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Mar 27, 2013 | Non categorizzato
© M. Cristina Criscola, ‘Mutual Love’ – Loppiano, 1984
Dearest all, I would like to invite you all to live this Holy Week in the light of a spiritual message of Chiara given in 1981.
Here are some excerpts:
Holy Thursday
“Our celebration. Many years ago – and today too, Jesus gave the new commandment to his disciples, that commandment which is the fundamental law and basis of every other norm for each one of us; today too, Jesus prayed for unity: “that all may be one”; today too, he instituted the Eucharist that makes him present among us and indeed brings about our unity with Him and among us. And today too, he instituted the priesthood that makes the Eucharist possible […]. What would our life be like without the new commandment, without the Eucharist, without the Ideal of unity?”.
Good Friday
“There is no better day to solemnly renew our consecration to him, Jesus Forsaken, thus renewing our commitment to spend the life that we have in loving him always, immediately and with joy.”
Easter Sunday
“He is risen and h is the Resurrection and the Life for all of us too.”
Like Chiara on that occasion, I also wish you with all my heart: Happy Easter to each one of you! May it be the most beautiful Easter ever!
Maria Voce (Emmaus)
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Mar 24, 2013 | Non categorizzato
It was the passion, freely embraced, that displayed to God and human beings the love with which Christ loves us, that is, which gives us life. In suffering, he displayed his humanity. In loving us, he displayed his divinity. From then on, the human is always divinized if it transforms pain into love. This is the unheard-of miracle of a God who suffers, from his birth in a cave to a vagabond life, a horrendous death…
The life of Christ, which he taught us and which we must follow if we want to receive grace-filled life, is to live the Gospel welcoming suffering and with it being conformed to him. That means that loving is not all sweetness and delight. The duty of giving even when giving itself gains bitterness, this is loving as Christ has loved us. If someone, when loving, seeks satisfaction, it means that person is thinking of self, loving self. Such a one loves creatures, not for the sake of creatures and still less for God, but for self.
Love is gift and belongs to sacrifice. Love and pain react with one another. The one makes the other more sensitive – always, naturally, if this is a matter of movements guided by divine grace.
How do you intend building projects of stability on the basis of human beings, when their feelings vary from evening to morning, when your moods, and sometimes your vision of life, vary because of something you have eaten or after something you have read or a conversation? In yourself, in your nerves, in your physical changeability, you are unstable. When you need to act perhaps you are tired, when you need sleep perhaps you have insomnia. And you cannot rely upon your natural gifts, on your culture and affections because these vary as well, alternating trust with distrust, light with shade, peace with anger. And neither do other people offer you a basis; in your family perhaps you come up against characters that do not work together with yours, persons whose existences are closed in on themselves or that open up to other kinds of horizons. You come up against rejoicing when you are sad, mockery for your faith, incomprehension of your sacrifices, changeability, inconsistency…
Going out from your family, then, the ground crumbles under your feet. Money can give bread to feed you, but not peace to give you calm. Among your friends there is betrayal and incomprehension: if you are poor, they flee you; if you are rich, they betray you. When you need it, they have neither the strength nor the desire to support you.
And so your life is about thinking at night to seek some support in the day, it is about seeing the day darken hope under the night of disillusionment. And so time passes away.
You will find truth in God alone. He alone is stability, he alone does not pass away. And the throng outside and the phantasmagoria of landscapes and personages that vary, if God exists, neither shock nor enthral you, for you rest anchored in the Eternal. The scene of this world passes away, God remains.
Igino Giordani, Il Fratello (Città Nuova, April 2011, III edizione Figlie della Chiesa, 1954)
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Mar 23, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
“Ever since she was very young, Sandra showed a great openness towards others. We, her parents, had taught her to act so, but one day when she asked if we could welcome one of her friends into our home we were a bit taken aback. Her friend was going through some problems in her life.
But Sandra was so strongly determined that we couldn’t say no to her request. So it was that we decided to put our prejudgements aside and welcome her friend as our own daughter. Little by little, as the girl felt our love, she began to reveal some of the problems in her family. She stayed with us a few days and then, as she was leaving, thanked us very much. In reality it was we who were grateful to our daughter for having given us the opportunity to open our hearts and to create such a deep relationship with her friend. Later, along with our daughter she helped to organize projects for the victims of earthquakes, gathering a large collection of clothing, toys and Easter eggs.
One day we were all surprised by our son, Massimo, when he opened the door of our home to a poor man and his young son. Massimo ran to his bedroom and returned with a small model car, his favourite, which he gave to the child. When he grew older Massimo seemed to distance himself from us, to be indifferent to what we said to him, intolerant of our willingness to help others. We knew as parents that this was no time to assail him with sermons but we were sure that God would continue to show him the correct path. Last year, as he was about to board a plane that would take him to another country for his studies, he handed us a letter for his friends. He told us we could also read it. It was his way of revealing the treasures in his soul, that we weren’t able to see. It was such an unexpected gift and it filled the void in our hearts.
We had always tried to transmit to our children a sense of openness towards everyone. This was how the story with Joe began. The doorbell rang. When we opened the door, we were met by a young Nigerian man who wanted to sell us some household goods. Like many of his countrymen, he supported himself as a travelling salesman. We bought a few things, a kitchen mop, a small kitchen tool. But its seemed little. We invited him inside, we exchanged telephone numbers and promised to invite him to one of our gatherings in the parish.
As the day of the gathering drew near, we remembered Joe. We were doubtful as we telephoned, but he answered with enthusiasm saying: ‘Everyone is polite at first, but then they immediately forget you.’ From then on a strong bond of friendship was formed between us. We shared in his difficulties and helped him to find a job, which wasn’t easy due to his immigration status. We found him a place to live and helped him in many things. Joe then married and had a son. When he asked us to be the godparents of the little one, we were deeply moved as we considered the long and profound friendship that had been formed between us, one of the many friendships that were born by opening the door of our home.”
(Maria Luisa and Giovanni, Italy)
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Mar 22, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Among the challenges that the Church is currently facing there is that of the decrease in priestly vocations, which makes it difficult to carry on those tasks that were traditionally performed by pastors. On the other hand, the Second Vatican Council conferred great dignity on the laity, opening doors to concrete action by the faithful in parish environments. They have worked alongside and at times taken a central role in activities that were previously carried out by priests. Here are some experiences that have emerged in a few Austrian Catholic parishes where there are members belonging to the Focolare’s Parish Movement. Brigitte belongs to a small pastoral team in charge of a parish. She deals with liturgy and ministry to the infirm. This team is entrusted with the entire running of the parish, since it is not possible for the pastor to be present as he serves five parishes. It is not an easy role because pastoral teams are new also in Austria where the Primate of Vienna, Cardinal Schonborn a few years ago launched “pastoral units” to give more responsibility to lay people. In this way the priests are freer to carry out those services that are exclusive to them as ordained ministers. Rif, a hamlet in the city of Hallein, Salzburg. It became necessary to build a new church here, since the Christian community was growing. One priest, one sister and two associate pastors care for three parishes in a “pastoral unit” where there is much harmony. One of these parishes has just begun, whereas the others hail from the age of the Salzburg high bourgeoisie. 
In Vienna Gabi is a pastoral assistant and does everything that is needed to keep the parish running. He belongs to the pastoral council and has brought a new and contagious enthusiasm by organizing sharing groups in which people may share their experiences on the Word of God. Maria Rudorg left a stable and interesting job in a shop, to be at the disposal of a community of priests. Having been with them for many years, helping them in bringing ahead the parish and now, as the priests are changing and new ones arrive from other countries, she helps them to become integrated into the European culture. People who are involved, anchors of a Christian community who make the Church come alive. Here you do not have the impression of a diminishing Church as statistics would show, but of a Church that is growing and maturing and has much more to offer to society and to the world.
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Mar 21, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Cristina Viano and Jena Debbaneh were the winners of the AIEC scholarship for research on the impact of EoC projects on poverty. Cristina recounts: “The EoC Mission in Serbia turned out to be an excellent place for beginning this study. In fact, in order to enter into the logic of the Economy of Communion it is necessary to understand how these businesses live out the culture of giving each day and what real needs are met with the aid.” 
Cristina continues: “Three images stand out and represent the variety of meetings with EoC businesses that we have encountered on this trip. A few farm families reminded us of what lies at the basis of the EoC and the simple and familial and communitarian environment in which it can grow and develop, beginning from the cooperation between small producers and by the gift not of profits but livestock A quite different scene. A large company operating in the field of food and commercial agriculture highlighted the challenges and dilemmas involved in reconciling values of communion and of size and growth, share and investment relations with the local community and with the banks. Finally, there is the image of the EOC with its strong determination to ensure the quality of its products and the jobs of its employees, of expanding its business slowly without borrowing, even offering its customers interest-free loans in a solid mutual trust. It is clear that the Serbian economy still suffers from the consequences of the war. In some areas of the country there is widespread poverty and unemployment is high. For this reason, the spontaneity, consistency and passion that we have encountered in the three examples cited above and in many other regions of Vojvodina provide us with important evidence for the study. It has become even more evident to us that the Economy of Communion does not merely involve an impersonal gift of money, or the application of a particular system of management. It mainly means to live fully immersed in the local scene, finding energy to invent new work from small family production, becoming animators of a community who are able to provide services and be near to those in need.” 
