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July 2024 – The Focolare Movement, a Catholic movement founded in Italy in the 1940s, organised the meeting of the Mariapolis, i.e. ‘City of Mary’. The aim was to meet and live the values of unity, love and peace, and responded to the appeal of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. The theme of the meeting was ‘Witnesses of Faith’ and the creation of spaces for spiritual and human formation for local Christians. The meeting took place on 6 and 7 July at the Talita Qomi school in Beit Jala.

Marco Desalvo
Focolare Community – Holy Land
The primary mission of the Focolare is to be a witness to the presence of Jesus among those who love one another. Where two or three love one another and are united in my name, I will be in their midst. That is why the objective of the Focolare is to have this presence in society as Christians. That way Jesus himself is in the midst of people who want each other and are witnesses of love and hope, especially in these difficult times that everyone is going through.

Angelique Rock
Bethlehem
Let us meet here, in community, to live the word of the Gospel, to live the idea of unity and fraternity. The theme of our meeting this year is ‘Witnesses of Faith’. How we can bear witness to Christ and live the idea of loving one another, helping us to deepen our understanding of the Word of the Gospel and the Word of God. It helps us to live according to the teachings of our Master Jesus Christ and makes our lives easier in the difficult circumstances in which we live.

In its meetings, the Focolare Movement brings together hundreds and thousands of Christians from all over the world. The aim is to strengthen their awareness and belonging, and to strengthen their role as human beings, building bridges between individuals, groups and peoples, as witnesses of the love of Jesus Christ.

Anton Balout
Bethlehem
We come here to live the gospel in our lives. We live by the commandment that Jesus Christ taught us, the greatest commandment is to love one another. The Gospel is always present among us. When I cannot find a solution to my problem and listen to the experiences of others, a solution to that problem forms in my head. We are all family, our children meet new friends, and when we arrive and leave the Mariapolis we become different people.

St Paul the Apostle says: “Let it not come to me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”, and the psalmist says: “make known his works among the people”. How many people need this call, at a time when death has claimed so many victims and one wonders if there will be more.

Original post published in cmc-terrasanta.org

Mar. 2024 – “Called and Sent“: this was the theme that approximately 80 families, youth and children from Galilee wanted to deepen together on March 15-16 in Tiberias, on the shores of the Lake, that very Lake that had witnessed the calling and sending forth of the apostles and the public mission of Jesus.

This call is repeated to each one today: in the face of ever-growing challenges, God calls us to the radicality of the Gospel and to give our lives for peace, for dialogue. “What does dialogue mean?” shared Margaret Karram, born in Haifa and now president of the Focolare Movement. “Dialogue says I want to get closer to you, to know you, to be enriched by your diversity. The willingness to dialogue says I open… arms, heart, mind to go beyond fear.”

“Called and Sent”: on this theme several families had also met in Jerusalem on March 9^th, and in Bethlehem on March 14^th.

Intense meetings of spirituality, conversation with God and communion among all, which gave balm to wounds, opened souls to forgiveness, purified hearts to know how to welcome the others, their sufferings and their hopes.

Appointments filled with joy and cheerful games by the children, which helped them overcome any worries and better understand the the reality of Easter now approaching and the power of the Resurrection.

Occasions to strengthen mutual love among all participating, strengthening the conviction that this is the truest witness, that dialogue and unity among people and peoples is possible.

Precious moments to then start again with renewed commitment, to be together witnesses of this hope.

The words of Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop and South African activist, read during a reflection, well express the lived experience: “If we could but recognize our common humanity, that we do belong together, that our destinies are bound up in one another’s, that we can be free only together, that we can be human only together, then a glorious world would come into being where all of us lived harmoniously together as members of one family, the human family.”

Some impressions:

“Until the last moment I was in doubt whether to participate or not. But in the end I decided for yes: it was an act of love for my daughter who wanted it so much. I thank God that we went. It was beautiful. Both my family and I received the sacrament of reconciliation. It was a grace to be with everyone.”

“It was a very beautiful retreat! We needed to get away from the world. We really felt like family. The atmosphere was very beautiful. Thank you for all the work! It would be important to do it again and again: we need it.”

“It was important to retreat from the world in this hard time. To be together with Jesus in our midst, with peace among us. It was a meeting with so much love among everyone. There was a need to draw strength together to go out and face the challenges in life and in the world. We thank God for this opportunity.”

March 2023 – From Friday, March 24^th to Sunday, March 26^th, 2023, the communities and friends of the Focolare in the Holy Land gathered in Jericho to experience three days of meeting in preparation for Easter. The participants, about 160 of all ages, came from various locations: Bethlehem, Gaza, Jerusalem, Haifa, Jenin, Nazareth, Ramallah, etc.

The central points of the program were: the Eucharist, the Word and sharing. On this basis, the mornings were devoted to visiting significant sites in Jericho due to their historical and spiritual value: the sycamore tree and the house of Zacchaeus, the Mount of Temptation and the Place of Jesus’ Baptism at the Jordan River. Each visit was preceded by moments of in-depth reflections of the Gospel texts related to the respective places. In the afternoons we shared moments of recollection so as to respond, like Zacchaeus, to Jesus’ invitation,  “…come down at once, for today I must stay at your house” (Lk 19:5), and to welcome him into our “home.”

Each day was enriched by moments of sharing and prayer with priests and religious who, with their experiences and testimonies, made a significant and much valued contribution.

We are happy and grateful to God for this experience, which took place despite various challenges and suspensions due to the uncertain political situation. One of the participants shared, “I realized the strength of living as one family, of sharing and giving love, of caring for others, as well as the strength of praying together.”

Oct. 2022 – This is one of the pages from the diary of Irene, a young editor of Teens, a magazine of the Città Nuova publishing group, which is made by teenagers for teenagers. Through her eyes and her words we learn of a journey in a country marked by divisions and we get to know the project “Harmony among peoples”, which, thanks to art and dance is spreading beauty and hope to the new generations in Bethlehem.