?
Shouldn’t we then be ready to give our life
for the great ideal of love of God and love of neighbour?
Every person can love
because love for our brothers and sisters is written in our DNA.
The fellowship that Jesus brought on earth would then blossom everywhere.
He became our brother, and made us all brothers and sisters to one another.
Perhaps Divine Providence
makes use of destructive situations
to spark an unexpected moral jumpstart
and unleash unimagined energy
with which to build a world of peace
and allow humanity to breathe again.
Chiara Lubich
(Excerpt of Editorial no. 24/2003 Città Nuova )
![A Christmas of Peace]()
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“I wish everyone a Christmas full of gifts and joy, especially gifts from Heaven.
With gratitude in my heart for this year that is ending, I would like 2015 to be the year of our ‘Yes’! This means that before any situation we should say a joyful and total yes. A yes repeated infinite number of times: yes to God who asks us something unforeseen, yes to that person who needs our concrete love, yes to an unexpected suffering, yes to Jesus who awaits us in humanity so as to be welcomed, transforming suffering into joy, life and resurrection. Yes, always yes.
May a “choir of yeses” rise from us all this year so as to make the world smile with that joy that only Jesus can give us. Best wishes to all!”
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
May 2015 be the Year of our “Yes”
“I wish everyone a Christmas full of gifts and joy, especially gifts from Heaven.
With gratitude in my heart for this year that is ending, I would like 2015 to be the year of our ‘Yes’! This means that before any situation we should say a joyful and total yes. A yes repeated infinite number of times: yes to God who asks us something unforeseen, yes to that person who needs our concrete love, yes to an unexpected suffering, yes to Jesus who awaits us in humanity so as to be welcomed, transforming suffering into joy, life and resurrection. Yes, always yes.
May a “choir of yeses” rise from us all this year so as to make the world smile with that joy that only Jesus can give us. Best wishes to all!”
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
May 2015 be the Year of our “Yes”
“I wish everyone a Christmas full of gifts and joy, especially gifts from Heaven.
With gratitude in my heart for this year that is ending, I would like 2015 to be the year of our ‘Yes’! This means that before any situation we should say a joyful and total yes. A yes repeated infinite number of times: yes to God who asks us something unforeseen, yes to that person who needs our concrete love, yes to an unexpected suffering, yes to Jesus who awaits us in humanity so as to be welcomed, transforming suffering into joy, life and resurrection. Yes, always yes.
May a “choir of yeses” rise from us all this year so as to make the world smile with that joy that only Jesus can give us. Best wishes to all!”
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
May 2015 be the Year of our “Yes”
“I wish everyone a Christmas full of gifts and joy, especially gifts from Heaven.
With gratitude in my heart for this year that is ending, I would like 2015 to be the year of our ‘Yes’! This means that before any situation we should say a joyful and total yes. A yes repeated infinite number of times: yes to God who asks us something unforeseen, yes to that person who needs our concrete love, yes to an unexpected suffering, yes to Jesus who awaits us in humanity so as to be welcomed, transforming suffering into joy, life and resurrection. Yes, always yes.
May a “choir of yeses” rise from us all this year so as to make the world smile with that joy that only Jesus can give us. Best wishes to all!”
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
May 2015 be the Year of our “Yes”
“I wish everyone a Christmas full of gifts and joy, especially gifts from Heaven.
With gratitude in my heart for this year that is ending, I would like 2015 to be the year of our ‘Yes’! This means that before any situation we should say a joyful and total yes. A yes repeated infinite number of times: yes to God who asks us something unforeseen, yes to that person who needs our concrete love, yes to an unexpected suffering, yes to Jesus who awaits us in humanity so as to be welcomed, transforming suffering into joy, life and resurrection. Yes, always yes.
May a “choir of yeses” rise from us all this year so as to make the world smile with that joy that only Jesus can give us. Best wishes to all!”
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“I wish everyone a Christmas full of gifts and joy, especially gifts from Heaven.
With gratitude in my heart for this year that is ending, I would like 2015 to be the year of our ‘Yes’! This means that before any situation we should say a joyful and total yes. A yes repeated infinite number of times: yes to God who asks us something unforeseen, yes to that person who needs our concrete love, yes to an unexpected suffering, yes to Jesus who awaits us in humanity so as to be welcomed, transforming suffering into joy, life and resurrection. Yes, always yes.
May a “choir of yeses” rise from us all this year so as to make the world smile with that joy that only Jesus can give us. Best wishes to all!”
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
Dec 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
May 2015 be the Year of our “Yes”
“I wish everyone a Christmas full of gifts and joy, especially gifts from Heaven.
With gratitude in my heart for this year that is ending, I would like 2015 to be the year of our ‘Yes’! This means that before any situation we should say a joyful and total yes. A yes repeated infinite number of times: yes to God who asks us something unforeseen, yes to that person who needs our concrete love, yes to an unexpected suffering, yes to Jesus who awaits us in humanity so as to be welcomed, transforming suffering into joy, life and resurrection. Yes, always yes.
May a “choir of yeses” rise from us all this year so as to make the world smile with that joy that only Jesus can give us. Best wishes to all!”
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
Dec 22, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Dec 21, 2014 | Non categorizzato
http://vimeo.com/114682168 The serious Ebola outbreak spread particularly in Guinea Conakry, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with immense losses among the local population, as was communicated by the press. AMU, the NGO related to the Focolare Movement, is intensely involved in fighting the virus in various ways. We have asked Stefano Comazzi, one of the leaders, to tell us about this. «In reality the situation seems to be much more dramatic than what is generally relayed, since the epidemic breakout is still beyond control. This goes to impact greatly on the lives of millions of people, due to travel restrictions and reduced business with the consequent scarcity of food, and impediments in schooling and work… not to mention the mourning in families hit by the virus, and who often lack the means to support the weaker members.» Outbreak figures «As of today–Stefano affirms – the figures are imprecise since many cases are not recorded, and also because the epidemic outbreak in the rural zones has reached the big cities, where the dense population and the miserable living conditions strongly enhance the diffusion of the virus.» Dramatic situations. As is known, «the healthcare operators are among the first to pay in person since in trying to limit the infection, they were in turn infected, often with deadly outcomes, thus weakening the health organisations that already had limited resources, and today are no long able to face this calamity. Furthermore, the lack of means and suitable medical equipment and material had forced many health centres to close since instead of being barriers to the spreading, ironically they became a means of spreading the outbreak» Sierra Leone. A similar situation occurred also in the Catholic “Holy Spirit” diocesan hospital of Makeni in Sierra Leone, the locality where Fr. Carlo Di Sopra, a Xaverian priest and pioneer of the spirituality of unity in Africa is stationed and where there is a dynamic Focolare community. Fr. Carlo, with the other religious of his congregation and the entire diocese of Makeni, is all committed to starting up again the activities of the hospital. «At the moment – he said – our structure manages to offer only limited first-aid services. We are, however, doing our best to carry out the urgent renovation works that will make the structure suitable to new challenges, especially regarding the purchase and installation in the new facilities, of a specialised medical laboratory for infectious diseases. With the hope that this Ebola emergency comes to an end, this laboratory will, however, continue to serve the local population in the prevention and care of other locally diffused infectious diseases (AIDS, hepatitis C, malaria, etc.)». Project. This action is part of a more extensive project coordinated by Caritas and with the support of other associations in an integrated project of active assistance, not only in Sierra Leone but also in Guinea Conakry and Liberia. The youth in the front line. «There are other immediate and concrete activities which the Focolare Movement supports, for the sick and their families – Stefano Comazzi concluded – in particular for those in quarantine and who will receive support with the contributions collected for this emergency.» Those who wish to give their contribution may do so through the following account at Banca Popolare Etica – Rome Branch: code IBAN: IT16 G050 1803 2000 0000 0120 434 code SWIFT/BIC: CCRTIT2184D registered in the name of Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito Onlus Reason: Emergency Ebola
![A Christmas of Peace]()
Dec 21, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Between 2002 and 2006, a civil war was underway in the Ivory Coast, which went virtually unnoticed by Europe and the world. It was a political conflict over control for power. The Focolare Movement has had a presence in that country, in the capital city of Abidjan and in Man, since 1975.
When hostility broke out and Man became the target of the rebels, the western countries advised their co-nationals to evacuate immediately. The welcoming centre for foreigners was located in front of one of our centres, Mariapolis Victoria. That centre began to fill up with refugees, and so we decided, Africans and Europeans together, to stay on with the population. It was certainly a risky decision, but motivated by the desire to partake in the drama that was engulfing everyone.”
Then they began working together in welcoming the thousands of people who poured into the centre. The refugees belonged to different tribal groups and were Muslim, Christian and followers of traditional African religions. All were welcomed without distinction. The Focolare Movement offered temporary spaces where they could stay. Many of the refugees brought with them all they could carry.
“Life within the compound, even amidst the difficulties caused by the war, continued as it was in the city, in peaceful and integrated coexistence of the diverse communities, not without some natural tensions. There was also a vast sharing of goods and basic needs (clothing, food and water). All doctors and nurses had fled, according to the government, and the only doctor remaining was one of us, who cared for the people without any discrimination, including rebels who controlled Man for a period of time. As soon as the government took control of the region, the majority of people left for the villages, but some remained behind.”
The Man experience highlights how a Focolare community responds in risky situations: “Firstly, the many years of people in the area who are trying to live the Gospel, has created an inter-ethnic community that offered a place of welcome and peace; the members of our community, acting because of a powerful spiritual motivation, decided to stay with the people and share their fate. That principle of fraternity garunteed that all were to be welcomed, without any type of discrimination. This created mutual trust, which allowed the thousands of people not only to survive, but even to share what they had with others. the trust that was generated among all, even the rebels, secured the possibility of saving other lives. In fact, one group of rebels risked their lives, escorting a special bus that brought children from a hospital which had fallen into the hands of some of their fellow-rebels, into an area controlled by the government. Thanks to everyone’s effort, a certain social cohesiveness was preserved.”
See also: Witnesses to Peace, New City Philippines
![A Christmas of Peace]()
Dec 20, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Poverty in Central America and South of the Continent, the youth, digital culture, the role of women, original cultures, afro-descent culture, social movements, the new perspectives of the continent. Some of the themes discussed during the 2nd Seminar on Trinitarian Anthropology, promoted by the Latin-Americal Episcopal Council (CELAM), held last October in Cochabamba (Bolivia).
Entitled “A Trinitarian Anthropology from and for our peoples. Diversity and plurality,” the symposium was developed by a team of expert Latin American theologians (Jesuits, conventuals, priests of the clergy and lay people) and the presence of Italian theologian Piero Coda, dean of the Sophia University Institute (IUS), international ateneo of the Focolare, with headquarters at the town of Loppiano (Florence). To note, the active participation of 4 IUS students from, Colombia and Argentina.. In fact, the ateneo is taking its first steps to establish itself also in Latin America.
The first day featured a press conference online with journalists to present the first book of the team that had worked on the project during last year’s seminar, at the Argentian Focolare’s “Mariápolis Lia”. There were journalists from Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Perù, Bolivia and Argentina.
A singular event was the visit to the Missionology Institute, directed by Dr. Roberto Tomichá,an aborigine Franciscan, and member of the central team of Trinitarian Anthropology. The symposium participants visited the study centre which was created following indigenous categories and values.
On that occasion the Director expressed his conviction the the key to the “fundaments for the theology of indigenous peoples” lies in Trinitarian anthropology.”
In order to allow this itinerary of common reflections of philosophies and life to develop, the decision was made to appoint the new Latin American branch of Sophia, as its representative to the CELAM.
This agreement was made by the various universities to which the various participants belonged.
Since the pariticpating theologians are all renowned at Latin American and world levels, they took all by surprise when they relayed their impressions which underlined “ the profound liberty and fertile creatività experienced in the work groups, in the methodology established and the horizons open towards the future.” The next appointment is set for 2015 in Argentina.
Dec 19, 2014 | Non categorizzato
The serious Ebola outbreak spread particularly in Guinea Conakry, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with immense losses among the local population, as was communicated by the press. AMU, the NGO related to the Focolare Movement, is intensely involved in fighting the virus in various ways. We have asked Stefano Comazzi, one of the leaders, to tell us about this.
«In reality the situation seems to be much more dramatic than what is generally relayed, since the epidemic breakout is still beyond control. This goes to impact greatly on the lives of millions of people, due to travel restrictions and reduced business with the consequent scarcity of food, and impediments in schooling and work… not to mention the mourning in families hit by the virus, and who often lack the means to support the weaker members.»