Jena Debbaneh adds: “Seeing the reality in person is always very different from ‘reading it’ from the numbers. We have met so many people. All of them were ready to share their stories: how and why they received assistance, for how long and how they used it. It was important for us to understand their stories in order to have a precise idea of what “assistance” really is. But their hopes for the future were also important. Their answers contained hope for the future, which made us think that these people are not prisoners of a ‘poverty trap’. I remember one family living on the Belgrade countryside. The questions we had before meeting them became fewer when we were face to face with the reality of their home. There we found extreme poverty, but also joy and hospitality and sharing of food and drinks. We were offered an abundance of food, but also as much happiness and love. It made us realize that this family gave and shared like the poor widow of the Gospel. They were in fact rich because they understood what a culture of giving means.” Jena concluded: “During this trip I came to understand what Chiara Lubich was talking about when she first launched the Economy of Communion in Brazil (1991): Eliminating poverty and inequality by creating businesses with a new culture. The poor are the final goal of the EoC, and their involvement in the business is the means for evaluating its effectiveness.” By Antonella Ferrucci
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Mar 20, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Pope Francis spoke strong words at the inaugural Mass of his Petrine ministry. One of these words was “service”. How did that resonate with you?
“It echoed the way that each of us in the Focolare Movement try to live our different roles. A service yes, but a loving service. And whoever serves for love, Chiara Lubich would often recall, could be said to ‘reign’. This is not a service that lowers or humiliates but is the precise attitude of someone who totally gives himself out of love. Those who act in this way give others their proper place and put them in a condition to be what they need to be. From this it follows that service and regality draw each other out.”
Other words spoken by Pope Francesco – and he raised his voice when he said them – were “take care of the poor”. Will anything in the Focolare Movement have to be revisited?
“We mustn’t stand here and only observe Pope Francis. I think that we should look into ourselves, examine our own consciences regarding how we make use of the things that seem truly necessary, then share with others as much as we can whatever can be given away. But I also seem to perceive in the Pope’s words the suggestion of a poverty that is not only material, but able to understand those who are lonely and alone, who do not feel understood, those who are abandoned, those who don’t know God but are in need of Him though they are unaware of it. Faced with these and other forms of poverty I believe that each one of us has to ask: “What can I do?”
The Focolare Movement is in the process of undergoing an examination of conscience, striving to be converted to a greater measure of love, of service and giving. It will always be possible to grow in this regard.”
Compiled by Victoria Gómez
Read excerpts of messages from Maria Voce to Benedict XVI and to Pope Francis
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Mar 19, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
“In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church […].
How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.
How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own […] Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another […] In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!
Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened […]. Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! […] We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!
[…] In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness! […] Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. […] Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!”
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Mar 17, 2013 | Non categorizzato
The election of Pope Francis is a great sign that shows continuity with what Benedict XVI left to the church when he resigned the ministry of bishop of Rome. I saw continuity because in choosing the name Francis, for the first time in church history, the new pope has evidently wanted to place his ministry in that prophetic light given by the evangelical witness of Francis of Assisi.
The fact that the pope referred to brotherhood, brotherhood to be lived, is a strong sign of his will to follow the most authentic spirit of the Gospel in our times.
Another significant fact is that he first wanted to address the church of Rome, speaking to it as its bishop and pastor, before extending his greetings to all the churches and people of good will.
His asking the intercession of the people of Rome in order to receive God’s blessing, before imparting his own blessing on them, was deeply significant. This act recalls the spirit of Vatican II, which placed the “people of God,” the community of believers, at the center of vision of the church.
I would also highlight the way he address the people gathered in St. Peter’s with a simple “good evening” and then “good night and sleep well.” It was a regular greeting, with nothing clerical about it. The way he called us back to mutual trust is also important because it describes a method of pastoral service and announcement. With this, Pope Bergoglio seems to want to face the big challenges that await the bishop of Rome, to reform the curia and to relaunch evangelization, as he himself said, starting with Rome and then throughout the world.
I was also struck by how he wants to go to entrust his pontificate to Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love and Mercy.
Pope Bergoglio is a Jesuit, and therefore has direct experience with a great charism that illuminated the life of the church in the modern times. And he wanted to call himself Francis, who was a charismatic par excellence. It seems that in this way he wants to unify the ministry of Peter with the love and the prophecy that the church experiences in its history through the charisms.
This first meeting with his church and the universal church is certainly a sign of great hope for Catholics but also for Christians and all of humanity. Asked he asked us to do, we too join in prayer to be united in living this new step of hope and commitment, so that the Gospel can be leaven and salt for our times.
By Piero Coda
Msgr. Piero Coda is a professor of Fundamental Theology at the Lateran University in Rome, and a member of the Abba School, the Focolare interdisciplinary study center.
Mar 16, 2013 | Non categorizzato
«…. I dream that the atmosphere of our Church will be more suited to her as the Bride of Christ; a Church which shows herself to the world as being more beautiful, more one, more holy, more charismatic, more in conformity with her model, Mary, therefore, Marian, more dynamic, more like a family, more intimate, more similar to Christ her Spouse. I dream of her as being a beacon for humanity. And I dream of seeing in her a sanctity of the people, as never before.
I dream that brotherhood, which is gaining momentum today in the consciences of millions of people, will be lived out more and more widely across the globe, so as to become in the future, in the next millennium, a general, universal reality.
Consequently, I dream of the relenting of wars, conflicts, hunger, and the thousand other evils in the world.
I dream of an more intense dialogue of love among the Churches so as to see in the near future the coming together of the one Church.
I dream of a more living and active dialogue among people of the most varied religions linked to one another by love, “the golden rule” present in all their sacred books.
«I dream that the various cultures in the world will mutually enrich each other and draw closer to one another so that they may give origin to a world culture that highlights those values which have always been the true wealth of individual peoples, and I dream that these values will stand out as global wisdom.
I dream that the Holy Spirit will continue to inundate the Churches and potentiate the “seeds of the Word” beyond themselves, so that the world may be invaded by continual innovations of the light, life, and works which he alone is able to kindle. So that ever-greater numbers of men and women may set out towards straight paths, converge toward their Creator, and put their heart and soul at his disposal.
I dream of gospel-based relationships not only among individuals, but also among groups, movements, religious and lay associations; among peoples, among States, so that it becomes logical to love the other’s country as one’s own. Likewise, that it becomes logical to tend towards a universal communion of goods, at least as the point of arrival.
I dream of a world united in the variety of peoples….
In a word, I dream of an anticipation of the new heavens and new earth as far as this is possible here on earth. I dream many things, but we have a millennium to see them come true».
(taken from Chiara Lubich, Attualità leggere il proprio tempo (edited by Michele Zanzucchi), Città Nuova Editrice, Roma 2013)
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Mar 15, 2013 | Senza categoria
“In everything you do you have to think in terms of the other” says Micaela Gliozzi, pharmaceutical researcher from Calabria, Italy. “I do preclinical research and not only for the results of the work in itself, but always projected in the meaning it has for the person before me.”
Felipe De Mato Miller, philosopher from Porto Alegre, Brazil: “I’m grateful to Chiara Lubich for having given her charism that has inspired me to develop within my field of epistemology a new path of research based on the relational and social dimension of knowledge.”
Lina O’Bankien who is from India and works in the field of economics, often has dealings with the government. The problem of corruption is not a surprise, but “I’ve discovered that I too can help in bringing about a better world, together with others and not on my own.”
From epistemology to the effects of cardiovascular disease, to the fight against corruption. And what unites these three? They belong to the fields of some researchers who recently attended an international gathering of researchers, graduate students and professors from around the world, the “Chiara Lubich: Charism, History, Culture” conference that was held on March 14 – 15 to commemorate the anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s death in 2008. What they have in common is a spirituality that can animate every profession and school of thought.
The 600-member conference opened with the news of the new Pope. His appeal to brotherhood was recalled, a term familiar to focolarini because of its affinity with their own mission of extending the fraternity contained in the prayer of Jesus: “That all may be one” (Jn. 17:21) which is the inspiration behind the Movement. UNESCO Ambassador, Lucio A. Savoia, gave a talk while the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi sent written messages.
