Aug 20, 2012 | Non categorizzato
Young people always run to a challenge. And if they are not enfeebled by moral entanglements, they are always enamoured by the supreme beauty of God. Then they are prepared to face the most daring battle, the battle of the faith. Then they love the unrewarding risks of purity, of self-denial and dedication. But if they hesitate in front of Christ, perhaps it is because they are only familiar with a deformed image of Him, having been presented a religion which outwardly appears weak, worldly, mediocre, coated in compromise and compressed by so many adjustments, like a secondary, marginal or even half-hidden activity, something senile and boring, panting as it strives to keep up with the pace of the generations. But young people, if they are able to discover the true face of Christ, if they are able to grasp the real essence of the Church, then they are swept away precisely by the risk which the Gospel contains. During the Church’s adolescence the Early Church Fathers had said: “It is a dangerous risk to forget about God.” And young people want to run this dangerous adventure, to jump into the fray of loving God in the midst of the world.
They do not know what to do with a Christianity that has been scaled down to the size of today’s world as if it were some sort of seasonal fashion. They want a Christianity that can be called “great”. They want it immense. And so they are not interested in a Church that is small and reduced, they want a Church that is vast, one into which all humankind can enter in – the People of God.
If there is a lack of vocations it is also because the sum total of hardship and external courage that is often being asked of them is not enough for them. They desire chastity in a society that is incestuous; they want poverty in the midst of this orgy of Mammon; they want love in a society dismembered by hatred.They grow bored in a community in which one avoids or hesitates to speak about union with God, of the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of penitence and prayer; where the life of the Mystical Body is not lived out in a supernatural communion among brothers and sisters and God, as co-citizens with God among the citizens of the world so as to incarnate in the episodic existence of men the graces of the Life that is Divine. To be Christ among brothers for their brothers. Therefore, a religion reduced to mere culture, organizing, apostolic techniques,to asthetic or metaphysical or literary dissertation does not satisfy them at all.
Foto © Centro Igino Giordani
Young people love the more daring missions. They come running as soon as they feel called by a Don Orion, a Bishop Canossa, or a Mother Cabrini. They run to anyone who is willing to offer them purity and sacrifice, service and dedication. In other words, they run towards the heroism of the Cross, the luncay of the Cross.
Jesus goes by and the youths follow Him when they see Him, when the vision of Him is not obstructed by the appearance of others, by proud creatures, super-beings, something more than the others because of their wealth, political power or swollen pride.
Jesus is walking by us now. If we follow Him without ever turning back, without asking to be excused because there are horses to be shoed or cows to be bought, because we have to offer “salaams” to this one or that – then, ipso facto we become young. We become the children for whom the Kingdom of Heaven is made. Let us convert, therefore. By converting we see Him and find the way if we realize that we have been wasting time living our dreams and building our houses of straw. At the end of the new horizon shines a Cross, but it is a sign of victory over death. In Him we discover the Eternal Life.
Igino Giordani, in «Fides», Agust 1955, pp.242-245
Aug 17, 2012 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare president and co-president’s arrival at the Portuguese Mariapolis coincided with the feast day of the Assumption of Mary (August 15, 2012) and the liturgy proclaimed the joy of the babe in Elizabeth’s womb. This little “sign” caused the president to remark: “This will be a visit filled with exultation!” The welcome they received at the airport and in the Mariapolis seemed to confirm it. There was a large group to welcome them, with choreorgraphies par with the “creativity of love.” A portico was covered in bright flowers. There was a pair of campinos (cattle herders in traditional costume), music, families and children.
August 16, 2012 was spent touring Mariapolis Arco-Iris, which is fifteen years old. The land in Abrigada that is located 50 km from Lisbon was purchased through contributions from the Focolare commmunity in 1966.
The tour began at the cemetary where they visited the “living stones” of the Mariapolis. There are now eight people resting in there, witnessing to the deep roots of the Spirituality of Unity in Portugal. They paused before the grave of focolarino Eduardo Guedes who was also the first Portuguese Gen. Maria Voce once again entrusted the youths to him, just as she had already done a few days before he died, but this time she included all those who would attend the Genfest.
The tour continued at the Ciudad Nova Publishing House where twelve people are work; 3,000 magazine subscriptions; and a good production of books. “The offices are simple and attractive,” commented the president, while underscoring the importance of the unity between daily life and spreading a message that is valid and credible.
