Starting from the reception of a group of Afghans in a facility of the Focolare Movement in Italy, the story of the friendship that made their arrival possible. The friendship between Costanza Quatriglio, an Italian film director, and two Afghan actors, Basir Ahang and Mohammad Jan, who are of Hazara ethnicity that has been persecuted for many years. https://vimeo.com/620774011
If we try to improve every day, we too can be builders of peace as the November 2021 Word of Life invites us to be. We do all we can – because this is what our Ideal wants – to achieve unity in the whole world. It is for this reason (for peace everywhere) that we pray every day during the ‘time-out’. Now, one of the means we have for reaching this goal (unity and peace) is that of involving as many other people as possible, and of course the members of other religions. So, I invite everyone to revive the relationships we have with them. … And there are members of the different religions more or less everywhere. Certainly, what God’s will asks of us is always a revolution. We know that in this field there have been centuries of immobility and often of hostility. It is a hard struggle to build peace, and so we must be strengthened, trained and prepared. This is why I would like to suggest, first of all to myself and then to all of you, something which will help us in the following weeks, give us more support and is extra to what we are already doing. It will help us be more vigilant and continually grow so that we don’t lose ground. We know, in fact, that if we do not go forward, we go backwards. I would like to suggest something that will help us to improve a little bit every day in living our Ideal. This something could consist in saying to ourselves before every action: ‘Today better than yesterday’. Many actions in our life are somewhat repetitive: we pray every day, we eat, we go out, we study, we work, we meet people, we sleep, we go for walks, we do housework, we rest, and so on. Well then, before every action, let’s say: ‘Better than yesterday’. And let’s act accordingly. By doing so, we will be as God wants us to be. We are a Movement and we are not allowed to stand still. We will receive more graces and it will be easier for us to carry out this month’s specific task: to give special attention to the faithful of other religions and to collaborate with them towards peace and unity in the world.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, in Conversazioni in collegamento telefonico, a cura di Michel Vandeleene, Opere di Chiara Lubich, Città Nuova, 2019, pagg. 425-426)
Many shining lights in the nightmare of Covid in India and Nepal: a network of helpers providing oxygen to hospitals in the Indian city of Mumbai and the story of a father who was cured thanks to this oxygen; the young people of the Focolare who provide meals for about 100 Indian families; the community of the Movement in Nepal which, thanks to the help received, provides food, school equipment, medicines and financial aid to people in need. https://vimeo.com/619708201
This year once again Mariapoli, or “Cities of Mary”, have been held in different parts of the world. Since the beginning of the Focolare Movement, these events have been bringing together people for a few days from all over the world, people who want to get to know the Focolare spirituality and way of life, encouraging them to live an experience of universal fraternity. “We came from all over France and many were delighted to be able to rediscover relationships face-to-face and rediscover that unity can be lived in spite of the uncertain future.” This is how the focolarine in France described the Mariapolis days spent at Ressins. The meeting was a live, face-to-face meeting, and it was good to see each other again after such a long period of Covid. “Gaining momentum… to live fraternity today”, was the title of the event which was attended by more than 300 people. In Slovenia the Mariapolis whose theme was Love – the medicine for everything, was also held live with 200 participants. “As I was walking with my children,” said Barbara, who attended the event with her three young children and had been was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, “I heard the voice of Jesus saying to me: ‘I didn’t send you this illness because I don’t love you but because I love you even more”. The illness ignited great love between her and her husband and extraordinary trust in God. Chiara Lubich’s words and the experiences shared helped them to discover how precious relationships built on love are. 
