5. Blue - Love Creates a Home

Love Creates a Home

Father Tommasi', who was asked by the Archbishop of Trent, Carlo de Ferrari, to supervise the early develop­ment of the Focolare, once said, when it became apparent that there was a gift of the Spirit in the light that guided us, that it was "a charism that God has poured down upon earth, a gift that gives shape to a society on the model of the Holy Trinity."

He had hit the mark. That is how it is. Our ideal is the Mystical Body of Christ lived out, made tangible. The seven aspects are different ways of looking at this fact, at least insofar as it is realized in our Movement.

If the first aspect considers the Mystical Body as com­munion of all the members that compose it, the second contemplates it in the radiance it sheds abroad. If the third aspect highlights how the members individually and as a group are rooted in God, the fourth considers the One who links one member to another: Christ among them.

The fifth aspect — the one we will consider now — enters more deeply into the reality of the Mystical Body, into the relationship of each member with the other, and of all with their head, Christ. It is this aspect that, to sim­plify things and identify them with the colors of the rain­bow, we call the "blue" or ecclesia.

In this aspect we see the Mystical Body as Church; we think of the church buildings that accommodate it, the houses that shelter it, and the clothes that dress its mem­bers.

1. Giovanni Tommasi, superior general of the Stigmatine Fathers.

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The Beauty of Mary

I wrote in 1955, twelve years after the birth of the Focolare Movement: "If we put all these aspects together, what do they show? The beauty of Mary, of the Work of Mary. They are the new wineskins that contain a new spirit, which is the charism that God gave us. They are like new songs that resound in all the communities of the Move­ment whether they be large or small."²

When these aspects emerged, they appeared as the first supports of the heavenly structure of our Movement, and they were immediately included in the brief Statutes, which at that time we called our Rule. Ever since then the Holy Spirit has emphasized the importance, the value, of the Statutes or Rule.

In that same text, we read: "Some people say that the Rule poses limits. . . . But this is not so. The Rule chan­nels the spirit so that it does not waver and fade. We can liken the spirit to a little flame. If it is not sheltered in a hearth, it dies out at the first gust of wind.

"The Rule for us means giving a summary of every­thing, being 'consumed in one,' and being accountable to the person who represents Jesus for us (here on earth) for what has been entrusted to us, because it is and should be part of the whole."

Looking to the Origins: Seeds for a New Culture

But let's return to our topic.

During the early days, the Holy Spirit helped us to see at once the magnitude of the Movement that was coming

2. Chiara Lubich, Unpublished Talk, "How the Seven Aspects Came About, Milan, 13 April 1955.

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to life, for instance, when he made clear its specific aim:

to contribute to realizing the prayer of Jesus, "May they all be one" (naturally, doing this together with the Church). But he also began to suggest very simple ideas concerning persons with particular vocations (like the men and women Focolarini). These ideas were immediately taken into con­sideration in order to realize the goals of the Holy Spirit, not so much by offering theories, but by making people live in a specific way right from the start.

Among the first ideas are those concerning their home, the focolare house, and their clothing.

However, because the men and women Focolarini are called, through the charism of unity, to become another Christ, and their coming together is a living out of the Mystical Body of Christ, the essential ideas and guiding principles as to where they live and the way they dress can be a light for everyone in the various branches of the Focolare Movement. Fundamentally, they have an identical calling, and this is written in their specific guide­lines.

The charism of unity is a new charism, and it gives rise not only to a new spiritual life, which everyone can live, but also to a new culture, which can be present in every­one.

Our Houses

With regard to where the Focolarini live, the focolares, we had precise and detailed ways of going about things from the early years of our Movement. In the Rule writ­ten in 195 1, we read: "Every focolare should be a replica of the little house of Nazareth. It should look like a home where a family lives."

It is the first actualization of that well-known intuition

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I had at Loreto in I939³: that what was coming to life would have something to do with the little house of Nazareth, with Jesus in the midst of Mary and Joseph.

Later on we commented: "If ours is the dwelling place of true members of a family united in the name of Jesus, if it is an environment that contains a family whose brother is Christ himself . . . the house that shelters us will be truly 'home.' "

in THE scriptures

The home has always been important in Christian spiri­tualities.