Then they visited the Gen boys and girls and there was an explosion of joy among the thirty young people gathered for the occasion. Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti met with them in the two little houses that are the reference points for all the Gen in Portugal, places where they can visit or spend longer periods of time. Many of them study and work in Lisbon or in the neighbouring areas. Monica is a physiotherapist at a clinic in the Mariapolis: “It’s such a great gift that I can stay here. The presence of Jesus among us, here in the Gen house, with the other inhabitants of the Mariapolis, at work. . . urges me to live the ideal of unity, even when I am relating to other people.” Tiago (twenty-four years old), soon to receive his degree in Medicine: “My main effort is to always try to live in the will of God. In this way I feel that ‘together, we are Jesus’ who is creating this Mariapolis and the life in each one of us.” Maria Voce urged them to offer a living Gospel life to everyone, “that it might explode” everywhere. Each year on the 1st of May around a thousand young people gather for an annual appointment at the Mariapolis.
Next were the families. There are five families at the Mariapolis. “We’ve been here for ten years. We saw the Mariapolis being born,” recount Jose and Conceicao Maia. They were the first family to move into the Mariapolis along with their six children. “We’ve been here for three years,” say Toni and Idalina Nogueira with five children. “We’re so happy! We’re having a new experience as a family and as a community. Every day a few of us take off for Lisbon, some for work and others for school, then we return together to finish our day with Mass in the Mariapolis.” Maria Voce underscored the great importance of the families not only for the Mariapolis, but also for the Church and the world. She affirmed: “What matters is the never predictable novelty of the Gospel life. So always begin again each day without worry.” And Giancarlo Faletti: “Your houses are beautiful, but more important is the journey you have taken as a family, overcoming many difficulties.”
In the afternoon they visited the “Giosi Guella Business Park” which was inaugurated in 2010 with three Economy of Communion businesses that have ten branches in several other areas of the country.
Next was the visit to the attractive Mariapolis Centre, with its meeting hall for 200 people, 60 beds and an average guest attendance of 5,000 people each year.
Future plans reflect the growth of the Movement in Portugal. They visited a piece of land where a house for the Women Volunteers of God is to be constructed. Maria Voce planted a medal of Our Lady on the spot, in an atmosphere of deep joy and emotion. Then there are some other projects including the construction of a series of small houses.
The busy day concluded with the Mass that was animated by songs in the Fado style, which is characteristic of the Portuguese spirit. Among her concluding remarks on that day Maria Voce also said: “Our first day in Portugal was lived in an every-increasing joy.” Then commenting on the Portuguese music style, she recalled Chiara Lubich who had once invited everyone to “interpret” Jesus on earth, and she wished that the “Portuguese Jesus” would emerge from the people of this land as a gift to all the other peoples of the world.” Giancarlo Faletti added: “It was a day filled with God… we have good reason to exult!” Then the president went on to say: “Now let us live the joy. Our Lady still sings the Magnifica even now.”
By Gustavo Clariá
Photos © M. Conceicao / M. Freitas
Aug 17, 2012 | Non categorizzato
As part of the program of the Genfest, an international youth festival which envisages the participation of young people from all over the world, there will be a session where concrete actions are presented. Here we publish a few of the initiatives which demonstrate how many of these young people are dealing with problems and challenges they face every day.
One experience among many is that of the young people in Colombia, where the rain hasn’t let up for more than a year, with over 500 people who have died and gone missing and nearly 3 million people who have suffered damages. They started from Soacha, a city on the outskirts of Bogotà and together with the adults they organized a campaign to collect supplies and clothing. They also received 200 pairs of boots and a quantity of food that they distributed to the families most in need. Today the situation has worsened, because of illnesses and problems of living together in the camping grounds. They continue to collect supplies and stay close to the people.
Catania-Bujumbura: The bridge between the young people of these two cities was materialized in a keyboard. From a Skype video-call in which the African band “Gen Sorriso (Smile)” (who will perform also in Budapest) sang in Kirundi, the “Galilei” High School youth of Catania (Sicily) came up with the idea of offering them a keyboard. In order to accomplish this they launched the operation “An ice-cream for Burundi.” In the following link-up, an intercontinental virtual concert with drums and guitar (in Burundi) and the keyboard, that for now is still in Catania, but is destined for Burundi’s band.