Chiara had a great love for study and learning. Recall how she left it by “placing her books in the attic” in order to follow God and the nascent Movement. But the charism entrusted to her was destined to blossom in cultural expressions, as is evidenced not only by the numerous honorary degrees that were conferred upon her, but also by the hundreds of scholars who were present at this anniversary event.
Even if we are only at the beginning of this study, the organisers of the Movement’s Centre for Studies insist Scuola Abbà, we are already beginning to notice reflections in contemporary knowledge. Environmental questions, economy at a time of common goods, politics and law are the areas chosen for this turning point.
The roots of the reflections presented during the day, certainly lay in a theological and philosophical dimension and these were widely discussed in a report by Prof. Piero Coda and sociologist Vera Araujo. Coda focused particularly on the “core” of Chiara Lubich’s doctrine: looking to Jesus Abandoned “the plague who during those years [the horror of the Second World War and totalitarianism ed.] secretly drew the longing for truth and justice of men and women (i.e. Bonhoeffer, Stein, Weil) to experience in all its crudity the unfolding of the tragic consequences of that death of God. . .”
Maria Voce spoke with some emotion in her voice, because it was in this universisty that she first came into contact with the ideal of Chiara Lubich, for which she gave her life. Now she was returning as the president of the Focolare, the first to succeed the founder. She spoke of a “culture of resurrection” as Chiara loved to call it, a culture that would be the fruit of modern human searching: “A search that is at times suffered and obscured, similar to a collective epochal night of the spirit, which Chiara herself exprienced in the last months of her earthly life. But at the same time, it is a search in which Chiara was ever able to uncover new paths that allowed her to have a foretaste of a culture pervaded by the light that mysteriously but truly flows from the passage through death towards the Life.”
One personal impression about the day’s events comes from Brendhan Leahy, newly-elected Bishop of Limerick, Ireland and member of the Abba School for Ecclesiology: “We are many here today, to reflect on the life and doctrine of a woman who had a charism whose depth we perhaps only now begin to fathom. Hearing again things that Chiara had said for so many years, you begin to understand the implications and how timely her message on the key to unity: that mystery of Jesus Abandoned who opens God, who opens the human being to us. The negative exists and needs to be recognised, but it doesn’t hold the last word.”
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Mar 14, 2013 | Non categorizzato
«Together with the whole Church, I am truly happy for this moment, which shows the Church’s vitality and the freshness of the Holy Spirit who always finds a way to amaze us.
Besides the surprise, because he certainly was not among the cardinals most mentioned, there is the joy of thinking that this is also a sign of novelty for the Church today, which is living a special moment. This novelty began with Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation from the ministry as Bishop of Rome and was followed by this new Pope who raised an extraordinary echo all over the world.
The choice of the name Francis is very significant, because it seems to express the desire for a return to the radical nature of the Gospel, to a simple life and to a great attention to humanity and to all religions too.
It also seems particularly noteworthy to me that a Jesuit chooses the name of Francis: I think it means openness to charisms, to all charisms, to acknowledge and value what is good in each of them.
I was also particularly impressed by his simple, informal style when he first appeared on the central balcony: he seemed to know how to touch the hearts of all the men, women and children present in St. Peter’s square. I believe that at this moment in time when there is much suffering in humanity, we need someone capable of touching hearts and letting everyone feel the joy of having a father and a brother who loves us.»
Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement.
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Mar 14, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“From Rome she spread her ideal of universal brotherhood all over the world.” These are the words that the municipality wished to have engraved on a plaque in the name of the city of Rome at the Viale Libia subway station which has been dedicated to Chiara Lubich.
The ceremony took place before a small crowd on March 14, 2013 on the fifth anniversary of the Focolare founder’s birth to Heaven. She had lived not far from the station in the early days of the Movement at the Italian capital. Maria Voce remarked on this in her address:
“What a beautiful choice of location (. . .) the quarter where for fifteen years Chiara lived both moments of special light as she watched the main features of a work of God begin to emerge, and moments of great suffering as the Movement was under scrutiny and study by the Church.” Speaking at the “Chiara Lubich: Charism, History, Culture” Conference Mayor Gianni Alemanno highlighted the unity between this event and the election of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires to the papacy: “Today we will perform a gesture that is simple, we will unveil a plaque.” May it be a reminder of Chiara to the countless people who will pass through this train station and be reminded of this journey of faith as a contribution to a sorely needed new humanism. The choice of a pope who comes from the southern hemisphere is a clear sign of the times. We will only emerge from the economic crisis in which we find ourselves by choosing humility and simplicity.” Later on during the unveiling ceremony, the Mayor paused to dwell on Chiara Lubich’s “deep bond with Rome where, in the heart of the Trieste quarter, she laboured, reflected, wrote and sent out her message.”
This relationship with the city of Rome had been affirmed by the conferring of Honorary Citizenship on the Focolare founder on January 22, 2000, her 80th birthday. On that occasion, Maria Voce recalls, Chiara expressed all her “passion for the Eternal City and also the precise commitment of dedicating herself more, so that Rome, a city so unique in the world, symbol of unity and universality might better correspond to its vocation.” This is a commitment as deep as it is practical for the life of every person: “In Chiara Lubich’s message,” Maria Voce continued, “we are offered paths that are drawn from the Gospel: Love is the driving force of history, but we need to know ‘how to love’ according to that demanding art of loving everyone, being the first to love, loving with facts, making yourself one with the other, being capable of forgiving… This begins from the person next to us: at home, in the condominium, in the quarter, on the street, in the places we study, at work, gathering places, even in Parliament, even in the train station that is a continuous crossroad of people but also symbol of anonymity.”
It brings to mind one of the most meaningful pages left to us by Chiara: “This is the great attraction of modern times: to penetrate into the highest contemplation and remain mixed in among the people, a person alongside others, losing oneself in the crowd in order to infuse it with the Divine Life, as you would dunk a piece of bread into wine”, “to mark the crowd with embroideries of light” “sharing with others the shame, the hunger, the beatings of life, the brief joys” “because the great attraction of our time is the same as every other time. It is the most human and divine thing that you can imagine: Jesus and Mary: the Word of God a carpenter’s son; the Seat of Wisdom, the Mother at home.”
In thanking Mayor Alemanno, the Capital Administration and all those who worked on the beautiful project, Maria Voce expressed her hope that from their efforts would emerge “an inspiration to live everywhere the fully human and fully spiritual vocation of the beloved city of Rome, and to ignite small fires of light and hope for the good of all.”
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Mar 13, 2013 | Non categorizzato
For Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) current affairs were the best way to read the signs of the times, of being open to eternity and attentive to every one who in a large or small way was involved in the events of human history.
From among her numerous interviews and articles published by Citta Nuova magazine from the year of its founding in 1956 to 2005 when she gave her last article, Thirty have been gathered in this book that highlight the original intuition that never left her: Following currrent events means to discover the hand of God in human history.
This book provides a method of interpreting current news and events in order to give our own contribution to society as she had done.
In the preface to the book director of Citta Nuova, Michele Zanzucchi writes:
“Chiara Lubich harboured such attention and respect for the truth that she could not tolerate anything that might obscure it or misrepresent reality. This is how she read the “signs of the times” (a term that she dearly loved) by giving free reign to her prophetic spirit in order to discover teachings for the present times. It wasn’t by chance that in her writings she often used words such as “today”, “present” and “current events” […] Here was the supreme location for discovering God’s manifestation in human history. For example, one could read the articles she wrote following the attack on the Twin Towers to see how much her vision was prophetic and countercurrent. But she didn’t dismiss the past, nor the lessons of history. She gathered within herself the profound depths of the entire human story when she spoke about the present: the historical heritage of human thought, and the joyful or tragic events that afflicted humanity. These were essential for her to be able to well understand the novum that was being manifested and, as a consequence, also the novelty brought by the charism that was entrusted to her by the Holy Spirit. Moreover her vision never lost sight of love for the human person […] She never wrote not only to comment on current events, but to improve social coexistence. She did it, as she said, to help build “a more united world”.
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Mar 12, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
The Brazilian version of the Strong Without Violence project that in Europe has touched the lives of more than 500,000 young people, started in January 2013 in various places in South America. The aim is to make young people strong in their opposition to violence, sidelining others, harassing them and the many kinds of subtle but painful abuse that there are. Central to the project is the musical Streetlight performed by the international band Gen Rosso. It tells the true story of Charles Moats from the Chicago ghetto. He stayed faithful to his Gospel ideals despite the difficulties and the hatred he faced. He made a decision not to follow violence and stuck to his choice even to the point of sacrificing his life. The project has four weeks of modules that lead up to the final show. In them the students study the theme of violence and its negative effects. At the same time they learn how to recognize and develop their own talents. In the final show the young people take part in the musical itself, together with Gen Rosso – both on stage and behind the scenes. To create the project Gen Rosso worked with the Starkmacher association in Mannheim, which supports them in Germany, and the Brazilian Fazendas da Esperanza. These are rehabilitation centres, generally on farms, where the young people can get together and find a way out of the world of drugs and other forms of dependency. 
