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100 years of Chiara Lubich and the ambassadors of love

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On 27/10/2020

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In 2020 the Focolare community all around the world celebrates hundred years of Chiara Lubich’s life. 

If there is a simple reason why the Focolare movement should still exist, even without the presence of its charismatic founder, it is the fact that its members have a profound hope in love and, with that, they aim to be bridge builders in a divided world.

In a particular period of history when Chiara’s message about unity seems even more crucial for the success of humanity, the members of the Focolare are called to continue to believe in love. A hope that starts with testifying, with a very humble and committed attitude, the grace of God’s love. This love is what gives us the strength to resist, to seek justice, to heal and to make this world a better place for the next generations.

Chiara Lubich was an ordinary woman with an extraordinary calling that brought together hundreds of thousands of people from different cultures, countries, races and religions. Her heritage is renewed every time the Focolare community reminds itself to be, first of all, ambassadors of love.

Mutual love

Systematically challenged to mutual love

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On 19/09/2020

In In English

This year, I received as a gift the book “My Ecumenical Journey” by the founder of the Focolare Movement Chiara Lubich (1920-2008). The compilation of reflections about ecumenism is accompanying my morning meditation before I start to work.

One year ago, I joined the communication department of the World Council of Churches, a membership organization that works for the unity between Churches from different Christian denominations.

Believing in unity nowadays demands hope in something bigger than merely human goodwill. But Chiara Lubich’s reflections on “My Ecumenical Journey” give some key elements that can help us to walk together towards a shared space of empathy, acceptance and communion.

Those who want to contribute to a united world, particularly between the various Churches, are systematically challenged to mutual love.

“A love that leads each Church to become a gift for the others, so that we can foresee in the Church of the future that there will be just one truth, but that it will be expressed in different ways, seen from different viewpoints, made more beautiful by the variety of interpretations”,

Chiara Lubich, my EcumEnical journey.

Mutual love starts with us, though. We are invited to be the first to love and not to wait that love comes from someone else. But what can we do when love doesn’t become mutual? In moments where we can’t understand or accept each other, Jesus Forsaken remembers us the measure of God’s love, that overcome men’s fears, indifference, ignorance and even death.

In “The art of loving”, another inspiring book that I read recently, Erich Fromm recalls that “Love is not just a relationship with a particular person: it is an attitude, a character orientation that determines a person’s relationship with the world.”

Love is our final Christian call. And we, church people, can’t do it without ecumenism. Seeking unity between our Churches, acknowledging the richness of the many interpretations of the Gospel, is to accept the systematical challenge for loving each other and to testify a world where differences don’t necessarily trigger division.

Notes: On 23 September this text was also published on the WCC Blog

Memories

Memories

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On 15/09/2020

In In English

Memories.
Those core moments that wire our existence
and give meaning to the time we spend here.
Is there a life with no memories?
Everything would be just void. Foolness.
We live, we struggle, we smile, again and again.
And all our memories are there, testifying our journey.
Luckily.

ecumenical

My most ecumenical year

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On 20/05/2020

In In English

Today I celebrate my first year working for the most important ecumenical organisation in the world. The World Council of Churches is a fellowship that brings together hundreds of different churches from several denominations. 

In times when society seems increasingly divided, and faith is not rarely misused, working for a fellowship of churches can potentially be considered a waste of time. But I have testified how religious leaders play a crucial role in strengthening communities all across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Sometimes faith provides an entry point whereas other institutions struggle to reach vulnerable people.

On 20 May 2019, I joined the Communication team of the Council. It was a moment in my career in which I was thirsty for a new challenge. I was hoping to be part of a team, and I needed to follow my life decision on choosing a workplace where I could share my knowledge and skills but also make a positive difference in peoples lives. 

Today, I can say that my journey at WCC has never been tedious. Never. I am challenged on a daily basis. But the most striking thing for me is that I can experience the beauty of ecumenism day by day.

In Geneva, most of the time, I share the office with a Latvian Lutheran man and a Greek Orthodox woman. God only knows how diverse we are! As a Catholic Brazilian growing up within the Focolare community, I simply can’t stress enough how fulfilled I am, as a Christian communicator working, particularly, with these two colleagues. It is beautiful to realise that despite our different faith backgrounds, our sometimes opposite worldviews, we are deeply connected by our love for communication and the strong commitment for justice and peace.

In my most ecumenical year, I understood that ecumenism is first and foremost a personal choice. The big lesson at the Council is that unity is a masterpiece that needs to be carefully crafted. And this presupposes my willingness to invest energy, skills, love and, especially, patience and compassion.

The expulsion of the Other

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On 16/05/2020

In In English

I have always been amazed by the concept of the Other as someone ontologically different than me. The one who surprises me and sometimes hurts me, not because he/she is acting in bad faith, but for the simple reason that he/she doesn’t function like me.

During my studies in Italy, I decided to reflect on the existence of the Other and how mass media perceived him/her. The reason for that endeavour was what drove me to Journalism: How to deal with the daily challenge to make news that connects people despite their different realities?

The Other, the different, doesn’t share my values, doesn’t have my worldview, but through a methodology that seeks objectivity, he/she must be acknowledged, listened to, embraced.

My quest for accepting the many others that life presented me brought me to The expulsion of the Other, book written by South Korean-born German philosopher and cultural theorist, Byung-Chul Han.

I have to admit that it wasn’t easy to follow the author’s line of thought. It is a short but dense work with some brilliant insights. After closing the book, I carried a particular concept with me: the first step to acknowledge the other, that is entirely different than me, is to exercise my capacity to listen. From the author’s words:

“Listening has a political dimension. It is an act, an active participation in the existence of Others, in their suffering too. It is what joins and connects people to form a community in the first place”.

Byung-Chul Han

The expulsion of the Other helped me remember another aspect that brought me to Communication: We must never exclude those who think differently. Therefore, dialogue, negotiation, and compassion are our allies for a shared and peaceful existence.

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