In Paraguay the Mariapolis took place online. The “cries of suffering humanity”, the “cry of Creation” and “the cries of the new generations” were the themes addressed. “We were able to see all the inequality and lack of tolerance in our society and how we could respond to those cries of suffering,” said Silvia. The joy of the Mariapolis was not only felt by the Paraguayans who took part but also by people who joined online from different parts of the world. In the zone of Sao Paulo in Brazil, the Mariapolis entitled New culture, creating dialogue, took place online with more than 1300 people connected and over 4000 views on YouTube. Here are some of the impressions: “The theme of ecology with the presentation of the Dice of the Earth gave me a broader vision of how to care for and improve our common home.” “What happened to me today shows how God acts. I got up happy and ready to love more! I went to the market and on my way out I saw my sister whom I hadn’t spoken to for 10 years. I didn’t think I could forgive her. Instead I said my yes to Jesus and went to speak to her.” Finally, in Venezuela the Mariapolis was described as ‘an oasis in the desert’ because of Covid and uncertainty about the future. The local community wrote: “It has filled us with hope and we recognise ourselves more strongly than ever as Chiara’s family”. “I promise to become a super hero who will always take care of the planet,” said a 9-year-old boy, “help everybody and be a good citizen, setting an example with my life and always doing good.” A lady who had tested positive for Covid and was following the Mariapolis from her bed said: “Here I am! I’m here too… the best experience for me at this moment has been to feel surrounded by the love of God through each of you”.
Lorenzo Russo
Building peace is like being on a construction site, where there is always work to be done, and we are all called to “do” our part. Peace is not just the absence of war or an abstract concept; it is something we build together, facing all difficulties and starting from our own small surroundings. Another Rob Rob left home after an argument between us that seemed to be the end of our marriage. Two years passed since he left and I had no news of him. I only got to know from his parents that he was auditioning for films and that he started to get involved in the film industry. When he came back from Italy, disappointed and penniless, he looked like a whipped dog. He cried and asked me to forgive him. The man I had loved, esteemed and chosen as my life companion now seemed a stranger, a failure. Where has all his pride gone? And the beauty that was his pride? As with regards to me, during the time my husband was away, I came closer to faith and started basing my life on values I had neglected. When he came back, I felt as if God was testing my faith, but I managed to feel even stronger. Now he too has found a new peace, and together we are discovering a new way of life. I feel as if I am beginning to know another Rob. (R. H. – Switzerland) Building unity During a telematic working meeting, there were members from different countries in my group. After various presentations, someone imprudently ventured to define others politically, with overtones of nationalism and fascism. The tension that arose eventually degenerated into an outrageous exchange of words. As a journalist who had travelled extensively and also studied the history of the countries in question, my opinion was quite different from those who relied on hearsay and media reports. That day’s session was a real failure. The next day, preparing for another working group, I made it a point of highlighting in each participant only those elements that build and not those that divide. Things turned out to be quite different, so much so that when it was my turn to intervene, everyone felt valued. Hence a reflection: even just by only keeping silent, one can become either an accomplice to disintegration or a constructive and unifying element. It costs dearly to realise Jesus’ dream “That all may be one”. (G.M. – Hungary) In silence At hospital, I had to do night shift work with another doctor. He was not a practising Christian, and seeing that I attended mass almost every day, very often he made fun of me. Our shift lasted all night, but he would leave at the end of the evening, and this meant a lot of more work for me. In spite of this, I tried to keep an open attitude towards him, without judgement, for a month, two months…. One day he expressed the desire to join me for Mass (“During these months, I have learned many things from the way you love in silence”). Since then, he does not only see to his duties fully but he also sees that I do not overtire myself during the night. (Bashar – Iraq)
Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta
(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VII, n.4, November–December 2021)
