True tales among the vines: harvest time at Loppiano Wine Estate

Oct 12, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Grape pickers come to Loppiano from all over Europe during the months of September and October. Members and friends of the cooperative, they are of all ages and walks of life. Every year they offer some days, at most two weeks, free of charge to help the paid workers with the grape harvest. Why should anyone choose to use part of their holidays to do something not even always pleasant? The timetable works with military precision: breakfast at 7:30, then at 8:00 leave for work, at 12:00 noon the midday meal, and then work in the fields until evening. There is time for relaxation and, for those who wish, there is Mass at the shrine of Maria Theotokos, after which the evening proceeds with another meal and the chance to mix with other people living at Loppiano. Despite the exacting rhythm, everyone is enthusiastic, even grateful. In part this is because here there is a way of doing things that takes account of human persons and there is direct and constant contact with nature. Still more, though, the grape pickers experience the atmosphere of fraternity that is the essence of every single day of the life of the farm and of the little town of Loppiano. As they tell one another about their lives and experiences between one vine and the next, they help each other cope with the hard work and find themselves having moments of real hilarity. Ambrogio Panzieri from northern Italy put it like this: ‘For a very long time I’ve not felt such intensity – both humanly and spiritually. It’s as if I’ve always known these people who are willing to encourage me and give me the strength to believe that even at home I will be able to bring the same joy, the same mutual gift of ourselves to one another.’ Antonio Sottani, who has been at the farm for 15 years, summed it up like this: ‘Certainly at the basis of everything there is the generosity of the members and friends of our cooperative. We offer board and lodging, but above all the chance, while at work, to have an experience together of doing things for and with one another. It sometimes happens, in fact, that after a few says the grape pickers feel the need to change how they live their lives, to face up to tough situations in their hometowns and in their families, bringing love into places where it does not exist. But for our part we don’t do anything in particular, we simply try to love them.’

Carlo Isolan

Maria Voce on the Second Vatican Council

Oct 11, 2012 | Non categorizzato

The Focolare Movement welcomes the invitation launched by Pope Benedict XVI at the solemn celebration that opened the Year of faith and that celebrates the 50^th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council: make the beauty of the faith shine out in our time with that same “emotional tension” of the Council Fathers. Church-communion, application of the Gospel in daily life, dialogues, communion between laity and priests, the role of women and the importance of society are some of the principles  developed by  Vatican II, already in some way present in the life of the Focolare Movement from its inception. “The challenges that remain open – affirms Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement – are the ones to implement what the Council wanted to point out and to propagate more the knowledge of the contents and the novelties present in the council documents. … The maturity of the laity should contribute significantly … to the precious work of handing over the principles of Vatican II to the believing community.” Maria Voce is participating as an auditor in the session of the Synod of Bishops on “The new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith.” “Humanity – affirms Maria Voce – needs to encounter God through love of neighbour. This is the way to evangelize perceived by Chiara Lubich and appropriated by the members of the Focolare: a commitment lived out daily, alongside people, intended to fulfil always and everywhere Jesus’ prayer to the Father, ‘That all may be one,’ to make humanity one family, even now.”

Public – private: what is faith?

Oct 11, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Faith is a fire, the more it grows the more it instructs souls. Those who keep it to themselves risk suffocating it, since it will then lack the oxygen of charity, a virtue that is expansive and not egocentric. We have not done all that needs to be done when we have found faith for ourselves; that is the start of the debt to give it to others. Religion is born in the conscience; but it does not die there. It is born, and it expands beyond the person. Closing it in ourselves, as in a strongbox, means constricting the immensity of God and of love. It is to commit an act of deformation and restriction. What follows is  stunted worship, limited to our own measure, jealous of the worship that can be seen in others: a sectarian attempt to kidnap divinity for our personal use. We substitute Jesus who is ours for Jesus who is mine; brotherhood is vivisectioned. We become uncatholic, without realizing it, adopting in practice the principle of everyone for himself and me first, and the solidarity of the Mystical Body disintegrates. Just as if in the human body, a cell or an organ functioned for itself alone, unconnected to others.

But – and here lies the strength of our true personality – the person does not live for self. Indeed the person lives the least possible for self and progresses spiritually if living a continuous renunciation of self, because in serving others God is served and in this the self is served. According to the paradox of Christ, those who take most care of themselves, take least care of themselves. The greedy die of fear and starvation. It easier to be saved though others, because the salvation which comes from God abides by the rule of human works, that is, of service to our neighbours, in whom the law of love takes effect, linked as our neighbours are to God not only by faith but also by love which translates into acts. It is a faith demonstrated by facts by which we stand before God not only in a one-to-one relationship, but accompanied by our brothers and sisters, just as every child before its father, with the debt of solidarity.

An urge to reach above conducts this debt to God; an urge to breadth conducts it to humanity. The two urges are not independent of one another, but linked, like the two axes of the cross, which meet in the heart of Christ. The more the one ascends, the more the other is spread wide. The more we love God, the more we seek out other human beings, in each of whom blazes God’s image.

Extract from Igino Giordani, Segno di Contraddizione, 1933 (Città Nuova, Rome, 1964, pp.272-4 and p.321)

www.iginogiordani.info

Announcing that God loves us

Oct 11, 2012 | Non categorizzato

«We know that God-Love is a truth of our faith, and a very timely reality. In our world today, God seems to be far off and people even reach the point of speaking of the death of God. What could be healthier and more awaited by this humanity around us – including the one that calls itself “Christian,” but isn’t completely so – than to open her up, with the help of the Spirit, to this revelation: God is close to everyone with His love, and He ardently loves each one of us? What could be more important than to tell this humanity that every circumstance speaks of this love?  To make them understand that we should feel enveloped by this love, even when everything would make us think otherwise? To announce to them that nothing escapes Him, who counts even the hairs of our head? … Our world needs this announcement: that God is Love, that God loves you, God loves you immensely! Thousands of people have done it by now, they have announced it, they’ve said it in the train, at school, at home, in the stores; whenever they had the opportunity they said: “Look, remember that God loves you.” The effects were extraordinary, the people got a shock, precisely like when the apostles proclaimed: “Christ is risen.” “What? Risen?” Tell these people, say it with conviction: “God is Love and God loves you immensely!” This will start a revolution.» Chiara Lubich, “Dio Amore”, Ed. Città Nuova, Roma, 2011, pagg. 86-87. Chiara Lubich, “Dio Amore”, Ed. Città Nuova, Roma, 2000, pag. 87-88.  

EdU: Education amidst suffering and hope

Oct 10, 2012 | Non categorizzato

6th Pedagogical Meeting at Padua University

How are we to educate in an age that is marked by growing disorders, religious extremism, a social, economic and cultural crisis and uncertainty of the future generations?

How are we to educate in an environment where any hope of being able to educate a human being seems to have been lost, to the point that we now refer to the human person as uneducable?

How do we move out of the darkness and into the light in order to answer the challenges of the many extreme situations that are spreading across countries and entire continents?

These are some of the challenging questions that the participants of the Sixth Pedagogical Meeting (6 October 2012) sought to provide answers for. The meeting was entitled “Night and Dawn” and was held in the University of Padua’s Aula Magna. It was a mix of life and reflection, charismatic thrust and pedagocial theory. The charismatic dimension was drawn from the thought of Chiara Lubich who links this choice to the experience of Jesus living through His abandonment on the Cross, love to the maximum degree that “indicates to us the limitless degree of responsibility and intensity required for the educational endeavour” and makes us discover “the endless responsibility contained in assistance and education.”

A first step: to try to respond to the socio-cultural unease at the “macro” level by taking charge of the unease that is found at the “micro” level, that is, in daily life. So it was for one Italian teacher in a northern suburb of Paris who chose not to apply for a transfer but to continue his efforts where he was working in a multi-cultural environment with students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It was often a hard commitment, which carried a cost (such as the car that had been smashed up by kicking, since it had been identified as one belonging to a teacher). But his commitment also gave hope and possibility to students who had felt rejected, instilling in them that strength that comes from knowing that someone believes in you.

