Riccardi

Lake Constance (Switzerland), 16 April 1981 In the life and thought of Chiara Lubich, the most precious moments of the year are in Holy Week. We are now living through the most precious moments of the year. They are precious for the Church that re-lives the liturgy of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. They are precious to all of us in the Movement because we have a spirituality that is centered on unity and on Jesus forsaken. Today is Holy Thursday, our feast day. Like today, many years ago, Jesus gave his disciples the new commandment, the commandment which is the fundamental law and the basis of every other rule for each of us. Like today, Jesus prayed for unity: “May they all be one.” Like today, he instituted the Eucharist which makes him present among us and in fact brings about our unity with Him and with one another. And like today, he instituted the priesthood that makes the Eucharist possible. All of this in one day. What more do

Washington, D.C. November 10, 2000 Part of the lecture given by Chiara Lubich on 10th November 2000 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, on the occasion of the conferral of the honorary doctorate in education. Our Movement can also be viewed from theological, philosophical, cultural, social, economic, educative and artistic standpoints, as well as from ecumenical or interreligious perspectives. I would like to share with you now some of the ways that the more significant points of this spirituality have had an impact in the area of education. Actually, our Movement and the stages of its development can be viewed as one continuous, extraordinary educational event. All the necessary factors are present, including a well-defined educational theory and method which underlie our efforts in this field. But first let us ask ourselves: what is education? Education can be defined as the itinerary which a subject (either an individual or a community) pursues with the help of one or more educators, moving toward a goal considered worthwhile both for the

Loppiano, 6 May 1995  An answer to the inhabitants of the little town of Loppiano. It is God’s dream that Chiara Lubich sees taking place... What will the united world be like, really, according to the plans of God? Chiara: ... You see, everyone is going towards the recapitulation that Christ will bring about of all people, of all things. The united world is not a imaginary thing that we in the Focolare came up with; it’s Christian imagination, it’s a Christian thing. So we are going towards the united world. Whether world events bring it nearer or not, we are going towards a united world. We don’t know whether it will happen sooner or later, but we are going in this direction. How do I envisage it? I envisage that all peoples will remain, of course, all the cultures, traditions and languages. In this unity of the world, many peoples will mingle with other peoples.  For example, there are immigrants in Italy; in future a culture will emerge that is

Castel Gandolfo, 29th February 1992 Chiara’s response to a young person helps us to see the meaning of being “empty of self” and being “nothing”, so as to live fully in the path of Love. It can help us live well during the Year of Mercy. Eli: Dearest Chiara, I was very impressed by how you live "being nothing". Could you tell us something about how we can reach the point of living this reality of "being nothing" as you do? Chiara: Well, I try to be "nothing", now too, for example, by living the Word or by doing the will of God and not my own will. The will of God is for me to be here with you; it seemed to be the right thing to do, it seemed to me to be the will of God. So I am not doing my own will... but, to tell you the truth, I was so happy to come that my will coincides with the will of God. So, I try