Focolare Word of Life

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.

Giving control to the Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  (Ps 23:1)Psalm 23 is perhaps the most well-known and best loved of all the psalms. It is a song of trust in God, but also a joyful profession of faith by someone who is part of the people of Israel, to whom God, through the prophets, had promised to be their shepherd. The psalmist also expresses his personal happiness in knowing that he is protected by the Temple, a place of shelter and grace.[1] And at the same time, because of this experience, he wants to encourage also other people to trust in the presence of the Lord.“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”The image of the shepherd with his flock is very dear to all biblical literature. To understand it fully, we need to imagine the arid and rocky deserts of the Middle East. The shepherd guides his flock, who are docile and allow themselves to be led, for without him they would get lost and die. The sheep have to learn to rely on him and listen to his voice. Above all, he is their constant companion.“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”This psalm invites us to strengthen our intimate relationship with God by experiencing his love. Some may wonder why the author goes so far as to say, “I shall not want”? In our daily life we encounter all kinds of problems and challenges - with our health, in the family, at work - not to mention the immense suffering of so many of our brothers and sisters due to war, natural disasters often caused by climate change, forced migration, acts of violence, and so on.“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”Perhaps the key to understanding this verse lies in the one that follows it: “for you are with me.”[2]  This states the certainty of the love of God who always accompanies us and leads us to live our life in a whole new way. Chiara Lubich wrote: “It is one thing to know we can have recourse to God, who exists, who cares for us and has redeemed us of our sins, and totally another thing to live with the conviction that we are God's beloved, for this banishes all loneliness, all sense of abandonment, any misgivings or any fear that may restrain us. (...) We come to realize that we are loved, and believe with all our heart in this love. We abandon ourselves trustingly to him and are ready to follow wherever he leads. Life's circumstances, sad or joyful, are illuminated by God's love that wills or permits everything that happens.”[3]  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”The one who brought this beautiful prophecy to fulfilment is Jesus. In John's Gospel he does not hesitate to call himself the “good shepherd.” The relationship with this shepherd is something special; it is very personal and intimate. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.”[4] He leads his sheep to graze in the pastures of his Word, which gives life, particularly the Word that contains the “new commandment.”[5] And when this reciprocal love is lived by his followers, it makes “almost visible” the presence of the Risen Lord within a community that is gathered in his name, in his love.[6]   Prepared by Augusto Parody Reyes and the Word of Life Team[1] See Ps 23:6.[2] Ps 23:4.[3] Chiara Lubich, Essential Writings – Spirituality, Dialogue, Culture, New City Press, New York, 2006, pg. 55[4] Jn 10:14.[5] Jn 17:21: “Love one another as I have loved you.”[6] See Mt 18:20.

The first experience is by Gary Hauk from Atlanta who shares how during his lifetime, various people have "planted seeds" in his heart, which ultimately helped him to understand his calling. The second experience comes to us from Long Island, New York. Elisa Fontana shares about her work at a soup kitchen.The third experience is by Lucy Bujnoch from Houston TX. She shares how together with her daughter they helped her grandson get through a difficult time.