Other experiences and approaches were shared by another teacher working in one of those notorious neighbourhoods in Palermo, Italy – including Brancaccio where Fr. Puglisi had been murdered. By  opting for the least this teacher was required to reinvent himself every day, to place himself in the game again with passion and professionalism, to transform unexpected events into occasions for fraternity. It was an all round commitment, with the support of the  “Peace Project Network” that involves thousands of teenagers and several institutions in offering answers to the search for meaning with concrete solidarity projects and activities of all kinds,

Texts of the presentations, including those of the EdU International Commission and Prof. Tiziano Vecchiato (President of the Zancan Foundation) will be available in a few days at: www.eduforunity.org.

Meeting of Focolare Delegates comes to a close

Oct 9, 2012 | Non categorizzato

On Saturday 6 October the annual meeting of the Focolare Delegates came to an end. It had been going since since 13 September at the Movement’s international centre in Rocca di Papa, just outside Rome. About 300 people attended. Among them there were delegates from the Centre of the Movement, including those with an overview of the larger geographical areas where the Movement is present.

It was a month of intense work. The Delegates assessed the Focolare’s current situation worldwide and considered future developments. The programme was a mix of plenary sessions, topic-focused meetings (Church, young people, society) and groups from geographical areas. The Movement’s life was reviewed, its involvement in the lives of many peoples, sharing their aspirations and hopes, their trials and difficulties, such as in Syria or other countries afflicted by violence, conflict and natural disasters. Special consideration was given at how ‘fraternity’ is at work in the world, via the United World Project launched at the Genfest, and assessed in detail by the Focolare. A conference to study the thought of Chiara Lubich was announced. It will be held on 14 March 2013 at the Sapienza University of Rome, on the fifth anniversary of her death. Space was dedicated especially to the topic of communication, highly relevant in a digitally networked world. Benedict XVI’s choice of theme for the next World Communications Day: Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization was highlighted in this context, and consideration was given to the new media and their impact upon society in a conference held by the Italian sociologist Gennaro Iorio, the Chilean psychologist Paula Luengo and the Italian economist Benedetto Gui. There was also an overview of the media used by the Focolare Movement, going from the publishing house Città Nuova in Italy and its sister houses throughout the world, to the Focolare press office, to the Focolare information service and its internal news magazine, to its website and social networks, which are working together in an attempt to achieve coordinated communication.

In a live broadcast transmitted across the world on Saturday 6 October, Focolare President Maria Voce said, ‘The news brought by the Delegates and what we have been told directly have shown God at work in the year that has just finished. We are sure that he will do even more in this coming year, if we put ourselves at his service, recognizing him and loving him in each brother or sister.’

This year has been dedicated by the Roman Catholic Church to the ‘New Evangelization’, and the Focolare Movement is in harmony with this as it seeks to understand and live more deeply the point of Chiara Lubich’s spirituality of love for our brother or sister. The Other, Another Me is the title of Maria Voce’s talk to the Focolare this year. It is based on the biblical invitation to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mk 22:39).

This is the basis of Maria Voce’s words in a greeting via the internet to the members of the Movement: ‘May this year see a huge expansion of love in the world.’ We must seal ‘this pact of mutual love, not for ourselves but for the sake of humanity which needs a flood of love, which needs a torrent of love, which needs to meet Jesus.’

In the meantime, on Sunday 7 October, there was the solemn opening ceremony in the Vatican of the Synod of Bishops on the theme of The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, to which Maria Voce has been invited as an observer.

Faith and evangelization: fifty years on from Vatican II

Oct 6, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Pope John XXIII signs the bull convoking the Second Vatican Council on 11 October 1962

The year 2012 brings with it a very special anniversary. Fifty years ago, on 11 October 1962, John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council. Thirty years later, 11 October 1992, the same date was chosen by John Paul II for the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Again on 11 October there is the beginning of the Year of Faith, announced by Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explains it in these terms: ‘This year will be a propitious occasion for the faithful to understand more profoundly that the foundation of Christian faith is “the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” Founded on the encounter with the Risen Christ, faith can be rediscovered in its wholeness and all its splendour. “In our days too faith is a gift to rediscover, to cultivate and to bear witness to” because the Lord “grants each one of us to live the beauty and joy of being Christians.’

For the Roman Catholic Church the issue is fundamental. This was shown by Benedict XVI’s decision to create, on 20 September 2010, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. Circumstances and issues come together in the first major event of the Year of Faith, namely, the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops from 7 to 28 October 2012. Its focus will be: The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith.

Three theologians were asked for their reflections on the theme of the Synod:

Piero Coda, wrote a short piece entitled Vatican II and the New Evangelization – a Single Kairós. In it he considers  roots of the new evangelization in the decisions of the Second Vatican Council.

Julie Tremblay wrote a piece called The Quality of Our Faith. It emphasizes the essential condition  for the Synod’s theme of new evangelization: living the Gospel in a new way.

The Anglican theologian Callan Slipper in his piece The ‘New Evangelization’ from an Anglican Perspective emphasizes how the direction taken by the Roman Catholic Church is of interest and helpful to other Churches which share the same difficulties. An ‘exchange of gifts’ between the Churches could be extremely useful in this context.

To read their reflections in the original Italian, go to Nuova Umanità online

The editorial is introduced and edited by Antonio Maria Baggio in the three monthly cultural journal Nuova Umanità.

Scenes of life in an apartment block

Oct 5, 2012 | Non categorizzato

‘We have been living in an apartment block for fifteen years. There are four staircases and a hundred and twenty dwellings. When we got married, we wanted to build up good neighbourly relationships with everyone and possibly to share the joy of the kind of life we lead based on the Gospel. But working all day long we never saw anyone. However, after the birth of our children we met other parents and their children in the park and the yard for our building. We had the idea of inviting some of them for an evening meal, and after that there were times to get together for parties and outings. The atmosphere finally began to change and become a lot warmer.

‘At times relationships just take off, overcoming any natural reservations, and we try not only to give but we also to find the courage to ask. One day Marco was rewiring our flat, but he realized that he wasn’t able to do everything. With a bit of humility he went to ask for help from our neighbour opposite, and he helped willingly and with unexpected kindness.

‘One very hot and sticky Saturday in August we got home at about midnight. The children were fast asleep in our arms. In front of the red lights of the lift there were two couples already waiting. They didn’t seem to have the least intention of letting us go first, despite our “burdens”. We had had a bit of an argument with them about how, in their opinion, our children shouldn’t play in the yard. They got into the lift. While we were waiting for our turn, the lift broke down and the alarm went off. The stairs were practically deserted, because in the heat everyone had left town. What could we do? Call the fire brigade or service manager, and then put our children to bed and keep ourselves to ourselves? Basically they hadn’t treated us very well. But the air in the lift was getting hotter and hotter… Marco ran to the place where the motor was and with tremendous effort managed to force the lift up to the next floor, freeing those who had been stuck in it.

‘One evening we went out to eat with our neighbours. At one point, their parents, who also live in the same building, called them to tell them that water was coming out of their flat. We all rushed back. The door of the washing machine had opened and water was gushing out in a continuous stream. The result was that their whole place was under two centimetres of water, to say nothing of the water that had already escaped through front door. Things looked tragic when we thought of the possible damage to the flat bellow; they had only just put down some parquet flooring. We offered to let our friends’ children sleep at our place. The men began to brush the water off the balcony and the women soaked it up with buckets and rags. We worst was avoided – fortunately.

‘Another evening, when we were in the living room, we heard a terrible cry from the floor below. To begin with we thought we ought to keep our noses out. But then Marco went down. The door into the flat was wide open. Marco entered cautiously. The eighteen year-old son was pinned to the ground by two of our neighbours. His father was staggering about and seemed utterly lost. His mother was desperate and, as she gasped for air, she said that the boy had wanted to throw himself off the balcony. Another neighbour was holding a bandage to his face where the boy had punched him. The boy carried on shaking and shouting with wild eyes and foaming at the mouth. We did what we could, especially comforting the parents and waiting together for the ambulance that was coming to take the boy to the hospital. He had overdosed on cannabis.‘This too is the kind of thing that can happen in a building like ours.’  (Anna Maria and Marco, Italy)

Taken from: Una buona notizia. Gente che crede gente che muove – Città Nuova Editrice, 2012

And what about you?