To get things ready to put Strong Without Violence into the Brazilian context, a group from Starkmacher made the trip to Brazil to share their own experience. They went to Fortaleza and Guaratinguetá in the North East and South of Brazil. They met about forty young and older adults (educators of various sorts), who came from a variety of Brazilian cities, and who will be able to multiply the project all over the country. They were trained in its methodology, its educational bases and the organizational structures that support it. In four and a half days, then, they worked together to produce the Brazilian version. A tremendous influence came from various people of influence, such as Eros Biondini, Secretary for Minas Gerais State. He said he too would spread the word about the project. It seems that Strong Without Violence comes at just the right moment for Brazil. There is a passionate public debate on a new law proposing enforced therapy for drug addicts. Requests for new places in the rehabilitation centres, the ‘fazendas’, are growing hugely. Strong Without Violence, in its Brazilian version, looks like it will become an instrument that can give hope that there will be new possibilities for Brazilian young people in tough situations. By Andrea Fleming
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Mar 11, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
In Mumbai, India, there will be several events aiming at understanding more fully the contribution of the charism of unity to dialogue between religions. They will be like a journey that begins with Chiara Lubich’s visits to India in 2001 and 2003 and finishes with the present day. At the same time in Avellaneda, Argentina, the charism will be looked at in terms of its dialogue with contemporary culture. In Tanzania, on the other hand, at the Catholic University of Iringa the leading figures will be young people in commemorating the special relationship that linked them to Chiara. And it would be possible to outline many more events throughout the world that will commemorate Chiara Lubich (22 January 1920 to 14 March 2008) five years after her death.
There will be conferences of a cultural and academic nature, the launching of social initiatives, Eucharistic celebrations, moments of artistic expression. Across the world hundreds of events will be held to look at Chiara’s charismatic impact and to understand more of her thought. Of particular note is the international meeting that will take place in Rome, called Chiara Lubich: Life, Light and Culture. It will take place in the Great Hall of the Sapienza University of Rome on 14 March and in the hall of the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo on 15 March.
This year the anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s death takes place in a historic moment of particular significance for the Roman Catholic Church, which is focused upon the important task of choosing a successor to Benedict XVI. The Movement’s members are very aware of it and they will take this opportunity to witness still more to the vitality and effectiveness of the Ideal of Unity in every aspect of human life, in every point of the earth. It is a treasure that can be offered to the whole Church, possibly with greater decisiveness now more than ever, to put into practice what two popes, first John Paul II and later Benedict XVI, have wished for the Movement, namely to make “the Church always more the home and the school of communion.”
There will also be events of a particularly ecumenical character, for instance, in Geneva, Swizterland, where the event has the full backing of the city’s Ecumenical Centre, and in Oslo, Norway, where participants representing the various churches will come together in a spirit of communion. And, to give another example, in San Antonio, Texas (USA), on 23 February there has already been conference looking specifically at the spirituality of communion. Furthermore, in Thailand, Korea, Melbourne in Australia, and in the whole of Europe there will special occasions where it will possible to say ‘thank you’ and speak about a person who is recognized as one of the leading figures of the twentieth century, one who opened previously unexplored ways of dialogue to promote cohesion among individuals and peoples of different religions and cultures, and so promote peace and universal brotherhood.
To find out more about these initiatives across the world, click here: https://www.focolare.org/anniversary
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Mar 10, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Organized by the Sophia University Institute and another 8 European universities, the international seminar ‘Fraternity: Relational Principle in Politics & Law’ will take place on 11-13 March in Loppiano. There will be 61 speakers, among whom are 25 professors and lecturers from Brazil, 6 from Argentina, and a significant group from Africa. Academic interest in the theme of fraternity, understood not so much within the sphere of the family or as a bond within the community, but as a principle of thought and action in the public arena, has grown tremendously in the last few years at an international level, as witnessed by the growing literature on the topic. It is not a recent discovery, of course, with its long history – a story of many parts since it touches upon civilizations in all the continents which have left many and influential signs upon contemporary cultures. Moments of fraternity, for example, have characterized recent important and historic turning points (for instance, post Marcos Philippines, the peace process in Mozambique, South Africa following the end of Apartheid). But until only a few years ago there was little awareness of the fact, and its historical, social and cultural impact was not fully understood. Things are beginning to change and there is growing interest in the notion of fraternity in academic circles as a result of significant published research and scholarly conferences such as the seminar to take place in Loppiano. This seminar will consider a range of themes to do with fraternity, going from democracy (especially intelligent and participatory democracy) to international relations, from law to philosophy, from education to the world’s major cultural traditions. The international seminar ‘Fraternity, relational principle in politics and law’ is, first of all, a meeting point and an opportunity to explore more deeply for scholars already working in this field, but it is of similar interest to scholars of other disciplines and to the wider public who are also invited to attend. To book click on the following sites: www.principiofraternita.it www.fraternityprinciple.it www.iu-sophia.org
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Mar 9, 2013 | Non categorizzato
«I think that Pope Ratzinger’s decision last February 11 offered us the very essence of his theological and spiritual reflections. Above all he underscored God’s sovereignty: the consciousness that it is He who guides history. Moreover, he led us to perceive the signs of the times and to respond with the courage of choices both suffered and innovative. He left us with a clear note of hope for “the certainty that the Church is Christ’s.”
But to which countenance of the Church was the Holy Father looking? Out of love for which aspect of the Church did he take a step of such great importance? I think I am not mistaken if I say it’s “the Church as communion”, fruit of Vatican II, but also with the view of being «more and more … the expression of the Church’s essence,» as Pope Ratzinger emphasized also at the end of his pontificate.
«More and more», meaning that we have not yet fully arrived. Which direction should be taken?
We know that the Church exists for the world. For this reason, when facing the demands of reform ad intra, I think the Church should focus on looking outside itself, intensifying its dialogue with society. Such vital contact would allow the Church to make its clear voice heard as it remains faithful to the Gospel and, at the same time, listens to the aspirations of men and women of this era. Doing so, She will discover within new resources and unimagined vitality.
We will certainly need to persist in ecumenical dialogue, on this important theme of the visible unity among the Churches, striving to reach definitions of faith and ecclesial praxis acceptable to all Christians.
I would wish for a simpler Church, regarding the goods She possesses and Her liturgical expressions and manifestations. I would suggest a more fluid and direct communication with today’s society that facilitates easier relationship with people, as well as an attitude of greater welcoming also towards those who think otherwise.
Universality and openness to dialogues will therefore be two notes that must be assumed by the new Pope. So that he may respond to these enormous challenges, we envision him as a man of profound spirituality, united to God, thus receiving from the Holy Spirit solutions to the problems, in the constant exercise of collegiality, involving also lay men and women in the thought and action of the Church.
Therefore what awaits us is to work with a new sense of responsibility. This means to encourage creativity on different levels. I think of the economy which will emerge from the crisis only if placed at the service of the human person; of politics which needs to become credible again, returning to being that “shared life in the polis”; of communications as an agent of unity in society; I also think of justice, being open towards those who make mistakes, who suffer the wounds of exploitation, towards those who suffered the mistakes of other men, of other women, also in the Church. I think of those who feel excluded from the ecclesial communion, like those who “have remarried”. This too is the Church, because Christ who founded it died on the cross to heal every division.
Let’s make the true countenance of the Church shine forth. For this reason I invited all those in the world who adhere to the spirit of the Focolare Movement to make a new “pact” that everywhere our listening, trust and mutual love might grow during this time of waiting, so that the Church, in unity and in collegiality, may choose that Pope which also humanity needs.»
Source: Zenit
Radio Vaticana
Press Area
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Mar 8, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Tiziana, a widow for six years, spoke to the 1, 187 participants from 17 countries at the New Families Congress that was held at Castelgandolfo (February 28 – March 2).
Ample time was given to a discussion on widowhood, interspersed with contributions from specialists and real life experiences.
“First there is the initial shock,” explained psychotherapist Dr. Angelo Alessi. “Then there is desperation followed by sadness and resignation. The moment of accepting the loss is a sign of hope and healing, allowing oneself to express honestly the feelings and pain, rebuilding the bridges with the outside world are a few of the ways of not becoming caught up in the feelings that usually block a person”
“The loss of Cosimo was a great trial for me,” Rosa confided. “I felt empty. I set out to perform many acts of love and I experienced a very deep peace. Faith that God is Love made me hope, it gave me consolation in order to be able to console others. It instilled a certainty within me that it hadn’t all ended but that everything had to go on.”