Special delivery: the Espiga Dourada bakery at the gates of Mariapolis Ginetta in São Paulo, Brazil reaches out to its customers throughout the pandemic. “This crisis has changed everything. But at the same time it’s given us a new vision, a more beautiful and more free vision, I’d say. We’ve become aware of poeple’s needs like never before,” said Adriana Valle, an Italian Focolarina who transferred to Brazil over 40 years ago. She runs the Espiga Dourada (Golden Wheat) bakery located just outside the Focolare little town Mariapolis Ginetta, near São Paulo city. What began in 1988 as a street enterprise selling home-baked bread to passing commuter traffic, eventually developed into a well-established bakery and cafeteria. From the start, its customers found so much more than simple loaves of bread. It fast became an important and encouraging part of many people’s daily lives, and not even Covid could put a stop to this mission! “The pandemic came so unexpectedly that all our plans were thrown in the air,” continued Adriana. “Actually we were one of the few businesses allowed to stay open, but the new directives did not permit us to work normally. We weren’t allowed to be anywhere near other people or to serve tables. The customers could enter and quickly collect their bread, but with absolutely no time to chat. However many people no longer left their homes at all, and we asked ourselves what we could do for these people to get our products to them and also to let them feel we were close to them in such a difficult period. So we decided to start our own delivery service. We took on a friend of the Focolare Movement who was looking for work, supplied him with a small truck and we were ready to start deliveries. Orders came flooding in. We developed new products, began offering hot meals and packages of food essentials. We received very positive feedback on how happy our customers were. Throughout this period, thanks to God’s Providence, we’ve managed to survive every economic crisis which has allowed us to keep on all our staff”. What have you been through in this period? “We’ve seen real miracles of love throughout the pandemic. On Mothers’ Day last year, Brazil was still in lockdown. So we received many orders from the children of our clients who wanted us to provide gift hampers to their mothers they couldn’t visit in person. As we know many of our clients very well, we were able to prepare tailor-made hampers to each one’s taste and design greetings cards. We worked flat out, day and night, in that period. And the same again over Christmas. To ease the solitude of people, even just with a smile, is priceless. The pandemic has also meant we’ve got to know our employees better. Many travel to work by public transport and so were putting their own health at risk every day. Some Focolarini and youth from around Mariapolis Ginetta offered to drive to collect them in the morning and take them home again in the evening. A real network was created. It also meant we got to know each other’s home situations more than before and we saw that some of our employees were enduring serious hardship. We tried to act as a family and assist where we could. Everyone got involved. Even one of our clients, who actually does not share our faith in God, hearing of these difficulties, has started to leave a monthly financial contribution to help. In this way we see the “dough” rising gradually, and the yeast, which is love, continues to grow and spread”. Adriana, what does Espiga Dourada mean to you today? “This bakery was born because people wanted it. So anyone can feel at home here. It’s a passing place for many people from all social backgrounds. Business people, the well-off, and also workers and less well-off. All are welcome here and it’s rare that someone comes in only to buy a product. It may be a friendly “good morning” they need, or a bit of a chat, or to ask for help. We also have our regulars who come at dawn each day to claim yesterday’s bread free of charge, but even some of them try to leave a contribution if they possibly can”.
Maria Grazia Berretta
See also: Brazil: The “bread-making girls” available in English
Building relationships that lead to peace can bring about dramatic changes Peace is a characteristic of the relationships Christians aim at establishing with the people they see regularly or meet only occasionally. Such relationships are based on genuine love, without deceit or insincerity, with no trace of implicit violence, rivalry, competition or selfishness. Working to establish relationships of this kind in the world can bring about dramatic changes in society. In fact, the way people normally relate to one another is entirely different and, unfortunately, seldom changes. Jesus knew what it was like to live with others, and that’s why he asked his disciples to always take the first step, without waiting for the other person to take the initiative or even respond, without expecting reciprocity. Jesus said: “I say to you, love your enemies (…). If you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?”[1] “They will be called children of God.” Receiving a name means becoming what that name expresses. Paul called God “the God of peace” and, in greeting the Christian communities, he said to them: “The God of peace be with you all.”[2] Peacemakers demonstrate their kinship with God; they act as children of God and bear witness to God who, as the Second Vatican Council says, gave order to human society. And the fruit of order is peace.
Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich, in Parole di Vita, [Words of Life] edited by Fabio Ciardi, Opere di Chiara Lubich [Works of Chiara Lubich], Città Nuova, 2017, p. 197 [1] Mt 5:44; Mt 5:47. [2] See Rom 15:33, Phil 4:9.