Klaus Hemmerle: Spiritual Thoughts

Oct 4, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Klaus Hemmerle Klaus Hemmerle (1929-1994), Bishop of Aachen, was an outstanding theologian and philosopher  who gave his unique contribution to the doctrinal understanding of the charism of unity and introduced the charism to many other bishops

Bishop Hemmerle wrote with reference to Jesus’ words: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40):

• ‘This Word tells us definitely what the human person is and what the human reality is … This interpretation of what it is to be human is certainly scandalous, and no less than Jesus who scandalized people by declaring himself the Son of God. In the name of their own freedom, in the name of their own identity and specialness, people feel they must protest against being identified with Jesus Christ. People wish to be loved for themselves, for what they are, and don’t want to be degraded to a kind of mask for Jesus. They fear instead that the ‘something more’ of love that they receive for love of Jesus will be something that takes no account of them, something that puts them to one side, something that robs them of the love they desire for themselves and which they need. But any whose love is such that by loving Jesus in the other person they neglect the other as a person, in this act neglect Jesus as well. And any whose consideration of the presence of Jesus in people leads them to diminish the reality of the human being, in reality have not understood in the slightest the presence of Jesus in their neighbour.

• Jesus makes himself one with me, that is, he does not leave me alone. He is on my side in a radical fashion, he accepts me just as I am, and anything that concerns me concerns him too. I remain myself, I become fully myself, precisely because I do not remain alone.

• The mystery of Christ is the mystery of every human being. What does this mean for  the person I meet and what does it meet for me and my life? With reference to the other it means I am never involved with someone who is just a link in a chain or a cog in a machine or merely a cypher amidst the huge mass of human material. Every time I meet a human face, I meet God in the unconditional reality of the divine, I meet the voice that over this human face utters what was said of Jesus on the mountain of Transfiguration: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved!’ (Mk 9:7). There are no exceptions.

• We meet Christ especially in the least, in those who seem the furthest from him, in persons where the face of Christ seems blanked out. How can this be? On the cross, living his forsakenness by God, making himself even sin (2 Cor. 5:21), Jesus identified himself with all that was most distant from God, from all that most seems opposed to God. Only by discovering Christ in our neighbours, in those furthest from the mystery of their own personhood and from the mystery of Christ, giving to the person that human love which is offered undividedly to the person and to Christ himself, can our neighbours discover their own identity with Jesus, their closeness to him, their being fully assumed by him.

Extracts from  Offene Weltformel

Argentina: searching for the eternal in art

Oct 3, 2012 | Non categorizzato

(C) Maria Cristina Criscola

“For me art means reaching out to the mystery,”said Maria Cristina Criscola in a recent interview. She continued: “I’ve never chosen a model for my style. . . I try to be rigorous about the technique. But at the same time, I try to explore ‘stripping away’ so as to reach the deepest core of each. . .” With these words this Argentine artist tries to describe her years of work in the field of art which has not been only human-artistic, but spiritual. Her works are the accompaniament to this journey in search of the light.

This is affirmed also by Dr. Claudio Villareal, curator of an exhibit that  brings together pieces of Criscola’s work from 1978 to 2012 and is entitled “Encountering the eternal in the tides of futility”. “It’s presence and stripping away at the same time. It’s the spirit of the material.” In front of her work “silence is quite apt” as Rothko would say. The grand dimensions of her canvases place one in contact with this ALL that lives in all that is. With this spirit that prevails, which is the quality of the material to which it gives form, by setting it free in the light. The colours are more than a means, more than symbols.”

Maria Cristina Criscola was born in Buenos Aires in 1943. In the 1970’s she attended several art academies (Manuel Belgrano, Prilidiano Pueyrredón, Ernesto de la  Cárcova) and finished as a professor of Painting with a specialization in mural painting. Since 2007 she has been a professor and, for ten of those years, director of the Manuel Belgrano Fine Arts Academy. In 1989 she completed a PhD thesis entitled Colore, Forma e Contenuto.

© CSC – Maria Cristina Criscola

This was followed by many exhibits in Argentina and in other countries. For a long time she worked at Centro Ave Arte (Ave Art Center) in Loppiano, Italy, where she worked on several window and door projects for churches. But it was above all an opportunity to work with other artists for an art inspired by the light of the spirituality of unity. The crowning of this experience was the completion of the main door of the diocesan shrine to Maria Theotokos (Mother of God) in Loppiano. Criscola also has her studio in Mariapolis Liain O’Higgins, Buenos Aires where she says one can experience creating “from a quiet place, from that absolute place where everything dwells.” She understands art as a form of knowledge and of communication, even more a form of communion.

The exhibit of her complete works is open until 7 October 2012 at Berazafegui (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Action for a United World: Together for Fraternity

Sep 29, 2012 | Non categorizzato

From Rio+20 to LoppianoLab, from a project in Bolivia to the Day of Literacy. These are just some of the areas in which the Focolare’s AMU (Associazione per un mondo unito – the Action for a United World) is currently engaged. When the Focolare Movement spread from Europe to other lands, it often met situations of extreme poverty. Love for the poor and “becoming one” with the local environment was then translated into concrete social projects such as schools, clinics and social centres. As these projects began to develop the need became obvious for a way of providing ongoing economic support, for finding solutions that were not welfare support but based on development and reciprocity. Thus, in 1986,  “the Action for a United World” (AMU) was begun, which is a non-governmental association of the United Nations and recognized by the Italian Ministry of External Affairs, operating in the field of cooperation, development training and education. Today AMU has produced 350 successful projects in 56 countires: from instruction to professional training, from support for basic needs (food, shelter, health) to building infrastructure, from post-emergency health care to micro credit and micro entrepreneurship. But this is not sufficient unless it is accompanied by a cultural change that depends on everyone, both in the Northern and Southern regions of the world. This is why, along with these development projects, AMU also works for the promotion of human rights. Through conferences and training courses it places attention on the goods we are all meant to share, the practice of sober and supportive lifestyles, the responsible use of the earth’s resources, active citizenship on both a local and a global level. In all of its interventions, AMU strives to place at the centre the human person together with his or her rights and needs. This is done through a methodology of communion, working with the people, solving problems together and producing useful and sustainable change over time. Once a relationship has been established in which it possible for everyone to give and to receive – when there is reciprocity – then the project has fulfilled its objective. Those who give feel that they have received, and those who receive desire to give in return; and you move from solidarity to fraternity. Many people around the world are linked up with AMU through its website and its magazine “AMU Notizie” (AMU News). Donators and beneficiaries, both participate and collaborates according to their feeling, needs and possibilites. Everyone, without distinction, can belong to this network that become AMU’s biggest wealth.

Genuine Christians

Sep 27, 2012 | Non categorizzato

«… Although surrounded , like everyone else, by the evils of our times, you, young people often have hearts and minds with antennas capable of detecting special wavelengths which others are not able to perceive. Your age makes you free to entertain noble aspirations such as peace, justice, freedom, and unity, to dream of achievements which would appear utopian to others, to foresee in the third millennium the dawning of a new world, a better, happier world, a world more worthy of the human person, more united.

We thank God that you’re here! But what can I tell you now? My words echo the words of Jesus which the Pope repeated to young people in 1995: “As the Father sent me, so I send you” (Jn. 20:21). It’s an invitation to you to bring the light of truth into today’s society; to meet the challenge of what the Pope called “new evangelization.”

“New evangelization!!” But why “new”? And what is the meaning of “new”? This “new” can have a number of meanings. I will tell you one.

You know that words are no longer enough today. Young people, especially, do not listen so much to teachers as to witnesses; they want facts. Well then, evangelization will be “new” if those who announce the Gospel are first of all genuine, authentic Christians, who are the first to live what the Gospel teaches, so that people can say of them what they said of the early Christians: “Look how they love one another and how they are ready to die for one another.”

Furthermore, evangelization will be “new” if they also love all other men and women, without distinction. Again, it will be “new” if these Christians will love in a concrete way by actively helping to give food, clothes, and shelter to those in need. And finally, it will be “new” – pay attention here – if they speak and announce the Gospel, but only after doing all these.

Such Christians, I assure you, fascinate the world with Jesus; they make people fall in love with him, so that the kingdom of God spreads beyond all expectations and the Church is strengthened and grows. It grows in such a way that these Christians can look far into the future, as Jesus did when he called everyone to universal brotherhood, praying to the Father: “May they all be one.” It might seem to be a wild dream, but it is possible because it is the dream of a God. And they believe in it. There are thousands, millions of young people from all nations who are walking towards this very goal.