Outbreak figures «As of today–Stefano affirms – the figures are imprecise since many cases are not recorded, and also because the epidemic outbreak in the rural zones has reached the big cities, where the dense population and the miserable living conditions strongly enhance the diffusion of the virus.»
Dramatic situations. As is known, «the healthcare operators are among the first to pay in person since in trying to limit the infection, they were in turn infected, often with deadly outcomes, thus weakening the health organisations that already had limited resources, and today are no long able to face this calamity. Furthermore, the lack of means and suitable medical equipment and material had forced many health centres to close since instead of being barriers to the spreading, ironically they became a means of spreading the outbreak»
Sierra Leone. A similar situation occurred also in the Catholic “Holy Spirit” diocesan hospital of Makeni in Sierra Leone, the locality where Fr. Carlo Di Sopra, a Xaverian priest and pioneer of the spirituality of unity in Africa is stationed and where there is a dynamic Focolare community.
Fr. Carlo, with the other religious of his congregation and the entire diocese of Makeni, is all committed to starting up again the activities of the hospital. «At the moment – he said – our structure manages to offer only limited first-aid services. We are, however, doing our best to carry out the urgent renovation works that will make the structure suitable to new challenges, especially regarding the purchase and installation in the new facilities, of a specialised medical laboratory for infectious diseases. With the hope that this Ebola emergency comes to an end, this laboratory will, however, continue to serve the local population in the prevention and care of other locally diffused infectious diseases (AIDS, hepatitis C, malaria, etc.)».
Project. This action is part of a more extensive project coordinated by Caritas and with the support of other associations in an integrated project of active assistance, not only in Sierra Leone but also in Guinea Conakry and Liberia.
The youth in the front line. «There are other immediate and concrete activities which the Focolare Movement supports, for the sick and their families – Stefano Comazzi concluded – in particular for those in quarantine and who will receive support with the contributions collected for this emergency.»
Those who wish to give their contribution may do so through the following account at Banca Popolare Etica – Rome Branch:
code IBAN: IT16 G050 1803 2000 0000 0120 434
code SWIFT/BIC: CCRTIT2184D
registered in the name of Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito Onlus
Reason: Emergency Ebola
![A Christmas of Peace]()
Dec 18, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Salvatore vividly recalls, “When I was about fourteen, I had my first encounter with Jesus. I remember it as vividly as if it happened yesterday. I had met the Focolare Movement, people who had found fulfillment in life and who were able to get this young lad interested in what they were on about. I liked hanging around with them and together with my brother, we’d find every excuse to go to their place. It was that special aura around them, the ‘presence’ of Jesus in their midst, that attracted me. The fruit of that period? The desire to meet Jesus in the Eucharist every day.” When he was 20 he fell in love with Adriana. “I decided to declare my feelings, certain that they would be reciprocated. But the response I got was a harsh disappointment. I could not imagine my future without her. I was tempted to withdraw into myself. But I learned not to stop, and to have an open mind and heart. I persevered in loving. After a few years, I found myself with Adriana at my side, and it was then that our lifelong adventure began.” Some years into the marriage, and with three adolescent kids, Adriana and Salvatore were immersed in a busy life, amid family, their jobs, and volunteer work. Above all, a difficult period began for Adriana. “Slowly and silently, a sense of aridity was growing in me, characterised by a lack of self-confidence. I experienced bitterness in losing people I loved, and at a certain point, there were even times when I wished I could die. But somehow, everything around me was pushing me to move on. I worked for long hours behind a teller’s window with a throng of people in line, and trying to love each one, after which I was at home, cooking, cleaning, staying with my kids, and helping them out. My relationship with God was reduced to a bleak light which was quickly fading. One day I took stock of this absence of God in me, and I was overcome by fear which shook me deeply. I prayed to ask him to reveal himself! It was almost as if I was challenging him. It was during my early morning walks, that I found a relationship with God again, and this helped me re-establish my inner peace.” And the kids? It was an experience of detachment. Salvatore recounts the experience with his firstborn. “Ever since he was a teenager, he wanted to be a musician. He learned to play the guitar and though he never wanted to go to the conservatory, he got involved in our city – Naples – with musical groups, activities, and musicians of a certain level; He had frequent engagements with them, even if he was only 20. The prospects, however, were scarce. At 24, he decided to give his life a new turn and left for London. It was such a disappointment for us. He did not speak a word of English, and he was going to this immense and unknown city, without knowing where to stay and how to make a living. On the day of his departure, I accompanied him to the airport, and watched him disappear at the departure gates. My heart was torn between contrasting sensations. I felt fear for his life, the pain of losing him, yet I was aware of the need to respect his choices in life. That image of the plane taking off seemed to summarise what God was asking of me: to let go of the flesh of my flesh, to allow him to be different from me. God was saying, “Before he became your son, he was MY son, so do you think I will not take care of him?” My son now lives in London, working as a musician. “Two years ago, we went to visit him. The opportunity came as he was performing in a concert in a theatre which is considered the temple of modern dance, filled to the brim by 2,000 people! He was there with with his successful band which had taken him on tour around the world.” And at what stage are we in now? “Well, we’re experiencing a newly found freedom, even in our recent choice to leave our home in Naples for a few years and to transfer to another city, Rome, to be at the service of the international centre of the Focolare Movement.” (A. and S. L. – Italy)
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Dec 17, 2014 | Non categorizzato
A Europe that is a little tired and pessimistic? Maybe. These were the terms used by Pope Francis when he spoke during his recent visit to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The challenges that Europe, together with the whole world, faces are many.
The convention of dialogue between Buddhists and Christians, which was held on December 10 at the Pontifical Urbanian University, sought a common message of hope so that the world does not revolve around economic interests, but have in its heart an anthropological orientation that affirms the sacredness of every human being.
The event was organized by the Ufficio Nazionale per l’Ecumenismo e il Dialogo interreligioso della Conferenza Episcopale Italiana (UNEDI) [National Office for Ecumenism and interreligious Dialogue of the Italian Episcopal Conference], the Pontifical Council for interreligious dialogue, the Italian Buddhist Union, together with various Christian and Buddhist organizations.
The crisis viewed from various perspectives: the anthropological-theological, so as to lay the foundations, and the economical financial to offer some input. Vincenzo Giorgino of the University of Turin, and Luigino Bruni of the Lumsa University of Rome, in fact, two voices, Buddhist and Christian, studied in depth the crisis and the uncertainty of contemporary man. From here emerged starting points for study and reflection on capitalism that can be replaced with new paradigms such as that of the economy of communion.
Then a medley of experiences about the battle against the crisis. The Community of St. Egidio shared on how they go ahead along their way made up of prayer, the poor and peace; the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta shared on how they help single mothers in Italy; the Focolare Movement related their experience of helping the migrants in Lampedusa and the journey of fraternity that has begun with the Muslims in Sicily. On the part of the Buddhists, the Rissho Kosei-kai of Japan shared how they raise funds through the Skip a meal campaign for situations of poverty, emergency, education, environment, refugees, wherever there is a need. The Tzu-chi Foundation of Taiwan, which was started by a small group of female Buddhist monks and housewives, now has 10 million volunteers and donors and has been able to send aid to 85 Countries.
The following day, the delegation of the Tzu-chi Fondation, led by their spokesperson Rey-Shen Her, was welcomed at the international headquarters of the Focolare Movement for a meeting to get to know each other better. Some Buddhists friends from Rome and members of the Focolare involved in various sectors were present. Tzu-chi, which in chinese means “compassion and assistance”, is the biggest Buddhist organization for charitable works in the world. It was founded in 1966 by Cheng Yen, a female Buddhist monk, the winner of the Niwano Peace Prize of 2007.
Through the respective presentations of spirituality and activities, even if in a very brief and concise manner, followed by an open dialogue, one is able to grasp some characteristics that are in common: they were both founded by women, the culture of giving is lived, there is the sense of being a family, reciprocal love and altruism, for example.
Answering to some questions, Prof. Her affirmed that «the activities of compassion towards those in need purify us». «These are words – affirmed Christina Lee, of the Center for interreligious dialogue of the Focolare – that remind us of the words of Chiara Lubich, “we go to God through our neighbours”. Elements that unite us in the common journey towards universal brotherhood and for the good of humanity».
«Aware that our encounter with the other is either filled with humanity and compassion or it has failed in its mission: that of bringing God to the people of today, in a discrete and maybe sometimes hidden way, but nonetheless true and significant », concluded Fr. Cristiano Bettega, director of the UNEDI.
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Dec 16, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“In high school, when I read Man The Unkown by Alexis Carrel, I found great inspiration for my future. His intuition concerning the psychosomatic relationship, that is, the interaction between body and soul in health and in illness simply fascinated me. But the war was on and there was the landing at Anzio (Italy), just a few kilometres away from where my family lived, which catapulted me into the traumatic experience of saturation bombings, and the destruction of our home. Rome then became the safe haven where my family and I went to live with the few possessions we were able to salvage. There I began my life again, and enrolled in medical school. In addition to my studies, which were moving on with good results, I attended the Catholic activities that were held in the world of the university. I became more and more convinced that the most genuinely obvious Christian values of charity, justice and the faith that were expressed in good works, needed to be more deeply rooted in the consciences of Christians, in order to avoid that deadly dichotomy between the relationship with God and the relationship with other people, which renders the Christian presence in the world invisible and irrelevant. Therefore, without realising it, I was searching for something, in an interior atmosphere of expectation, of vague discontent that was towards something that was new. This was the state of my soul when, in the 5th year of medical school, in February 1949, I was invited to a meeting. 
There I met Chiara Lubich. After having been introduced by an order priest, she told us her spiritual experience and that of the first group that formed around her. And I don’t know how to explain it, but by some sort of alchemy that story I heard from Chiara also became my story. It didn’t deal in ideas and necessary explanations. It was a simple exposition of the facts; these were extraordinary, yet “normal” people. It was a matter of accepting their story or not. But if one accepted it, there was no other way of knowing more, than to follow that young woman who – you could just see it – was the living personification of that experience, of that message she brought. So at the end of the meeting I wanted to spend a few more minutes with Chiara and accompanied her for a bit of the way. From that day I never lost contact with the focolarine who had been living in Rome for a few months. […] But my story wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t tell you the secret weapon that made me win the battles against myself and overcome that radical inability to love which afflicts all of us. It was the discovery of Jesus’s greatest suffering in the small and great sufferings of humanity. Chiara spoke of it often, because it’s such an indispensable help, especially for those who are just learning to take their first steps in building unity. We all know that dark umbra that lies behind our human nature, with its load of introspection and selfishness. But all that was assumed once and for all by Jesus It has taken on His voice and countenance, which tells us that “the night no longer has any darkness” and every wound can be healed, because He loved it and healed it. Many times, through the years I’ve experienced the burden of pain and suffering. Yet, each time I believed in Love and threw myself into His arms, beyond the suffering I found an ever deeper peace, an ever purer joy.”
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Dec 15, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“Let this cube be the sign that reminds us that peace is a precious possession, to be cultivated always, with the commitment of everyone.” These were the words of the Deputy Mayor of Trieste, Fabiana Martini, during the inauguration of the “Cube of Peace” garden on November 21, 2014. The steel frame and polycarbonate structure, 60 cm per side, is located in the Muzio de Tommasini Public Garden. Each of the six sides has a motto: We help each other; Forgive others; Be the first to love; Listen to others; Share with others; and Welcome everyone.” Promoted by the Town of Trieste and built by the Focolare’s Action for a United World (AMU) on the hundredth anniversary of World War I, the initiative resulted from a project already launched in other Italian cities such as Trent and Rovigo, but also in more distant lands like Hungary and Pakistan. The aim is to foster peace education, engaging children and teenagers, but also schools, educators, families and adults of all ages who wish to be involved in this important and timely effort. The crowded ceremony was conducted by Roberto Mosca from the United World Project, and enlivened by music and songs from many children, teenagers and young people. Students from every class level and type of school also contributed, along with Municipal Councillors of Public Works, Andrea Dapretto, and Education Councillor Antonella Grim, who stressed the viability of the project, as well as the significance and value of building true relations of peace. 
