Dec 20, 2023 | Non categorizzato
An afternoon of hope and joy with the boys of the juvenile detention centre in Rome (Italy) Casal del Marmo, northwest suburb of Rome, Italy. The district is famous for the presence of a juvenile detention centre that houses boys from various parts of Italy, many of whom are foreigners. On the occasion of the Street Mission “Live for something great”, organized by several Associations and Communities including the Focolare Movement, Gen Rosso visited the institute to find about forty boys waiting for them. However, the first unexpected reaction was quite cold. Most of them speak Arabic. But Lito, a young friend of Gen Rosso, an excellent DJ, is Egyptian and speaks their language. He began to translate. They didn’t expect this. The atmosphere began to thaw with the help of the music. Time flew: rhythm, songs, applause and deep reflection. Tearful eyes, sincere smiles. The simplicity of a different kind of afternoon within those walls. Gen Rosso managed to convey a message of hope, also drawing on some interventions by Pope Francis. “Even if you make mistakes, you can always get up and start over, for no one has the right to rob you of hope”. These are the words of the Pope when in 2019 he met young people on his apostolic journey to Bulgaria and North Macedonia. He began by saying, “Dreams help us to keep alive the certainty of knowing that another world is possible (…). The most beautiful dreams can be achieved with hope, patience and commitment…” These words resonated in the juvenile institution. Then came the time to dream with open eyes. Helanio took over. He took the microphone: “We know that some of you sing…” Three young rappers jumped up. They spoke briefly to Ygor on percussion and Juan Francisco on guitar and a beat began, an improvised rhythm. The three boys, then became four and alternated with improvised verses in Arabic, French, Italian and again in Arabic. The audience went wild and clapped their hands to the beat. Then together, Gen Rosso and the rappers for the grand finale. Everyone was involved: prison guards, detainees, management. The visitors who organized the initiative also joined in the dancing: New Horizons, Focolare, Emmanuel Community, Fazenda de Esperanza Community, Shalom, Casa Do Menor, Belem Mission, the Easter Morning Sentinels, Lumen Community, Anspaz Community, in synergy with the Diocese of Rome. Hope exists and so do the talents of these young people. Dr. Maria Vittoria Menenti, Director of the Institute took the mike and thanked the youth of the juvenile institution and Gen Rosso, with the hope that such an event can happen again. The time flew. We had to leave. Farewells with handshakes, hugs, pats on the back, big smiles. Come back soon! Leaving, many were thinking of Gospel phrase, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I will be among them” (Mt. 18:20) – when you try to love each other, the presence of God makes wonderful things happen. Even more so when you experience it in a place like this, full of suffering, anger, despair, but also and above all hope. The boys went back to their cells. Gen Rosso began a new journey. Everyone carried something profound with them: all strongly recharged by the same inexhaustible source of joy and hope.
Lorenzo Russo
Dec 15, 2023 | Non categorizzato
To remain “at the crossroads of today” with the same confident and generous attitude as Mary. This is what Card. Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, in his homily delivered in the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Rome) during the Mass of Thanksgiving on Dec. 7, 2023, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Focolare Movement. Dearly beloved, on this day when the focolarino charism began 80 years ago, here in the house of Mary, close to the manger and to the mystery of her divine motherhood, we thank the Lord for the gift of Chiara Lubich and the great family that came to life around her. I repeat to you the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, “Do not fear!” You too “have found grace with God!” With these words His Eminence Card. Kevin Joseph Farrel, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, encouraged the Focolare Movement as he presided over the Holy Mass that took place, at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, in Rome, Dec. 7, 2023. Eighty years after Chiara Lubich’s “Yes” to God, Card. Farrell, during the liturgy with which the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, invited those present to recall their encounter with the charism, “certain,” he said, “that all of you have embraced the focolarino ideal as a great gift of grace, as a favor from God,” spurring each one to continue faithfully to carry it into the world. To read the full homily (Our translation)
a cura di Maria Grazia Berretta
Dec 7, 2023 | Non categorizzato
On the morning of 7 December 2023, Pope Francis received in audience Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement, together with the members of the Focolare Council and those responsible for the different geographical areas, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of its foundation. Here is the speech that the Pope addressed to them during the audience. Dear brothers and sisters, welcome! I greet Cardinal Farrell, your president Dr. Margaret Karram, the co-president Jesús Morán, the members of the General Council, the delegates of the geographical areas, and all of you. I am grateful that you came while celebrating 