Cultivating Confidence in God

Focolare Word of Life — June 2024“The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.” (Mk 4:26-27)The kingdom of God is at the heart of Jesus' message. In fact, in his Gospel, Mark wants to announce this good news. He describes it in a parable Jesus used, in which he compared the kingdom of God to a seed that, once cast into the ground, releases its life force and bears fruit. But what is the kingdom of God for us today? What does it have to do with our personal and collective history? How can it resolve the constant sense we might have of being suspended between expectations and disappointments? If it has already been sown, why don't we see its fruits of peace, security and happiness?“The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.”This Word of Life conveys to us that Jesus had total confidence in God's plan for humanity. Chiara Lubich wrote: “Since Jesus came into the world and was victorious over it, his kingdom is already present here on earth and its fulfilment at the end of history is already assured. The Church is the community of those who believe in his kingdom and is, in fact, its foundation.”[1] And to all who welcome his kingdom, God entrusts the task of preparing the ground to receive this gift and to maintain hope in his love. “(...) The fact is that no amount of human effort, no exercise in self denial, no intellectual study or research will give you the right to enter the kingdom of God. It is God himself who comes to meet you, who reveals himself with his light and who touches you with his grace. There is no merit on your part that you can boast of, or rely on, that will entitle you to such a gift from God. The kingdom is offered to you free of charge.”[2]“The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.”This parable speaks of scattering the seed. In other words, not holding on to it, but confidently sowing it over a large area. “Night and day” means that the kingdom grows silently, even in the darkness of night. And every day we can ask our Father: “Your kingdom come.” The farmer doesn't have to constantly check on the seed to see if it is growing. He needs to wait patiently for nature to take its course. This Word of Life helps us to understand that the seed we scatter is love and we should trust that it will bear fruit in its own time. It teaches us the art of patiently waiting for what can grow on its own, without being anxious about the result. It sets us free to welcome each neighbor in the present moment, valuing his or her potential, while respecting the time it takes them to grow. “A month before his wedding, our son phoned us in a state of alarm because his girlfriend had started using drugs again. He asked our advice about what he should do. It wasn't easy to know what to say. We could have taken advantage of the situation and persuaded him to leave her, but that didn't seem right. And so we suggested he listen to what his own heart was telling him (...).   “A long silence followed, then he said, ‘I think I can love her more.' After the wedding they managed to find an excellent rehabilitation center with outpatient support. Fourteen long months passed during which she managed to keep her commitment to ‘no more drugs.' “It will be a long road for everyone, but the evangelical love we try to have between the two of us as a couple - even though there are times when we are reduced to tears - gives us the strength to love our son in this delicate situation. Perhaps our love will also help him understand how to love his wife, too.”Prepared by Letizia Magri and the Word of Life team[1] Chiara Lubich, Word of Life, August 1983.[2] Chiara Lubich, Word of Life, October 1979.

1.  In the first experience, Robbie Young shares how he made himself available to serve and help a friend who suffered a stroke with many concrete acts of love.2. The second experience is by Stephen Thuo who, together with other young people, helped raise funds to gather supplies and deliver them to a correctional center for juveniles. 3.  In the third experience, Almie Latimore shares with us her great suffering due to the loss of her husband to cancer and how she discovered the love of God.

Focolare Word of Life —May 2024Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8).The first letter of John is addressed to all people and it encourages us to restore fellowship because our society is divided by many different doctrines and ways of life. John exhorts us to keep in mind what has been proclaimed from the beginning of Christain teaching when the first disciples experienced living a life with the Lord. By repeating this in the way we live with Jesus in our lives we will be in communion with the first disciples and therefore with Jesus and the Father.[i]Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.St. John reminds us that it has been revealed that God loved us first by taking upon himself a human existence, in Jesus, with all the limitations and weaknesses. While on the cross, Jesus shared in our separation from the Father through His cry, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” He brought to us healing through the total gift of Himself, by loving us without limits or conditions and His life show us what true love is. Through the example Jesus gives to us, we can understand that loving takes courage, hard work along with the risk of facing adversity and suffering. But, if we can love in this way we will participate in God's life and experience His freedom and the joy of self-giving. By loving as Jesus loved, we become aware that we are free from ourselves and from the selfishness that closes the door to communion with our brothers and sisters and with God.Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.The human heart longs to know God, who created us and who knows us in the deepest way possible.   Our faith informs us that God is Love and by loving like him we get a glimpse of the truth of this Love. And if we do make it to love like him we will grow in the knowledge of God because we are essentially living his life and we walk in his light. This is accomplished when love becomes mutual, because if we love one another, ‘God abides in us.' [ii] It's similar to two electric poles coming together to produce light.   Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.   Chiara Lubich said, ‘To witness that God is love is the great revolution we are called to offer to the modern world which is experiencing extreme tension just as the early Christians bore testimony to this in the pagan world of their time'. How can we do this? How can we live this love that comes from God? ‘By learning from his Son to put it into practice... in particular, let us focus on serving our neighbors, especially those closest to us, beginning with little things, with the most humble kinds of service. Let us make the effort, following Jesus' example, to take the initiative in loving, being detached from ourselves and embracing all the small or big crosses that this might entail. In this way, we too will soon reach that experience of God, that communion with him, that fullness of light, peace and inner joy which Jesus wants us to have.'[iii]Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.Santina often visited a nursing home that was run by a Catholic association. One day, she and Roberta, her colleague, met Aldo, a tall, very cultured and very wealthy man. Aldo looked sternly at the two young women and said, ‘Why do you always come here? What do you want from us? Why don't you just let us die in peace?' Santina didn't lose heart and told him, ‘We are here for you, to spend some time together, to get to know each other and become friends.' They continued to visit the home regularly. Roberta recounts, ‘That man was particularly closed in on himself and dejected. He did not believe in God. Santina was the only one who was able to get close to him, gently listening to him for hours. She prayed for him and, on one occasion, gave him a rosary which he accepted.' Later, Santina learned that he had spoken her name as he was dying. The pain of his death was lessened by the fact that he died peacefully, holding the rosary she had given him.' Prepared by Silvano Malini and the Word of Life Team  [i] Cf. 1Jn 1:1-3[ii] Cf 1Jn 4:12[iii] C. Lubich Word of Life May 1991

