Into the open

   The Focolare spirituality, with its desire to contribute to a united world, seeks to influence all fields of human life. So the focolarinos accepted invitations to talk in meetings not only of parishes and religious circles, but also in conventions, and gatherings of workers, politicians, etc.
   Already in March 1966 they were invited to a meeting of 200 teachers in Quezon City. They shared their experiences in living the Gospel, as they had done in all other meetings, but with a special stress on education and the relationship between teachers and students. So impressed was the audience that many teachers decided to change their attitudes, starting first of all by loving their pupils.
   In 1997, when Chiara Lubich was awarded an Honorary Degree in Theology by the University of Sto. Tomas, the Dean of the Faculty of Sacred Theology, Fr. Braulio Peña, said: “When first informed that there was a pending request to grant Chiara Lubich a Doctor honoris causa in Sacred Theology, I wondered aloud: ‘Who is Chiara Lubich? And who are the focolarini?’ Well, one hears about them, for sure, but we can hardly affirm that they are in the headlines of either secular or ecclesiastical events. The most difficult part was to find out about her followers. Not that they are very secretive, but they don’t go around boasting about their affiliation. Yet, if one is a keen observer, one may come to find out about them. For they are actually all over the place. A trick to identify them? It’s simple. When you approach somebody on the campus and they greet you with a smile, when he or she attends to you smiling, and when he or she bids goodbye to you with a smile, a smile which does not only link lips and ears to show their teeth, but a smile that shines through their eyes, then my friends, you have there a follower of Chiara. This is, my friends, the secret of the focolarinos.”
The secret was love. In every moment, any situation and with whoever was their neighbor.

   Moy de los Angeles was working as a judge. Once he had understood the basic law of loving the neighbor, he set out to live it in the courtroom. He would later share: “I started to see every person on trial as Jesus himself. Some of them were accused of crimes carrying the death penalty. I had to abide by the law, but I could also love them. I wanted them to have every chance to defend themselves, and by carefully listening to them, I always found out that they could avail of some leniency under the law. Then I would explain to them the sentences they had received, not as a punishment but as a chance to change their lives. Many thanked me, even after receiving stiff prison terms. In the end I did not have to sentence anyone to death.”
Such small beginnings of a civilization of love planted the seed of unity in so many environments—schools and factories, families and offices, churches and organizations—so that the tree continued to grow, even though only a few realized what was happening.

   Forty years later, thousands of people have by now been affected by the life of unity. Some of them met the Focolare exactly 40 years ago, but then, because of different circumstances, they went their own ways… only to come back years later and help open up new avenues for the spreading of the charism of unity.
   One such person is Billy Esposo, a Gen in 1967—who had the idea of including a comics section for New City magazine. He wanted to become a focolarino, but couldn’t do so because of his family situation. After years in marketing, he joined Cory Aquino as a campaign manager during the 1986 snap elections. Then he served in her government and later became president of RPN 9 TV station. In the year 2000, he came in contact with the Focolare again, and thanks to his experience and contacts, many people in media, business and even politics, have come to know how unity can transform every field of human endeavor. In 2004, 30 media professionals from major local newspapers and TV networks went to Rome for a meeting of NetOne, the Focolare media outlet. A meeting for politicians of the Movement for Unity in Politics has also been held in Manila, while the Economy of Communion project has become known in a variety of business circles.

   When the focolarinos first landed on Philippine soil, little did they know what would have happened. They brought with them not only an ideal, as beautiful as it is, but also a life, a charism of God. And God has touched many souls, calling them to fulfill his plans. A few months after the Focolare’s arrival, almost all the different vocations in the Movement had already come to life: focolarinos, focolarinas, volunteers, priests, religious men and women, young people, and families. Without them, without their witness, their faithfulness to reciprocal love and their commitment to build the reality of Jesus in their midst, the life of unity could not have spread far and wide.