the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the Focolare Movement, also known as the Opera di Maria. Thank you! It coincides with the day on which the Servant of God Chiara Lubich decided to consecrate herself fully to the Lord. From an inspiration she received in an entirely ordinary context of life – while she was going shopping for her family – a radical act of self-giving to God arose, as a response to her call that she had felt, sweet and strong, in her heart. It was 7 December 1943, in Trent, at the height of the war; on the very eve of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Mary’s “yes” became Chiara’s “yes”, generating a wave of spirituality that spread throughout the world, to tell everyone that it is beautiful to live the Gospel with one simple word: unity. But unity also means harmony: harmonic unity. In these eighty years, you have made this message resound amid the young, communities, families, persons of 
consecrated life, priests and bishops; and also in various social environments: from the world of school to that of the economy, from the world of art and culture to that of information and the media; and in particular, in the spheres of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. You have thus been an active instrument of a great flowering of works, of initiatives, of projects and above all of “rebirths”, of conversions, of vocations, of lives given to Christ and to our brothers and sisters. For all this today we want to give thanks to God. In February 2021, speaking at your General Assembly, I emphasized three important attitudes for your progress: living your charism with dynamic fidelity, welcoming moments of crisis as opportunities to mature, embodying spirituality with consistency and realism (Address, 6 February 2021). Living spirituality. I want to remember these today to encourage you to live them and promote them along three lines: ecclesial maturity, fidelity to the charism, and commitment to peace. Ecclesial maturity. I invite you to work so that the dream of a fully synodal and missionary Church may be 
increasingly realized. Start out from your communities, fostering in them a style of participation and co-responsibility, also at the level of governance. Let the “focolari”, the hearths, increase within them and spread around them a climate of mutual listening and family warmth, in which we respect and care for one another, with particular attention to those who are weaker and those most in need of support. To this end, it will be helpful for you to pursue avenues of mutual participation and consultation at all levels, paying special attention to communication and sincere dialogue. With regard to the second line, fidelity to the charism, I remind you of some of your Founder’s words: “Leave to those who follow you only the Gospel. If you do this, the ideal of unity will remain […]. What remains and will always remain is the Gospel, which does not suffer the wear of time” (C. Lubich, in La Parola di Dio, Rome 2011, 112-113). Please, sow unity by bringing the Gospel, without ever losing sight of the work of incarnation that God continues to wish to accomplish in us and around us through his Spirit, so that Jesus may be good news for everyone, no one excluded, and “that all may be one” (Jn 17:21). 
And so, we come to the third line, commitment to peace, so important today. Indeed, after two millennia of Christianity, the longing for unity continues to assume the form, in many parts of the world, of an agonizing cry that demands a response. Chiara heard this during the tragedy of the Second World War, and decided to give all her life so that the “legacy of Jesus” might be realized. Today, unfortunately, the world is still riven by many conflicts, and continues to need artisans of fraternity and peace between men and between nations. Chiara said, “To be love and to spread it is the general purpose of the Opera di Maria” (Eve of Pentecost, Saint Peter’s Square, 30 May 1998). Being love and spreading it: this is the main purpose. And we know that only from love is the fruit of peace born. Therefore, I ask you to be witnesses and builders of the peace that Christ achieved with his cross, defeating enmity. Think that, from the end of the Second World War until now, the wars have not ended. And we are unaware of the tragedy of war. I will confide in you, when I went to Redipuglia in 2014 for the centenary of the First World War, and I saw that cemetery, I wept, I wept. So much destruction! And every 2 November I go to celebrate in a cemetery, also last time, the Commonwealth Cemetery, and I see the age of the soldiers_ 22, 24, 18, 30… all shattered lives. Because of war. And war does not end. And in war, everyone loses, everyone. Only the arms manufacturers gain. And if weapons were not made for a year, world hunger could be brought to an end. This is terrible. We must think about this tragedy. Before concluding, I would like to make one final invitation, appropriate in this time of Advent: that of vigilance. The snare of spiritual worldliness is always lurking. Therefore, you too need to know how to react decisively, consistently and realistically. Let us remember that inconsistency between what we say we are and what