In the first experience, Javier Lurch, president of one of the chapters of Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Atlanta Georgia shares how he helped prevent a young woman and her family from being evicted from their home.The second experience is by Maggie Horton from Kansas City. She shares how the Risen Lord is made present within the community of women she is currently living in. And in the third experience, Julie Mundell tells us how her Economy of Communion business assisted a struggling family to purchase a home.

"Share what gives life"

“With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33)This sentence, which is used in the liturgy during the Easter season, invites everyone who has received the message of the Gospel to freely witness to the great event that has changed history forever. It invites us to give witness to Jesus' resurrection! To fully understand the meaning of this verse taken from the Acts of the Apostles, it is helpful to quote the sentence that precedes it: “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.”[1]“With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the  Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”   The text describes the first Christian community as filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and characterized by a life of communion that motivated each member to proclaim the good news of the Gospel to everyone – namely, that Christ is risen. These are the same people who before Pentecost were alarmed and frightened by the events that had taken place, and yet now had come out into the open and were ready to bear witness even to the point of martyrdom.The power of the Holy Spirit had swept away all their fear and apprehension. They were of one heart and one soul and they practiced mutual love to the point of sharing their possessions. And their way of life attracted an always greater number of people to follow them. Among them were men and women who had known Jesus and heard his words.They had lived alongside him, and with him they had loved and served the sick and those regarded as the least in society.They had seen Jesus' marvelous deeds with their own eyes. Their lives had changed because they had been called to live according to his new law. They were the first witnesses to God living among people who loved one another. But what does it mean today for the followers of Jesus to be witnesses to the resurrection?“With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the  Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”   The most effective way to bear witness to the Risen Lord is to show that he is alive, and, in fact, lives among us. "If we keep love for our neighbor alive in our hearts, then the risen Lord will live within each of us. Then if we make a special effort to maintain mutual love among us, the risen Lord will live both in us and in our midst, and will radiate his light and grace around us, transforming our surroundings and producing incalculable fruits. It will be the risen Lord, through his Spirit, who will guide our steps and our activities. He will be the one who will arrange circumstances and provide us with opportunities to bring his life to those in need of him.”[2]“With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the  Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”Margaret Karram[3] writes: "‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all of creation‘[4] is the extraordinary task that the apostles received two thousand years ago directly from Jesus and that changed the course of history. Today Jesus addresses the same invitation to us, asking us to bring him into the world with all the creativity, talents and freedom he himself has given us. (...) "It is a proclamation that does not end with his death - on the contrary! It takes on new strength after the resurrection and Pentecost, when the disciples became courageous witnesses to the Gospel. Their mandate then comes down to us today. Through each one of us, God wants to continue to tell his story of love to those with whom we share a short or a long stretch of time in our life."[5] Prepared by Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life team[1] Acts 4:32.[2] Chiara Lubich, Word of Life, January 1986.[3] Margaret Karram, current President of the Focolare Movement.[4] Mk 16:15.[5] Margaret Karram, in her talk entitled, Called & Sent, September 15, 2023.