The challenge of diversity – Buddhist and Christian youth have held 3 symposiums to share one another’s thoughts and experiences regarding topics like commitment for peace and living and transmitting Faith, thus creating a network of friendship and interreligious, intercultural and international fraternity.
72 Muslims and Christians of 5 countries of the Middle East and North Africa will meet for the first timein Budapest and, in record time, they have to put together the choreography that the groups have learnt in their respective countries, thanks to the virtual lessons passed around from one country to the other via YouTube. The same with the youth of India: Hindus of the Ghandian Shanti Ashram Movement and Christians have worked together for months on their dance, which wants to express the diversity of religions and castes present in their country, in a classical Indian style.
Num, a Buddhist girl from Thailand will speak about it on September 1st at the Genfest, while a Christian from Nazareth and a Muslim from Jerusalem will tell the 12,000 young people present what it means to live for fraternity in the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and of the difficulty of living together for three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Among them are also young people who don’t have any religious belief, but who share the commitment to live for a united world. But each of them is in the front row, there, where they live, with the problems and challenges they face every day.
The United World Project, 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.
Source: Focolare Information Service Press Release
Jun 10, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
A land rich in history with deep Christian roots that go all the way back to the earliest centuries after Christ (432), the island was evangelized through the efforts of St. Patrick. Known for its ancient Celtic traditions and its national and traditional song, with U2 and Riverdance, its great literary stars including four Nobel Prize winners, Ireland has also had some sorrowful pages among the leaves of its recent history:the drama of the independence’s war, the violence between Catholics and Protestants and the still open wounds of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
The words of Benedict XVI in the Letter to the Catholics of Ireland (March 2010) continue to resound: “As you face the challenges of this moment, I ask you to remember the “rock from which you were cut” (Is. 51:1). It is in this context, within this process of purification and rebirth of the Irish Church that the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (10-17 June 2012) is set.
Ireland’s soil has been irrigated with the Movement’s spirituality of unity since 1969, when a woman, Margaret Neylon, on her way back from England spread to those around her the new way of life she had just discovered: based on the love taught by Jesus. She and her son Eddie, who suffered from muscular distrophy, became the soul of the first Focolare community that led to the opening of the first focolare in Ireland in 1971, followed by a second in 1976. Currently there are five focolares in the country and a formation centre has been begun at Mariapolis “Lieta”. This Mariapolis was named after an Argentine focolarina, Lieta Betono, who lovingly devoted her life to bringing the ideal of unity among many people from Ireland, until 2002 when she died of a serious illness.
Many stories intertwine as you examine the history of the Focolare’s growth in Ireland: among them is the story of Sister Anna who decided to bring a group of Catholic and Protestant youths to an international gathering in 1973, the Genfest. Among them was Sally McAllister, who would become the first Irish focolarina. Originally from Northern Ireland, she had decided to join the armed struggle.
But then she discovered the biggest revolution in the Gospel, which gave meaning even to the pain of division and of the violent fratricides of the world.
Today the Focolare Movement is spread at various levels and among persons of all callings. It works in collaboration with other Catholic movements, with members of other Churches and with members of the Sikh community. Since 1991 when the Economy of Communion was born, several businesses have joined the project, for example: Paul Connoly Optomerist, Nettrafic Telecommunications and the Language and Leisure International, English language school.
The Teens for Unity have carried out many projects in favor of peace and hope in the cities: a video documentary in which they present their projects to “colour” the dark corners of the cities; the worldwide baton race, ‘Run4Unity’ which was held in Belfast on 12 June 2012 in front of the Northern Ireland’s Parliament building. Together with projects promoting the Golden Rule through sport in many schools throughout the country, the cube of love for children and the Run4Unity have become part of the official programme in preparation for the Eucharistic Congress.
Chiara Lubich visited Ireland in 2004 when she met Sean Brady, the Primate of all Ireland, various bishops including Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin; Mary McAleese who was then President of the Republic; Bertie Ahern, who was then Taosieach (Prime Minister) and President of the European Union, and the Focolare community. On that occasion Chiara said: “We need to foster unity, unity among Christians who give witness to the faith in a different way today (. . . ) and I believe that this living witness of authentic family life and of the life of faith is one of the most important things that we have to offer for the future of our Land.”