we truly are is the worst anti-witness. Inconsistency. Please, take care. And the remedy is always to return to the Gospel, the root of our faith and our history: the Gospel of humility, of selfless service, of simplicity. And I always like to remember that you are very close to the secret of God, the four secrets of God. God does not understand four things: he does not know how many congregations of religious sisters there are; what Jesuits think; how much money Salesians have; and what the Focolarini laugh about! Dear brothers and sisters, as we have already recalled, you are the Opera di Maria; she has accompanied you throughout these eighty years and you know well that she will never stop doing so. May the Virgin of Nazareth therefore be the source of your consolation and your strength, so that you may be apostles of unity in the service of the Church and of humanity. Thank you for what you are and for what you do! Continue your journey confidently. I bless you from my heart. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
Pope Francis (Source: www.vatican.va – Photo: ©Vatican media)
Dec 6, 2023 | Non categorizzato
On 7th December 1943 in Trent (Italy) Chiara Lubich pronounced her yes to God. A yes that, over time, has multiplied, generating a large family, the Focolare Movement, made up of people from different continents, ages, cultures and vocations. Chiara’s “yes” was not a vow, it was a “flight”. A flight as daring as that of Charles Lindbergh when, for the first time, he flew non-stop over the Atlantic! “Have you found your vocation?” the priest had asked her as he saw her radiant expression as she came back from the shrine of Loreto that guards the house of Nazareth. “Yes,” she answered simply. “Are you getting married?” “No.” “Are you entering a convent?” “No.” “‘Are you going to remain a virgin in the world? “No.” The bewildered priest had no other alternative to propose. It was a fourth way, the one Chiara Lubich perceived. What was it? She didn’t exactly understand it herself; it was a new way to be followed, both boldly and courageously. A few years passed. Chiara heard a voice inside saying to her: “Give yourself totally to me”. How? Where? It doesn’t matter, you just have to answer that voice. The very thought of giving herself completely to God filled her with joy. “The priest challenged her, ‘If you follow this way, you will not have a family of your own, you will not have children, you will remain alone in life…’. Alone? As long as there is a tabernacle on earth,’ Chiara said to herself, ‘I will never be alone. Didn’t Jesus promise a hundred mothers, a hundred brothers and sisters, a hundred children to those who leave everything to follow him? But in that moment Chiara was not thinking about what she would leave or what she would receive in return. She only knew that she wanted to marry God. Nothing less! Athough this young girl was only 23 years old, the priest considered that she would be able take such a daring “flight”: she was really determined, she knew what she wanted. He gave her an appointment in the chapel. But he recommended that she should spend the night in prayer, almost like ‘keeping watch’, as was the custom at the time. In her little room, Chiara took the family crucifix, kissed it and began to speak to Jesus. Shortly afterwards, her breath condensed on the figure of Jesus and she fell asleep. Early the next morning she put on her best dress. The poor people – Chiara was also poor – always have a dress for a special occasion. Outside a storm was raging, almost as if someone wanted to hold her back from such a challenging step. She went out into the wind and rain, in a decisive way. In the little church she was enveloped by silence. There was Mass, communion, her whole, total, ‘yes’ forever. She shed a tear, because she was aware that a bridge was collapsing behind her, she would never be able to go back. But the whole of her life lay ahead. She had married God and could expect everything from him. This was on the 7th December 1943. 80 years have now passed. Chiara Lubich did not remain alone. Her Spouse had her travel with him, opening up Paradise to her and allowing her to share in its beauty, as she herself would later express: “My most sweet Spouse, Heaven is so very beautiful and You, as a divine Lover, after a mystical wedding …, show me Your possessions that are also mine! (…) My God, but why? Why so much for me? Why so much Light and so much Love? Chiara did not remain alone. A large family was born around her, made up of men and women from all continents, all vocations, many cultures and religions. Her yes was fruitful, because God never lets himself be outdone in generosity. After 80 years, that ‘yes’ has multiplied and still resounds today, in a thousand ways. Storms rage, the future seems uncertain, the ‘flight’ can resemble a leap in the dark, fear paralyses… Yet that voice continues to be heard in so many people, at times faintly, at times loudly: ‘Give yourself to me, give yourself to me…’. How? Each one discovers it slowly, but it calls for an immediate and generous yes. It can be a hesitant and shy yes or a decisive yes, a small tiny yes or a great big yes…. As long as it is a yes that is sincere and authentic. In this way God continues to make himself present in the world and to build its history that will blossom into the Kingdom of heaven.