Carlo Carretto⁴, a Little Brother of Jesus who was very well known at least in Italy, wrote about his attraction for a home even though his spiritual formation took place in the desert:

"God is my Father. . . . With him I have the gift of life. . . . Above all, with him I have the gift of a 'home.' To have a home, to live in a home. . . . We are made for a home where there is a father and where there are broth­ers and sisters. . . . We are made for a home that gives us a sense of stability, continuity, and rest."⁵

Moreover, in scripture the Church itself is referred to as a home or house. Paul says: "I hope to come to you

3. When she was taking a course for Catholic Action leaders, Chiara Lubich felt strongly drawn to the "house of Nazareth," the little house in Loreto in which, tradition holds, the holy family lived. There she became convinced that her path in life was connected to what had existed in that house, and that many would follow her.

4. Carlo Carretto, president of the GIAC (Italian Youth of Catholic Ac­tion) from 1946 to 19.53, lived for a long time in the Sahara Desert as a Little Brother of Jesus. Later he founded the Little Brothers of the Gospel at Spello, Italy, and wrote a number of influential books on spirituality.

5. Carlo Carretto, Ognigiomo un pensiero (Rome: Citta Nuova, 1993), p. 211.

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soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth" (1 Tim 3:14-15).

Again, speaking of Christ, he says: "We are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope" (Heb 3:6).

Jesus even compares heaven to a house: "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" ()n 14:2).

And Carlo Carretto continues: "John speaks of a house in the Book of Revelation, when he sees the end of time in a vision that sums up the messianic realities: 'And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne say­ing, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them" ' (Rev 21:2-3).

"Yes, God will dwell with the human race in the same 'home' and his presence will be so total that it will ex­clude any previous 'presence,' even that of the Temple: 'I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb' (Rev 21:22)."⁶

like THE house OF nazareth

We wrote in 1951: "There should be nothing in our homes that resembles an office or a hotel. Everything should be luminous, warm, and orderly, like the order of all that comes from the hand of God.

6. Carretto, Ognigiomo un pensiero, p. 394.

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"The focolare should be beautiful like nature: like a meadow, like the sky."⁷

In 1960 we find written: "We have a home, too, a place to live, like Our Lady had in the little house of Nazareth — she had a home. I wouldn't know how to tell you with what taste things should be arranged . . . but undoubt­edly a new harmony is asked of us.

"We may only have a few things, but they will be placed in such a way that they will please everyone . . . and whoever comes will feel forced to say: 'There is nothing special in this house, and yet I feel at home. . . .'

"[It will be the same] harmony that the Creator im­printed in nature. It is the harmony of our souls united in God . . . imprinted in our surroundings, in our focolares ... in our meeting rooms, in our headquarters and, one day, in our churches."⁸

our houses: expression OF our love OF neighbor

The reason for keeping our house in a certain way be­came clear to us in 1964 when we read something written by Thomas a Kempis. Meditating on the birth of Jesus in the grotto of Bethlehem, he said the fol-lowing:

"Oh! How venerable is this place! . . . Enter, my soul, into this poor dwelling of the heavenly king. . . . Ob­serve how the newly born God-Man lies silently in the manger. . . .

"Adore God here. . . . Meditate on the tender, loving gestures of the Virgin Mary, how great her joy must be, how sublime her contemplation of the son to whom she has given birth. . . .

7. Chiara Lubich, Parole di sapienza (unpublished).

8. Chiara Lubich, Unpublished Talk, "Aspetti della vita di focolare," 12 June 1960.

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"Consider everything as if you were in their presence (and say):

" 'I will stay here to serve my Lord, the Lady Mary and St Joseph her guardian. I will light the fire and look after it with care; I will prepare the meal and fetch the water. I will clean out the courtyard, sweep the house, mend the cracks to protect it from the wind and rain. . . . Then I will gather roses and lilies. ... I will decorate the holy cradle. ... I will open the window of the manger so that daylight will shine everywhere and the holy angels will descend from above and fill this house with gentle rejoic­ing.' "^l)

This passage from Thomas a Kempis helped us then, as it does today, to understand how an inner attitude of rev­erence and affection cannot help but be reflected on ex­ternal surroundings as well.

And we know that our attitude must be love, love for God and, out of love for him, love for our brothers and sisters.

And therefore in this, as in every aspect of our life, we must be guided by love, and when our love is directed to our brothers and sisters, it leads us to making ourselves one with them.

Consequently, our house will not necessarily be poor or poorer than others. We can live in a palace or in a "mocamho," in a skyscraper or in a country cottage. We can live anywhere, so long as our surroundings are an ex­pression of love for our brothers and sisters.

Our Statutes state that "our house should suit the sur­roundings where most of our apostolic endeavors are car­ried out," and this too is done out of love.

