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On the last day of 2012 our thoughts and efforts are still with the people suffering from war and natural disasters.
Aleppo, Syria. “Gasoline continues to be lacking and what little can be found is sold at exorbitant prices. The same is true for oven gas tanks (5,500 LS compared to 400 LS in March). The electricity has been cut for days and days, leaving the city in a threatening darkness after sunset. Bread is also scarce and it can only be purchased after spending long hours in line, in front of baker’s shops and paying 250 LS for one package (compared to the March price of 20 LS). The army is trying to provide bread, but isn’t able to keep up with the need of the people. School buildings that have not been transformed into havens for refugees are continuing to hold classes. But the lack of electricity makes studying toilsome and difficult (there aren’t even candles anymore). Some have begun to fall ill because of the cold and lack of medicines. Nearly 70% of the pharmacies are on the outskirts of the city and it is quite difficult to obtain medicines from other regions of the country because of road blocks. It is feared that hospitals will soon be unable to continue providing care because oxygen begins to be lacking. Telephone communications are often interrupted. In spite of it all the population is giving quite a great witness of solidarity. The Focolare community and others are taking care of support activities: a small school for the deaf has restarted in a safer area, in a location offered by the Franciscan Fathers. The families that we are visiting one by one, ask us before agreeing to receive our assistance: ‘Isn’t there some other family that is more in need than we are?’ Rim, who has a two-year old boy, was quite concerned that the boy’s cold would worsen, and she was very touched by the help that we were able to provide! It was exactly the same amount of money that her husband had given away a week earlier to a colleague who was in need. It had taken the couple a long time to save up that amount of money, but they had said to each other: ‘God will take care of us!’”
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The Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources has given a certificate of merit to the Youth for a United World (Y4UW) in Hungary in recognition for their work in organizing the Genfest in Budapest.
It’s not every day that you go to a Government Ministry to receive official recognition. This is what happened to the Hungarian Y4UW after they had worked so hard, all year round, at organizing the Genfest in their own country. It was a huge event that took place from 31st August to 2nd September 2012. It drew together 12,000 young people from all over the world. Among them, there were 2,000 from Hungary. Rita and Agoston, among the key figures, shared with us all about what happened during the award ceremony that took place at the end of November.
What was the prize for? “At the beginning of October the Hungarian Ministry for Human Resources sent us a message saying: in recognition of our professionalism at the Genfest, the Focolare’s Youth for a United World were to be given a certificate of merit. We were both surprised and happy and the news spread like wild fire among the young people of the Movement. Through the acceptance of our candidature, the Minister conveyed his recognition through an award. This award ceremony took place on 20th November on the Universal Children’s Day.”
The nomination of the Youth for a United World had come from a person within the Ministry along with the State undersecretary of Ministry for Family, Miklós Soltész. Rita and Agoston continued saying: “Both of them were present at the Genfest opening ceremony and they were touched by the dynamism, enthusiasm and sense of fraternity among the young people.”
On 20th November a delegation of five young people representing the Focolare and the Y4UW went to the Ministry. “The prizes, 14 in all, were given to organizations and persons who had done something special for children and youth. Miklós Soltész emphasized how all the prize winners had become ‘examples’ in youth education and parent support through their activities, poetry and prose.”
In the official citation, the Y4UW received merit for having put on the Genfest collectively, efficiently and professionally. They pleasantly surprised, saying: “We were very pleased by the word “collectively” as this transmitted our intention to build universal brotherhood.”
After the Genfest, new prospects have emerged, especially with regards to the United World Project: “After the ceremony the Minister of State said again how, at a personal level, that international meeting had been an important experience. He said that he hoped in the future to work together with us for the good of the young people in Hungary. As a gift, we gave him a copy of Új Város [the Focolare Movement’s magazine in Hungarian] which contained articles on the Genfest.”
Rita and Agoston concluded by saying: “Now, together with many young people who have worked with us in the last few years, we want to continue building a more united world “together”, as highlighted by the award’s official citation.”
Rita and Agoston
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News from the Y4UW in Jerusalem:
“Thank you for your unity and prayer. We are all well. We are in constant contact with our community in Gaza and they tell us that they are also ok. Last Friday, a group of thirty Youth for a United World (Y4UW) gathered in Jerusalem to launch the United Word Project. This presentation coincided with the siren alert that was sounded all over Jerusalem. It really seemed like a utopia to speak about unity in such circumstances, dominated by a great fear. Nevertheless, the Y4UW courageously continued the scheduled programme till the very end, certain to take upon their shoulders the challenge of being true peace-builders.
We continue to offer everything and greet you with all my heart.”
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Letting go of my worry
As a high school senior, I am often stressed by the prospect of what I will do with the rest of my life. The questions of my future eat away at me constantly: what college will I go to? What will I study? What will my career be? These unanswered questions all place a lot of pressure on me.
However, at an international meeting for young people following Genfest, having met so many wonderful happy people who are living various vocations, I came to a profound understanding: no matter what I do, where I go, whatever happens in my life, as long as I live a life of service and love, I will be happy. So whether I work in a construction company, become a priest or own a multibillion-dollar company — if I live the spirituality of unity, it doesn’t matter. At the end of my life, I will be happy with how I’ve lived. And so this has allowed me to let go of my worry and just let God take me where he chooses.