Fr. Fabio Ciardi, OMI
Dec 4, 2023 | Non categorizzato
On 7th December, Pope Francis will receive in audience the President of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram, together with those who are responsible for the Movement in the world. At 6pm, there will be a Eucharistic celebration in the Basilica of St, Mary Major in Rome, presided over by H.E. Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. 7th December 1943 marks the official birth of the Focolare Movement, the day on which Chiara Lubich consecrated herself to God forever. 80 years ago, a small community was born, which amidst the destruction of the Second World War wanted to rebuild peace and unity among all, and which would soon spread throughout the world, becoming part of the reality of New Charisms of the Church. At the heart of the Focolare’s spirituality and action is the Gospel and in particular Jesus’ prayer: “That all may be one” (Jn 17:21). Today the Movement is present in 182 countries, a sign of the universality and urgency of unity and fraternity in these fragmented and tragic times. It also includes Christians of various Churches, believers of numerous Religions and people without a precise religious affiliation. On 7th December next, Pope Francis will receive in audience Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, Jesús Morán, Co-President and the group of those who are responsible for the Movement. “To be received by the Holy Father on 7th December 2023, exactly eighty years after Chiara Lubich’s first ‘yes’ to God, is an extraordinary and surprising gift for us,” explains the President. “We want to bring to the Pope the love and affection of the thousands of people around the world who live the Charism of unity and renew our service to the Church in this synodal journey, in collaboration with so many others who want to contribute to peace and love to alleviate the wounds of humanity”. At 6 p.m. on the same day, in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, there will be a Mass of thanksgiving for these 80 years of Focolare life presided over by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, together with several other cardinals, bishops and priests. Margaret Karram goes on to explain, ” This day will be the conclusion of a pilgrimage that we wanted to make to some sacred and significant places in Assisi, Loreto and Rome so as to give thanks, to ask for forgiveness and to start again with courage and hope. Focolare communities around the world will also live this anniversary with the same spirit and aims, so as to be “witnesses of proximity with fraternal love that overcomes every barrier and reaches every human situation”¹.
Stefania Tanesini
[1] Talk of Pope Francis to the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement – 6 February 2021
Dec 4, 2023 | Non categorizzato
The worldwide action “They Dislodged Jesus” to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Azur Company’s Christmas novelties: puzzles that tell the story of Jesus’ birth and the joy at Christmas for children around the world. Christmas is approaching, and as always, the Gen4 — Focolare boys and girls ages four to ten — are in the forefront of reminding everyone of the true meaning of this celebration, bringing Jesus back to the center of Christmas. In all communities around the world, the production of the small statues of Baby Jesus has begun, which, close to Christmas, the Gen4 will offer in the streets, squares, shopping centers to remind everyone of the birth of Jesus, the “birthday boy”! Any donations received will go to help many children in countries forgotten by the media, but facing serious difficulties, such as the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela or for places where children suffer from ongoing wars or other needs also identified locally. This action, entitled “They Dislodged Jesus,” was born in 1997 and has a very precise meaning: not to be conditioned by consumerism, but to bring back to the center of Christmas the positive values, of peace, solidarity, universal fraternity. The idea had stemmed from a reflection by Chiara Lubich who was in Switzerland in the run-up to Christmas. Walking through the brightly-lit streets of a large city, she had been struck by the lights, the pretty decorations, the lots of richness, but most of all by the absence of reference to the primary meaning of Christmas. And so she wrote: “This rich world has ‘grabbed’ Christmas and all its entailments, and has dislodged Jesus! (…) It is banking on Christmas for the best profit of the year. But it doesn’t think about Jesus.” So, since 1997, thousands of Gen4 around the world have accepted Chiara Lubich’s invitation to bring Jesus back to the center of Christmas. This year’s event has the theme “Let’s bring the joy of Jesus to everyone!”:. And alongside this annual custom, the Gen4 International Center in collaboration with the Azur company produced two Christmas items to bring a message of beauty and peace. These are two puzzles: “the Christmas of the Children of the World” and “the beautiful story of Christmas.” The first is the classic puzzle to be put together, consisting of 96 tiles. The second, on the other hand, consists of six puzzle cards, six drawings that tell the story of Jesus’ birth from the arrival in Bethlehem to the coming of the Magi. On the back you can write Christmas greetings, then you can unravel the puzzle and put it in the enclosed envelope and give it as a gift. But the six puzzles can also be used to retell and relive this beautiful story with the little ones, aided also by a leaflet with the text of the story. The puzzles bear the title in 5 languages (Italian, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazilian)). If you need any info on the action They dislodged Jesus you can contact the Gen4 Center, while for the two puzzles you can visit the Azur site.
Lorenzo Russo