9. Thomas a Kempis, Sermones de vita et passions Dominis, in vol. 3 of Opera Omnia, M. Pohl, ed. (Freiburg i. Br., 1904), pp. 91-104 (passim).

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mary's taste

Among those early thoughts about our houses, one was frequently mentioned: we need to look after them with "Mary's taste."

Certainly, it is rather difficult to know what Mary's taste was like. We believe, however, that we will be able to un­derstand and apply it only if unity is lived among the members of the focolare and with the rest of the Move­ment. In this way, we can hope to be, at least in this par­ticular detail, an expression of the whole Work of Mary, which is called to repeat and continue the presence of Mary in the world today.

Perhaps we can understand the idea of beauty that of­ten appears in the notes written about our houses if we remember that Mary is the "All Beautiful One."

Our houses will have to be modern because they should always be in tune with the times.

Moreover, it is important that our houses be built to last (indeed, they are often the property of the Work of Mary). The Benedictine abbeys, scattered here and there in the world, have endured, even though thousands of monks have spent their lives in them, and the same should apply to our houses.

In fact, a reflection of God's plan for a given religious family is imprinted upon their houses. And so future gen­erations who are called to the same family, as they move from one part of the house to another, will be able to un­derstand how to live all the aspects of their life — aspects which were taken into consideration in building the house and in arranging its different areas. Thus, the house itself will help them to live all these aspects and not neglect any of them.

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taking care OF our houses AND being detached FROM them

With regard to this aspect of love, however, we also find the following suggestion. An inventory of our houses should be made. It will be helpful above all for the person in charge of the zone who, knowing how things are for everyone, will be able to arrange a sharing of furniture or other items among the focolares. Not only will this help everyone to be detached from things, but it will also keep alive the creativity that enables them to re-arrange the remaining furniture in a new harmony.

The Focolarini should also know how to look after their house, take care of their clothes, and cook meals so that, if possible, it is never necessary to have people outside of their "family" to do such tasks.

Indeed, the men and women Focolarini, whatever their profession, should be happy to be seen by anyone with an apron on, happy to set the table, to clear away the dishes, and so on. This too is a part of their vocation. We know of young people who felt the call to give their lives to God after seeing the Focolarini carrying out these very tasks.

What matters is not what we do: what matters is that it is Jesus in us who does it, and he is present if we are a living expression of his will.

In spite of all this love for one's house, since our ideal is and always remains God, the Spirit also suggested that we be detached from our house, reminding us of the words of Jesus: "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests;

but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Mt 8:20).

For the Focolarini, who are called to go to every part of the world to bring our ideal, this detachment is essential, having to adapt themselves, at least for a certain period of

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time, to everything.

Detachment is also necessary for those whose vocation involves making the Christian community visible, like our Volunteers,¹⁰ for example. God wants them to be commit­ted to "making available to the Work of Mary the places where they live and the houses they own for meetings, gatherings and conferences, so as to allow the Focolare's spirit to enter more effectively into the midst of the world."

an atmosphere OF THE cloister

In a sense, the focolare must also be a church, a temple, the temple of the living God, not because of external im­ages (even though they may be present in any family), but for the constant, silent, constructive, fruitful presence of God among persons united in the name of Jesus.

An article written in the 1950s, which I have adapted for this occasion, says:

"I believe there is no man's heart, still less a woman's, that has not at least once, especially in youth, felt the attraction of the cloister.

"It is not the attraction of a cloistered way of life, but of something that seems to be concentrated there, between those four walls, something that makes itself felt, resound­ing deeply, even from a distance.

"In these communities, with which the world, thank God, is strewn like a dark night dotted with constella­tions, there is the light of the presence of God. . . .

"Though sunken in silence, these houses . . . through the mysterious power of celestial things, speak to the hearts of human beings and utter a voice unknown to the world:

10. A branch of the Focolare Movement made up of two parts: the men and women Volunteers. They are "persons committed to bring back the presence of God, the source of freedom and unity, to the widest range of environments in society."

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a blessedness of union with God that humanity longs for.

"Yet also the focolare, small abode in the midst of oth­ers, can have the perfume of the cloister; also the walls where I live can become a kingdom of peace. God's for­tress in the midst of the world.

