“It’s been three years since I’ve been to Tonadico, in the Primiero Valley (Northern Italy), and here we are again. With us are some Hindu friends, who have come from India for a pilgrimage to the source of the charism of unity.
These are longtime friends, largely from the academic world, with whom we’ve shared moments of study and life for years. The most recent was in January, when I went to Mumbai. It’s a joy to meet again.

They are fascinated by Chiara Lubich, and they want to know her mystical experience deeply. And is there any better place than Tonadico, where Chiara had an extraordinary light-filled experience in 1949?

Our meeting begins with profound sharing, in a great atmosphere of family. Mysticism unites the great religions at their core. The way that each religion follows, with the means it has available, all lead to the heart of the Mystery, which is the same for all of them. The paths and tools are diverse, but the point of arrival is the same. For this reason, we all converge on mysticism and find ourselves united there. Although the language of the faiths and ways of expressing ourselves are quite different, the symbols are shared: sun, flame, gold, nothingness, everything… through these we understand each other.

We know that Jesus is “the Way,” yet he, in ways that only he knows, can be a “wayfarer” with us all and lead everyone to the Father. And then it was time to wish each other a good trip!”

Fr. Fabio Ciardi is professor at the “Claretianum” Institute of Theology of the Consecrated Life in Rome and director of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Center of Study. He currently directs the Abba School, an interdisciplinary study center that Chiara Lubich founded in 1990 with the contribution of Bishop Klaus Hemmerle (April 3, 1929 to January 23, 1994), the renowned theologian and philosopher. Fr. Ciardi aims to go into depth in the charism of unity from different points of view.

Source: Blog P.Ciardi