Chiara Lubich says: “Our beloved dead are in God. Now we can continue to love one another through Him because the love that they had for us on earth remains. Indeed, it is perfected and unable to fluctuate”.
Another experience of the Spirit was shared by Ilde’s widower: “My conversations with her continue and accompany me throughout the day, now more than ever. She’s already arrived there. Ilde is with me in this portion of my journey that remains to me here on earth until we meet again.”
Tiziana’s son, Matteo, who was 16 years old at the time of his father’s death, told the audience about the process that led him from anger and interior laceration to calming the great interior void through gestures of helping and sharing: “The more I helped someone the more I felt Dad was near and there was a great peace within me. . . At times I thought that if Dad had not died, perhaps I would never have experienced this.” Beyond the immeasurable suffering and loneliness that mourning brings, the bonds of love remain and can continue to bear fruit as a sign of hope. This seemed to be the main message that emerged from these deep moments.
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Mar 7, 2013 | Non categorizzato
On 6 March the Revd John Mann, Dean of St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, the heart of the Church of Ireland, visited the Centre of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa, near Rome.
In June 2012 Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, went to Ireland for the International Eucharistic Congress. On that occasion, accepting an invitation from the Revd John Mann, she went to Northern Ireland and to Belfast for an ecumenical meeting. It was a historic day, one of great intensity and, also, a day of bright sunshine. The leaders of the four largest churches in the area made a solemn pact of mutual love with one another.
At Rocca di Papa it was raining, a chilly and windy day that felt like a constant spur to renewal. This weather had been dogging the Revd John Mann’s steps for the several days around Italy. We interviewed him in relation to his meeting with Maria Voce.
Revd Mr Mann, what made you come to Italy and, in particular, to the Focolare Centre?
‘When Maria Voce came to Northern Ireland in 2012, it was a fundamental moment for our community, I would say for the whole of our Church. It was on that occasion that Maria Voce invited me to Rome. This visit was necessary to get to know better people who have a special place in our hearts and who live, work, pray and are involved with us.’
In the light of your contacts with the Focolare Movement, do you think that the charism of unity can give a particular contribution to the Church of Ireland today?
‘I think we can learn a great deal from the spirituality of communion, which is a foretaste of the unity we are all working for. I strongly believe that the figure of Jesus Forsaken in a special way can be a help for us. He died on the cross to redeem us all, to unite us all. I think that in this particular point of the spirituality, many in Northern Ireland can recognize precisely what they are living. Understanding this mystery always more deeply, we could find together a way of reconciliation, of building unity.’
What would you wish for the Movement in this particular moment of history?
I hope the Focolare Movement can continue to live its spirituality fully, in all its expressions, offering it to all, so that it can contribute to creating that atmosphere of trust and unity we need so much, also in our country.
Article by Paolo Balduzzi and Centro Uno
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Mar 6, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Economy of communion, political commitment, fighting poverty. These were just a few of the “insights” that were offered by the Gen4 Congress that was held at Mariapolis Santa Maria (Brasil) on the 9th to the 12th of last February. The smallest youngest members of the Focolare Movement had a chance to experiment with some rather demanding topics, but also necessary for facing the future with hope.
The majority of the children were from poor families. The Santa Maria Mariapolis of the Focolare Movement is located in quite a degraded area. Two of the surrounding quarters have risen from “misery” to a state of dignified poverty, a change that was also officially recognized by the police in a document stating that criminal activity has decreased over the past three years. Here in the area of the Mariapolis there is a school whose teaching method is based on the “Art of Loving” that is elaborated by Chiara Lubich’s spirituality of unity. One of the students at this school, a Gen 4 whose family is now working in collaboration with the Brazilian government, shared her own experience that gave them courage and strength.
They also talked about the Economy of Communion (EoC) and the fight against poverty. The EoC businesses at Mariapolis Santa Maria were presented to the Gen4 and the girls met entrepreneurs who try to put an economic model into practice in their businesses that focuses on the human person and shares the business profits with the most needy. Using an educational method that directly joins theory and experimentation, the Gen4 worked in the small “multi-national” business “Scintilla d’amore” and they were pleased to be working for the poor.
All were involved with planning the programme: children, teenagers and adults. On carnival night, the small Mariapolis was set up as a large game park where the Gen 4 could experience daily life in a real city, but a ‘city with love” – from shopping at a supermarket to drawing up laws for the common good.
Four days of intense recreation and deepening, lived in a profound relationship with Jesus: “You are all ours,” one child wrote, “You were a great King and a great Child. Remain with the angels and protect me always day and night.”
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Mar 5, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
The Youth for a United World have launched their Sharing with Africa project that focuses on making known the gift that this continent is for the world, with its peculiarities and traditions. Already in 2011 some 200 youths from several African countries had met to more deeply examine the project of achieving true brotherhood. This project has been going ahead since the 1960’s in Fontem, Cameroon to see how they could also contribute to universal brotherhood. It was from here Sharing with Africa was begun with the goal of making a contribution to forming a new culture that is open to the building of a more united world by promoting the values that have created and shaped African society. The goal of the project is to create a space for communion not only among youths who live on the African continent but for youths of the whole world, and to favour cultural exchange, sharing of talents, life experiences and life challenges, through concrete projects and activities. The first stage of the project will take place in Nairobi, Kenya at the School of Inculturation. The topic will be: “The Ubuntu vision of the human person: “I am what I am because we all are.” 
Ubuntu philosophy presents a unifying vision of the world which is expressed in the Zulu proverb: “Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu” (A person is a person because of other people). This life concept is found at the basis of all African society, and it implies respect, sharing, trust, altruism and cooperation. It is a “communitarian” idea of the human person that identifies a person as someone in relation to his or her relations with others. A person with an Ubuntu ethic is open, available to others, supportive, aware of belonging to a greater whole. Speaking in Ubuntu terms involves a stronger sense of unity in social relations, in order to be available and willing to meet differences in the humanity of the other, as one’s own humanity is enriched: “I am what I am because of who we all are.” The Sharing with Africa project also gives participants in the School of Inculturation the opportunity to be involved in several social activities together with the Youth for a United World in Kenya. Some of the activities include being the guests of the Samburu Tribe, but also working for children living in a slum in Nairobi; others in a Nutrition Centre on the outskirts of the vast city.
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Mar 4, 2013 | Cultura
Author: Edited by Roberto Morozzo della Rocca
Synopsis
Nicknamed the ‘UN of Trastevere’, the Community of Sant’Egidio, which started life by coming together to pray in the church of Sant’Egidio in 1968, goes out from its Roman base to help resolve civil wars and international conflicts around the globe. Mozambique, Algeria, Kosovo, Liberia and Ivory Coast have all benefitted from its non-threatening, but deeply committed presence. Sant’Egidio also works tirelessly to defeat AIDS in Africa and campaigns vigorously to bring an end to the death penalty.But Sant’Egidio’s message is simple: a way to peace can always be found, and everyone, from professional diplomats to volunteers, from doctors to patients, can make a valid contribution to the peace process. This book presents the fascinating story of Sant’Egidio’s activities for peace and reconciliation for the good of humanity. And theirmotivation: love of God and love of neighbour. (more…)
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Mar 4, 2013 | Senza categoria
Lucila is a pretty little resort town overlooking the sea, 350 km from Buenos Aires. It is the place where “School Holidays” has been being held for the past thirteen years. Omar and Susana Zazzerini from the Parish Movement in Buenos Aires are the organizers of the event and tell us: “We began from the words of Jesus ‘Come away by yourselves and rest a while’ (Mk. 6:31). We especially had in mind families that had less opportunity to go away on holiday. We hoped that the days together would not only be restful but also like a course on living a life generated by mutual love and lived in the spiritual presence of Jesus among us. Just as in the early days of the Focolare when people would spend the summer holiday together in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy. There many people exprienced this Gospel lifestyle and discovered God as Love.” Most of the people come from parishes in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. The first year we were 23. This time 115 have taken part in the thirteenth edition with 115 staying the whole week. Up until now more than 1200 people have taken part in it. 
“The main thing,” says Omar, “is to love with the power of the present moment, being attentive towards others, seeing each other with new eyes in every moment.” This means forgetting about the defects or misunderstanings with those whom we have known for a long time. “Otherwise,” Omar continues, “it wouldn’t be so nice to stay together for a week in small teams that have to take turns cooking, washing dishes, serving table, and maintaining the surroundings.” “This is like a training course,” Susana adds, “in which we learn to help each other in overcoming painful situations or conflicts. Whenever we feel bothered by others, it is this living together teaches us to accept and accommodate to the discomfort we feel.” Then interpersonal relationships are brought to a new level. Spiritual deepening, sharing what we live, “also the sufferings. . .” Susana continues, “some difficult situations are resovled in this communion. The highest moment is the Mass. The rest of the day is spent on the beach, playing, taking walks, chatting and relaxing.” 