"The external noise of the television of the tenant next door, or the roar of the traffic, or the noise of people on the streets take away none of its enchantment. The mu­tual love which brings about the presence of Jesus among those brothers or sisters takes possession of their whole existence and gives to their walls the sacredness of an ab­bey, the solemnity of a church, to their sitting at table the sweetness of a ritual, to their clothes the perfume of a blessed habit, to the sound of the doorbell or the tele­phone the joyous note of a meeting with other brothers or sisters, which interrupts, yet continues, their unity in God.

"Then, upon the silence of their ego, Another will speak and, upon their extinguishing themselves, a light will be lit. And it will shine afar, passing beyond and almost con­secrating those walls that protect a living cell of the Body of Christ. And other people will come to the focolare to seek the Lord with them, and in their shared, loving search, the flame will grow, the divine melody will rise a tone. Christ will be their cloister, the Christ of their hearts, Christ in the midst of their hearts.""

from THE "lauretanas" TO little towns

In a diary from 1966 we read that some focolares had opened up like flowers, creating new spaces suitable for specific functions of the Focolare Movement. These were houses not only for the Focolarini but also for those in

11. Cf. Chiara Lubich, Meditations, pp. 94-95, cf. also Christian Living Today,pp. 149-151.

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positions of responsibility within the Movement.

We called them "Lauretanas."¹²

They were larger than the ordinary focolares but with the same basic vocation, that of having Jesus among the members, a contemplative and active vocation at one and the same time. This can be seen from a song of that time, entitled:

A Little Castle of Gold

A miracle of love

Seen only by the angels,

A dream within Mary's heart,

A humble flower among all flowers

Hiding a holy mystery —

0 House of Loreto!

Enchanted by our first love,

Our hearts so close to God

Reigning among us all,

In a little castle of gold

Fragrant with flowers rare —

0 House of Loreto!

Now in our hearts Mary lives again

Here Virgin, Mother, Spouse,¹³

New fount of Beautiful Love,

Only dawn of all hope;

Life is contemplation here — 0 House of Loreto!

12. The term "Lauretana" refers to Loreto, where there is the house that is traditionally held to have been the home of the Holv Family. Hence a "Lauretana" is a "House of Loreto," a building that reflects the home of the Holy Family.

13. In the House of Loreto, that is, the "lauretana house," "Mary lives again . . . Virgin, Mother, Spouse" through the presence of men and women Focolarini, some of whom are celibate and others married.

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In a diary from 1967 we find this concept: "All the Focolarini should contribute to keeping the lauretana as we imagine Mary kept her home. . . . And surely Jesus and Joseph helped her." Everyone should help, including the Focolarino responsible for the focolare, including the Focolarina responsible for the entire Work of Mary. This is required by our spirit. Why? Because we are all broth­ers and sisters.

We read, "Love will make . . . Christian brotherhood shine in its characteristic beauty so that whoever visits the focolare house will always be able to say: 'How very good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!' (Ps 133:1)."

As time went on the lauretanas grew and became re­gional centers, with office space for the aspects, the branches, the dialogues, and various activities, and so on.¹⁴

But it was always Jesus among us who had to be our guide, our source of light to lead us in serving the Work of God.

To sum up we have permanent focolares for the Focolarini, whether they be lav people or priests; and tem­porary focolares, that is, nucleuses, for Volunteers, priests, and religious, and units for the Gen,¹⁵ Gen seminarians, and Gen religious.

Then, we have the lauretanas, the regional centers.

And this is not all, we have Mariapolis Centers and temporary little towns, like the Mariapolises that take place during the summer and, so far twenty permanent little

14. This is a reference to structures and activities of the Focolare Move­ment, for example, its work in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue;

its publishing houses like New City Press and the twentyfive others throughout the world; its international musical groups, Gen Rosso and Gen Verde.

15. "Gen" stands for New Generation, the Focolare Movement's youth branch.

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towns throughout the world.¹⁶

More time would be needed to explain all this: it is a matter of growth, of development of this aspect of love at the service of the Work of Mary.

Our Clothing: "Consider the Lilies of the Field"

The Holy Spirit has also suggested guidelines for our way of dressing, the clothing that we wear. They reflect our Gospel-based spirituality, based on the Mystical Body. They are guidelines for the Focolarini, but they are appli­cable to all who belong to the Work of Mary.

While our houses are an expression of the Movement insofar as it is a collectivity of persons, a new family born in the Church, the clothes we wear indicate the presence of a member of this family who, if he or she is truly a living part of this community, is nothing other than an­other Christ.

Religious families, the result of new charisms in the Church, have always given attention to this detail, and so we have countless ways of dressing.