Corbin Cali, Texas
Love knows no barriers
Among these experiences shared at the Genfest, one that was very profound for me was of a young person from Egypt. In the span of six years, he had been through so much suffering — first the death of his mum and then his sister, and shortly afterwards he himself was diagnosed with the same disease. I wanted to go and find him, to tell him “thank you” and that he wouldn’t have to suffer alone, that we would live this together. It was the end of the programme, and everyone was leaving to start the march for the flash mob, so it would have been a miracle to find him. God must have arranged it, however, because two minutes after exiting the stadium I saw him! We started talking and laughing, and he looked at me, and with this big, sincere smile said: “God loves us very much.” It was such a strong moment of God that I don’t have words to describe it. We promised each other that we would pray for one another. It was a lived “Let’s Bridge” experience because we probably will never see each other again, but the connection is there and we will continue to pray for the other.
Jessica Berends, Michigan
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The Y4UW from New York wrote us the following email:
“We want to give you some news after the Hurricane Sandy.
Many states in the east coast were hit and the amount of damage is huge and still difficult to calculate. Communications have been cut off in the areas most affected and only now we are being able to get in touch with many of our people in the communities. They are all well but many still without electricity, phone connections and gasoline. The public transportation is also not fully running which makes it even harder to move around and go to help. We know of two families that lost their houses with all their belongings. The local communities are close to them doing all that they can: cooking meals, giving them a warm place to sleep, pumping out the water, washing clothes, etc.
In these last few days the cities, especially New York are organizing different help initiatives and asking for volunteers. Some of the youth together with the gen are helping now one of our families and are looking into opportunities to collaborate with the city and the Archdioceses in initiatives such as: giving blood, distributing food and clothing, etc. There is a slogan that our youth start using among them: Let's give!
All this is still at the first stages and we will keep you informed as we receive more news. Meanwhile we count on all your unity and prayers so that this big suffering of our people can be an opportunity to build unity and the united world.”
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29th October: commemoration of Chiara Luce. In intense moment for remembering her and seek to follow her example
In Sassello, the town where Chiara Luce was born, from 27th to 28th October a large number of young people met together to celebrate her feast day. The title chosen for the weekend was: ‘I have everything’. In four stages the young people went around the town and listened to many things from people who had witnessed the life of Chiara Luce. They felt as if they were having a truly personal rendezvous with her. Meeting Chiara Luce’s parents, Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano was a powerful moment. They spoke of many details from Chiara Luce’s life right up to the last period of her life when she began her intense journey towards heaven. Immediately after that there was a time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, where readings from some things written by Chiara Luce were interspersed between pauses for thought, and then a visit to the cemetery, to ‘get together’ with Chiara Luce in a moment’s intimate conversation. Chiara Luce’s young people, however, with find it easy to go from moments of profound reflection to moments of joyful recreation, all lived with the same intensity and a spirit aiming at the highest values, as was seen at the party at the end of the day run by a young DJ.
At mass on Sunday more than 700 people crowded into the church. In the homily the parish priest of Sassello invited the young people to have courage and trust in God, following the example of Chiara Luce who one day encouraged her mother saying, ‘Trust in God and you have done everything.’ In the afternoon the programme carried on and the small parish hall was unable to contain all who were present, and so the show about the Chiara Luce’s life, put on by the theatrical company Passi di Luce (Steps of Light) from Castelfiorentino (near Florence), had be done in two sittings.
By now Chiara Luce and the example of her life have gone irrepressibly beyond the confines of the region of Liguria where Sassello is located. This can be seen both in the fact that in Sassello there were young people from 33 different nations and in a skype call to Mexico where in the little town called El Diamante (The Diamond) there is a chapel dedicated to Blessed Chiara Luce. There in Mexico 1,700 people had held three days of celebrations at which a musical about Chiara Luce’s life had been a great hit. There was tremendous joy also in Isernia, in Italy, celebrating Chiara Luce’s life in a musical show called ‘Be happy, because I am’. It was put on by artists from Azioni Musicali from Loppiano (near Florence) for more than 700 people.
The general impression is that in these few days the ‘torch’ of Chiara Luce has been passed on many, many young people, just as she wanted.
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Giving your personal witness and sharing your convictions without waiting for favourable conditions opens up the chance of new life. Stories of ‘Good news. People who believe, people who act.’
‘I am a sales assistant in a clothes shop. It is a job that I like, because it gives me the possibility to build relationships with our customers. One woman, in particular, often comes to the shop and buys clothes for her daughter in Australia. Before purchasing them, she asks me to try them on because she says that I look like her daughter. She shares with me a lot about her, even confidential things.
‘One day I saw her coming, but as I looked at her face, I immediately realized that something was different. She looked sad and exhausted. In fact, she had come to talk to me. She had found out that her daughter in Australia was in a relationship with a man who is much older than her. Both she and her husband wanted their daughter to return home, however, a few days earlier her daughter had phoned them up telling them that she was pregnant and wanted to get an abortion. The woman was confused, angry and full of harsh feelings. All the same, she thought that getting rid of the child was the only possible solution. Basically, she hoped that sooner or later her daughter would come back home.
Up till that moment, I had always tried to fit in with her and what she wanted – after all she was the customer. But in that moment I felt very strongly that I had to say what I really thought. I also wanted to help her in some practical way, and not just sharing her burden. I asked her for her daughter’s phone number. I decided to try calling her up and talk to her. I prayed that I might find the right words. To my surprise she was happy to speak with me! She told me that she wanted to have an abortion but she hoped she would die as well. The sorrow for having incurred so much suffering on her parents was too burdensome especially after all they had done for her. However, amidst all that sorrow, I sensed a tiny light of hope, as well as, a sincere sorrow for having made her parents suffer. Therefore, I spoke to her mother, explaining that her daughter was sorry and wanted to start again.
‘After that I actually met the daughter and her boyfriend. They did not have an abortion, and in fact they wanted to get married so as to give the baby a family. The future grandparents were very grateful for my support.’
(Twinette, Zimbabwe)
2016 Y4MU - Youth for a United World (Focolare Movement | New Humanity)
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