In the first experience, Liz Balzer from Long Island, New York shares about her effort to forgive her co-worker, and how doing so played an important role in reestablishing a good relationship with her.The second experience is by Jonathon Kelso from Atlanta GA who tells us how being reconciled with God through the sacrament of confession brought about unimaginable fruits.In the last experience, JoAnn Rowley from Texas shares how, despite the difficulty in doing so, she persevered in loving her husband's grandmother and how this gave her great peace and joy.

 "Letting the Light In" 

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” (Ps 51:10)The phrase of Scripture offered to us during this Lenten season is from Psalm 51. In the tenth verse, we find the poignant and humble invocation, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” This psalm is one of the “penitential psalms” in which David asks forgiveness for his sins, acknowledging that only God's mercy can save him. He begins by recognizing that he has “done evil in your sight,” in the most hidden places of his heart, and that God is justified in his sentence. But at the same time he expressed his insatiable yearning for full communion with God, the source of every grace and mercy, asking him to “restore me to the joy of your salvation.”“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”The psalm is written after a well-known episode in David's life. He had been called by God to care for the people of Israel and to lead them on the path of obedience to the covenant. And yet he violated his mission. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, he ensured that her husband, Uriah the Hittite, an officer in his army, would be killed in battle. The prophet Nathan shows him the seriousness of his guilt and helps him acknowledge it. This is the moment when he confesses his sin and is reconciled with God. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” In this psalm David uses heartfelt forms of invocation, which come from his deep sense of repentance and total trust in divine forgiveness. “Purge me,” he says, “wash me,” “blot out all my iniquities.” In particular, in the verse we have taken for this month, he uses the verb “create” to indicate that complete deliverance from human weakness is possible only from God. It expresses the realization that only God can make us truly “new,” with “clean hearts,” filling us with his life-giving spirit, giving us true joy and radically transforming our relationship with him, with other people, and with nature and the cosmos, by giving us a “steadfast spirit.”“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”How can we put this Word of Life into practice? The first step is to recognize that we are sinners, in need of God's forgiveness, and to have immense trust in his mercy. Maybe our repeated mistakes make us feel discouraged and tempt us to close in on ourselves. When this happens, we should try to keep the door of our heart open, at least a little. In the early 1940s, Chiara Lubich wrote to someone who felt unable to go beyond the fact that she had sinned mirerably. Chiara told her: “We need to remove every other thought from our mind and believe that Jesus is attracted to us precisely because of our humble, honest and loving confession of our sins. In and of ourselves, whatever we have and do is despicable. Instead, God, on his part, has no other attitude toward us than mercy. Our souls can be united to him only by offering him as our gift, as our only gift, not our virtues but our sins! (...) If Jesus came to earth, if he became man, if he longed for one thing alone (...), it was to be a saviour, to be a physician! He desired nothing else.”[1]“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” Then, once freed and forgiven, and mindful of the help we receive from others, since Christians find strength in their community, let us start loving in concrete ways every neighbor, whoever they may be. In another place, Chiara wrote: “What is asked of us is mutual love, made of service and understanding, of sharing in the sufferings, anxieties and joys of our brothers and sisters. This is a love that covers over everything, forgives everything, the love that is the typical of a Christian.”[2] Finally, Pope Francis tells us: “God's forgiveness (...) is the greatest sign of his mercy. It is a gift that every forgiven sinner is called to share with every person they meet. All those whom the Lord has placed beside us - family, friends, coworkers, parishioners - everyone needs, as we do, the mercy of God. It is beautiful to be forgiven, but you too, if you want to be forgiven, forgive in turn. Forgive! (...) Be witnesses to his forgiveness, which purifies the heart and transforms life.“[3] Prepared by Augusto Parody Reyes & the Word of Life Team[1] Chiara Lubich, Letters 1943-1960, Citta Nuova, 2022.[2] Chiara Lubich, Word of Life, May 2002.[3] Pope Francis, General Audience, March 30, 2016.