What do heads of state have in common with Serbian young people? They are all looking for solutions to a common problem: protecting our suffering planet. While Earth’s most powerful are gathered in the UK for COP26, some young Serbian people tell us about an ecological day they had. “Is this how our story should end? The tale of the smartest species doomed by being too human to be able to see the global landscape and by wanting to pursue short-term goals.” In a grave and powerful voice, David Attenborough, 95-year-old naturalist and science populariser, spoke those words in front of Earth’s most powerful during COP26. The “Conference of the Parties,” organized by the United Nations and most recently begun on October 31, is focused as always on the theme of climate change. This year in particular is perceived by many as the great opportunity to make important decisions on the theme of ecology and integral ecology. According to many experts, if no decisive action is taken now, it will be too late. The heads of state gathered in Glasgow have great decision-making power, but it is also true that there is a need for a change that sees everyone taking a lead role. It is a change based, on the one hand, on collaboration between states, and on the other, on tangible actions at the local level involving each of us. Precisely during this second week of international agreements and negotiations, we decided to let you know about a short story, sent to us by some young people from the Focolare Movement in Serbia. During an ecological day organized a few weeks ago, these very young people set to work to find intelligent solutions to concrete problems, while respecting Creation. “We are the greatest problem solvers that have ever existed on Earth,” continued Attenborough in his COP address, “and nature is our greatest ally.” These young people in Serbia have come up with new ways to solve the problems they live with, striving to be green, sustainable and renewable. On one of the first days of work at COP26, Pope Francis tweeted: “There is no more time to wait; there are too many human faces suffering from this climate crisis now. We must act with urgency, courage and responsibility to prepare a future in which humanity is able to take care of itself and nature.” Each of us can do our part, some within an international conference, some through a change in our daily routine. The important thing is to start, now, and together. Here is the video of the ecological day in Serbia. Activate English or Italian subtitles!:
Laura Salerno
On 8 May 2021 at a traffic light in the city of Porto Alegre (Brazil), Lorenzo, aged 24, and his mother, Themis, saw a poor man with a sign: “I’m hungry, help me”. This is how the project “Troque-a-fome-por-flor” (Swap hunger for a flower) began. The result is a network of florists and volunteers that now employs more than 70 people and is also spreading to other cities in Brazil. https://vimeo.com/619912229
Statement by the Focolare Movement on the publication of the book “La Setta Divina” (The Divine Sect) by Ferruccio Pinotti (PIEMME Editions) The Focolare Movement has learned of the publication of the book “La setta divina” (The Divine Sect) by the journalist Ferruccio Pinotti (PIEMME Ed.), released today in Italian bookshops. The book comes at a difficult and crucial time in the history of the Focolare Movement: the transition from the founding period to the post-foundational phase. Throughout the history of the Church, this is a time that has often put to the test religious orders, movements and communities born of charismatic inspiration. Ferruccio Pinotti’s book wants to show that, even in the Focolare Movement, the initial zeal has sometimes led to misinterpretations of Chiara Lubich’s charism and/or to misleading actions. From the documents that Pinotti has obtained and published in the book regarding some of the internal debates within the Focolare Movement, there emerges, nevertheless, a growing awareness among the members of these and other inconsistencies in its history and the need to remedy them. However, the book does not seem to offer an objective and well-considered presentation of this charism, which is recognised by the Catholic Church. It does not take into account the commitment of many thousands of people who, inspired by the life and teachings of the foundress, devote themselves daily and generously throughout the world to creating relationships, healing wounds and overcoming rifts in every sphere of ecclesial and social life, in order to build a more fraternal and united world. We accept without reserve the fact that so much pain has been caused to the people who, in these pages, tell their stories of great suffering, disappointment, deception and abuse endured, and of those who did not wish to make their testimonies public. The Focolare Movement, in the persons of President Margaret Karram and Co-President Jesús Morán, expresses once again its shame and sorrow towards the victims and all those who have been wronged, its closeness and its desire to continue or begin a path of dialogue with them. It reaffirms its commitment to combat all forms of abuse and continue to improve its protection of children and vulnerable adults through ongoing formation of its members and leaders. It repeats its invitation to all those who have facts or stories of abuse to report them to the Commission for the Welfare and Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults (CO.BE.TU.) or to their respective Church bodies. Despite the partial, one-sided, sometimes inaccurate or reductive reading of the history, spirituality and activity of the Movement, we see this book as a further incentive in continuing the ongoing processes of conversion and renewal, remaining faithful to the founding charism and to the development of an open, free and critical dialogue within the Movement and with anyone who wishes to fully understand the Movement as it is today and collaborate with it.
Stefania Tanesini