Whoever passes by the “peace garden” with the “cube of peace” at its centre, will be able to almost playfully, spin the cube and begin to build a personal but very important journey of peace. This educational toy was inspired by the Art of Loving proposed by foundress of the Focolare Movement, Chiara Lubich, and it aims at putting into practice the phrase from one of its six sides that comes up with each day’s spin. The cube is part of a broader educational project that has involved many educators, classrooms, especially at the nursery and elementary levels, in a daily journey of raising awareness about peace and solidarity. Source: Town of Trieste Press Office
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Dec 15, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Plenty to do When we young people heard that there was a colony of 1000 people in the desert, who were stricken with leprosy, we went to explore their situation. We saw that they were in need of everything, even medical care. We contacted Caritas, now we are a group of Christians and Muslims who go to visit there on our days off from work. Two medical students did some research on caring for lepers. Others got involved in other services, such as painting their dwellings. Another young person, a journalist, wrote articles in several magazines and newspapers in order to inform and sensitise as many people as possible about the problem. We came to realise that those patients were especially in need of someone who would listen to them: for them, this was even more important than medicines. This experience that there is always something that anyone can do, to give something that will be to the advantage of others. S. H. – Egypt 
The little cart A poor man had knocked on our door several times, asking for money. I thought it would be better to teach him how to fish, rather than give him a fish. So I started to build him a small cart to sell sweets and coffee. I made the window with a metal table we had in the house and, with the proceeds from the sale of paper, I bought the wheels. We ended up with a really nice cart. Then we went to Bogota, in the area that the poor fellow frequented, to deliver it to him. When he saw it he was amazed, so happy that he asked to take a picture with us. He got to work right away and now has a more dignified life. O. M. – Colombia 
I found a friend! I was driving to the doctor. It was raining and I was in a hurry. I had just passed a man who was walking with difficulty by the side of the road. Then I thought again and, put the car in reverse. I invited him to get in. He was also on his way to the doctor. . . my very doctor! When I told him that, he exclaimed: “Today I met an angel!” In fact, my name is Angelo and when I told him he had quite a good laugh. When we left the doctor’s I accompanied Antonio – that was his name – to do some shopping and then to his home where I met his wife, Antonietta. As they shared a bit about themselves, I was offered a liqueur and a biscuit made by his wife. Before saying goodbye, we exchanged telephone numbers and promised that we would meet again. Antonio: “Today I found a friend.” And Antoinetta immediately handed me a dozen fresh eggs, saying: “They’re still warm, just taken from our chickens.” It felt like time had stood still. Truly, there is more joy in giving than receiving! Angelo D. N. – Italy
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Dec 13, 2014 | Non categorizzato
The wonder of Redemption began with the birth of the Redeemer, the King of Creation who couldn’t find a room to come into this world, nor a stone on which to rest his head.
He was true man and his appearance among the people for whom he came took place in the appearance of an infant lying in a manger.
The Romans awaited a saviour who would appear as a boy, who would begin a new cycle of the centuries – the Greeks and the Persians as well.
The Jews expected him in the light of prophecies that pinned all hopes on him for a rebirth of the past and a total overturning of the present.
The overturning was already underway in that low-class birth, which placed the Son of God on the level of the victims, the homeless, the moneyless, victims of floods and wars: those on the bottom level of the widespread human misery. Later he would die on the scaffold of disgrace and shame.
Such a stunning presentation of the Divinity: haloes of angels above and shepherds’ knots below. But even more astounding was their song at that singular birth which resounded and filled that night with bright and shining glory: Glory to God in the highest; and peace to all on earth!
The glory of the God resounds in those lyrics: peace to all on earth! God’s peace is his glory, and the people’s peace is their glory.
The link lies already there in that relationship of divine and human values contained in God’s Incarnation, where the divine nature and the human nature are united in one person, the link and mediator of the infinite in the finite, of the eternal in the transient, of the glory in the peace.
Henceforth, the glory of God will never be separated from the peace among his people. If there is one, there will be the other; if one is lacking, so will the other be.
Great and packed with consequences was that first proclamation of the Good News, that announced the social and personal effect of love, the law of the new era, adopted by that low-class Child. The effect of that law is peace. If there is peace, it means that the divine light of charity is flowing in the spirit of each person and in the relationships among all; it means that people will like brothers and sisters perceiving the presence of the Father.
The greatest glory that people can give to God in the highest is, witih good will to secure peace below, the peace of rational beings on the lowest of the planets, this flower bed in which we become so ferocious.
Through peace our life on earth can be divine. If, instead of wasting time on hating, we gain life by loving, we will welcome into our hearts the God who is Love. God has taught mystics that he dwells nowhere except in peace.
Therefore, with the presence of Christ, a stable can be the highest heavens, a barn can be a church, every house can be a church, every office, even every Parliament.
Igino Giordani, (Turin: Parole di vita, SEI: 1954), pp. 21-23.
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Dec 12, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“It is not a simple tuition class, or a mere opportunity to work. Udisha is much more, a real and true point of reference for children, families and entire communities.” This is what Susanna Svaluto Moreolo wrote, a young Italian Volunteer, the first one from Italy to lend her services to the project of the Focolare Movement in Goregaon, one of the slum areas of Mumbai, 400,000 inhabitants, 40 minutes by train from the city centre.
Udisha, in urdu “the ray of light that brings a new dawn” takes in more than 100 children, teens (from 4 to 22 years old) and many mothers every year: there are 60 of them inserted in the micro-credit project. It is a project born from and based on the spirituality of unity, according to the conviction of Chiara Lubich that the greatest power for social transformation lies in the Gospel lived. Concretely it involves activities after school, counseling, occupational therapy for children and teens; contributions are made to pay for school fees; production and sale of bags for the activities of micro-credit; days of conviviality and meetings organized for the parents, and financial support for the families.
«What impressed me – continued Susanna, a student – is the awareness, above all on the part of the teens, of the opportunity that this project offers them as students and as persons and, consequently, their commitment and active participation in the project itself. The teens find in Udisha a real and true second home, people in whom to confide in and on whom they know that they can rely on for help. Most importantly, in this regard, is the presence of a counselor who provides psycho-educative support for the teens and parents.
The volunteer workers carry out their daily life in Udisha, and the impression one has is that the project takes on the «central role for those who are part of it. One can grasp this from the way the children work in groups among them and on how the older ones are responsible for the younger ones, from the mothers who come to Udisha at least three times a day to accompany the children, bring them their lunch and take them back, and then to return once again to work in the project of bag-making that involves them directly. The fact that among the teachers of the tuition class after school there are also the young girls who in tha past were the beneficiaries of the project and continue to be a part of it as volunteers, is quite significant.”
An experience wherein each one can put at the service of the others that which he or she does the best, in Susanna’s case for example, it was dance: “I had the chance to teach dancing both to the teens and to the mothers, preparing them for a performance on the occasion of the feast of the independence. This involved me in a special way because it allowed me to discuss with these women, who agreed with enthusiasm to the activity, making me understand the importance of creating moments of relaxation, that allows them to pass the time and to escape, even just for awhile, from their daily routine.”
An impression before leaving the Indian subcontinent? “I believe that the experience in Udisha represents a very beautiful opportunity because it allows one to fully life the Indian reality: the hospitality, the dignity, the food, the religious aspect and the reciprocal respect for the different religions and cultures, the rituals, the weekends spent with the Hindu families of Udisha… with regards to the fear of all these aspects that I had before leaving, this experience made me forget then all.”
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Dec 11, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Observe, involve, think. But also act, evaluate, enjoy. These six actions summarise the steps to be taken in developing an action plan in the local districts involving entire communities, starting off from the children. In what way? By helping them take on a different view of their own daily growth, for example from at home, at school, and by talking about situations and facts that signal out a specific problem. And taking these situations as the starting point of an action plan that responds to the social and fraternal indicators, to imply acts that are not based on expectations of a personal profit, but aimed only to benefit the others according to their needs, and enhancing that possibility of generating a positive reciprocity.
This is only one of the action plans launched for the extensive panorama of the Youth for Unity: featuring also Run4Unity, Super Soccer, the Universal Person workshop, Let’s Colour the City, and Schoolmates’ Give Projects and still another project in the making, made possible also thanks to a network of young and adult educators. Recently, about a 100 of these educators attended a meeting in Castel Gandolfo (27-30 November), mostly from Italy, with representatives from France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Hungary and even from Guatemala, Paraguay and India.
Deep inside, all had a common desire to mould the new generation, and work with them. They spared no effort, time and energy, in the conviction that “without an adequate educational project it would be practically impossible to set up a serious and enduring project at the service of a new humanity”. Pope Francis he urged all to “educate” during the general audience with the Focolare Movement. “Chiara Lubich had also coined an expression which is still very actual today, saying – we need to mould the “global person,” men and women with hearts and souls modeled after the mentality of Jesus, and who are thus able to read and interpret the needs, uncertainties and hopes besetting each human being”.
But to be able to educate, one has to be trained: this is why a lot of time was given to refreshing and deepening Chiara Lubich’s views on education, and a psycho-pedagogical approach to target and promote “Life Skills” in the group of children. Besides peer-to-peer education which an adolescent necessarily needs, the role of the adult guide is fundamental, and this guide must imbue trust, and leave room for creativity, free initiatives, the possibility to experiment on oneself, and put oneself to the test.
In this perspective also the new initiatives came about, like the “It’s up to me” educational project (Up2me) which focuses on affection and sexuality at the developmental stage, undertaken in synergy between the teams of Children for Unity and the New Families, and addressing the pre-adolescents and adolescents. The person–relation is a referral paradigm, in the anthropological vision sparked up by the charism of unity, that is, the person in his being-in-relation with the other, in his capacity to love and be loved, to give and accept.
During an open dialogue session with the educators, Jesús Morán invited all to “recognise the signs of the times” in the digital revolution and to immerse themselves in this culture without being gullible. And Maria Voce, in relaunching, the pathway of the Children for Unity, three years after the birth in the Focolare Movement’s children’s branch, advised all to pay “greater attention to the poverty and sobriety of life” by walking alongside the children to ward off the constant risk of consumerism that creates situations in which, for example, the craze for the latest smartphone, makes the youth lose sight of the great material poverty around us.
Dec 10, 2014 | Non categorizzato
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Dec 10, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
«64 years after the institution of the International Human Rights Day [10 December] and of the appeal to “all peoples of the world” launched by the United Nations General Assembly,” we, the members of UNIRedes, wish to make public our constitution on the network, in order to foster authentic partnership relations, and build a more just and fraternal world, in pursuit of total respect for human rights.» These were the opening lines of the “Manifesto” signed on the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, by over 50 social organisations, initiatives and movements of 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries involved in UNIRedes.
What do they have in common? Commitment to social change through a culture based on brotherhood, as a social expression of Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity. They work on various fronts: the political, social, economic, intergenerational and cultural fields. Their main characteristics are: promotion of cooperation and participation of the various players involved.
The “Manifesto” expressed furthermore, the «Commitment to cultivate and spread in our environments, a culture that respects and protects the dignity, liberty and rights of every human being, and operate continually to stir up in our territory, a firm and convinced awareness of the value of each human being; spreading this vision to as many people as possible, also includes sharing with them experiences, good practices, material for the education and qualification of our members, deficiencies. for reciprocal support without geographic or idiomatic barriers, and grow in the awareness that we are all part of one family.»
In short, UNIRedes wishes to make public its willingness to cooperate and “support all those who want to work together, and therefore make justice and fraternity more visible and concrete, and as the force which can bridge the lack of dignity many people are subjected to.» This is why they are launching «a public appeal to the government institutions and organisations of civil society, and to those individuals who support initiatives and social actions, to merge and share forces, in order to build a world in which the rights of each person are not violated but protected and guaranteed.» Unite therefore, the efforts of people who have been committed for years in the existential outskirts of society in Latin America to construct a more fraternal world.
For further information: www.sumafraternidad.org (http://www.sumafraternidad.org/web/ )
Contacts: info@sumafraternidad.org (AR) / uniredes@focolares.org.br (BR)
Organisations that are members of UNIRedes:
Apadis (Asociación de Padres de Ayuda al Discapacitado) – AR
Asociación Civil Nuevo Sol – AR
Associação de Apoio à Criança e ao Adolescente (AACA) – BR
Associação de Apoio à Família, ao Grupo e à Comunidade do Distrito Federal (Afago-DF) – BR
Associação de Apoio à Família, ao Grupo e à Comunidade de São Paulo (Afago-SP) – BR
Associação Famílias em Solidariedade (Afaso) – BR
Associação Famílias em Solidariedade de Cascavel (Afasovel) – BR
Associação Nacional por uma Economia de Comunhão (Anpecom) – BR
Associação Civitas – BR
Associação Pró-Adoções a Distância (Apadi) – BR
Associação Nossa Senhora Rainha da Paz (Anspaz) – BR
Casa de los Niños – Bolivia
Casa do Menor São Miguel Arcanjo – BR
Centro de Atención Integral Las Águilas – MEX
Centro Social Roger Cunha – BR
Codeso (Comunión para el Desarrollo Social) – UY
Colégio Santa Maria – MEX
Dispensario Medico Igino Giordani – MEX
Editora Cidade Nova – BR
Fazenda da Esperança – BR
Fundación Unisol – BO
Fundación Mundo Mejor – CO
Grupo Pensar – BR
Hacienda de la Esperanza de Guadalajara – MEX
Instituto Mundo Unido – BR
Núcleo de Ação Comunitária (NAC)/Núcleo Educacional Fiore – BR
Núcleo de Ação Voluntária (NAV) – BR
Promoción Integral de la Persona para una Sociedad Fraterna – MEX
Refúgio Urbano – MEX
Saúde, Diálogo e Comunhão – BR
Sociedade Movimento dos Focolari Nordeste/Escola Santa Maria – BR
Sociedade Movimento dos Focolari – BR
Unipar (Unidad y Participación) – PY
UNIRedes operates through social initiatives also in Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala and Venezuela.