The spiritual growth of the participants and the impact on youths is something that should be mentioned: “The youths are growong in number, but also in quality. You see it in their love for the elderly and for the small children. and in their relationship with each other. Some young adults have already begun families, others have had an experiene at Mariapolis Lia or attended the Genfest in Budapest. One of the girls was able to attend WYD in Spain thanks to the support she received from everyone. Now she’s the contact person for the WYD in Rio de Janeiro. We’ve also been joined by consecrated people, members of other Churches, seminarians and several priests.” As one person put it who was participating for the first time, this is an exprience of brotherhood that continues on throughout the year in the parishes. Compiled by Carlos Mana
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Mar 1, 2013 | Non categorizzato
“In the past few days, returning from Rocca di Papa to Rome, I had a strange impression, one that I already felt when I came back from Ala di Stura. I felt that Rome was our home because the Pope was there.
Yesterday, traveling down from the Mariapolis Centre towards the Eternal City, Rome seemed to me to be covered by one great heart, the heart of the Pope.
In the past few days I’ve been reading some truly splendid words of the Pope. Last Wednesday while mentioning the feast day of St. Catherine at the General Audience he had this to say:
‘Indeed, the Pope draws his strength from his love for his children, from the union of the ecclesiastical community, the charity of the faithful who under his guidance form a single heart and a single soul. This contribution of spiritual energy that comes from the Catholic people and reaches the hierarchy of the Church, from each individual Christian all the way to the Pope, makes us think of the Saint who the Church will honour tomorrow with a special feast, St. Catherine of Sienna, the humble, wise and fearless Dominican virgin who, as you all know, loved the Pope and the Church as no other was known to have loved them to such height and with such strength of mind.’
As I was reading these words I would have liked the Pope, through the communion of saints, to find the same contributing strength from our Movement because we love the Pope, with our spirit and under the Church’s guidance we want to increase the Christian community, and our ideal is love.”
Feb 28, 2013 | Non categorizzato, Word of
But Jesus, who was bent down writing on the ground with his finger, remained unperturbed and finally straightened up and said:
“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
When they heard this, “the accusers went away one by one, beginning with the elders.” Jesus then turned to the woman and asked, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she replied. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore” (Jn 8:10–11).
“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
With these words, Jesus certainly does not wish to appear permissive with regard to wrongdoing, such as adultery. His words, “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore,” clearly express God’s commandment.
Instead Jesus wishes to unmask the hypocrisy of those who set themselves up as judges of their fellow human beings who have sinned, without recognizing that they themselves are sinners. His words here underline the well-known command: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged” (Mt 7:1–2).
Speaking in this way, Jesus also addresses himself to those who, in the name of the law, ignore the person involved and do not take into account the repentance that sinners may feel in their hearts. This clearly shows what Jesus’ attitude is toward one who has done wrong: he is merciful. As St. Augustineput it, when the accusers of the adulteress had gone away, “two persons remained: one in need of mercy and the other Mercy itself” (Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John 33:5).
“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
How can we put this word of life into practice?
In all our dealings with others, let us remember that we too are sinners. All of us have sinned. Even if we think that we ourselves have not fallen into serious sin, we must bear in mind that we do not know just how strongly circumstances have influenced others, causing them to fall and to stray far from God. We do not know how we would have acted had we been in their place.
In any case, we too have broken the bond of love that was meant to unite us to God. We too have been unfaithful to him.
If Jesus, who was certainly without sin, did not throw the first stone at the adulteress, neither can we condemn others.
We should have compassion toward everyone, resisting those impulses that drive us to condemn others without mercy. We must learn how to forgive and forget. We should not harbor traces of judgment or resentment in our hearts, since these can easily give rise to anger and hatred that alienate us from others. We should see every person as “new” in every moment.
If our hearts are filled with love and compassion toward all, rather than judgment and condemnation, we will help others to begin new lives, to find the courage to start anew.
Chiara Lubich
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Feb 28, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Nearly 150 thousand people gathered from various parts to attend the final general audience of Benedict XVI. One could sense the importance of this historic day, and perhaps not only for the Catholic Church. The emotions were controlled and in tune with the humble greatness of the ageing pope.
Benedict XVI was visibly moved by the huge turnout that surrounded him with immense warmth. He spoke spontaneously from the heart : “Thank you. I see the Church is alive and we must also thank the Lord for the gifting us such good weather in winter.” He defined the Church as “a communion of brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ, who unites us all. The Gospel purifies and renews.”
His open and lucid sharing reveals what he is presently living. “I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit. Loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, trying choices, having ever before oneself the good of the Church and not one’s own.” And he affirmed with conviction, “I’m not abandoning the cross, but remain in a new way close to the Crucified Lord.”
Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, who together with a few hundreds of adherents of the Movement participated in Benedict XVI’s final general audience, gave her immediate impressions:
“It was a moment of profound communion with pope Benedict. I felt as if he raised us up with him on the mountain, to where God is now calling him, and helped us to contemplate the Church as it appears from that altitude, a united people, family of God, living body.” “While he reiterated his decision, we sensed however that it would not have distanced him but rather, I would say, enabled him to be closer to each one of us.” “Next to me, besides Giancarlo Faletti, there was Brother Alois from the Taizé Community with a confrere, Kiko Arguello from the Neocatechumenal Way, and other representatives of Movements. When he passed by us, he recognised and greeted us with visible affection.”
And apart from this, she replied to the following questions in an interview published by Città Nuova:
What do you think the Focolare Movement could learn from this?
“I was deeply struck by what Benedict XVI mentioned in his address, when referring to the Church he said that it was “renewed and purified by the life of the Gospel.” I strongly sensed it was a call to that life of the Gospel that truly renews us in every moment. I clearly understood that more than trying to improve something, it meant a return to a life of the Gospel that is integral, authentic, “with coherence” as the pope himself clarified. Coherent to the faith that we received and profess. Besides, we must be close to the pope and climb the mountain to pray with him. With his very trust in Jesus who leads the Church, with the same serene optimism that he has shown us.”
Which words touched you the most?
“The reference to the Church as a family, perhaps because even Chiara Lubich, before leaving this earth, urged us to “be family”. For this reason I felt that it was the same voice urging us from two sides the very same perspective. It is the one of Christ, who by coming on this earth, wanted to form his family, the Church. As he sees it and not as we humans are used to seeing and considering it. That is, the Church as it ought to be: his body, bride, family.”
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Feb 27, 2013 | Non categorizzato
‘The Lord is calling me to “ascend the mountain”, and dedicate myself still more to prayer and meditation,’ Pope Benedict XVI affirmed last Sunday at the Angelus. ‘But this does not mean abandoning the Church,’ he continued. ‘Indeed, if God asks this of me it is precisely so that I can carry on serving the Church with the same dedication and the same love as I tried to do till now, but in a way that is better suited to my age and strength.’
This spiritual dimension of the Pope’s decision was underlined by comments that came from England. The Secretary General of the English churches’ official national ecumenical body, Churches Together in England, the Revd Dr David Cornick, of the United Reformed Church, said: ‘I think that Pope Benedict’s decision to step down is courageous and that it is a decision that affects not just the Roman Catholic Church but also the rest of us, because it is made with a sense of human limitation, born up by the grace of God, and that’s something we can all learn from.’ While the Rt Revd Robin Smith, Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Church of England Diocese of St Albans, gave a personal witness: ‘I have met Pope Benedict several times and he has always struck me as saintly, genuine and with a real kindliness. Perhaps the most far-reaching decision he has made is the one to retire as it reshapes the image of the papacy, not least in minds of Catholics, because it is the office not the person that’s of significance. Now we look and pray that whoever is appointed will release the Catholic Church at the local level (that is, the diocese) to make its vital contribution to the life of the world.’
Dr Callan Slipper, a focolarino and a Church of England priest, explained how in his view this decision defines Petrine ministry: ‘prayer and suffering in the first place and then also to act. I thought it’s a good definition of what we all must do to serve others. With his stepping down he will no longer act, but he will continue to pray and suffer on behalf of the Church…. It seems to me to show the Petrine ministry not as monarchical but more truly as the Servant of the Servants of God.’
From the Orthodox Church in Moscow, Galia declared that she ‘felt pain and a sensation of tremendous loss. I hope that this step taken by Benedict XVI will be for the new pope an example of love that does not fear sacrifice. This step of his gives witness to a powerful relationship with God. He did not think of himself, but of the service required of him.’ Jens-Martin Kruse, a Lutheran Evangelical Pastor from Rome, in the Osservatore Romana of 22 February wrote an article entitled ‘Benedict XVI example of faith also for Lutherans’ and he recalled several things done by the Pope that had profound ecumenical impact.