It is to them that John Paul II said: “History is made by those who look toward the future: the others are dragged along….”[1]

My dear young people, the Pope also addresses these words to all of you today. Don’t disappoint him, don’t disappoint us. This is my wish for you with all my heart.»

Tor Vergata (Rome), 19 August 2000, talk by Chiara Lubich at the 25^th World Youth Day

Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization

Sep 27, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Maria Voce auditor at the forthcoming session of the Synod of Bishops on “ The New Evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith”, scheduled for October 7 – 28 at the Vatican.

“The experience of the Synod, highlighted in an outstanding way by the collegiality of the Church, strikes us in a very particular way,   even due to   the charism of unity that characterizes us”.  With these words Maria Voce expresses her adhesion and manifests her deep gratitude to the Holy Father for the trust shown to her and to all the Movement.  She sees this occasion as an opportunity to serve the universal Church.

For the President of the Focolare Movement, the theme of the new evangelization has particular importance.   Recently, when addressing the community of Argentina, she said:  “The Gospel must be our  dress.  Let us help one another to live the Gospel so that we can proclaim that Christ is alive, and  allow others to meet him present among us through the  mutual love that binds us”

Two other members of the Focolare Movement have also  been appointed auditors. One is Ernestine Sikujua Kinyabuuma, lecturer at the University Institute Maria Malkia of Lubumbashi  (Democratic Republic of Congo)  and the other one is Gisèle Muchati,   responsible for the New  Families of the Focolare Movement in  the Syria region .

Maria Voce has been a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Promoting  the New Evangelization since December 2011.

Focolare Information Service

Light from Chiara Luce shines in the Rebibbia prison

Sep 23, 2012 | Non categorizzato

“For several years I had become hard, closed up on myself, sad; today Chiara Luce has opened my doors” one of the convicts tells Maria Teresa, mother of the blessed Chiara Luce Badano, while he embraces her and holds her hands.

The 20^th September was certainly a special afternoon, in the theatre of the Rebibbia Roman prison: 250 inmates were dressed in their best clothes to greet the couple, Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano, parents of the blessed Chiara Luce. “It will be a special evening,” Anna Del Villano announces in her presentation. She is the director of one of the sectors of the prison.

How did all this come about? Alfonso Di Nicola, of the Focolare Movement, who has for many years carried out voluntary work in the prisons of Rebibbia: “I got to know that the Badanos visited the convicts in the Viterbo prison in 2011,” he relates,“and I thought that we could organise a similar evening also in Rebibbia.”

While the inmates find their seats, it is impressive to see how they greet each other warmly. They come from different sections of the prison, “according to the crime committed,” they explain.

Four people sat on the stage:  the Badanos, Chicca Coriasco – a close friend of Chiara Luce – and Franz, her brother. Maria Teresa breaks the ice and recalls how much her daughter loved the sick and those who suffer, and invites all to share this moment as in a family. Ruggero does not hide his emotions.

What is Chiara Luce’s message? She was a normal girl who played sport; she loved Sassello, her native city, especially when it was covered with snow. Together with Chicca, she got to know the Focolare spirituality when she was still very young. They took up Chiara Lubich’s invitation to live the Gospel with youthful enthusiasm, in the diverse situations of everyday life, both joyful and sorrowful; and then they would share the fruits of their experiences in order to encourage each other.

“As it is with older brothers,” Franz quips in, “I kept myself aloof from them.” She was a normal girl, and it was precisely this normality that drew him to her, especially when her illness would eventually be diagnosed as terminal cancer.  Franz continues, “Chiara Luce was in love with Jesus crucified in the way Chiara Lubich presented him: abandoned, “a loser”, a “conquered God” who resembles each one of us… who at a certain point cries out on the cross”.

Love for God was the secret that helped her live her grave illness – an osteosarcoma, a very aggressive tumour. Through him her every suffering was transformed into love with contagious serenity and joy. Ruggero relates: “I used to spy upon her from the keyhole of her room to see whether she was always like that, or whether her smile was only for us. But she smiled all the time.”

The silence in the theatre is not usual. Chiara Luce’s story captures the attention of all and this young girl enters the heart of those present. While some images of Chiara Luce were projected on a big screen, an international Focolare choir sang “God Loves Me”, the song written for the beatification of Chiara Luce, on 25^th September 2010.

“Soon Chiara Luce will be a saint” one of the inmates exclaims. Maria Teresa replies: “Then you will no longer be here… we all pass through difficult periods”. Her words fall like balm and are greeted with a warm applause!

Official website of the postulation: www.chiaralucebadano.it

Chiara Luce Website “Life Love Light”: www.chiaraluce.org

Franz Coriasco, author of  “Dai tetti in giu”, Ed. Citta Nuova, Roma 2010

Loppiano Prima Cooperative: The Courage of a Prophecy

Sep 22, 2012 | Non categorizzato

19 May 1973, a Saturday and Loppiano, as every Saturday for the last nine years, is bustling with activity to welcome the weekend visitors who come find out about the permanent ‘Mariapolis’. It seems like a day like any other, but it will turn out to a historic one. In fact on this day the Loppiano Cooperative was founded. The idea was to offer a witness to the Gospel lived in a real experience of work. This may seem like a small thing, but the origins of this particular firm were in a mixture of ‘gold’ and ‘mud’ – the latter also literally. Loppiano had begun several years before. On those Tuscan hills there was no lack of enthusiasm and joy, and the young people worked hard in all possible ways to fulfil their dream: to make visible the Ideal of a united world in the relationships among the little town’s inhabitants. They came from all over the world, were extremely diverse, and at the same time among them reigned a harmony that it would be hard to find elsewhere. Of course, it was not easy because change was needed in many stony parts of each of their hearts, the effect of their mentalities, ethnic origins or differing cultures. But there were also other things to weigh them down, more visible and just as burdensome. These were the land that had been abandoned for years, rendering the terrain inhospitable, transportation difficult and the living conditions extremely uncomfortable. They needed someone competent to work the land, rebuild the houses and make it possible for the rural setting to show signs of becoming a city, even if only in miniature. The appeal that went out to the whole of the Focolare Movement was heard especially by the ‘Volunteers of God’ throughout the world. Some of them, living in the valleys of Bergamo in the north of Italy, left their work and all they were already doing and, with tremendous generosity and even more faith, moved with their young families to Loppiano. They had no job security or guaranteed housing, but they began restructuring some of the cottages and, with sacrifice and hard work, they began to construct the little town and to cultivate the land surrounding it. It looked like madness to eyes of their friends and relations. And yet, thanks to these first families, Loppiano flung open its doors to the world and became a tangible spiritual and human experience known and valued today by people in every continent. It incarnated the spirituality of the Focolare Movement in the concrete work of every day, respecting nature and the human cost of what was done. As a result, in all these years no synthetic products have ever been used to cultivate the land, but everything is grown organically and is certified as such. The Cooperative has more than 4000 shareholders spread throughout the world. By means of their shares and consuming its products, they contribute to developing the business and, indirectly, also to building the whole of the little town. In 1991, when Chiara Lubich launched the Economy of Communion, she said that it had be presaged by the Loppiano Prima Cooperative. Today Loppiano is indeed a beautiful place, with its lawns, houses, roads, running water for all. But the faith and courage of its pioneers were needed. Most of them are still alive, some are already in heaven, but without them nothing would have been possible, especially not the fulfilment of Igino Giordani (Foco)’s prophetic words in a message to the Cooperative: ‘You witness to and proclaim the Gospel with a loud voice through your work and the communion of goods … And you are the first fruits of a society many have expressed only in words and yet all have dreamed of it. Because of you and thanks to you, the world of tomorrow has already beguin’. End of Part 1 (To be continued)

Official Cooperative Website – Terre di Loppiano: http://www.terrediloppiano.com Products CATALOGUE

A love secret: within the family and beyond it

Sep 20, 2012 | Non categorizzato

“We used to think that the period following the wedding would be a continuation of our honeymoon,” Luca and Giulia tell us. They got married recently. “In fact we are very happy, despite our many differences in character and habits that emerge in our daily life. This initial period is a time of trial.” “For example, when I return home in the evening, Luca tells us, “I just feel I want to unwind. Giulia, on the other hand, is there waiting to tell me what she had lived during the day. Living the Gospel teaches us to love each other in a concrete way. With sensitivity we seek to explain, listen and accept each other.” “What is interesting,” Gulia says, “is that when I do manage to lose what I would like to say and do in that moment, Luca asks me how I have passed my day. A dialogue emerges that is very serene and enriching for both of us.” “When we were in Madagascar on our honeymoon, we got to know a local man and his family. We could see they were struggling financially,” Luca recounts. “They were expecting a child, but they couldn’t afford the hospital fees. We reflected over this, even though they never asked for anything.” “Since I love football,” Luca continues, “I had planned to subscribe to pay TV in order to view the matches at home. However we felt that the needs of this family were ours as well. I spontaneously felt that the subscription was superfluous; so we sent them the corresponding sum together with other funds we saved by going without unnecessary expenses. Even if initially it seemed as though we had lost something, now we can say that we gained; in fact we are often invited by friends or neighbours to watch the games on TV, and this gives us the opportunity to build profound friendships.”

