Riccardi

29 November (probably 1945) This is a letter addressed to Anna Melchiori to whom Chiara gave the name “Giovanna”,  from the name of the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. The various subjects touched upon in these few lines includemercy and the works of mercy. Dearest Giovanna, Saint Clare! On this feast day of All Franciscan Saints, may she give to  you all of her Seraphic Flame and burning love for our Abandoned Christ! Keep Him ever before you as the example of extreme love. He is Everything. He is the giver of unity. Giovanna, pray more (which means to pray well, very well). Let Jesus pray when, alive, he lives in your heart after Holy Communion. Let Him once again pray his final prayer to the Father that you maybe made worthy to work for the Greatest Ideal: God. Always get up and walk again. Remember that at the end of your life you’ll be asked for the 7 + 7 works of Mercy. If you did them, you did everything. And

Castel Gandolfo, December 8, 1996 Extract from a talk given by Chiara Lubich on the collective spirituality To believe in the extraordinary grace of being able to imitate Mary. Chiara shares here the experience of light that the Holy Spirit gave her, conveying this conviction to us and suggesting we can honour her in this way. … As we briefly look over the history of the Focolare Movement with regard to Mary, we can see more clearly who Mary is for us, and how she can be considered as a cornerstone of our spirituality. From the earliest days of the Focolare, although during that period of time it seemed that she was letting the Spirit highlight almost exclusively Jesus and his gospel, Mary appeared, although discreetly, in order to reveal to us at once her relationship with unity. Some examples. I wrote in 1947: “I am convinced that it is she [Mary] who wants unity. She [Mary]: Mater unitatis! … “She knows Satan, his promises, deceptions, and traps; and she calls

Rocca di Papa, 3rd January 1985 The following reflection by Chiara Lubich, given during a world wide conference call, can help us live the Word of Life for May. Her words on “mercy”, “loving without limits” and not being afraid to “go out towards others” are very relevant today. The New Year begins with a splendid Word of Life: But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ (Eph. 2:4-5). The commentary on this Word of Life, which you may have already read, underlines two characteristics of God’s love. One is that God in His love took the initiative to love us even though we were anything but lovable ("dead through our sins"). The second is that God's love did not only reach the point of forgiving our sins, but since His love is infinite, He brought us to share in His own life ("he brought us to life in Christ”).