In the first experience, Susan Staffier from San Antonio, TX tells us about the task of managing her mother's will and a challenging time with her brother.The second experience is by John Mundell from Indiana who shares how his small act of love in the office had a big impact among his employees.The last experience comes to us from Toronto, Canada. Dick who is 98 years old and Shirley Tetreau tell us about the mutual love between them and the community.

"Are you wearing love today?"

Roberto Jervis from Naples Florida shares how he recognized Jesus in a homeless man and invited him to eat with him. Gloria Avent from South Carolina shares how she made a special effort in reaching out to someone she needed to be reconciled with.Yolla Kadissi from Dallas shares how after a missunderstanding with her neighbor, she worked hard to re-establish a good relationship with them.

This month's Word of Life is the basis for this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.“Love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).On his way to Jerusalem Jesus was stopped by a doctor of the law who asked him, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus responded with a counter-question, “What is written in the Law?" He answered, “Love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself” The doctor of the law continued by asking, ‘And who is my neighbor?' The Master responded by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. He does not list the various types of people who may be neighbors but describes the attitude of deep compassion that should underlie all our actions. We should become ‘neighbor' to others. So, perhaps the question to ask is, “How do we become “neighbor” to others? Just as the Samaritan did, we can take care of our brothers and sisters who have needs that we know and not be fearful of becoming fully involved in the situations that arise all around us. Our love can show concern and bring help, support and encouragement to those in need. We need to see people as ‘another self' and do to them what we would want done to us. This is the ‘golden rule' that we find in all other religions. Gandhi explains it in another way, ‘You and I are one. I cannot hurt you without hurting myself'.“Love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself”‘If we are indifferent about the needs of our neighbor, whether they are material or spiritual, we cannot say that we love our neighbor as ourselves. We cannot say that we love them as Jesus loved them. In a community that strives to be inspired by the love that Jesus taught, there can be no place for inequality, marginalization or neglect. ... For as long as we regard our neighbor as a stranger who is disturbing our peaceful lives and disrupting our plans, we will not be able to say that we love God with all our hearts,' because Jesus instructs us... “Love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself”Life is what happens in the present moment. Noticing those around us and knowing how to listen to each other can open up interesting situations and set in motion unexpected initiatives. This is what happened to Victoria: ‘In church I was struck by the beautiful voice of an African woman sitting next to me. I congratulated her and encouraged her to join the parish choir. This gave us an opportunity to talk. I learned that she was a nun from Equatorial Guinea who was just passing through Madrid. She along with the others in her convent take in abandoned baby boys and girls and care for them until they become adults. These young people usually either study at university or learn a trade. They had a tailoring workshop that was well established but she said they did not have a sufficient number of sewing machines and some they had were in need of repair. I offered to help her find more machines. I placed my trust in Jesus and was sure that he was listening to her needs. This urged me to love without measure. One of my friends knew a tradesman who was happy to participate in this chain of love. He arranged to repair eight machines and even found an ironing machine for the workshop. A couple of friends offered to deliver the new machines even though it meant changing the destination of their two-day holiday by traveling nearly 600 miles. Thus, the “hope machines” arrived in Malabo after a long journey. The people in Equatorial Guinea could not believe what had happened and could only express their immense gratitude!'Prepared by Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life Team

The first experience is from Dennis Clifford who shares how he and his wife, Joan reconciled after having a disagreement as they prepared to receive dinner guests.Duccia Dimatulac shares how she assisted her friend Maryrose during a serious illness and accompanied her until the end.And in the final experience Dennis Cali tells us about a family gathering with a 90-year-old aunt who after witnessing the mutual love among them, decided to become Catholic.