Charity as a Social Principle

Sep 20, 2012 | Non categorizzato

No society can survive without justice; and yet for society it is even more important to have charity, which goes beyond justice without destroying it. Justice founds society, charity nurtures it; one is the brain, the other is the heart; one is the skeleton, the other is the blood.

Rome with its law became highly developed in the evolution of civilization: give to each what belongs to each. But it did not reach Christ, who says: give to the others also what is your own.

Justice says: do not rob others’ things. Charity suggests: give your things to those who need them. That is, with justice we give to others what is theirs; with charity we give them also what is ours.

Hence it is not only the re-establishment of a pre-existing or presupposed equilibrium, but its growth and betterment, going towards an equity that law does not achieve. An employer who gives to a worker the payment agreed upon, remains within the bounds of justice; but if, in addition to a salary insufficient to keep a family, more were given than had been agreed upon, then the employer would enter into charity. It does not take away; but it adds. In law, as it has been codified and understood, you can die starved and abandoned. But not in charity: so long as there is someone who eats and lives, such persons give their own bread and also their help to others. And if the force of justice coldly keeps people in their place, like things in a pigeon-hole, the force of charity binds them together in a family-like solidarity, smashing divisive cliques and circulating warmth and smiles.

A spreading and cohesive force, richer and more nurturing than justice, charity is not content to keep persons in their place in the world. It tends to make a place in the world for everyone – a family – always open and ready to recreate the source of life and hope.

Therefore, while justice has been represented with scales in hand and blindfolded eyes, charity has its eyes wide open to see also where the gaze of the distracted and the happy does not penetrate. And it does not measure what it gives, and offers, with open hands, without thinking too much about what is deserved by the person – the brother or sister – it is giving to.

This service, this doing all one can for one’s brothers and sisters, this handing over to them our goods, our energy and our lifeblood, to the extent that our life becomes their life, usually, in Christian identification, is a service given, through our brothers and sisters, to Christ himself. And because of the reversibility of the Mystical Body, it is a service, the most the true, the most outstanding, that we give to ourselves. The father serves his children, the citizen servers the community, the priest serves the faithful, the one who commands serves the one who obeys, and so on; and we are all served by Christ who gives his life for all.

This love is born within the order of grace. But it does not stop there. We are Christians, we are brothers and sisters, we are in the Church, always. Hence every society, civil and economic too, if composed of Christians, is included in this circle of the divine, and gains from it. Living by charity simplifies one’s own human problems and helps in solving the eternal problems.

This is charity seen as the great social virtue. And Christ is a debtor who pays a hundred to one. He can give eternity for modest – perhaps even soiled – bill of credit.

La società cristiana, Città Nuova: Rome, 2010, pp.98-101.

Serbia: Ruski Krstur Project

Sep 19, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Ruski Krstur (Voivodina) is a small town of about 4000 inhabitants, in the heart of the Ruthene ethnic minority in Serbia. It is an agricultural region, impoverished by war. As government subsidies have been withdrawn, emigration has grown hugely, particularly to Canada. In this place, however, a group of young people had no wish to leave their village. With great commitment they struggled, and managed, to build a future for themselves and for many others. This is their story. In the 90s two entrepreneurs, Slavko Rac and Janko Katona (who were already in business) decided to open an ice cream kiosk. They were successful and opened a second kiosk in another town, giving work to six other young people. But things did not stop there. An agricultural firm, called Juarbis, was set up and it grew rapidly as a result of State development investment. By 2008 it had 40 employees and was the leading business of its kind in the region. ‘But we hit problems again,’ said Marija Majher, the current director of Juarbis, ‘and in 2009, with a drop in milk production, the firm lost the largest part of its income. It was a tough blow. Nonetheless, we really get on well with another in our group. We’ve been working together for 10 years and we were determined to get through this together. In the last few years we have tried to keep the lines of communication open with our 500 contacts, who supply us with milk and agricultural produce. The inspiration for our business model is the ‘art of loving’, which is rooted in the Gospel, as proposed by Chiara Lubich. It has meant that we have built profound, living relationships with others.’ Building upon Chiara’s intuition about sharing the business’s profits three ways, apart from creating new jobs, the firm has promoted the ‘culture of giving’ and communion. This has given rise to educational and cultural initiatives in the town and last, but not least, there have been direct interventions in emergency situations, giving practical help and setting up development projects. ‘To our surprise,’ Marija Majher went on to say, ‘two of us were elected with large majorities in the local elections. This has been an opportunity to do something more for our people, whose poverty and suffering we know personally so well. It has led us, once again, to Chiara’s experience in Trent after World War 2, where she was trying to solve the social problems of the city, beginning with the destitute and drawing in the whole of the community. In a similar way our three firms, and some of our friends from the local Caritas, are trying to sponsor activities all over the town, such as ecological projects or collecting wood to heat the homes of people who are sick or elderly. These very people, those who are sick or elderly, have taken part in weekly get-togethers for conversation and entertainment, and we try to help them in other ways, for instance, taking them to medical appointments. A project that as yet is still a dream is to use the expanses of abandoned land around many of their houses to build a care home that truly meets their needs. We have also taken children and young people into consideration by running workshops for journalism, acting, cookery, decoration. These are extremely animated with games and parties. The family is always at the core of our activity, and  we have done some special projects for some whose houses have suffered as a result of fire, and for others we have paid for their electricity and, for one particularly large family, we bought a washing machine. The ‘Family for Family’ project was proposed to the entire local community, as a way of putting our strengths and our capacities at thedisposal of others, so that we can help one another mutually.’

Is God Still Love During Times of Illness?

Sep 18, 2012 | Non categorizzato

My name is Magued and I grew up in a Christian family. When I was three my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This illness progressed until she was paralysed and blind. From when I was small I learned how to help her together with my dad, my brother and my sister. I dreamed that my mum would get well again, and be like my friends’ mothers, but as time passed I realised that this was not to be.

My siblings and I learned to accept this will of God, to believe that everything contributes to good for those who love God. And we became very united amongst us and were aware of a grace that helped us always.

Six years ago we found out that my sister had a tumour. It was then that I went into crisis with God and could not accept that my sister was ill, so I asked God if I could take her place because I could have dealt with it better. As time passed I accepted my sister’s illness, that despite the treatment, was not getting better.

Four years ago my mother died and at that time I felt a great suffering and emptiness in my life. It was as though part of my heart had been detached and gone with her.

Then two years ago, while having a check up about an eye problem, I found out that I had my mother’s same illness. I had just finished university and thought I had a future in front of me…  All of a sudden everything vanished. I was in anguish thinking that one day I would wake up paralysed or I would have lost my sight as she did.  I felt it was the devil who tempted me to start doing everything immediately, even bad things, which later I would not be able to do.  These temptations stopped when I understood that what made me happy was to live each day as if it were my last, in a deep relationship with God.

Then I started a new job, and I met a girl, an angel, who was ready to carry with me all the difficulties that I might meet in future.  Many of my friends say that they pray for me so that I may be cured, but I answer that I pray for them, so that each one of us is ill in some way.

One evening a few months ago my sister phoned me when I was out with my friends, and asked me to come back because she did not feel well.  I went home and sat beside her and we began to pray together. We were not used to doing this but it was as though a voice said to me: “pray with her Magued.” A little while later she felt worse, she leant her head on me and passed away.