Added to this ecumenical panorama, voices from the Jewish world were added. The Argentine Rabbi Areil Kleiner said: ‘When I found out via Twitter that the Pope was stepping down I realized that were entering a doubly historic moment. I hope that there will soon be white smoke and that the successor may continue on the interreligious paths of Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II.’ While Sonia Kirchheimer declared that ‘beyond what this will mean for my Catholic brothers and sisters, personally, as a Jew active in interreligious dialogue, I hope that Benedict XVI’s successor will carry on along the way of the Second Vatican Council and Nostra Aetate, so that together we can build a more peaceful world as children of the same God.’
In conclusion, the Croatian lawyer Zdravko Dujmović, who has non-religious convictions, wrote: ‘Pope Benedict XVI will leave without a stain on him. It is impossible not to love him and respect him even more for what he has done for Europe today and for all the Christian world. The new pope will be able follow in his footsteps and retire, when he no longer feels he can continue his service. In the early centuries Christians also withdrew into the desert, they fasted to reach contemplation, bearing their spirituality within them… a great man has gone.’
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Feb 25, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
What are the requirements for a young person who is seeking employment today in business or politics? The most obvious answer seems to be that she or he would need to have a super-specialisation and have received unbeatable training. But Dr. Lorenzo Rosi who is vice president of Erutria Bank and was present at the Open Day of Sophia University Institute thinks otherwise: “In job interviews we ask that the candidate be able to come up with solutions to problems. We consider it the task of the company to provide further training through internships or ad hoc courses, but the most important thing for us is that candidates can use their heads. This is why I recommend Sophia to young people, because it opens the mind, forms people who are capable of dialogue, and are accepting of differences. In other words, from here, people come out who are capable of thinking and not merely executors [of someone else’s thinking].”
It was surely not a traditional University Opening Day, where professors and secretaries explain the curriculum and answer questions about registration procedures and fees – although there was also this. It was rather the students, about 80 of them from 30 different countries, and spread out among three specializations – Economics and Management, Trinitarian Ontology and Political Studies – who did the honours. They told of how they landed at Sophia, the reasons why after three years of becoming highly specialized at another university they decided to come here from such different fields and life experiences. One story said it all, the story of Rami, and Egyptian on the forefront of the revolution that two years ago brought aa breath of Arab Spring to his own land. “I slept in TahrirSquare, I protested with thousands of people in the streets, we fought for freedom putting our lives on the line. But after such a strong experience, I felt the need to be enriched interiorly, and this is what Sophia is for me. I came to the “mountain top” far from the crowd, to absorb Wisdom. No, this is not an escape from the problems. I am continuing to live the revolution at the side of my people but in a different way. I write articles that are published in Egypt as I am nourished by the Wisdom that I find here at Sophia, both in the courses and in daily life with the professors and students. I feel that I am setting solid foundations inside me that will prepare me to bring peace where there is none.”
Where are the economy and the world going?” was the title for one of the three lessons that LuiginoBruni, Professor of Economics. Together with political philosopher Antonio M. Baggio, and theologian Alessandro Clemenzia presented to the students in attendance or linked up via online streaming.
“At Sophia,” Bruni pointed out, “specific skills are reinforced by learning to look further. Study then is not a pre-employment stage but complementary to work, thanks to the stagesthat are being defined for all subject areas.”
Three professionals in the areas of enterprise, academic research and political involvement showed the added value of Sophia in three areas. One of these was Letizia De Torre (Movement for Unity in Politics), former Member of Parliament who reminded everyone that a young person cannot “enter into politics without having a vision of the world.” “Sophia was begun to express a culture that not only looks to the interests of one party but which, by virtue of its interdisciplinary approach, is open to listening and to criticism, the ability to change a position, to change the dynamics, learning to talk. In short, do not be afraid of the differences. Sophia provides you with the tools to build the dream of a better society for all.”
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Feb 24, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
What was your first reaction when you heard about Benedict’s XVI resignation? What aspects of his pontificate do you appreciate? What do you wish the new Pope?
Here are some excerpts from their answers.
«In the beginning I could not believe it. Then I understood that the Holy Father had decided to take this step for the good of the Church. Since I have lived together with catholic brothers and sisters, I deeply understand that the essence of this ministry is of a spiritual nature. I want to be united with him and with the other Christians in prayer, for the election of the new Pope, so that the Church may go ahead for the good of humanity». Metta, Buddhist from Thailand
«I think it is a wise decision; since he carries out his role in the name of God, there is no doubt that God is with him. His action is unparalleled and sets an example for all humanity. His decision to retire to a monastery is also something great. My wishes for the new Pope are that with the help of God, he may be even more inspired, and that he does not get disheartened by ill-intentioned criticism». Abdou, Muslim from Algeria
«The Pope’s renunciation concerns us all. But nothing will change the things we have at heart. He has continued John Paul II’s work, and there is no way back. On the contrary, we go further ahead in mutual understanding and collaboration ». Enrique, Jewish, from Uruguay
«I think that (the announcement of Benedict XVI’s resignation) constitutes a very important precedent. I appreciated the Pope’s humility and his sincere allusions to the causes of his resignation, and the difficulties in the Vatican curia. With his decision I feel (I hope) that he has paved the way for an increased collegiality in the Church. What do I wish the next pope? Courage! He will have to bear a heavy cross, but he will be able to and have to share it more with his people». Armando, Italian with non religious convictions.
«We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw Benedict XVI announcing his resignation. Then we were filled with a deep understanding and sympathy for him. Not even a Pope can escape human limitations! Joseph Ratzinger had the courage and sincerity to publicly acknowledge this. Our wishes for the future pope is that he continue along the path of openness towards other Christian denominations, towards other religious traditions, as well as people of different convictions». Donika and Luan, Tirana – Albania
«I think that he has taken a wise decision, though certainly not an easy one! Even this is an act of responsibility. I would like to thank him for all that he has given us. What I expect from the next Pope is that he may have always this consideration for brotherhood, this openness towards the other creeds, religious traditions, to build a world of universal brotherhood». Racim, Muslim from Algeria
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Feb 23, 2013 | Non categorizzato
- Five hundred prisoners have benefited from the project that has re-opened 300 court cases. These are prisoners who would otherwise still be awaiting trial and burdening the prison system.
- Three hundred law students took part in the project.
- Three hundred and fifty families of the prisoners we assisted by the students, health care workers and social workers.
- More than 200 citizens were redeemed through the project.
- More than 1000 prisoners have benefited from assistance through clothing drives, toy drives and toiletries.
- Articles, essays and awards
These are only some of the results (between 2001 and 2012) from the Legal Adoption of Arrested Citizens project and presented by Professor meeting organised by CeD Fraternity, Law and Social Change at Mariapolis Ginetta (January 25-27, 2013). This project seeks to face issues related to the penitentiary system in the State of Pernambuco, as they regard detainees – awaiting a court hearing – who should be assisted by Public Defense agencies.
These are real life stories of legal abandonment, of people without defense, but especially in need of a hopeful and noticing glance. One of the project’s constant challenges is to draw students to this situation, especially since the “adopted” prisoners have committed or attempted to commit serious crimes. Taking brotherhood as a political and legal principle to be taken into consideration, how would the law worker then operate?
Starting from an academic look at the professional humanization of law, and encounter takes place: the prisoner finds the way of having his or her human rights respected, which are often being violated (with overcrowding, for example, where 1,400 people are living in a space that was meant for 98); future professionals develop their critical sense and become aware of their power to change society. But above all a fraternal dimension is established between student and detainee, one that permits both to experience citizenship in all it fullness as this fraternity is joined to freedom and equality.
The Legal Adoption for Detainees Project began in 2001 as a result of an agreement between the ASCES School, the Tribunal Court of the State of Pernambuco and the State Secretary for Citizenship and Justice. Brotherhood was gradually considered to also be a pedagogical principle in the training of law students. The research group prepares students for accompanying a case before a jury with lessons on theory and technique. The methodology involves interviews with the detainees, their families and raises awareness in schools through the use of media.
Moving from assistance of prison populations to a debate on fraternity, you begin to see how human rights and fraternity are closely linked because of basic democratic values, but especially for spreading a culture of peace. These eleven years of work demonstrate that it is possible to create a system for the protection of human, social and legal rights of detainees by working for the distribution of goods produced by social collaboration.
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Feb 22, 2013 | Non categorizzato
From the 10th to the 13th May 2013, the little town of ¨Piero” in Nairobi (Kenya) will host the ¨Enculturation School¨, a workshop that this year will have as the main theme ¨The Person” in various African traditions. Besides, a group of young people will take part in the first stage of the Project “Sharing with Africa”. In preparation for this event, we publish Giulia´s account of her Ugandan experience.
