Archivio SCRITTI EN

From Chiara’s Diary The virginity pleasing to God does not lie only in physical virginity, but in that spiritual attitude that is “inexistence” for oneself, where we are all always for God. It is the transparency of Mary who never thought of herself but only of God, Christ and the Church, the mystical Body of Christ. The virginity which pleases God is synonymous with love, which burns like fire. Love that is participation in the divine life of God who is Love; God who manifests His divine virginity in his intimate life of perfect reciprocal self-giving.The virgin is he or she who goes ahead without any supports, only with God. It is he or she who finds strength in not having any supports, because God intervenes to assist and strengthen when a soul fully trusts solely in Him.If the Scripture phrase, "Diis estis" (“You are gods”) can be suitably applied to any state of life, this above all holds true for the virgin who is at the service of the Kingdom

December 1999 Commetary on the Word of Life (original historical version): Nothing is impossible to God. (Lk 1:37) When Mary asked the angel at the Annunciation: “How can this be?”  the answer was: “Nothing is impossible to God” and, as proof of these words, she was given the example of Elizabeth, who in her old age had conceived a son. Mary believed and became the Mother of the Lord. God is almighty. This name ‘Almighty’ is often found in Holy Scripture and is used when expressing God’s power in blessing, in judging, in guiding the course of events and in achieving his plans. There is only one limit to God’s all-powerfulness, and that is human freedom. It can oppose his will, making the human being powerless, when instead he or she is called to share in the very power of God. Nothing is impossible to God. These words opportunely come to conclude the year dedicated to the Father, in the Catholic Church, before the Jubilee of 2000. They lead us to

November 1999 Commetary on the Word of Life: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8). Jesus begins his preaching with the Sermon on the Mount. On a hill near Lake Tiberius, not far from Capernaum, Jesus sat down, as was customary for teachers, and proclaimed the beatitudes to the crowds. The word ‘blessed’ had been heard throughout the Old Testament. It spoke of the exaltation of the one who, in the widest variety of ways, fulfilled the Word of the Lord. The beatitudes of Jesus were partly an echo of the ones the disciples already knew. But for the first time they heard that not only were the pure in heart worthy of  going up the hill of the Lord, as the psalmist sang (Ps. 24:4), but they could even see God. What kind of purity could be so sublime as to deserve so much? Jesus would explain it several times during the course of his preaching. Let’s try to follow him so we can

October 1999 Commetary on the Word of Life: You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mt 22:39) These words can also be found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Lv 19:18). Jesus responds to a tricky question by placing himself in the context of the great prophetic and rabbinical tradition that was in search of the unifying principle of the Torah, that is, the teaching of God contained in the Bible. Rabbi Hillel once said: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. That is all there is in the Torah. All the rest is mere commentary.” For the teachers of Judaism, love of neighbour derives from love of God, who created man in his image and likeness. Therefore, it is not possible to love God without loving your neighbour: this is the true motive for love of neighbour, and it is “a great and general principle in the law.” Jesus repeated this principle and added that the command to love one's neighbour is similar to the first and greatest

October 19, 1970 In today’s consumer society the main thing we want to save is time. If we read advertisements, or listen to the radio and T.V., we often hear the expressions: "instant, ready-made, immediate delivery." Even sculptors and painters now work fast and take shortcuts, whereas in the past, the artist took his time. The changes came fast in our own familiar cities. The field at the city limits has now been transformed into a suburb. In just a few months time, streets that we walked along for years are turned into highways. Everything is done quickly and efficiently, a lot is prefabricated.This is even more true in the field of communication. It is now possible to reach people far away, saving a lot of travel time. It is impossible not to be influenced by this new pace that humanity is caught up in, even for Christians who are careful and are attracted by the mysteries of the spirit, even for people open to the most sublime things, especially where

Letter (1949?) to the young girls of the Third Franciscan Order This undated letter is certainly written at the beginning of Chiara’s adventure because of her underlining the concrete love of neighbour: in fact, the first response to God, discovered as Love, was to assist the poor people of Trent.Even though in this letter Chiara does not yet speak of unity, the emphasis is put on mutual help and the horizon is widened to universal brotherhood. My dear sisters! St. Francis, the Saint of fire and deeds, from the highest Heaven, where he lives blessed and anxious to fulfil the Work of God entrusted to him till the end of time, he looks at us, young people burning with vibrant life with the hope of a Saint. Listen to your neighbour’s heart! Break through every dam, every darkness, every difficulty, every petty thought and look to Heaven that awaits us and is the prize which we will enjoy for an everlasting period. Too little do we think of Paradise! To us,