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Dec 10, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“I’ve been working in the criminal justice system of Santa Fe for twenty years. It’s not a good business card to be holding these days in Argentina, where officials and institutions are the subject of constant suspicion, whether justified or not.
Ever since my first experience in the Focolare with the Gen, the spirituality of unity has given meaning to my presence in the environment where crime, violence and non-love are more evident than love, which is the fulfillment of the law, as St Paul says. During these years of constant challenge I tried to gear professional training, ethics, career and social relationships towards serving people, and certain difficult steps made in this direction have turned out to be decisive for me on my journey.
When my wife and I decided to adopt a little boy, we didn’t profit from the knowledge of people who could have helped us to complete the adoption process more speedily by going ahead of other couples who were perhaps living in solitude and suspension. Finally we were called: the official on duty, who knew me, was quite surprised by our attitude during during all the years of waiting. With the arrival of our adopted daughter, it was confirmed for us that God’s plans are perfect and can be realized when we do His will.
One time I had to take care of a case in which the defendant was ready to take justice into his own hands if he didn’t receive a favourable verdict. Meanwhile I continued to receive alarming anonymous messages regarding the dangerousness of the defendant and his close links with local authorities. In spite of it all, I stayed faithful to the juridical process and more than once had to give serious warnings to the defendant regarding his obligations in the procedural process. In the end, the verdict was not in his favour, but I gained the trust of his lawyer which continues until today. When I finished the case, that person came to greet me. He confided in me concerning his violent tendencies, and how in future situations in which he felt the urge to become violent, he would turn over to his son that problem which seemed unsolvable to him.
Since trials are recorded in writing, the whole process produces a mountain of paper work that makes consultation quite difficult, and often defendants and their families suffer helplessly. It is precisely in these situations that creating a space for sharing allows for bringing into evidence the individual dignity of each person, which is a first step towards hope for a better life.
At times, the mere fact of listening to someone with the heart and mind, can give us a light that goes beyond procedural practices for formal interrogation of a detainee, so that the person can explain his dramatic situation, and the justice official can have an adequate knowledge of the facts for making a truly humane decision. This has happened to me many times, like when I decided on a psychiatric visit for a detainee whom I had deeply listened to. There was a real danger that might attempt suicide, and this decision restored some balance to his situation.
“You know better than I do. What always makes the difference everywhere is: love, even in the exercise of justice.
(M.M. – Argentina)
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Dec 9, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Is he or she the right person? Does the precariousness of one’s situation make a long-term programme possible? Why does marriage seem so frightening? Whoever is thinking about building a future together today often find themselves having to face choices, difficulties, doubts. A journey of growth and the sharing with other couples can help in living one’s own choice with responsibility. There are many young people who feel the need for a preparation. Ines a young Spanish girl, works in the field of fashion, although she has just been recently laid off; she and Alejandro, a business consultant, are planning to get married next July. They are from Madrid and came to know about the course from others who have already attended it: “To invest in our future is what counts the most, and so we did all we could to be here”. A couple from Brazil, because of the high cost of the airfare, requested that it be their advanced wedding gift. They were days of reflection and discussion on the various topics through experiences, reports of experts, workshops that were about life as a couple and family life, from budgeting to work, simplicity and moderation, communication, feelings and emotions and being parents. “Ideas such as these form us as a future family – continued Ines – and help us to ge to know each other more. Is “this” really what we want?” More that 200 engaged couples met at Castelgandolfo (20-23 November 2014), with simultaneous translation in ten languages, during the annual course of the New Families,, which is bringing ahead the formation of engaged couples also on the local and regional levels. 
Modern culture which is centered on personal well-being, does not encourage marriage which implies a bond sworn to before society and which requires a committment and also some sacrifices. But the social and family network give solidity to the relationship and in the communion among families, each family unit is a resource for the others. “For me the legal recognition is important”, said Adolfo who has been with Antonella for ten years, and they have been living together for five years: in April they will get married in a mixed rite ceremony since he is a non-believer and she is Catholic. “I asked myself whether this difference in our convictions would have brought with it some problems among us, but then in learning to accept each other, the diversity of the other has served as a stimulus. Last year I got sick – she continued. This trial strengthened our relationship and guided us in the step towards marriage”. “From a financial point of view, our situation is quite uncertain because I have an employment contract only up to February, then I don’t know what happens next – Ana of Belgrade explains – while Alexander, her fiancee, plays the violin in an orchestra. “We understood that there may be small financial solutions and we have to see what is really necessary”. From Serbia, also 3 other mixed couples came together with them, one of the two is Catholic and the other is Orthodox. “Our desire is to understand together how to live better the differences among us so that they become an enrichment and not an obstacle”. This “forever” can also be frightening – said one of the families of the staff organizing the Convention – “but this is not synonymous to perfection. Rather, perfection consists in this starting again every time that there is a setback or a difficulty in the relationship”. “A marriage is not successful just because it lasts, but what is important is its quality. Staying together and knowing how to love one another forever is the challenge that Christian spouses face” Pope Francis said to the engaged couples on the occasion of the celebration of Valentine’s Day 2014”. “In marriage, the spouses don’t give each other anything, but they give themselves in a continuous game of unity and distinction – said Chiara Lubich in Lucerne in 1999 – and their future is enclosed within this dynamics, a future that will bring them beyond themselves, and in particular through the generating of new life; and from this wider communion the family becomes the generator of society”.
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Dec 8, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“Vy’aguasu peteĩ ñe’ẽme” (grand feast in a sole language), the event was given this title in Guarani, which besides Spanish is also the country’s official language. Just as the hearts spoke out in joyful unison on that occasion, last 16 November, Maria Voce wrote: «With great joy I join you in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Ideal in your beloved land of the Guarani, and your festivities at the Mariapolis “Madre de la humanidad. We express our deep gratitude to all those who were the first tools in God’s hands … » Some of these, protagonists of the beginnings of the Movement in Paraguay, recounted their fascination in discovering the novelty and adventure in following “a light that brightens every corner of existence.” Unconditioned, concrete and demanding Evangelical love, still continues to fill the lives of these eighty-year-olds brimming with life and wisdom. 
Throughout the years, the spontaneous evangelical life of the first group gave rise to the Movement today, and is now diffused in all the main cities of the country, and like the “parable of the small seed, is now a gigantic tree which opens its branches across the world,” as Chiara Lubich had envisioned. Along the lines of the “three keywords” Pope Francis recently addressed to the members of the Focolari’s General Assembly, the day was dotted with brief reflections on “contemplation, going out and formation,” enriched by concrete and effective experiences and actions in the field of bioethics and politics, and of social inclusion. Also in Paraguay, the light of the Gospel took flesh in its culture, in such a way that it became a lifestyle of its inhabitants. And here, the roots of its inhabitants, the Guarani people, are still strong. They were the most numerous among the 20 aborigines who lived in this land for more than 5,000 years, as recent discoveries have confirmed. This naturally communitarian people lived in harmony with nature and possessed a highly marked sense of the sacredness and dignity of the human person. Diana Durán professor and scholar in History, summarised the wealth of the Guarani people’s ancestral values and made herself a spokesman for the Focolari’s proposal to rediscover these values, after centuries of oppression and contempt, and proposed them as the antidote to the anti-values threatening society today. A huge contribution came from the Synod on the Family that encouraged all to stand by others in a concrete way, to heal their wounds and relaunch the family, the pillar of Paraguayan society, still robust but increasingly undermined. 
The conferment of the “Art of Dialogue” prize, after online polls, was awarded to Mons. Adalberto Martínez Flores, for his promotions of the Multisectarian Coordinating Table of the San Pedro provinces. The multisectarian service was created through his initiative in 2010, amid a situation of great strife that beset society. Thanks to this initiative still underway, and which convoked landowners, entrepreneurs, landless farmers and social parties, important improvements were achieved in the social sector as well as in the weaker brackets. The Focolari communities spread throughout the land recounted their experiences and actions: living a life of solidarity, especially in situations of suffering. The youth and the kids. The music band was able to contaminate all with enthusiasm, while the kids of the Focolari, incredible examples of going against the “have-all here and now” attitude were the protagonists of experience-sharing moments with a hundred of their peers. Lastly, the little ones, the Gen 4, conquered all with the simplicity of their evangelical life. Seeing life spread and grow always takes us by surprise. The first followers of Chiara lubich’s ideal of unity in Paraguay can say that for 50 years they have witnessed the birth and development of dynamic Christian communities, with the typical joys and pains of a growing family. The challenges remain, but when there is unity, nothing seems impossible.
Dec 7, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Dec 7, 2014 | Non categorizzato
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Dec 6, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“I didn’t know Lionello Bonfanti. Today, not only was I impressed by his life, but I was really deeply moved.” This was one of the impressions shared at the end of the conference, “Law in Search of Justice. The Method of Lionello Bonfanti,” an enriching afternoon that was held on November 28, 2014 at the Parma Industrials Union headquarters. The conference was organised by Communion and Law, a section of the Focolare Movement that promotes the centrality of the person in the field of law, the person’s full dignity, relational skills and openness to the transcendent – as someone qualified to give the world a look that reflects the aspirations of individuals and peoples. A debate on law and justice, “led back,” as explained by Professor Adriana Cosseddu, “to a common root where justice, the guardian of relationships, exceeds the practice of law so that it becomes a sharing and ability to identify with any situation of discomfort or pain. It has a universal breadth, because it is an opportunity offered to everyone to rebuild relationships that are not based on self-interest – to use the words of the philosopher, Arendt – the capacity of entering in relationship with others and, above all, to place oneself in their place.” Magistrate Bonfanti demonstrated this right relationship between law and justice in his own life: “What emerges from his life,” states Focolare president, Maria Voce, in a message to the conference, “is how this search for justice always went beyond the mere application of norms. His seeking was focused first on relationships, on recognising the dignity of every person and placing himself in relationship with them, whether they were his own colleague, the lawyer, the chancellor, the offended party, or the one accused even of a serious offence. His commitment in seeking to apply the law in order to come not only to the truth of the case, but justice, guided him both in and outside the courtroom. Dr Mario Ricci dealt with the topic of respect for individuals and their basic rights. With entertaining stories, and constant challenges to the audience, especially those working in the legal professions, the Law Ordinary from the Intercultural Law School of the University of Parma underscored, among other things, how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is still not taken very much in consideration and seldom applied concretely. 
The conference was formative with an audience of magistrates, lawyers and notaries, accredited by the National Foundation of Notaries and by the Council of the Order of Lawyers. Many testimonies were given to show how the methodology used by Magistrate Bonfanti in his own career is still relevant and applicable today; these were presented by lawyer Maria Giovanna Rigatelli, Prefect Mario Ciclosi and Gino Trombi, friend of Lionello. An artistic performance about Lionello Bonfanti was an unusual touch, presented by filmaker Maffino Maghensani, who used the words of Magistrate Bonfanti and background music draw everyone into Bonfanti’s inner life, profession and decision to build with every person, authentic relationships that would last. “Today,” his sister Maria Grazia Bonfanti remarked, “Lionello has truly returned to Parma. The meeting in this prestigious hall was at the level of his life and his work.”
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Dec 5, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
During the concert tour of the Gen Rosso in Northern Italy (Monza and Brianza, from November 10 to 15) “it not only poured liters of water due to the never-ending rain, but also many graces that all those who took part in the project continue to share with us,” the 18 artists of the band upon their return wrote us. The students who were involved in the project were 120 coming from 11 different institutes: “For the first time we were able to involve so many schools.”