«Malpensa Airport, 2nd August 2011: destination “Kampala – Uganda”. I felt extremely excited although I still couldn’t imagine that in the coming four weeks I would have one of the most beautiful and important experiences of my life. For a month I lived together and shared daily life with another Italian girl and three Ugandans. This obliged me from the very beginning to put aside all my ¨western¨ habits, every way of doing or thinking, in order to be open myself to them and their life. But what at first were just small sacrifices, soon became a treasure, a new way of thinking and relating to people around me.
I was touched by the African concept of person. For them, the person, the other, is at the centre of each event and action, and not time, doing things in a hurry, commitments. Therefore, for instance, a meeting will start when everyone is there, and not simply when the clock says its time, or buses will leave when they’re full and everyone’s on board, and not at a given scheduled time. “How can you westerners base your daily life on the flow of time, when it does not belong to you and you cannot control it in any way?” It’s a question that still echoes in my mind when, overwhelmed by the frantic rhythm of my daily routine, I risk to become indifferent to those around me.
A typical concept in Sub-Saharan Africa is “Ubuntu”, an expression that could be translated as “I am what I am because of what we are all together”. Nelson Mandela explained it as follows: “Ubuntu does not mean to forget ourselves; rather it means to ask ourselves: do I want to help the community around me to become better?” How wise these words are! And they are not mere words, but real life, daily life lived from the viewpoint of the “we” and not only of the “I”. Everything is shared, everything is done together, the neighbours´ children are like your own, and even a complete stranger who happens to knocks on your door by mistake, immediately becomes a part of the family.
I will never forget the emotion I felt when I was invited for lunch to one of my flatmates home: a house without a toilet, in a neighbourhood not very different from a slum. But the table was set and the food abundant, because no sacrifice is too big when you invite your daughter’s friends for lunch. Hospitality, reciprocity and sharing with the other are more important than anything else.
I left Uganda feeling richer than before. For weeks I was the foreigner, with a different skin colour, a different language, different habits. But I had always been welcomed, I always found a smile and an open hand, and I never felt discriminated, or out of place.
Now, when I meet on the streets many immigrants who live in my city, I look at them with new eyes: I try to put myself in their shoes. This portion of Africa that every day disembarks in Europe deserves that same, huge welcome that I, a foreigner and a white, had received in Uganda in the first place. It’s made up of sharing, of reciprocity, of Ubuntu; it’s something that goes far beyond simple respect for those who are “different”. Different, from whom? A few hours of flight and the “different” one is you, and you realize that we are much more similar than what we may think ».
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Feb 21, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
It was a real and proper ‘EoC Mission’ the one held in Serbia, in the region of Vojvodina and Belgrade, the first few days of February. The aim of the mission was to get to know up close the entrepreneurs and the families involved in the Economy of Communion in Serbia.
The EoC in Serbia is concentrated in the region of Vojvodina, and is not made up of great numbers but rather of varied experiences representing a society where the local communities suffer unemployment, scarce agricultural productivity and lack of services. It is composed mainly of artisans who, since the beginning of the EoC, have shared their profits, and who now must innovate their production, young people who intend to start up workshops, stores, farming initiatives which collaborate in the production of feed, and who give the product to the poor since they cannot give profit, entrepreneurs who have in common the choice of giving part of their profits the the EoC project, even while using different business strategies among them (the little business that gives credit to clients based on a relationship of trust rather than on interest, the biggest society trying to conciliate a dimensional growth with attention to the local community and to maintaining the number of jobs; a company director who, while not the owner, administers according to EoC principles.)
The beneficiaries of aid given: Other significant moments of the trip were the meetings with some of the realities that benefit from help coming from EoC initiatives: a meal service for children, families, and the elderly; a Caritas centre that organizes entertainment activities for both young and old. It is mostly young families who make themselves available to tell us their experiences: some of them are unable to pay for their children’s education; elderly people who cannot afford medical care; a husband and wife who live in a small house made of recovered materials, in extreme conditions of misery, yet at the same time with great dignity and openness towards their neighbours.
What is the contribution of the EoC in Serbia today – it is very clear that the economic model founded on the culture of giving continues to attract and to propose itself as a valid solution, up to making one rethink the socio-economic system from its very base; the awareness is very strong even for the EoC that today it is fundamental to be able to innovate and to anticipate changes (for the Balkan countries, the cost they will be carrying, as well as the prospects of development is emblematic for a future integration into the European Union).The role of the new generations will be fundamental in this process, of young people attracted by the EoC Ideal and competent not only on matters of health and work security, environment, marketing, project administration, and accounting, but also in the guidelines for conducting an EoC business, (studied and developed in detail referring to specific local and business contexts) that could offer entrepreneurs a concrete contribution both at the local level (Serbia could be representative of an important experimentation in this sense) and at the level of the International Commission. To form 3-5 young people, already locally identified who have these competencies is the proposal with which the mission concluded: this will be a way to create jobs for some youth who will be entering the EoC reality and businesses that will necessitate consultations in order to innovate, both on a general and a specific level, will also be helped.
Finally, a very important moment of dialogue with the Serbian Orthodox Community took place, in particular with the Institute for the study of Dialogue between Culture and Christianity in the person of BojanaBursac: from this encounter it is probable that in a not too distant future there might be a meeting between the EoC and Serbia’s orthodox. New frontiers of dialogue can be seen on the horizon.
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Feb 20, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
This will be a unique occasion for the Focolare Movement to once again express its gratitude and to pray with the Pope and thousands of others who will gather at St. Peter’s, for the Church’s future.
“Your Holiness, the Focolare Movement wishes to be near to you with great gratitude for the fatherly love and support you have always shown it.”
The Focolare wishes to be part of the planetary embrace that has enveloped the Holy Father during these final days of his Pontificate. It wants to be there to express to the Holy Father its closeness in prayer. As the news began to spread at the Vatican Press Office on February 11th, Maria Voce wrote to the Pope on behalf of all the focolarini of the world: “We want you to know that we are at your side, in deep and constant prayer for this new phase that is opening in your life and in the life of the Church with that sure faith in God’s love, which you called us to in a special way this year. We continue to wish you well and we will always love you!”
The announcement of the Pope’s resignation took the world by surprise. Declarations of esteem and support immediately began to arrive praising the Pope’s “humility and courage”. Messages arrived from politicians, Christian and non-Chrisitan leaders, and ordinary people in response to this rather unique gesture in the history of the Church. And all of them expressed the love and consideration that this Pope enjoys at all levels of today’s world.
The president of the Focolare Movement admits that the first reaction was one of “dismay and even pain as the Pope spoke of his declining ‘strengths of both body and spirit, due to an advanced age’. Words spoken so simply and so humbly by the Pope that they make him appear all the greater to us precisely in his weakness.” It was because of this sentiment that the focolarini felt urged to send a “message of gratitude” to the Holy Father. But we also saw in this a call of God to a greater unity. Maria Voce explains: “This is our charism and in this moment more than ever we should give witness to it, pulling together in a worldwide renewal of the pact, from one end of the world to the other, so that we can make available to the whole Church the great treasure of Jesus in our midst.”
The Citta Nuova website dedicated a special edition to the Pope’s resignation and received many reactions from its readers. “Many people give their analyses, critical or benevolent acclaim, I simply wish to express my love for Benedict XVI.” “After the initial shock . . . I saw his decision as a confirmation of his greatness.” “I was struck by how the Pope was able to conceal his decision during these months, probably in a deep and ongoing conversation with God. I feel that his experience personally challenges me and has much to teach me.”
With regard to this ongoing conversation with God, theologian Piero Coda, Dean of the Sophia University Institute writes: “Benedict XVI has surprised us from the beginning of his ministry because, with the simplicity and radicalism of the Gospel he talked to us about his relationship with Jesus and the relationship that, in Jesus, we are called to have among ourselves in the most beautiful and intense expressions of our [human] experience: friendship. The unexpected gesture with which he today announced his resignation from the ministry of the Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter the Apostle, is the highest sign of this friendship that he has offered us. It is a high gesture that not only places the seal on his extraordinary Pontificate, but one that opens a new stage in the way of understanding and adminstrating the ministry of the papacy.”
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Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
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Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
![The Most Beautiful Easter]()
Feb 19, 2013 | Non categorizzato
Coming Together in Joy distills Pope Benedict’s counsel from his many years of Truth-searching and study, prayer and reflection, priestly ministry and service to the Church. These 99 short reflections guide us on a journey along various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the bond between reason and belief, Mary, the Eucharist, social justice and evangelization. Ever alert to the real issues of families and young people, priests and teachers, the learned and the simple, the Pope also points us to the way faith makes a real difference in our lives. Taken together, these sayings comprise a concise summary of the main elements of Pope Benedict’s teachings. They are a joy to read, satisfying the soul’s hunger and quenching the mind’s thirst.
Orders: New City Press (NY)