In recent months every now and then I had a relapse. I was not able to hold a pen, or I lost the feeling in an arm, and for a while I could not see properly which made the situation at work difficult. When these things happen I remember my mother and my sister, who despite their pain, they had eyes filled with joy and peace. It is as if they were saying to me: don’t be afraid, continue believing in the Love of God and witness it with your life.

(M.G. Egitto)

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Focolare Zone Delegates Gather in Rome

Sep 14, 2012 | Non categorizzato

On 13 September 2012 the annual meeting for 300 delegates of the Focolare Movement from around the world began with a welcoming speech by president Maria Voce.

The conference will run until 6 October 2012 and include a three-day retreat that will focus on one of the cardinal points of the spirituality of unity: love for neighbour. This theme will be deepened by drawing on texts and speeches by Chiara Lubich, and will be presented by Maria Voce and by reflections and testimonies of the participants. They will share their life experiences of the Word of the Gospel, which was the previous year’s theme for all the members of the Movement. There will also be a presentation and reflection on Benedict XVI’s Year of Faith by Irish theologian Fr Brendan Leahy and focolarina Dr Lida Ceccarelli. This first phase of the meeting will conclude with an international internet link-up that will involve Focolare communities spread throughout many countries.

On Monday 17 September 2012 work will begin on the various topics: the New Media and the transformation of society, the identity of the “focolarino” and his or her specific contribution – in the light of the charism of unity – to the Church and society, and a presentation on the development of the Movement in a few countries (Canada, USA, Latin America). There will be a presentation on the recent Genfest 2012 in which the young people took the lead. It is a sign of the importance with which the Focolare look to the future generations as a future that is already present and an encouragement for the entire Movement. On 26 September the Holy Mass will be presided over by the Bishop of Frascati, Raffaello Martinelli.

During this meeting Citta Nuova will release its new book,  “La scommessa di Emmaus, cosa fanno e cosa pensano I focolarini dopo Chiara (“The Challenge for Emmaus: What the focolarini are doing and thinking in the aftermath of Chiara”).

Bridges Between the Diversities of Religion and Culture

Sep 11, 2012 | Non categorizzato

“If each one of us were to share with at least five other young people what we have lived during these days in Budapest, then perhaps we really could change the world.” This was courageously spoken by one Palestinian Muslim from Jerusalem who then concluded: “Don’t forget to pray for the situation in Palestine.” His words were echoed by an Algerian, also a Muslim: “If it was possible to live these days with young people of so many ethnic groups, cultures, languages and religions, then it can also be done in the places we live.” These words were spoken on the last morning of the Genfest, which was dedicated to interreligious dialogue.

Among the main protagonists of the Genfest eventwhich took place in the Sports Arena, there were also Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus who were directly and personally involved in the organization of the event. On Sunday morning as the Roman Catholic young people attended Mass in the great St Stephen’s Square, young people of other Christian Churches took part in liturgical services organised by their own Church: there were members of the Orthodox Church from 8 Patriarchates and Churches, Coptic-Orthodox, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists and members of the Pentecostal Church. The Holy Supper, which the Lutherans and members of the Reformed Church celebrated together, was presided by Pastor Zoltan Tarr, Secretary-General of the  Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church.

For the faithful of other religions an alternative program was provided which allowed them to meet for sharing experiences of their commitment to dialogue in everyday life. This interreligious gathering really took the hearts and minds of all who attended. It turned out to be quite a special moment that strengthened the bridges amidst the diversity of religions and cultures. The moderators of the assembly included an Algerian Muslim, a Japanese Buddhist and a Jordanian Christian.

The hall became a living kaleidoscope. There were people from USA, Uruguay, Japan, Thailand, India, Algeria, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Territory, Macedonia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, France, Italy and other countries. Among them were Jews, Muslims, Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists, Hindus and Jainists and representatives of the Tenri-kyo, a nineteenth century religion from Japan. There were also some Catholic young people among them who wanted to share this moment with their friends.

Representatives from different religious traditions shared how they are already trying to build peace and universal brotherhood in their daily lives. There were young people from a Jewish group of laity in Uruguay who are working for human rights; the commitment of Algerian and Macedonian Muslim youths in living out the values of universal brotherhood in their daily lives at work and at university; social projects that were organized by a Gandhi organization in southern India. The young people belonging to Tenri-kyo described their efforts in trying to bring joy to the world; the Buddhists of the Myochikai shared about their project involving youth training in ethics promoted through various interreligious networks, particularly that of the Rissho Kosei-kai which organises several peace programs, including the “Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace“.

After nearly two hours they concluded with a minute of deep silence in which each of them prayed in their hearts according to the words and sentiments of their own faith for peace in the world and the work for universal brotherhood, and that they would be true builders of bridges. While leaving the gathering two young Jewish young people from Uruguay commented: “This was an incredible experience! We must work together for bringing this spirit to wherever we are.” Two Hindus said: “There are no words to describe what we have experienced in these days.” One Japanese Buddhist commented: “I’ve found the strength to face the difficult situations with love.” and together with some others he shouted: “Let’s bridge!”

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Egyptian Visit / 1

Sep 10, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, and Gianfranco Faletti, co-president, visit the Focolare communities in Eqypt (4-11 September 2012).

Benedict XVI greets the 1,700 young people who had attended Genfest 2012

Sep 8, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Watch Telepace TV transmission – The Holy Father’s greeting to the young people

There were 1,700 young people from forty-one nations at the Wednesday audience, but they were there representing 12,000 youths who had attended the Genfest (31 August – 2 September), an international event promoted by the Focolare Movement, entitled “Let’s bridge,” that is, “Let’s build bridges.” During the English language greetings the Pope turned to the young people of the Focolare Movement, appealing to them: “You have taken to heart Christ’s call to promote unity in human family, by courageously building bridges.” Then the Holy Father added: “Therefore, I encourage you: be strong in your Catholic faith; and let the simple joy, the pure love, and the profound peace that come from the encounter with Jesus, make you radiant witnesses of the Good News before the young people of your own lands. God bless all of you abundantly!”

The Pope had already sent them a message to them during the Genfest. Now, as he spoke to them in person, the young people returning from Budapest waved the colourful ribbons and scarfs that they had been waving during their march through the streets of Hungary with a flash mob on the Chain Bridge. At the conclusion of the audience, a small delegation of four youths – from Mexico, Iraq and Pakistan – were invited to personally greet the Pope on behalf of the 12,000 young people from the Genfest. They offered Benedict XVI the Genfest CD with songs of the young performers from around the world.

The Focolare youth are now attending a course at the Mariapolis Centre in Castelgandolfo and in Sassone, Italy, which will conclude on Sunday, 9 September. This course will examine the topic of “fraternity”, which was the theme of the Budapest event. They will also discuss how to bring forward the United World Project that was begun in Budapest. And it will create a permanent international observatory that will look into initiatives and projects that have actually been able to generate an “increase in fraternity”. The observatory will also promote the “category of fraternity” through specific cultural activities. Then they will consider the request to the UN of recognizing the international interest of World Unity Week by confirming and expanding this annual event that has been being held by the Focolare young people – and others – for fifteen years with the intention of giving a voice to “universal brotherhood”.

Support the project by signing the online petition at:

http://www.unitedworldproject.it/2/i_commit_myself_329906.html

Watch the video of the audience (excerpt from the live coverage at TV di Telepace).

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5.9.2012 Greetings to the young people of the Focolare

Sep 7, 2012 | Non categorizzato

 Greetings of the Holy Father to the young people who had participated in Genfest 2012

Egypt: Solidarity in Action Among Churches

Sep 6, 2012 | Non categorizzato

The annual meeting of bishops from different Churches, animated by the spirituality of the Focolare, is currently underway in Cairo, Egypt (3-8 September). This year, the thirty first such meeting, has included bishops from twenty two Christian Churches from every continent. The choice of Cairo, in this time of painful and uncertain change, adds special significance to the event. This time the bishops wish to testify to their solidarity and closeness to their Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East and particularly the Coptic Church in Egypt. They would like their presence to be a sign that, when faced with external difficulties, it is even more imperative that we draw together in unity.

The program includes moments of reflection on the theme “fraternal relationships amidst diversity”, which the Gospel requires in the form of love for neighbour. There are also moments for ecclesial and personal sharing and for liturgical celebrations with the members of their own Christian communities. On Thursday they attended presentations by the president and the co-president of the Focolare Movement, respectively Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, entitled “To Meet our Neighbour with Love”.