The project was requested and organized by the local community of the Focolare Movement, in collaboration with the “Fraternità Capitanio” (Capitaniano Fraternity) , a community of people who live the gift of fraternity according to their particular characteristic as desired by Bartolomea Capitanio, a teacher who lived in Lovere (Northern Italy) during the first ten years of the Eighteenth Century.The Capitanio Fraternity has existed in Monza since 1977 as a community that welcomes young women in difficulty who want to go through re-education and recover their personal dignity so as to become builders of life for themselves and for others. «We found ourselves immediately in harmony with them and a friendships was born that will surely remain for a long time», the Gen Rosso continued. «At the end of the project we saw that these young boys and girls understood and totally welcomed the values intrinsic in the musical “Streetlight”. They spoke of family, of inner strength, of a new faith in oneself and to see them crying upon pur departure really touched our hearts … But we left each other with an ‘arrivederci’ (see you again), certain that we would meet again!».
Some of the faces and the experiences of these teens were broadcast on channel TG3 national.
“I never thought that in one week one could really like these people a lot, and instead this is what happened,” wrote Giada. “Each one of them puts their heart into what they do. And so it is a very big grace because everyday with the mottos that they share with us, they always teach us something new and encourage us to believe in our dreams.” Giada was in the group of the hip hop combination: “If you would get the chance,” she continued – I would advice anyone to try because, according to me, it is one of the most beautiful experiences that could happen to you!”.
“In 2 days I was able to learn two choreographies and in 6 I got to know around 130 people who, putting it mildly, are stupendous, my second very much extended family.” another wrote. “You from Gen Rosso have made me grow and experience a part of my dream, you made me understand what these two words FRIENDSHIP and LOVE mean. Your teachings are like gold: unique and precious.”
Nostalgia for the experience lived, but also a great message of growth: this is what the “120 teenagers of Monza” carry in their hearts, recalling that – as the words of a song in the musical says – from now on “we will love one another’s journey”.
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Dec 4, 2014 | Senza categoria
The path taken by the Church, despite some contrary currents, is by its nature a path of hope which proceeds irreversible toward Jesus Christ. That is why the logo chosen for this year repeats these words: Gospel, Prophecy, and Hope.
With this conviction, men and women religious, consecrated men and women, and men and women touched by the charisms – which throughout the centuries have beautified the Church – were given an appointment for a Prayer Vigil and a Eucharistic Celebration for the opening of the Year of Consecrated Life.
On Saturday evening the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome gradually filled up with men and women with habits of different colors for the Vigil Prayer Service. “Fifty consecrated men and women preceded Bishop Jose Rodriguez Carbello in the entrance procession to Saint Mary Major, with a lighted lamp, a symbol of the different charisms but most of all a symbol of the Spirit who re-ignites souls and hearts,” recount Fr. Theo Jansen and Fr. Mariano Steffan of the International Center of Religious of the Work of Mary, who were present as representatives of those religious scattered throughout the world who are linked to the spirituality of the Focolare.
“Commenting on the selection of the Gospel about the miracle worked by Jesus at Cana in Galilee, about the changing of the water into wine, Bishop Carballo who was presiding at the Prayer Vigil reminded everyone, among other things, how in order to have the ‘new wine’ we should go to Jesus, know how to meet him and listen to him, and know how to ‘live’ him.”
“We were all struck by the fact that he wanted us to begin by placing ourselves under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From that moment on, in fact, listening to the Bible readings, to some thoughts taken from the writings of founders, and to the prayers – it seemed to me – we were all enveloped by Mary’s mantle,” recounts Fr. Mariano. “Pope Francis too, in his videotaped message prepared for the occasion and listened to before concluding the Vigil, entrusted us to Mary. And the prayer concluded with an invocation to the Virgin Mary,” added Fr. Theo Jansen.
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“The Eucharistic Celebration which took place on Sunday, November 30, in St. Peter’s Basilica gave the official start to the Year of Consecrated Life. Pope Francis’s inaugural greeting, read at the beginning of the concelebration presided by the Prefect of the Congregation Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, returned to the exhortation: ‘Reawaken the world!”
Fr. Mariano commented, “It made everyone smile and reflect when the Prefect of the Congregation – during the homily given in St. Peter’s Basilica – said: “It is a repulsive sight to see sad faces, always serious, without a smile among men and women religious .. . Joy needs to be manifested and shared . . . .”
“After these two events there was truly a new atmosphere in the plaza of St. Peter’s. One could see on the face of everyone the certainty that with such a beautiful beginning, we have every reason to hope. We returned home,” concluded Fr. Theo, “keeping everything in our heart as Mary did, with the conviction that we have already been given the premise for a step forward in religious life, and it is our wish for one another that in so doing we may ‘Reawaken the world!’ which is Pope Francis’s wish for us.”
Dec 4, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
«In the waters of the Sun Moon Lake, the green mountains of the central-eastern region of Taiwan are reflected.This big and beautiful island of the South China Sea was rightly named Formosa by the Portuguese sailors. Its fame attracts millions of tourists every year, also from mainland China. The steep slopes are covered with lush vegetation in the midst of which I can recognize clumps of bamboo, maybe 15 meters tall.
James Liao, a man in his forties, of a slim build like many of his countrymen, was waiting for us at the entrance of a small pier where we can sit on the stern of the Holy Love. It is a motorboat that has been recently rebuilt and he is justly proud of it: it is the only one of the whole lake that is accessible by the disabled in wheelchairs.
‘The special access port, the ramp, the special hooks to anchor wheelchairs during navigation have cost a lot, and this was one of the reasons why it wasn’t understood at the beginning. But it had to be done, if it is true that this initiative was created to overcome all forms of discrimination. This way 200 disabled people have been able to reach our camp already.’
Another instant of discrimination that James wanted to overcome was against the minority of the indigenous people inhabiting these places: the five jobs created in the camp are for them.
The camp is located in a small clearing in the flat bottom of a lovely gulf, virtually inaccessible by land. The surrounding forest and the birdsong create a striking contrast to the opposite shore of the lake, occupied by houses, roads, shops and a huge skyscraper, where the best sights are dominated by flashy five-star hotels. In the middle of the clearing there is a simple wooden house, allowing thirty young people to stayin two dormitories, and next to it there is an open-air structure that serves as a kitchen. All around, from the mountain’s side, some white pointed gazebos have been placed offering shelter from the sun or rain, depending on the circumstances; a corner is occupied by rays of black plastic crates black piled up so as to ensure that the higher ones, filled with humus, are level with the hands of a seated person: all designed to allow the disabled to also avail of the “green therapy”. The plants are well aligned and sprouting from the crates in confirmation that the therapy has been recently practiced.
By the lake, near the pier, there are some twenty lightweight metal canoes arranged in good order. ‘It is titanium, recovered 30 years ago from the carcasses of the planes of World War II by the founder of the camp, Father Richard, an American from Wisconsin who has left everything to devotehimself to us Taiwanese, beginning with the most feeble ones. Before me he was the manager of Special Need Centers (centres for disadvantaged people) of the Diocese of Taichung, and he had thought of this place to give them the opportunity to make learning experiences from which they would otherwise have been excluded. Actually I have never met him, but a short time ago I was filled with joy when I discovered one of the old documents that was precisely about a boat accessible for the disabled.’ The figure of Father Richard has played a role also in the choice of faith of James, followed by the decision to leave a well-paid job in a bank and go to study pedagogy of the disadvantaged and then work for them.
Every word of James’ transmits enthusiasm for all that means respect for the environment, care for the spirit, hospitability, and attention to others. It is really fascinating! But this is also an enterprise, so I ask for information on its economic management. ‘It is a source of great pride for us that we are now already in surplus, thanks to the revenue from the excursions and sports activities that we offer to the general public (down in the city we have two people working for us, in contact with tourist agencies). And so, instead of the diocese supporting us, as in the past, it is now us offering our profits, namely 30% of the all we get. Another 30% goes to the Centers for Social Needs, 30% is reinvested in the company and the last 10% goes to the employees, in a pattern that we have adapted from the Economy of Communion, as we want to follow its principles.’ And in order to be clear, all this is written very visibly on the billboard posted at the entrance of the boat introducing passengers to the logic of Holy Love».
Source: EoC online
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Dec 3, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
A soccer tournament where the winner is not one team but two and from different parts of the planet sometimes very far from each other? Where Art Play is practiced and awarded? Where the sponsors are willing to donate an amount for every goal as a contribution to finance scholarships for teens from disadvantaged countries? Many initiatives and projects of solidarity? A “third playing time”…?
«This and many other things were part of the Super Soccer World 2014 – Federico Rovea, one of the organizers of the event shared with us. This sporting event was promoted by the “Teens for Unity” of the Focolare Movment and involved 56 soccer teams from various cities in the world».
Two teams win. Characteristic of the tournament is that the winners are the two teams of the twinned cities, which symbolically play together at a distance, giving the competition a planetary dimension.
Among the 14 twinnings: the teens of Bečej, a small city of Serbia, twinned with Tlencem in Algeria; those of Loppiano (Italy) with the teens of Florianópolis in Brazil, the Italian city of Rieti played simultaneously with Buenos Aires (Argentina).
This last twinning, just like all the others, was not just “ideal”. In fact during the tournament it was possible to have a telephone link-up with Argentina to share with the participating South Americans the same spirit of friendship and fraternity. The teens of Rieti shared – aside from the experience of the day – that also some projects of solidarity were born thanks to Super Soccer. And this was: the organization of a sports activity for disabled teens and fund-raising for those in need, through the sale of sweets. The parents present were also very much involved and enthusiastic about the initiative.
Art Play. On the sports fields, the teens put into practice – aside from their passion for the sport – also the spirit of Art Play. This meant four fundamental rules:
• Respect for the others
• Cooperation
• Responsibility
• Relationship
True cornerstones of the tournament that contributed to the points of the teams just as much as the goals scored. The referees watched out, therefore, not only for the respect of the rules of the game but also for the spirit which animated the players, giving a positive point to whoever distinguished himself in living it. «The teens were attentive to these rules just as much as they were to scoring goals. According to me, this rule must be inserted among the rules of the World Cup tournaments », affirmed one of the gymnastics professors involved in the organization of the event.
Scholarships. Linked to the tournament was also the project “Schoolmates”, with the proposal of finding a sponsor which, in every city, would be willing to donate an amount for every goal scored, as a financial contribution for the scholarships for teens coming from disadvantaged countries. The 367 goals scored gained € 2,370, for a total of 22 scholarships.
The “third playing time”. A moment of celebration shared with the participants to the sporting event and with the palyers, which contributed to bringing the spirit of the sports competition also outsied the playing field.
Super Soccer World, more of a celebration rather than a tournament, characterized by its being worldwide and by sharing, by solidarity and the respect for the other, that the teens had the possibility of experiencing within, and above all, outside of the soccer playing field. We’ll see each other again next year!
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Dec 2, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“It is true that the Holy Spirit brings forth different charisms in the Church, which at first glance, may seem to create disorder. Under his guidance, however, they constitute an immense richness, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity, which is not the same thing as uniformity. Only the Holy Spirit is able to kindle diversity, multiplicity and, at the same time, bring about unity.” These words that Pope Francis spoke at the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit of Istanbul in front of thousands of the faithful from diverse Rites of the Roman Catholic Church, produced great joy in all of us. Even more, they confirmed our conviction that the presence of the Focolare Movement in this land, although a small presence, has every reason to continue the journey begun many years ago when, in 1967, the focolare first came to Istanbul at the explicit request of Patriarch Athenagoras. But how did we spend these days? With a lot of joy and emotion! We were quite involved in the preparations both in the Catholic Church and, at the request of the Orthodox Patriarchate, collaborating with the press. Thanks to the close relationship we have with Patriarch Bartholomew, we were able to personally express to him our desire to accompany him with our prayers. And we were direct witnesses of his growing joy, his love for Pope Francis and his passion for unity! Two focolarine were in charge of the Holy Father’s lodgings and attended his private Mass on Sunday morning. Along with the welcome from the Movement in Turkey, we also presented the Pope with greeting cards and gifts from some of our Muslim friends. Then we attended Mass at the Cathedral (where a focolarino priest concelebrated) and Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning at the Fanar. The message of brotherhood and unity at all levels which Pope Francis leaves to Turkey, hits upon an underlying question of this land as the Gateway between East and West, and of the composition of its population. Undoubtedly, however, his message is primarily an ecumenical one, as he demonstrated at the ecumenical prayer service in the Patriarchal Church of St George where he asked the Patriarch and the whole Church of Constantinople to “bless me and the Church of Rome.” And it is precisely within the context of this ecumenical scenario between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of recent years, at times marked by weariness and apparent immobility, that the Focolare Movement finds a place in these lands. 