Our little 1951 Rule gives us this pointer:

16. Mariapolis Centers are meeting places, in many of the Movement's

regions or zones, for people from all parts of the Movement. Temporary little towns or Mariapolises are open meetings run by the Focolare in which people can experience for a few days what it is like if the Gospel is lived together.

Permanent little towns or Mariapolises are a small piece of society that, when they are complete, contains every aspect of human life, from houses to work places, from churches to spaces for leisure. They are a picture of how society could be if renewed by the Gospel, and they contain schools for the training of the members of the Movement. The number (twenty) of such little towns mentioned in the text above was correct at the time of writing, but they are increasing. At the time of this book's publication there are now thirty-three.

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"It seems that we can understand what God wants from the Focolarini, in this field too, if we look at their nature. Their vocation is to be 'children,' 'sons' and 'daughters.' They are persons born knowing that they have a Father, believing in love, living in the arms of the love of God, and so their outward appearance is that which is given them by a Father who is God, a God who is the creator of the universe. Their style will be his, and we know that the imprint of God on creation is all harmony.

"The clothes of the Focolarini should be like the cloth­ing God has given to nature. And the passage of the Gos­pel that should inspire them is: 'Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow . . . yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these' (Mt 6:28-29).

"Therefore, the clothing of the Focolarini should show that they are children of God, children of the Creator of nature, children of the Lord of creation."¹⁷

To be dressed like the lilies of the field means to be dressed in a way that has freshness and taste, just as the flowers are fresh and beautiful. But also, since our clothes cover a person who is a temple of the Holy Spirit, they must have the imprint of the divine, so they will be char­acterized by dignified good taste and moderation, by el­egance and simplicity, because we are children of God;

and by modesty because we are children of Mary; without extravagance, without expensive jewellery, because real value lies in the beauty of the person, inflamed with the love of God.

In this regard, it is interesting to note how the virgins in the early days of Christianity dressed. None wore gold,

17. Cf. Chiara Lubich, Unpublished Diary, 25 August 1980 (quoting the 1951 Rule).

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silver, precious stones or pearls, because they had a genu­ine disregard for riches.

This made us wonder about our focolares, the lauretanas, and so on: are they luxuriant? Could they appear to be luxuriant because they contain valuable furniture or other articles? If the answer is yes, we must sell these things and give the money to the poor. The focolares should be hos­pitable, certainly, but there should be nothing elaborate.

The first virgins were dressed like others because they had to live in the midst of the world. If they were rich, they gave away everything they had. We should take on this same attitude, especially now in times of consumer­ism.

And these thoughts still need to be stressed.

The Focolarini are not to have a uniform. They are to dress as ordinary people, without religious signs, so that they cannot be singled out from others, but are like them, hidden in the midst of the crowd.

being guided BY love

Love should also be our guide in the way we dress. The Focolarini are born to love. They remain in the world without being of the world, to love their fellow hu­man beings, and their way of dressing must aid them in this task. To enter into conversation with the world it is necessary to look like everyone else — guidance that is not be taken lightly. In a community of consecrated per­sons, where humanly speaking no one has to please any­one else, it would be easy to neglect one's personal ap­pearance. And, if many or all do the same, we would soon have a uniform: "Look, there go the . . . You can tell who they are by the way they dress, by how shabby they are . . ." And at this point, where have dignified good taste and a becoming appearance gone? Where is the simplic­ity that is true elegance?

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Showing the Beauty of God

The Holy Spirit made yet another suggestion to us. Since the world around us is far from God and has often reached the point of being against the Church (partly be­cause it sees only the deformed view given by our lives that are not really Christian), it would be helpful to dis­play not only the Church's goodness and truth, but also, by means of the places where we live and the way in which we dress, its beauty.

Thinking of all these guidelines we have often wanted to give a definition of the way the Focolarini dress that could apply in our times and in future centuries. It is a definition that we feel is universal and so suited to the majority of the Focolare Movement's members. It is this:

we ought to dress as Jesus and Mary would dress in every period of history, in every particular setting.

Since this is the first time that the vocation of the Focolarini is appearing on earth, and since, in association with other brothers and sisters, it is the first time that a society of this kind is being offered to the world, probably the guidelines for its houses and way of dressing should be new too.

And just as our spirituality, with its emerging doctrine, is spreading far and wide, so too the Focolarini's way of dressing will eventually have to spread and offer a new line of fashion. And this is already happening.

In a similar way, from the style of the houses of the Focolarini there could emerge ideas for a renewed archi­tecture; and here too something is beginning to happen.

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