On the first day of the gathering, the small group of bishops who were the animators of the event, visited the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, where they met with Anba Bakhomios, temporarily administrator of the Church until a successor is elected to replace Pope Shenouda III. They had a cordial meeting in the Cathedral of St Mark’s. Anba Bakhomios, in fact, had spoken of the importance of unity and of the centrality of the Cross in the Christian life, especially in the life of the Coptic community. Although it has often been silenced, the life of the Christians of Egypt has been persecuted in many ways throughout the centuries. Nowadays the pressure is often subtle, but insupportable because of the injustice that has led to the murdering of Christians in several violent attacks around the country.

The bishops of the various Churches took the opportunity to thank the Coptic Orthodox Church for its fedelity to the tradition that goes all the way back to Mark the Evangelist, and for its commitment to defending against doctrinal errors and persecutions. The Coptics thanked the bishops for their prayerful presence and support during these difficult times of trial and pain.

Within the context of this experience of ecclesial communion, on Tuesday (4 September), the bishops visited two monasteries three hours away from Cairo, to discover the monastic patrimony of the Coptics that goes back to the third century. Pope Shenouda III, who was so loved by the people, came from this monastic tradition: “The whole experience of these days among the bishops was one of solidarity in action,” affirmed Anba Thomas, who works in the administration of the Church. “The Christians of Egypt have felt the unity of the Christians of the world. It is the Holy Spirit moving among us, and He is demonstrating that if we get to work, and if we trust each other, then unity among Churches will really be possible.” The gathering highlighted the spiritual unity even before the the institutional or theological one. This spiritual aspect remains what is essential, because without it nothing will be possible.

Coming out of the great cathedral building of St Mark’s and from the Coptic Patriarchate, it was difficult not to remember the Arab proverb that says, “Whoever drinks the water of the Nile, will return to Egypt”. And these were the sentiments expressed by Anba Bhakomios when he took leave of Giancarlo Faletti, who assured him of the Focolare’s prayers for the election of the new Coptic Pope: “We’ll invite you; we will invite you,” responded the Administrator of the Coptic Church, seeming to confirm the bond that had really been born among brothers and sisters, members of the one Body of Christ.

By Roberto Catalano

Egypt from an ecumenical point of view

Sep 6, 2012 | Non categorizzato

In recent years, Hurgarda, on the Red Sea, and Luxor in the vicinity of Alessandria have been welcoming the Mariapolis of the Focolare Movement. These places are rich in natural and artistic beauty, symbols of the deeply religious, open, hospitable, and joyful Egyptian population who are also endowed with a basic human equilibrium which has resulted from their large capacity for suffering and bearing with adversity. They showed this to the world during the events of December 2011.

This history of the spirituality of unity in Egypt reaches back to the end of the 1950’s when Marco Tecilla disembarked in Alessandria for a meeting with one of the first Franciscans who came to know the Movement, Fr Nazareno Beghetto. At the end of 1960 some focolarini from Algeria spent just a few days in Egypt, but in 1975, Aletta Salizzoni went to stay in the land of the Pharoahs along with the Matta family from Lebanon. They had been invited by the Good Shepherd Sisters who, having attended the Mariapolis in that country had begun the first focolare community there.

In the late 1970’s Word of Life groups were spreading. It was through the life in these groups that a group of Gen were born who attended an international convention in Rome, Italy. When they returned home they asked that a focolare be opened there. Their dream came true on 26 January 1981. Aletta arrived in Cairo together with two other focolarine and they found a house in Shoubra. On 13 October 1983 a men’s focolare was also opened.

In 1982 Fr Morcos Hakim was elected bishop of Sohag (Upper Egypt). This led to a blossoming community of youths and adults in the city and in the surrounding villages: simple poeple, some anable to read or write, who welcomed and lived the Word of Life with commitment. Meanwhile the focolarini and focolarine were taking more trips to other areas of the country. Mariapolises were held both in Cairo and in Sohag. A group of students began to spread the ideal of unity in Assiut as well and, noticing this blossoming of life, Bishop Morcos asked that a focolare be opened in the South as well. In 1995 three focolarine, among them the first Egyptian focolarina, moved to Sohag. From there they took many regular trips, spreading the spirituality of the Movement in Minia, Luxor and Assuan. In the 1980’s a community was begun in Alessandria around Sr. Cecilia, a Salesian. This community continued to flourish even after the death of this religious sister, the members continuing to gather around the Word and sharing how they were trying to live it in their daily lives.

But in the meantime many other elements of the Focolare were beginning to appear – many priests and seminarians embraced the spirituality of unity – Focolare families began to have an impact in their local areas that was much appreciated. A group for couples was formed around an Italian and Lebanese husband and wife that later led to the creation of a formation centre for engaged and young married couples. This centre offered courses in marriage life, motherhood, fatherhood, and welcoming the gift of new life. With the encouragement of the Conference of Bishops and of Patriarch Stephanos II, this centre was relocated within the walls of the Patriarchate.

The Focolare in Egypt today has a clearly ecumencial character: a community composed of members of the Catholic Church, several Eastern Rite Churches and the Coptic Orthodox Church. Many rediscover the beauty of their own Churches and become involved in making them more beautiful according to the design of God for them. This ecumenism demonstrates that the diaologue of life permits prejudices that have sometimes existed for centuries, to be overcome..

New relationships have developed not only among Christians (10% of the population), but also with Muslims, and this encourages and spreads hope and certainty that a united world is possible beyond our differences.

By Roberto Catalano

The Floods United Us

Sep 4, 2012 | Non categorizzato

My name is Sam and I come from Thailand. I am a Buddhist and I got to know Youth for a United World through a Buddhist friend of mine. Being and working with them, I saw how it was possible to be truly brothers and sisters, even though we have different faith beliefs.

In October last year, there was severe flooding in my country. The destruction was massive and incalculable. It will take a very long time to rebuild what was lost, because houses, factories, whole villages and cities were under water for various months in different parts of the country!

An extraordinary thing that happened was that this terrible calamity also brought about a great sense of solidarity among all the Thai people. It was an unexpected phenomenon. The country had just come out of a long period of political struggle which had at times been violent because of the elections. Perhaps you remember seeing soldiers shooting and dead bodies on the street. Instead, the flood reunited everyone.

The floods affected me personally. The water had flooded the entire neighbourhood where I lived. I didn’t have much to lose because I lived in a small apartment, but others even lost their lives through electric shocks. People rushed frantically to escape the danger and found refuge at a reception point.

Together with the Youth for a United World we went to help the people who had found shelter in one of the reception centres. There elderly people as well as children. Some had left their homes in the clothes they were in, not being able to carry anything with them. Some were in a state of shock, a few were seriously ill. It was a terrible scene! So, we tried to help in practical ways, but also encouraging those who were demoralised, giving out food and toys to the children and playing with them; we tried to share in their hopelessness.

The most important thing at the time was to help save the city of Bangkok, the capital from the floods. Students and many other people set about strengthening the banks of the rivers and canals and building barriers to divert any water that overflowed. We too went to fill bags with sand that was delivered by big trucks… When we got to the place where the sandbags were being prepared we worked day and night in the mud. The sand was dirty and stank: it was a real race against time. People came from all over the city at all hours.

It was exhausting work and we also had to miss out on some meals and sleep. The ideal of a united world kept us going. We built and repaired the banks of the canals that protected the capital of Bangkok, but even better than this was the friendships and fraternity that was built amongst everyone and which still remains. In the end the flood passed but what remained was the joy of having given of ourselves to build a more united world. This might mean getting our hands dirty in the midst of the mud, but the greatest joy was in giving and in loving!

