Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca
Interim General Secretary
Dear brothers and sisters,
With a great joy, I greet you on behalf of the World Council of Churches on the occasion of your General Assembly, as you gather to elect the central leaders of the Movement and to define the guidelines for the next six years.
I was moved when I saw that the proposals for this important event that you have collected from the members of the Focolare Movement from all over the world have asked with one voice to return to the roots of Chiara Lubich’s charism. That is life according to the Gospel, in order to deepen together how to incarnate it in the context of the new painful challenges that the world presents today. A strong and lasting legacy expressed by Chiara in a short but powerful sentence: “Basta amare!”
Concentrating on living in and witnessing to the transforming love of Christ, you inspire our communities not only to serve the urgent needs of our world, but also to work and pray for healing, reconciliation and sanctification of every human being. The love of God made visible in Christ changes not only our perspective on all our relationships and widens the horizon of our interconnectedness, but also enables us to work for social justice and to condemn every action which affects the dignity of any human being. It’s a radical call to all Christians to seek ways of working for peace and reconciliation—to live Christian discipleship in such a way as to heal the world.
Christ made it possible for us to live lives of friendship because we have been transformed by everything he shared with us. This encourages us and gives us strength to overcome our self-centred limitations and to pursue the task of peace—his gift. Christ not only called us his friends but he also gave us the assurance that he will be with us always (Mt 28:20). This is our joy, a complete joy (John 15:11; 17:13), even in the worst of times.
With this confidence, I wish you God’s blessing and inspiration in all your discussions and reflections. May your gathering bring a vision of hope and encouragement for the world. You inspire us all to realize just how united we are as one humanity. You are a gift to our communities. I pray that God accompany you and give you strengths as you recommit yourself to follow and live Chiara’s charism, belief and vision which she expressed constantly by saying : “Love is the life of the world.”
May we work and walk together toward life: toward God’s reign of justice and peace.