We should say that we are the beneficiaries of a privileged relationship with the Patriarch and with many Metropolitans, which we inherit from what was sown by Chiara Lubich during her visits to Istanbul. However, our relationships of simple and sincere communion are not limited to the hierarchy, but interweave with many sisters and brothers of the Orthodox Church. In light of what has taken place during these days it seems that an unequivocal sign has been given by the two religious leaders: to push forward on the path towards unity and not to succumb to the effort it will take, and to accept the challenges in order to together offer answers and solutions that are required today. The Pope and the Patriarch have proven that they are beyond, although realistically. This was demonstrated in all they did and said, beginning with their joint declaration. During the return flight Pope Francis strongly reiterated that in this journey towards unity, only what “is of the Holy Spirit is correct, because He is [a] surprise; He is creative.” this mandate is both joyous and liberating, indicating a path that is clear: to be open, attentive to the signs that the Spirit will place within our reach; to use imagination, personal and group strengths; to take advantage of every opportunity that is offered in the complex and at times difficult context in which we live, so that He can act. Source: Focolare Turkey
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Dec 1, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“Sunday, November 22. It is afternoon. The doorbell rings in the focolare of Kinshasa. There is a big car at the door,” Edi writes. “We see a lady getting out of the car who is involved in one of the most important political parties of the Congolese government. The woman is accompanied by her bodyguard and carries a large package. We are happy to see that it is Georgine, a former Member of Parliament, who is still engaged in politics and now takes care of indigent mothers. We only came into contact with her recently. The heavy pack that she is carrying is full of Congolese panie, a local fabric from which traditional clothing for both women and men is made. “I wanted to come and see you – she says – because I heard that you had lost a suitcase … Here, with these panie you can make some new clothes.” The woman gives us panie that are worth quite a lot, corresponding to at least two monthly salaries, sufficient for us and for others. A few days ago one of us, returning from a conference in Rome, had lost her hand luggage on the plane. The suitcase contained not only her clothes, but also the “communion of goods” that she had gathered in Italy for the poor; a fact that had caused us much pain. We are amazed and spontaneously start to dance around the lady! But why this kindness from a person who only recently got to know us?” 
What happened was this: at Mass that morning, the lady had noticed that one of us, rather than just remove the dust from her own bench, had dusted all the others as well without being asked. She was curious and wanted to know about the lives of these young people and was very impressed. “After having danced around her, to thank her – they write – Georgine explains the reason for her gift: “I wanted to give thanks to our God for you and share the joy in my heart because you are here! The One you have followed does not forget his daughters. In this dark world where evil forces reign, you live like lambs among wolves. It is not easy to live in the midst of the world and be totally given to Him. But take heart, you are a light for the world.” We went, then, together to our small chapel to thank the Lord.” From the Focolare of Kinshasa
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Nov 30, 2014 | Non categorizzato
«The letter was written mainly to call attention to the Year of Consecrated Life about to start on Sunday, 30 November. News of local, diocesan and national initiatives have arrived from all parts of the world. We are certain that you will join this initiative according to the possibilities of each single or group of congregations.» This invitation was launched by the international centre of religious of the various congregations throughout the world who share the Focolari’s spirituality, in line with Pope Francis’ letter to all consecrated men and women.
Initiatives are stirring up everywhere: in the diocese of Homa Bay (Kenya), the bishop entrusted to a group of religious brothers, sisters and priests, guided Fr. Leo van de Weijer CMM, the task of coordinating the initiatives for the 2015 Year of Consecrated Life. The year will open with a seminar in Nairobi on 24, 25 and 26 November, with the participation of all the groups of other dioceses. This day of reflection and study will end on 27 November with an inauguration ceremony presided by the Cardinal and the Apostolic Nuncio.
Also the press and especially the consecrated life magazines, have focused on this special Year: the November edition of Vida Religiosa wrote «Pope Francis has launched the Year of Consecrated Life because he sees how the Church and humanity need the fidelity, joy and renewal capacity the Lord has embedded in religious life. And he believes in this and invites us to be faithful to the project the Lord has made us a part of, for the good of humanity»; the various linguistic editions of Unità e Carismi, will dedicate an issue of 2015 to this theme. An article on www.focolare.org will highlight this year’s main events on this theme, and will write about the life of many religious persons who give witness to the brave choices they have made.
The letter poses a query as to the specific contribution the Holy Spirit is suggesting for this Year of Consecrated Life, addressing all the religious who know and live the spirituality of unity. This specific role is expressed in the two challenges that call for «imagination and creativity, concretely expressed in the lives of the single religious or groups with particular focus on the young religious.»
We need to «give a new impetus to the spirituality of communion pointed out St. John Paul II in his “Novo Millennio Ineunte,” in order to give «an ulterior contribution, though a more hidden one, but certainly more effective and appreciated,» of entering «into all the sores of consecrated life today» and recognising the presence of Jesus Forsaken, and «embracing Him, making these sores our very own.»
In this particular time in which the whole Focolari Movement is invited – following the orientations given by the General Assembly and the programme launched by Pope Francis – to go all out, together and be well prepared, the religious are all set to live this spirit in the new step we are asked to take this year. «We want to start with this attitude – the letter ended – and participate in the opening of the Year of Consecrated Life together, with one heart and one soul.»
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Nov 30, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“Consecrated persons are a sign of God in different areas of life, they are yeast for the growth of a more just and fraternal society, a prophetic sign of sharing with the poor and little ones.
Understood and lived in this way, consecrated life shows itself as it really is: it is a gift from God, a gift of God to the Church, a gift of God to his people! Every consecrated person is a gift to the people of God on its journey.” This is what Pope Francis said at the Angelus of February 2.
The Year of Consecrated Life, “a time of grace for Consecrated Life and for the Church,” was planned in the context of the 50 years of the Second Vatican Council; and more particularly on the anniversary of 50 years since the publication of the Council Decree Perfectae Caritatis on the renewal of consecrated life.
In the presentation to the press, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, explains how the “Council has been a breath of the Spirit not only for the whole Church, but perhaps in particular, for the consecrated life. We also believe that in these 50 years it has undertaken a fruitful journey of renewal, certainly not free from difficulties and hardships, in the commitment to follow what the Council has asked them: fidelity to the Lord, to the Church, to their own charism and to mankind today (cf. PC 2).” And it is on renewal that Pope Francis insists, speaking to the religious on the eve of the beginning of the Year: “We must not be afraid to leave the “old wineskins”: that is, to renew those habits and structures which, in the life of the Church and so also in the consecrated life, we recognize as no longer responding to what God asks us today to advance his Kingdom in the world. “
What are the objectives? Firstly, “We want it to be an opportunity to make ‘grateful memory’ of this recent past – continues Cardinal de Aviz – (…); recognize and confess our weakness, but also ‘shout’ to the world with strength and joy, about the holiness and vitality that are present in the consecrated life.” Second objective: “To embrace the future with hope. We are well aware that the present moment is difficult and trying (…) but we want to take this crisis as an opportunity to grow in depth (…). With so many “prophets of doom”, we want to remain men and women of hope.” Third goal: “To live the present with passion. Passion is about falling in love, true friendship, of profound communion (…). To witness the beauty of following Jesus in the many forms in which our life is expressed. In this Year the consecrated want to “wake up the world” with their prophetic witness, especially with their presence in the existential peripheries of poverty and of thought. “
Mons. José Rodríguez Carballo, Secretary of the Congregation, outlined some of the events that will take place during the year: “A number of international meetings in Rome, for young men and women religious, a meeting for those responsible for formation; an International Congress on the theology of consecrated life, with the collaboration of the Pontifical Universities, on the theme: “Renewal of consecrated life in the light of the Council and prospects for the future”; an international exhibition on: “The Consecrated Life and Gospel in human history”, with several stands representing the various charisms; a symposium on the management of economic goods and property by religious; also for contemplative nuns we plan a “World Chain of Prayer among the monasteries.’”
The religious men and women of the Focolare Movement, will invite everyone with a letter, to “live with one heart, as one body, so that this Year will be another step towards the ut omnes”, the unity requested by Jesus to the Father.
The closing of the Year is scheduled for February 2, 2016, the World Day of Consecrated Life.
Programme
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Nov 29, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
We recall a thought from Chiara Lubich about Europe, part of her address to the first “Together for Europe” meeting in May 2004. Ten thousand people gathered in Stuttgart, Germany and more than 100,000 were linked up for simultaneous events in various European capitals. The gathering was supported by over 150 movements and ecclesial communities from various churches, from all over the continent. 
«Universal brotherhood was also the project of people who were not motivated by religious motives, but simply by the desire to benefit humanity. The French Revolution’s motto: “liberty, equality, fraternity”, summarizes the great political project of modernity, a project which, in part, has been disregarded. While numerous countries have built democratic systems of government and have succeeded in achieving some degree of liberty and equality, the same cannot be said of fraternity which has been proclaimed more than it has been lived. But the one who brought fraternity as the essential gift to humanity was above all Jesus. In revealing the fatherhood of God, He broke down the walls which separate those who are “the same” from those who are “different”, friends from enemies. He loosened all people from the bonds that imprison them, from all forms of slavery and subordination, from every unjust relationship, thus carrying out an authentic existential, cultural and political revolution. (…) The instrument that Jesus offered to us in order to accomplish this universal fraternity was love, a great love, a new love, different from the one we usually know. In fact, He transplanted the way of loving of heaven here on earth. This love requires first of all that we love everyone, therefore, not only relatives and friends. It asks that we love the pleasant and the unpleasant, our fellow-countryman and the stranger, the European and the immigrant, those of our Church and of another, of our religion and of another. Today it asks the countries of Western Europe to love those of Central and Eastern Europe – and vice versa – and it asks everyone to be open to those of other continents. In the vision of its founders, in fact, Europe is a family of sister nations, not closed in itself, but open to a universal mission: Europe wants its unity to contribute, then, to the unity of the human family. This love asks that we love our enemies as well and that we forgive them if they have offended us. After the wars which stained our continent with blood, many Europeans were exemplary in loving their enemies and promoting reconciliation. Therefore, the love I am speaking of makes no distinctions and takes into consideration all those we meet in any moment, directly or indirectly: those who are next to us physically, but also those about whom we or others are speaking; those who will receive the work we do day by day, those we come to know about through the newspapers or television…. Because this is the way God our Father loves, making the sun rise on the bad and the good, and causing the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike (cf Mt 5:45). (…) Furthermore, the love that Jesus brought is not an idealistic, sentimental love, made up of words. It is a concrete love. It needs to be expressed with deeds. And this is possible if we make ourselves all things to all people: sick with those who are sick; joyful with those who are joyful; worried, insecure, hungry, poor with others, feeling in ourselves what they feel and acting accordingly».
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Nov 29, 2014 | Non categorizzato
«Knowing how to lose» is a “shocking absurdity.” This was how Archimandrite Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of Kyrenia, defined the title of one of the first volumes of Chiara Lubich translated into Greek, and presented to the public in Nicosia, last 31 October. Shocking and perplexing because «in life we all want to win, but in effect the life of a Christian is full of paradoxes, martyrdom and testimonials. Chiara manages, with simple words to explore this mystery and help us to live it in our daily lives.» The Metropolitan of Kyrenia sponsored the soiree for the book’s presentation, during which the Catholic-Maronite Archbishop Youssef Soueif and Fr. Dimostenis, Orthodox priest, also spoke. The Italian Ambassador to Cyprus, Guido Cerboni, was one of the 80 participants.
In their speeches, the Metropolitan and the Archbishop expressed their great joy in taking this occasion to present Cypriot branch of the Focolare Movement in a more official manner,. This joy was shared by many others who had already known the Focolari for years. Retracing the historical developments of the encounter between Pope Paul and Athenagoras revived in all, a new awareness of the path undertaken by the Christian Churches towards a visible unity.
«Chiara’s message is an encouragement to the world which tends to withdraw into itself, Archbishop Youssef Soueif stressed. She calls attention to a unity which strengthens the determination to open up to one another… for us here in Cyprus, the appeal to unity is a common responsibility.» And in a personal conversation, concluded the evening saying, «Your charism brings an internal attitude of going towards the others, a dialogue which we urgently need today, here in the Middle East.» He considered this encounter a symbolic step towards communion between the two churches: «we really need events like this!»
Florence Gillet gave a much appreciated speech on the close relationship between the thoughts of Chiara Lubich and the valuable teachings of the Fathers of the Eastern Church.