Genfest – St Stephen Square

Sep 3, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Genfest Day 2

Sep 3, 2012 | Non categorizzato

From Budapest to the World

Sep 2, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Day 2 of Genfest was held in the Budapest Sports Arena with talks, presentations, music and dance, movement and colour all representing the metaphor of building bridges. The “Let’s bridge” hand sign was continually shared, and acquired an even deeper meaning by the end of the day. The first phase in building bridges is to make a plan. Bassem from Egypt told of the conflicts following the events in Tahrir Square. There was talk of social exclusion, as was highlighted by the experience of Plinio in Brazil. There was talk of protesting and violence calling for revenge. . . or for other ways of facing the problems of today’s world. Get your hands dirty digging through the mud is the next phase. The young people from Thailand took these words quite literally, telling how they went out to help victims of the flood that had devastated their country. This commitment involves reaching out personally to people who are in need. Ricardo from Chile and the young people from Indonesia and Sweden told the same story under different circumstances. Lay the foundations. Then it was time to talk about laying the foundations. Here the young people were given the opportunity to relive the experience of Chiara Lubich, through a theatrical monologue that included her words at the United Nations. The message was clear: a choice of God who is Love that stirs us to love others. The Golden Rule expressed by the Christian Scriptures: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt. 7:12). And this expressed in different ways by the sacred texts of the other Great Religions. It was confirmed by the experience of some Christian and Hindu youths from India, by a young married couple from Switzerland and by Nacho, a young Argentinian who left behind a promising career in football in order to dedicate his life to the service of others. These were courageous choices, often against the current, but always bringing the fullness of life. . . The completion of the bridge is the next phase. This is an image of the unity that flows through daily situations in life. It involves the cornerstone that keeps the bridge’s arch from collapsing: loving even when it is painful. This was illustrated by some young Italians who work at a centre that offers help to illegal immigrants. Their presentation also had photos and voice recordings of their friends. Adhelard and Ariane shared from Burundi about their work in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Bujumbura. And Kaye from the Philippines shared her experience of separation in the family. They were stories that have not yet had a happy outcome, continuing to be lived with love that allowed those involved to experience a fullness of life even in sorrowful situations such as these. Thus solid foundations are laid that allow safe crossing, the final phase of this metaphorical process. A bridge allows access to many roads. Issa, a Christian from Nazareth and Noura, a Muslim from Jerusalem know this is true. They meet regularly, together with other Christian, Muslim and Jewish youths to know one another more and to pray for peace. The joy was quite great among the 12,000 youths they flowed out of the Sport Arena in the evening, on a symbolic march towards the Chain Bridge. Thirty seconds of silence before the go-ahead was given to the biggest international flashmob in history. Someone shouted “Go!” and the young people exchanged the colourful scarfs on which they had each written a phrase along with their name. It was a moment of joyful and festive confusion. Then there was another shout: “Stop!” and they were allowed to unfold the scarfs and discover: “the gift that God wanted to give me,” as one tearful youth said after reading the message: “God loves you immensely.” “Today we begin to live for peace,” another said. “Let’s bridge” was written in all the languages. “The bracelet, the sign of our pact, I put on my wrist not to be a conformist, but because it makes me commit,” said one young man. Looking into their faces, it was really possible to believe. Perhaps Budapest will be able to write in its history about this unusual and non-violent revolution that has been reborn from here. The final morning, 2 September was spent in St Stephen’s Square, at the very heart of the city where there was the Holy Mass for the Catholic young people. Youths from other Churches celebrated their services in other locations around the city and the 160 Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu youth also found a place prepared for each of them. At the conclusion they all gathered together for a moment of silence and recollection for peace: the Time-Out. The next appointment will be in Rio de Janeiro. Two Brazilian young people went on stage and invited everyone to World Youth Day 2013 in their country. Everyone left committed to building fraternal relationships among groups and individuals in the 104 countries from which they came. From Budapest to the world!

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Talk to the young people at Genfest 2012: “Look on high!”

Sep 1, 2012 | Non categorizzato

“Dearest young people, (…) Travelling around the world, I met young people of yesterday and today; I have seen the transformation of social conditions in which they live; I have seen the breaking down of so many securities; I have seen the sufferings of those who could not find work, of not being able to have more moments and places of encounter if not the empty noise of the clubs and bars or the maddening sound of motor racing…. Everything is in rapid evolution, in continuous change, so that it seems impossible to grip onto a foothold that will not collapse, or climb a step that will not wobble. I saw a generation grow with fear, a fear of being deceived and disappointed, a fear of giving something of oneself and to remain empty-handed; fear of finding oneself alone though in the midst of a crowd. But I have also met many young people, including many of you, who despite everything, know that in order to build a more united world, changes are needed, primarily personal ones, and therefore radical choices. And they make them”. (…) Read complete talk: Maria Voce’s keynote address to Genfest 2012

Genfest 2012: “Look on high!”

Sep 1, 2012 | Non categorizzato

Yesterday, 31 August, the busy day began at the Hungarian Parliament where an international youth delegation from the Genfest were welcomed. This was followed in the afternoon by a grand celebration in the esplanade of the Sports Arena, the opening of an “Expo of Eastern Europe” performance and sport activities with live interviews transmitted over the radio. In the evening there was the festive evening concert with young artists from five continents, preceded by the greetings of the Mayor of Budapest Tarlos Istvan, by the General President of UNESCO MS Katalina Bogyay.

Pope Benedict XVI sent a message giving his warm greetings to all the young people present. Referring to the Genfest motto “Let’s bridge” and to the bridges destroyed in the Second World War, the Pope affirmed: “Yet out of the ashes of that terrible conflict, there arose a determination to build peace on lasting foundations, a determination which was to be the inspiration behind the founding of the Focolare Movement. The bridges across the Danube were rebuilt, and the international community set itself the goal of eliminating once and for all the conditions that might lead to future conflict.”

“While Budapest itself, together with much of Eastern Europe, continued to suffer under the oppression of a totalitarian regime, there too, new possibilities for freedom and fraternal outreach have come about since the end of the Cold War. May this beautiful city be a sign of hope to inspire all the young people present to offer the hand of friendship to those from other backgrounds and cultures, “in such a way as to shape the earthly city in unity and peace, rendering it to some degree an anticipation and foreshadowing of the undivided city of God” (Caritas in Veritate, 7).”

Today, 1 September, there was the presentation of the several national delegations and the first part of “Let’s bridge”, the metaphor of the various phases in building a bridge. There will also be alternating reflections and witnesses by the youths from around the world who are committed to bringing about universal brotherhood in today’s world.

A solemn moment took place when the United World Project was launched. This project was conceived and developed by the youth of the Focolare Movement and open to everyone’s collaboration, which will be launched in its first phase in Budapest, aims to highlight and promote fraternity already under way by individuals, groups and nations. It will also start up a permanent international Observatory, recognized by the UN.

It is to these young people in particular that Maria Voce addressed her talk this afternoon, challenging them to: “Look on high. Set your gazes far, it is there that you’ll find something certain that you can grab onto. Look to the Love that is God. He is the only One who doesn’t disappoint you. Place yourselves on his side, trying to see the world and things with his eyes and you’ll be firm pillars of new bridges upon which everyone will walk happy and secure, and others will follow you.”  

With their intense silence the young people absorbed her every word.

“Then, have no fear!” she continued, “Be yourselves and enter personally into society, and place your small or great personality at its service, your abilities and your talents. You make a unique contribution, one that will never be repeated again, different from that of the adults. . . You are now called to spend your lives for something immense, leaving behind you something immortal”.

At this point Maria Voce urged everyone: “So you need step into action. . . Begin to love concretely. The first step will not involve grand scale actions, but those small acts of love that make life great and have the power to change the world and influence society. . . And never allow the bridges that have been built today to lessen. The first bridge was built right here among yourselves. . . You’ve constructed a small bit of united world and each of you carries the strength of this experience within you. . . And so you shall file forth from this Sport Arena like a great river of love”.

 She concluded by recalling a statement made by the founder, Chiara Lubich: “The world needs more soul, more love. And this is what we should bring to it!” She wished them: “Courage, then! All of us united in this beautiful adventure!”

In the evening there will be a large “Flashmob” – tranmsitted through live streaming – held simultaneously with other flashmobs around the world. The one in Hungary will take place at the historical Chain Bridge over the Danube. It aims to show the commitment of the Youth for Unity to build bridges among people, countries, religions and cultures.

Address by Maria Voce

Message sent by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI

We thank our sponsors

With gratitude to Carlo Maria Martini

Sep 1, 2012 | Non categorizzato

The Focolare Movement also pauses and gratefully remembers Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. We give thanks to God for having given to the Church and to the world a man who has provided such a great personal witness. We treasure his extraordinary love for the Word of God and his capacity for dialogue with the contemporary culture. These are the two pearls that we would like to see gathered by the new generations, as we begin the Genfest with 12,000 young people who have gathered from the five continents, in Budapest, Hungary.