In 2012 Maria Voce visit Ireland together with Co-President Faletti for the International Eucharistic Congress (10-17 June). There she has been asked to present her own Christian experience. Several of the Congress events are presented by the Focolare: the “Chiara Luce Youth Section”, workshops on the Economy of Communion and the Church as Communion, the open meeting, an Ecumenical gathering in the Anglican Cathedral of St Ann in Belfast on 14 June, which will give a sense of ecumenical dialogue to the entire Congress.
To see Focolare contacts in Ireland visit Focolare Worldwide!
May 21, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
Finally, in the afternoon of Saturday, 19th, the much awaited meeting was held with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, to celebrate the big feast for all. The event was held, a few kilometres away from the capital, at the Multiversum of Schwechat, a modern multi-functional structure that hosts concerts, cultural and sports events, and fairs. Around 700 persons attended from the nine regions of Austria.
In their initial greeting, Maria Magerl and Andreas Amann, who are responsible on a national level for the Focolare Movement, expressed their joy, and most of all, their gratitude to God for Chiara Lubich and the spirituality of unity that have given to many a new profoundness and fullness in their lives. They expressed gratitude also to all those who during these fifty years have contributed, each one in his own place, to the development of the Movement. They were particularly glad that after, in some cases, years of absence, there were present at the celebration many “persons who had built and accompanied them on the journey in the past”.
During the first part of the meeting, the fundamental stages of the story of the Focolare Movement in Austria were reviewed, through historical photos and filmed witness, as though going through a family album. Up to the point, in 2001, when Chiara had passed 10 days in Austria, and had given important indications on the fields of action that the focolari community had to be committed. A video film with extracts from her speech at the Mayors Congress “1000 cities for Europe” (Innsbruck) revived memories of this special event in many of those present. This flash back was concluded with the memory, full of gratitude, of many members of the Movement, of different age and vocation, who have already reached the heavenly homeland.
The Focolare Movement in Austria “today” then followed, beginning with a presentation on the permanent Mariapolis “Giosi” and the Mariapolis Centre Am Spiegeln. From the “family treasures”, the experience of Reinhard Domig was presented, who in August 2008, was a victim of a violent robbery in his postal office, and who forgave his aggressor. There were various experiences of “dialogue” within the Catholic Church, and contacts with Christians of other Churches, and also with faithful of other faiths (mostly Muslims) and with persons without religious convictions, as the several years’ contacts with members of the Communist party. It is mostly a dialogue of life, sharing and participating in common action, such as projects for the integration of those in need, and pedagogy. Other initiatives at a more cultural level are those in the realms of economy, ecology, sport, and communication.
The young people presented the Social day for the homeless, aged, and children of refugees, the worldwide relay race for peace Run4unity, and the actions to allow ten Indonesian youths to participate at the coming Genfest in Budapest. All this is done to contribute to fraternity in Austria, a Country that is always becoming more pluralistic.
At this point, many wished to know Maria Voce personally, and she therefore gave a brief greeting. The feast then continued on stage with songs, games and artistic numbers; followed by a rich buffet.
On the 20th, Sunday morning, a new appointment was held at the Multiversum, with the more committed members of the community. The programme included a Mass animated by songs from the gen, followed by a dialogue meeting with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti. The replies to the questions were simple, illuminating, encouraging. The questions were made by youths and adults on themes regarding the witness to offer in today’s challenges so as to have more effective impact in the various spheres of society.
The joy of all exploded in a great applause, and the president of the Focolare concluded with this prospect: “The notion that ours is a life and not an organisation has over the years always accompanied me, and made me understand what it means to be children of God. I do not know whether I am being bold, but I would like to wish you liberty which means: be free also from the desire to be efficient, from the need to do things well, from the memory of things that did not happen as you would have wished, from the historical situation. Be free, to have the happiness of being able to say yes to God, and know that He awaits your collaboration, to make of the “ideal” Austria and example of true, profound liberty; it is a freedom that comes from recognising and accepting our limitations, from thinking that in spite of these limitations we can do good (this is more difficult!), believing that God works beyond them and with them. God acts if we say yes to him. He brings fire, that which is mentioned in the Word of Life of this month, which is drawing to a close, but we still have a few days to continue the blaze. This is my wish for you: that you are free to ignite the fire!”
By our correspondent Oreste Paliotti
