Focolare Word of Life

 "Behold, I make all things new".Welcome to the December 2025 Word of Life reflection by Fr. Tyler Mattson.This month's scripture phrase is:“All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God”  Taken from Isaiah 52:10

Focolare Word of Life — December 2025“All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” (Is 52:10).Taken into exile in Babylon, the people of Israel lost everything: their land, their king, the temple, and thus the possibility to worship their God—the one who in the past had brought them out of Egypt.But now, the voice of a prophet makes an astonishing announcement: it is time to return home. Once again, God will intervene with power and lead the Israelites across the desert back to Jerusalem, and all the peoples of the earth will witness this miraculous event:“All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”Even today, the news is filled with alarming reports: people losing jobs, health, security, and dignity; young people especially risking their future because of war, and poverty caused by climate change in their countries; peoples without land, peace, or freedom.A tragic scenario of global proportions that takes one's breath away and darkens the horizon. Who will save us from the destruction of all we believed we possessed? Hope seems to have no reason to exist. Yet, the prophet's announcement is for us as well:“All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”His word reveals God's action in personal and collective history and invites us to open our eyes to the signs of this plan of salvation. Indeed, it is already at work in the educational dedication of a teacher, in the honesty of an entrepreneur, in the integrity of an administrator, in the faithfulness of a married couple, in the embrace of a child, in the tenderness of a nurse, in the patience of a grandmother, in the courage of men and women who peacefully oppose crime, and in the welcoming of a community.“All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”Christmas is approaching. In the sign of the unarmed innocence of the Child, we can once again recognize God's patient and merciful presence in human history and bear witness to it through our countercultural choices: “[…] to a world like ours, where struggle is theorized, where the law of the strongest, the cleverest, the most unscrupulous prevails, and where sometimes everything seems paralyzed by materialism and selfishness, the answer to give is love of neighbor. Love for others is the true remedy that can heal a world caught in conflict, selfishness, and struggle. It spreads like a warm wave of divine presence, touching and transforming relationships between individuals and communities. Over time, this love gently changes society, making it more compassionate and united.”¹ Just as for the people of Israel, this is also the moment for us to set out on a journey. A journey that gives us a favorable opportunity to take a decisive step forward toward those who—whether young or elderly, poor or migrants, unemployed or homeless, sick or imprisoned—are waiting for a gesture of care and closeness, a testimony to the gentle yet effective presence of God's love among us. Today, the boundaries where we need to share this message of hope include not only physical borders, which too often turn into walls or painful lines of conflict, but also cultural and personal divides. Additionally, digital communities; online spaces where people, especially young people, connect and interact can play an important role to overcome aggression, loneliness, and exclusion. Edited by Letizia Magri and the Word of Life team1  C. Lubich, Word of Life, May 1985, in Words of Life, edited by Fabio Ciardi, (Works of Chiara Lubich, Vol. 5), Città Nuova, Rome, 2017, pp. 323-324

In this episode, you'll hear three inspiring stories of peace in action. Marie shares how a peaceful demonstration at her school became a moment of real transformation. Anton offers a delightful story filled with the simple wisdom of peacemaking. And Miguel reflects on how patience and understanding helped him build a more peaceful relationship.

Welcome to this month's Word of Life reflection by Fr. Tyler Mattson.The Word of Life for NOVEMBER 2025 is:“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew Chapter 5, verse 9)To watch the video version of this reflection, visit the Focolare Media YouTube channel.And to listen to the commentary on the Word of Life just go to the previous episode of this podcast. There you can also listen to experiences on the word of life.

“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost” (Luke 15:6).In ancient times in the Middle East, shepherds used to count their sheep when they returned from pasture, ready to search for even one that might be missing. They would even venture out into the desert at night to find any that had strayed. This parable is a story of loss and recovery that highlights the love of the shepherd. He notices that a sheep is missing, searches for it, finds it, and carries it back on his shoulders because it is weak and frightened, perhaps wounded, and unable to follow the shepherd on its own. He brings it home to safety and then, filled with joy, invites his neighbors to celebrate together.“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.”The recurring themes in this story can be summarized in three actions: getting lost, being found, and celebrating. Getting lost. The good news is that the Lord goes in search of those who are lost. We often lose ourselves in the various deserts around us, or in which we are forced to live, or in which we take refuge: the deserts of abandonment, marginalization, poverty, misunderstanding and disunity. The Shepherd seeks us even there, and even if we lose sight of him, he will always find us again. Being found. Let's try to imagine the scene of the shepherd's frantic search in the desert. It's an image that strikes us with its expressive power. We can understand the joy felt by both the shepherd and the sheep, and this encounter restores in the sheep the sense of being safe after escaping danger. “To be found” is truly an act of divine mercy. Celebrating. The shepherd gathers his friends to celebrate because he wants to share his joy, as in the other two parables that follow this one, that of the lost coin and that of the merciful father.1 Jesus wants us to understand the importance of sharing joy with everyone, and he also wants to “immunize” us against the temptation of judging others. We are all “found.”“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.”This Word of Life is an invitation to be grateful for the mercy that God has for each of us personally. The fact that we rejoice and celebrate together presents an image of unity, where there is no opposition between those who are “righteous” and those who are “sinners,” but rather we share in each other's joy. Chiara Lubich commented on this phrase: “It's an invitation to understand the heart of God, to believe in his love. Inclined as we are to measure and calculate, at times we think that God's love for us is like that, too. We think that God will tire of us and say, ‘That's enough!' But God's logic is not like ours. (…) God is always waiting for us; indeed, we give him immense joy every time we return to him, even countless times.”2 “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.”Sometimes we can be those shepherds, those guardians of one another who lovingly go in search of those who have strayed from us, from our friendship, from our community, in search of the marginalized, the lost, the little ones whom the trials of life have pushed to the margins of society. “Some students attended classes only sporadically,” a teacher tells us. “During my free periods, I would go to the market near the school, hoping to find them there, because I had heard that's where they worked to earn a little money. One day, I finally saw them, and they were surprised that I had come personally to look for them. They were struck to learn how important they were to the entire school community. They started coming to school regularly again, and it was truly a celebration for everyone."Prepared by Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life Team

In this episode, Marcy Bautista shares a powerful experience about a car accident that he was involved in and how he gave his all to perform in a concert despite the pain he was in. Katie Novak's initiative to share clothes with friends and family is an inspiration to all of us. Hashem Fudaeel shares about his visit to Rome as he participated in an interfaith conference and about his efforts to be a catalyst of unity between two participants who were experiencing differences.

«But she [this widow] out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on» (Mk 12:44)

In this episode Giovanni Lo from Australia tells us about his demanding work schedule and how he was able to manage and find a way to be of service and at the same time find a balance.Deacon James Martin from Atlanta GA tells us what it means for him to become “great” and how serving others is the way.And Eliana Gonzalez shares about her family's challenges in obtaining their documents to be able to immigrate to the USA from Argentina.

 "The Upside-down Leadership of Jesus"

Focolare Word of Life — August 2024   “Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Mt 17:4).

1.  In the first experience, Linda Specht shares how after a serious accident she relied greatly on Psalms 23 to help her get through her ordeal.2. The second experience is by Camille who shares how she shepherds her “flock”, the disabled members of the L'Arche community where she works. 3. In the third experience Dennis Clifford tells us about a neighbor that he and his wife helped get back on his feet as he encountered many challenges.