A particularly touching moment occurred when Lina, a Cypriot who for many years has lead the small Focolare community on the Island, related her experience. Through the charism of unity, she rediscovered God who is love and a Father, and this pushed her to deepen her knowledge of her Greek-Orthodox Church, and return to the sacraments. “By living the Gospel I found a new relationship with the Fathers of the Church and their teachings, which I knew little about. But I found myself experiencing what St. John Chrysostom says: “When I see my brother, I see my God.”
Nov 28, 2014 | Non categorizzato, Word of
In this period of Advent, our time of preparation for Christmas, the figure of John the Baptist comes into light once again. He was sent by God to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. To those crowding around to hear him, he strongly urged a change in their lives: ‘Bear fruits worthy of repentance’ (Lk 3:8). And to those who asked: ‘What then should we do?’ (Lk 3:10), he replied:
‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’
Why should I give what is mine to another? Since we were both created by God, the other person is my brother, my sister; therefore, he or she is part of me. ‘I cannot hurt you without harming myself,’ Gandhi once said. We were created as a gift for one another, in the image of God who is Love. We have the divine law of love in our blood. When he came among us, Jesus explained it very clearly in his new commandment: ‘Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another’ (Jn 13:34). It is the ‘law of heaven’, the life of the Holy Trinity brought down on earth, the heart of the Gospel. As the Father, Son and Holy Spirit live in full communion in heaven, to the point of being one (see Jn 17:11), we on earth are truly ourselves to the extent that we live the reciprocity of love. And just as the Son says to the Father: ‘All that is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine’ (Jn 17:10), so too our love reaches fulfilment when we share with one another not only spiritual goods, but also material goods.
The needs of our neighbour are the needs of all of us. Is someone unemployed? I am unemployed. Is someone’s mother sick? I help her as if she were my own. Are there others who are hungry? It’s as if I myself were hungry and I try to find food for them as I would for myself.
This is the experience of the first Christians in Jerusalem: ‘The whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common’ (Acts 4:32). This communion of goods was not obligatory, and yet they practised it intensely. As the apostle Paul explained it was not a matter of making someone go without so as to give relief to others but of ‘a fair balance’ (2 Cor 8:13).
Basil the Great says: ‘The bread you set aside belongs to the hungry; the coat you store in your chest belongs to the naked; the money you keep hidden belongs to the needy.’
And Augustine says: ‘The surplus of the rich belongs to the poor.’
‘Even the poor can help one another. One can offer legs to the other, another eyes to guide the blind, and another can visit the sick.’
‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’
Today too we can live like the early Christians. The Gospel is not a never-never land. This is shown, for example, by the new ecclesial Movements. The Holy Spirit has given rise to them in the Church to help revive, in all its freshness, the passionate gospel-based drive of the early Christians and to respond to the huge challenges of present society where there is such great injustice and poverty.
I remember that in the early days of the Focolare Movement the new charism filled our hearts with an exceptionally powerful love for the poor. Whenever we came across people in poverty, we wrote down their addresses in a notebook so that we could visit them later and help them. They were Jesus: ‘You did it to me’ (Mt 25:40). After visiting them in the run-down places they lived, we invited them to share a meal with us. For them we got out our best tablecloth, our best cutlery, the tastiest food. All around the table, in that first focolare, sat a focolarina then someone poor, a focolarina then someone poor…
At one point it seemed to us that the Lord was asking us in particular to become poor so as to serve both the poor and everyone else as well. There, in the living room of that first focolare house, each one put in a pile on the floor whatever she felt was extra: an overcoat, a pair of gloves, a hat, even a fur coat… And today, in order to give to the poor, we have businesses that give employment and their profits to share out!
But there is still a great deal to do to help ‘the poor.’
‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’
We might not realize it, but we have many riches that we can put into common with others. We have our sensitivity that we need to sharpen and things we need to learn so that we can help concretely, can find out how to live real fr
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Nov 28, 2014 | Non categorizzato
We know that Chiara Lubich had a privileged relationship with Athenagoras, former Patriarch of Constantinople. A few day before the historical trip of Pope Montini to Istanbul, Chiara had gone to visit the Patriarch. Vatican Radio interviewed her on July 18, 1967:
What are your first impressions from your recent encounter with Patriarch Athenagoras?
”As soon as I found myself in the presence of this great person of our times, I had the impression of having before me the completely open heart of a father. He was a father who loves people and even in his venerable age, he presents a youthful, fresh spirit, rich of the greatest hope and faith.
My first impression was not that of finding myself before a non-Catholic brother, but finding a soul as if we were already of the same reality.
Throughout the whole conversation he always showed the highest appreciation for the Holy Father Paul VI. I had the impression that he follows all the events of the Catholic Church with extreme attention and veneration, especially the activities of the Holy Father.
After your recent conversation with Athenagoras, what do you think of the forthcoming meeting between Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch?
Given the deep belief of Athenagoras in the charity towards Christ and towards his brothers and sisters as the core of Christianity, I think that the act of the Holy Father to anticipate the visit of the Patriarch to Rome, is the best gesture to show that the Catholic Church is the Church of love, where the Pope, the successor of Peter, is the one who loves the most.
Do you therefore also think that there will be positive prospects and expectations after this encounter?
I think that Patriarch Athenagoras will manifest his conviction that love is the way to reach unity in the truth. This is the way that the Holy Father Paul VI also indicated in a recent talk addressed to a group of Orthodox students.
They have similar viewpoints concerning the way to reach unity, so we can hope that the Holy Father and Athenagoras may find very effective solutions to start theological dialogues and I think that with this atmosphere we can hope for everything.
On the other hand the figure of this great patriarch, like a prophet standing up with his faith and love for Constantinople, cannot but have a great influence on the Orthodox world, which he himself will visit soon before reaching Rome.
Could you tell us how the vision of Patriarch Athenagoras on the ecumenical problem was expressed during your conversation?
The ecumenical vision of the Patriarch, whose humility and holiness are visible from his every attitude and word, was clear in the last part of the long conversation, when he spoke to us about his recent Easter message. “I have the habit of publishing a message every Easter,” he explained. “The last one said: ‘The first ten centuries of Christianity were for the dogmas and the organization; the next ten centuries saw misfortunes, schisms and the division. The third era – this one – is the era of love. We meet in the same chalice through this way of charity. Of course,” he continued, “we need theologians, but the differences are too small and faded by the sun of love. The differences have lost their colour thanks to the sun of charity. In the first thousand years we lived in communion; then we separated.’” Therefore, referring to the recent annulment of the reciprocal excommunications by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, he affirmed: “Now the schism is gone; why don’t we return to the same chalice? We believe that we have the same Mother, the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, as the Pope said; we have the same baptism: the door of the Church. Tell me: why don’t we return to the same chalice?”
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Nov 27, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Every year in September in the Citadel Lia, in Argentina, the YouthFest is held; this time it was entitled: “Let’s live this madness” which was expressed through a show wherein, in the midst of the celebration of Carnival, it showed how many people, by wearing masks, lose their identity, and become part of an unruly and faceless crowd.
The performance showed, through workshops, theatre, experiences, music and choreographies, the importance of the choice of a lifestyle that goes against the current, based on evangelical love.
The day was so beautiful and involving that it impressed and took in the 120 participants from Mendoza, a city at the foot of the Argentinian Andes, who left the Citadel Lia with the desire in ther heart to repeat the YouthFest in their city.
So as to transform this dream into reality they needed to work a lot: just imagine that they had to bring the almost 100 youth actors who formed part of the show in the Citadel Lia to Mendoza, a trip of more than 900 kilometers, and also to house them for three days.
The first show took place on November 10, in front of 500 people, among which were various class sections of a school, but also youth from the peripheries of the city. «We see many problems in our world – began the young actors on the stage – and some expect the others to find the solutions. Here, we are 90 youth from 20 Countries who have decided not to wait any longer. We want to be the protagonists of this change, and we have discovered the recipe: to work in building the unity of the human family».
The next day, the second performance was held, in a Convention Center 40 km. from Mendoza. Here too the tickets were all sold out, with 500 fully occupied seats and some people standing and also some teens who came precisely for this event from a school that is 250 km. away.
The young people who watched the show were positively surprised in seeing about a hundred young people their age coming from 20 different nations who, with great artistic talent, presented their way of life which was totally different from that imposed by society today.
In both shows the proposal of a lifestyle based on love that becomes concrete service towards the others, was welcomed and everyone left withtheir heart full of joy.
But also for the “actors” themselves, the teens that spend a period of their life in the Citadel Lia, this tour was important because it showed that it’s possible to live the “madness of love” if each one does his or her own part, without looking at what has been done or what is yet to come, but only aiming at the present, using it well.
One among the many messages received through WhatsApp: «EVERYTHING WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL! It was truly a moment to live the title of the day: “Let’s live this madness”, because these 3 days were unforgettable. Even my friends who came were enthusiastic and very much moved! It was special for me in that I was able to get to know the young people who came from Citadel Lia. Let’s continue to live this madness together!».
Read also: Argentina, a thousand youth for a folly
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Nov 26, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“I wish to have that same joy I see in your eyes,” Daniela of the New Horizon Community said, on the night she overcame her fear and went to the train station. That boy who had tried to commit suicide three times, became the turning point of her life.
Stories like this are embedded deeply in the hearts of the 300 representatives of 100 movements and new communities from 40 countries, gathered in Rome from 20 to 22 November for their Third World Meeting on the theme: “The joy of the Gospel: missionary joy.”
Organised by the Pontifical Council for the Laity (PCPL) in response to Pope Francis’s call to conversion, the appointment aims to be a continuation of the meetings promoted by John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2006.
Due to the sudden and unexpected explosion of new ecclesiastical realities in recent years, Card. Rylko, President of the PCPL, recalled in his opening speech that the Church considers this fact “a timely answer of the Holy Spirit in the difficult challenge of evangelisation in contemporary society.” Also Pope Francis stressed that the new charisms are “gifts of the Spirit embedded in the Church and drawn towards Christ, the centre to where they are channelled to gain momentum in their missionary drive.”
Overwhelming experiences have interwoven with rich and varied in-depth considerations of doctrines that aim to deepen the crucial parts of the encyclical Evangelii Gaudium, which is the magna charta of the meeting.
The themes discussed? Topics ranged from ecclesiastical renewal that springs from personal renewal, communion between movements (joining forces so as not to disperse single efforts), enhancing the feminine gift of warmth in evangelisation.
Utmost focus on interpreting the “signs of the times” that call for new answers to new issues. These three days have gapped differences and closed mentalities: in a growing atmosphere of brotherhood among the representatives of movements against a background of more than 50 years and the new communities that have just recently gained international ground. A big group of bishops and priests attended, and mingled with the laity in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Each of them was eager to know about the mutual experiences, and in the words of one of the participants, to “learn to discern the voice of the Spirit today, who incites all to go out and announce God’s love for each person.” The delegation representing the Focolari movement, along with Maria Voce, and newly elected Co-President Jesús Morán and outgoing Co-President Giancarlo Faletti, was composed of Anna Pelli, Severin Schmidt, Gisela Lauber and Marta Chierico.
“A meeting of real, profound communion, where we were all brothers and sisters.” This is how Maria Voce defined it in an interview given to focolare.org “and it is emphasized even more if we think of our beginnings in 1998.” “When we went to the Pope – she continues – we felt his joy of having been able to experience this communion. After all this was the gift we wanted to bring to him.” What new steps are opening up for the Movement? For Maria Voce there are two possible paths to be explored. They are the openness “towards the Movements of other non-Catholic Churches, because they have very strong experiences of people who live the Gospel like us”; and the “much deeper communion between laity and clergy.” “Thus we shouldn’t separate the ecclesial part from the lay part in the various Movements and not even in the Movements as a whole.” A going outwards that would highlight “a more vital unity, between the shepherd and his flock.”
Every moment was a good opportunity to bond: coffee break, lunch or dinnertime. Street missions, communities for drug addicts, evangelisation in the most remote places of the planet, prayer and work, caring for the elderly and disabled, and youth involvement in various scenarios: in Philadelphia, Kansas, Philippines, Ecuador, Korea, Mexico, Rome, and Palermo. The intense and continual dialogue culminated in the meeting with Pope Francis: «You have already brought many fruits to the Church and the entire world, but with the help of the Holy Spirit you can reap more and greater results,” he affirmed in his speech. «To reach ecclesiastical maturity, keep your charism alive, respect the liberty of people and always try to create communion,» he summarized, in entrusting to all the present a new target, and lastly: «Go forward: keep moving … Don’t ever stop! Be always on the move!»
