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Castel Gandolfo 18th June 1988 Chiara Lubich's answer to a child Chiara, sometimes when I fight with my brothers, after one or two days, I can't get along with them, and it is hard for me to forgive them. What do you think I should do, Chiara, so that I can get along with them? I know that I have to love them, but I'm not able to.... Chiara: I understand! Sometimes he fights with his brothers. He would like to stop doing this because he knows he should love, but he isn't able to, and so he asks, "What can I do?" Well, this is what I have tried to do: when I feel a little angry, a little bit of anger (and this is the "old self" who surfaces; it is the "old self" who wants to win) I have tried to tell myself, "Stop it!" I say this to the "old self" in me   and I start loving. We must always do this. The "old self" wants to take

Rieti, June 4, 1996 The experience of the Focolare Movement in interreligious dialogue. Taken from Chiara Lubich’s talk on the occasion of the “Civilization of Love” Prize. Your Excellencies, Mr. Mayor, Religious and Civil Authorities, Ladies, Gentlemen, friends, Thank you, first of all, for the award you have given me. I was especially pleased because it is called the “Civilization of Love” Prize. These words immediately strike a note of harmony between the international Forum and the Focolare Movement which I represent here, along with others - as we heard - and which is simply one of the instruments in the Church which spread the love of Christ everywhere.  Here dialogue is part of life and especially interreligious dialogue. Is it an impossible undertaking? No, on the contrary, it is an obligatory and timely endeavor. Today, in fact, the world and humankind is going towards a lofty and necessary objective: bringing together all people into one family, achieving universal brotherhood. Despite the tensions of the modern world (those between North and

Lublin (Poland), June 19, 1996 Extract from the address given by Chiara Lubich at the conferral of the honorary doctorate in Social Sciences by the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. The Focolare Movement. It is not easy to describe it in a few minutes. However, we can clearly see the purpose for which we believe God brought it about. It came to life within the Church in the 1940s. In those days an ideology that did not acknowledge God was spreading throughout the world. It wanted to banish God from society. Hatred had acquired an important role in the fulfillment of a society which nonetheless wanted to present itself as progressive. Unity, the unity of peoples without God, was the utopia presented as credible, as one for which it was worth spending most of one’s energy. In was within this context that the Focolare Movement began. This is a Movement whose main objectives and goals are these: God chosen in fact as an Ideal; love chosen as a lifestyle; unity which

Paris, April 26, 1998 We are perhaps too used to seeing the mother of Jesus from a devotional point of view, rather than considering her role in the universal plan of providence.  This can make it difficult to understand the deep inner conviction which led to Chiara Lubich wanting to re-live Mary, who is a model for everyone. Nicole: In Paradise 1949 you understood Mary in a new and splendid way. Can you tell us something about your relationship with her today? Chiara:  All right, yes. How do I see Mary now? I see her as being very great, very, very, very great because that is how she is. I no longer see her as the young girl from Nazareth, as she is often shown in little statues. No, I know that she is very great! … We can’t imagine nor will we ever be able to imagine how great Mary is. So let’s use all our imagination, all the ideas we might have in order to fathom something of how great

Prague 30th April 2001 Chiara Lubich’s answer to a question put to her at the meeting with the community of the Focolare Movement in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Marie: “Chiara, you have a special relationship with the Holy Spirit. Could you tell us about this?” Chiara: With regard to the Holy Spirit, I must admit I have a relationship with the Holy Spirit which arises out of love, certainly, but also out of necessity.   What would I do without the Holy Spirit? It would be useless for me to go and speak; it would be useless to…. For example, I ask the Holy Spirit for help many times a day, and above all, I do this with the other focolarine and focolarini, because Jesus said that if we ask together, it is easier to obtain the Holy Spirit. Jesus also told us it is easy to obtain the Holy Spirit, because if a father does not give you a scorpion instead of bread, but gives you bread, so too

The Little Town of Araceli (San Paulo), 26th April 1998 In the whole of the youth section of the Focolare Movement, this week is “United World Week”. The text that follows is Chiara Lubich’s message to young people dated 26th April 1998. Dear Youth for a United World, I know that you hoped to receive a message from me that would contribute towards the success of United World Week. What subject have I chosen to speak on? There couldn’t be a better one than your very own goal of achieving a united world. Is it reasonable to talk about a united world? Is it possible to imagine a united world? Can we hope that the attention we give and the energy we use will one day play a significant role in reaching such an objective? Or is it a utopia, something unattainable and fantastical, as some people might think? Many signs today point to the fact that the world is heading towards this goal. First of all, there is the conviction