«Since it was the first time that I was participating in a meeting of this kind, for me this experience was truly extraordinary – affirms Jesús Morán. – I enjoyed a special communion with many movements and communities in this kairos or extraordinary opportune moment of God that the Church is living with the gift of Pope Francis. In this regard, I experienced with new force his appeal to missionary conversion, which challenges all the charisms and leads them to reach a maturity worthy of the times (leaving aside every temptation of self-centredness) and a determination anchored in the freshness of the charism.»
«A surplus of ecclesiality and social commitment» is another need perceived by Morán. «In this sense – he concludes – we must strive towards a truly “Trinitarian” thought that may characterize our communion in a deeper way. It’s no longer enough to have any kind of cordial collaboration but to live one in the other, to strengthen and enrich one another in order to go outwards and take up the sufferings of humanity together.»
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Nov 26, 2014 | Non categorizzato
«Any spontaneous impression on what you have lived these days? It was a meeting of real, profound communion. This was emphasized even more if we think of our beginnings. In 1998 at St. Peter’s square, Pope John Paul II almost had to ask the Movements to agree amongst themselves, to love each other, to get to know and esteem each other and to collaborate. Now we have reached the point that we no longer really notice to which Movement we belong. There was so much fraternity among all.
It was wonderful to see the recently born Movements going to the older Movements, not to be examined but to ask for their help, their thought and even their judgement on their works, to see together how to bring things ahead. The older Movements going to the newer Movements, the last born, not so much to see whether they are functioning, if all was going well and so on, but to rejoice that a new life had been born. Thus it was a full celebration of all their fruits and experiencing this being united in the Church. I thought it was really a very important step, a real communion and fraternity, where we were all brothers and sisters, older and younger but all brothers and sisters.
When we then went together to the Pope, he understood this aspect and he even expressed it in his talk; we felt his joy of having been able to participate and experience this communion that there had been among us.
After all, this was the gift we wanted to bring to him: this communion, and he strongly highlighted it in his talk, inviting us to bring it ahead and defining communion itself as the seal of the Holy Spirit. Thus it was a confirmation and a strong encouragement to go ahead in this direction. Then the Pope returned to the topic of going outwards, not to remain in our own circle. This is a fundamental idea that is in all his talks.
So I asked myself: what could this mean for us as Movements? We have to discover how to take this new step. Certainly, there should always be more communion with the Church. However, precisely because we have reached this profound unity among Movements, perhaps God is now asking us to expand more this going out towards the Movements of other non-Catholic Churches. They also have very strong experiences of people who live the Gospel like us and who bear witness to this life. We should get to know them too, and opening ourselves more could contribute to a vaster communion (why not?) as well as drawing closer to the moment of unity among all Christians.
This could perhaps be a path that should still be opened.
Another thing I would like to emphasize is this: going out towards a more vital unity between the “shepherd” and the “flock”, as much as possible. There were, in fact, many pastors, bishops and priests present, belonging to Movements and not. I think that the going outwards that God is asking of us now is to bring about a much deeper communion between laity and clergy, with the clergy that belongs to the Movements, who therefore are already strongly united to their own Movement, but perhaps not yet among all the clergy of all the Movements. I think God is also asking us to look for more suitable forms, thus we shouldn’t separate the ecclesial part from the lay part in various Movements and not even in the Movements as a whole.»
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Nov 25, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Situated just a few kilometres from Postojna, in Slovenia, a crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe, today Planina is a tourist destination with stunning scenery, but with a history behind it of the tragedy experienced in Europe with the millions of dead of the two world wars. The horror of the war is well portrayed, for example, in some of the works by the Slovenian artist Ivan Rupnik, in particular his ‘mosaics in the woods’ situated on the site of some mass graves.
With this historical consciousness as a backdrop, the three days spent together by the “Friends of Together for Europe” took on a new significance of European reconciliation, being prepared to face painful wounds some of which are still open: and this highlighted the relationship of mutual love at work between Christians of different denominations and origins.
There were 14 European countries represented, from Portugal to Russia, from Sweden to Croatia. A commitment to a reconciled Europe was the common denominator, in the belief that 500 years of separation between the Churches is ‘sufficient’ and that it is time to fulfil the dream of the founding fathers of the European Union, building ‘brotherhood’ between peoples.
The conference programme focused mainly on preparing a major event scheduled for 2016, in Munich, in Bavaria, with the desire to offer religious and civil society a powerful witness of a reconciliation that has been achieved, that is visible, the fruit of knowledge, esteem and collaboration in many common social initiatives, and which has grown over the years, starting from 2002, when the experience of Together for Europe began.
The 108 participants, from 41 movements and communities of various Churches have expressed a genuine ‘passion’ for unity and a full commitment to the project, showing a willingness to share ideas, responsibilities and organizational burdens.
“Beside the ever new surprise and joy for the progress made – writes one of the participants – which is evident in the great ability to listen and of mutual acceptance, there was a general enthusiasm and belief that, with the help of God and ‘together’ it is possible to work towards bringing about the ‘dream’ of a Europe without divisions, that has found again its roots and which could even be a model for other continents.”
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Nov 24, 2014 | Non categorizzato
«To create a network of women, going beyond the diversity of religion and culture; to make an in-depth study of the sacred texts so as to regain the place of the woman in today’s society; and to promote interreligious dialogue with a more human dimension»; here are some of the conclusions of the International Symposium that took place last November 12 and 13, in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
Organized by the Centre for Women’s Studies in Islam, affiliated with the Moroccan Council of Ulama, the meeting took place within the framework of the Strategic Dialogue between Morocco and the United Staes under the patronage of King Mohammed VI.
Around a hundred experts were present coming from 25 nations, the majority of whome were Muslim, but there were also some Christians and Jews, all of them scholars and involved in the juridical field and in organizations working for women’s rights.
The meeting, entitled “Women at the heart of the monotheisms: a pluralist history”, tackled the important contribution of women in interreligious dialogue, where often their voice has remained marginilized.
The meeting started with a presentation of the role of the woman in the history of the three monotheistic religions. And therefore, the importance of starting from the sacred texts was underlined instead of the logics of the split, with the objective of finding once more the dignity of the woman, aiming for a greater equality between man and woman, both on the spiritual, as well as moral and social levels. From this point, the correct interpretation of the texts on the female person was seen as necessary since it was often conditioned by the customs of the times and by other factors: political, economical and social.
Christina Lee, co-responsible for interreligious dialogue of the Focolare Movement, presented the experience, in interreligious dialogue, of the Focolare Movement founded by a woman, Chiara Lubich. She spoke of the “feminine genius” – as John Paul II defined it – which is the ability of women to live for others, to take care of the others and to connect relationships among people. This vision was appreciated for its depth, for its spirituality and for its future prospects.
There were other important interventions on the various forms of dialogue being carried out by women of today with their difficulties, hopes and testimonies. Professor Aicha Hajjami of Morocco asked why in many Islamic nations unjust laws towards women still exist. «It is a situation that calls for a profound reflection – she added – on how to be able to modify such laws with values supported by Islam». Yolande Iliano, president of the Religions for Peace Europe, gave her testimony on how feminine sensitivity gives rise to collective interreligious involvement on a social and political level.
The presence of the youth was not lacking with their experiences and expectations, that highlighted the crucial role that the woman plays in building the unity of the human family. Just as Prof. Asma Lamrabet, diretor of the Study Center, affirmed «the symposium was already a reality and a challenge, and no longer just a dream».
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Nov 23, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
«Christopher Dawson, in The Making of Europe, scrive: “The influence of Christianity on the formation of the European Unity is a striking example of the way in which the course of historical develompment is modified and determined by new spiritual influences. […] Thus in the case of the ancient world we can see that the artificial material civilisation of the Roman Empire stood in need of some religious inspiration of a more profound kind than was contained in the official cults.” That need was met by Christianity.
It could be said that the religious divisions sanctioned by the cuius regio eius religio norm, were devised to permit political divisions, national isolation and, as a corollary, wars. Within the unity of religion wars and battles were considered fratricidal and there was an effort to avoid them. Then, when Christianity was divided, contflicts became signs of national glory. Yet, since the Christian conscience of Europe never died, to the spirits of many people those wars appeared as nothing more than infighting, and that the conscience of the Europen community never wavered.
A common beauraucracy is not enough.
The Russian, Soloviov, once wrote that just as the Church had at one time unified Europe, first with the French and then the Saxons, now it would reuinte it with social justice, bypassing the divisions of race, caste and class; that is, by eliminating the major cause of conflicts.
By social justice which according to the Christian meaning is contained in that communion of spiritual and material goods that sees all people as children of the same Father, equal to one another, and this is the view the Church awakens in view of peace in wellbing and in freedom. Hoping to obtain this rational order only with class war would be equivalent to repeating the mistake of Germanic and Slavic militarism. . . that claimed to unite Europe by the sole use of arms. .Christianity represents a unification in freedom and in peace with the elimination of wars and motives for friction. The contribution of religion in this sense is not directed towards the structuring of institutions, as it is to the formation of spirits.
In religion today we see two unifying thrusts in motion: 1) the improving sense of the Mystical Body; 2) the rebirth of ecumenism by which the unity of the Church triggers the unity of the peoples. Two thrusts which, as they correct the direction of the currents and eliminate the passions from whence the vivisection of Europe happened, they also arouse spiritual energies capable of giving a soul to this political union; of infusing a supernatural inspiration into this human project; of popularising the application of unity. If this were left only to economic, political and military factors it would fail.
It is not enough to make Europe a common army or a common beuraucracy. It is not by chance that men of politics tend to incorporate ideologies; that is, giving the body a soul. Europe already has its soul: Christianity, its substance and its genesis.
Igino Giordani
(Rome: Città Nuova no. 5, 1972), p.23.
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Nov 22, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Jes
ús Morán, Spanish philosopher and theologian, was elected co-president of the Focolare Movement in the General Assembly 2014, which was held last September. These pieces are taken from a conversation with him:
“I met the ideal of unity – he begins – when I had just finished my studies at high school and I was preparing to join the faculty of philosophy at the Autonomous University of Madrid. It was a time of great political and social unrest in Spain. The desire for change was very urgent. Society and in particular young people were demanding freedom and democracy. The reason I chose to study philosophy was because the religious at the high school where I had studied had inculcated in me a Christianity that was engaged in social transformation. The encounter with the spirituality of Chiara Lubich was like finding the figure of what I wanted to be. This spirituality, in addition to changing society, could change myself as well and this was what I basically wanted most. I found in the freedom to love the answer to all my needs.”
“I have lived in Latin America most of my life,” Jesús Morán continues, “When I arrived in Chile I was 23 years old and when I left Mexico I was 50. I made my first work experiences there and saw first hand the history of these age-old peoples with their contrasts, their immense cultural wealth and their identity dramas. From Latin America, I learned the immeasurable value of life, of nature and interpersonal relationships. It was like a school of sociality. That continent gave me the sense of organic thinking, of culture becoming daily practice and history, of a religiosity that touches the deepest fibres of the heart.”
The experience of recent years at the centre of the Movement, he confesses, has enriched him with a more universal vision, as well as being a period of intense human and spiritual maturation.
“In my life, there have been some particularly bright moments lived with Chiara Lubich in which I felt her motherhood towards me.”
Only a little over two months have passed since his election as co-president and he tells us that he is living “a very strong and at the same time simple experience of God. I’ve never before felt so deeply loved by so many people. Of this I am very grateful to God.”
Asked if in his opinion something new has happened with Assembly 2014, he replied: “The Work of Mary is living a crucial moment for its future. It is a question of verifying the extent to which this first generation has really understood the charismatic gift that God has given to the Church and humanity with Chiara Lubich. Because this determines the actual level of the incarnation of the charism. It is a moment of a strong and new self-awareness that must result in a radical life on a par with the early days of the movement, even though different. It is the time of “creative fidelity”. The more faithful the more creative, and vice versa, the more creative the more faithful. Obviously, this means living out the charism on all fronts, a new apostolic outreach, and an expansion of the capacity for dialogue at 360 degrees. It seems to me that the Assembly, with its policy document and with the final touch of the message of Pope Francis, is oriented in this direction.”
As for his thoughts on possible conflicts between spiritual formation and cultural formation: “In Chiara there has never been any contrast between life and thought. She, in fact, would take up her books again immediately after a mystical experience. For me that is very significant. Chiara is the founder of the Abba School and the Sophia University Institute. Like all great founders, she was fully aware that a charism that does not become culture has no future.”
We ask, finally, what to ask for him and for the Movement: “A gift that I ask every day is that of discernment and docility to the Spirit, without fear.”
Aurora Nicosia
