The treasures she left us

Focolare members in the Philippines from different walks of life share some memorable moments, precious insights and lessons from Chiara Lubich, whom they consider as their mother, friend and guide.

Chiara is one of the greatest prophets of our time. She has foreseen the call for the Church to be a church of communion way before they talked about it. She is indeed a great prophet of our times. The Church as communion, and the world as one family with Chiara’s call for universal brotherhood—this is one of her greatest contributions to mankind—a reality already lived out in the many small Focolare cities like Loppiano in Italy, Mariapolis Peace in Tagaytay and among the many Focolare members spread throughout the world.
Bishop Robert Mallari,
Auxiliary Bishop of Pampanga

I lost my mother when I was three years old. Since my father, who was then a military camp commander, did not remarry, my five brothers and I grew up in a home with strict moral values but without that Marian gentleness. The words of Jesus to John: “Behold, your mother,” have always fascinated me in such a way that I have looked up to Mary as the mother that I never had. However, I didn’t know how to act upon this conviction. But when I met the charism of unity from Chiara, it was as if Mary then took me by the hand, molding me slowly to become a child of the Gospel. Truly, Chiara was my mother in every sense of the word. She brought me to Mary who then led me to her Son.
Fior Fernando, Cebu

Chiara Lubich—she is both my mother and my teacher and still now, she continually teaches me new things. She helps me to have a more enlightened view of things. Now I am more aware that wherever I may be and in whatever environment, I have to look at each one as a sister or a brother to love, with no exception. She has come up with practical tools and methods for us to live in communion with our brothers and sisters. I now have a new awareness, and the courage and strong conviction to start over again in any situation whatever. She taught me how to pray without ceasing, and to accept suffering with love and happiness. Hers is a voice which (though she has left us for heaven), still continually resounds in me. I am more confident that now I can pray to her directly, asking her help in my spiritual journey, as well as her intercession.
Jho Vergara, an OFW in Dubai, UAE

Meeting the Focolare ideal of unity was really a significant moment in my life. I could say that through Chiara I was able to discover God. She helped me understand so many things about my Christian faith. I learned that sanctity is a way for all, and that, instead of escaping from suffering we have to embrace it as we would a real treasure. For me this idea was really unthinkable, but she was able to bear witness to this with her life. I am convinced that in this way, I can be more united to God by loving in moments of suffering.
Lysandre Macabare, Leyte

Chiara showed me a new light and a new way of living Christianity in modern society where people have lost their direction and not found any answer to their desire to love God and live for him. In 1993, I had a personal encounter with Chiara in Rome. Through her gaze, I felt her reassuring love and that look has left a mark on me. She taught us to love and this makes every event in life—even the most ordinary one—a moment of union with God. Words are not enough to express my gratitude to God for Chiara and for her charism of unity which guides humanity and myself personally. Finally, in my heart is a burning desire to contribute to fulfilling her and our dream which she expressed in the words of the French philosopher LeClerq: “One day, my God, when I come to you, I would like to bring the world in my arms”… that is to bring many people to Jesus along the way of Love.
Ding Dalisay, Davao

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The gift of new life

I got to know this life of Unity in 1966. We were one of the first families to meet this life in the Philippines.

I was then living with my eldest sister because we had been orphaned by my mother when I was ten and then by my father six years later. My sister considered me as her eldest child and I shared the same bedroom with my three nephews.

I had initially been attracted to this life but I did not think it would solve the inequities in Philippine society so, for many years, I attended only their summer gathering called Mariapolis. In the Mariapolis, everyone was happy. We seemed to forget many of our problems. For me, then, it was a temporary refuge to forget pressing problems— a sort of vacation. I would later experience how it could also be a foretaste of paradise. It is the realization of everything that we could wish for—including social justice.

In the university, after joining the “moderates” (those who believed that change was still possible within the system), our group had to endure the taunting of the “radical” group. They claimed the system was so corrupt and helpless and it did not allow any change. The only way to save this country was through a violent revolution. We seemed to be always facing a blank wall after every patriotic endeavour, so we believed them. Many of us in fact became too radical that some went to the hills and took up arms. I counted eleven from our group who then came down from the hills—in coffins. In the meantime, my sister and my brother-in-law, attracted to this life, had started doing the usual things in an unusual way. They seem to have found a new joy and fulfilment in performing ordinary chores. They began to fix their bed together as soon as they woke up—really well, almost perfectly. My sister, already a role model for how she treated her household help, improved her relations with them even more. “I learned to love Jesus in them” she would later confide to me.

Against this background, I began my journey towards radicalism. Every night I would come home at 2 or 3 am after long discussions with my schoolmates at the Luneta Park in Manila, where we proceeded after classes every day—even under the clouds, planning how to conduct teach-ins. It was like this for sometime—until one night. On one auspicious night, as usual, I arrived home about two in the morning. I was surprised to find my sister at the top of the stairs by the door, obviously waiting for me. Other nights, or other mornings, somebody else had stayed up to open the door for me. This time it was my sister. Upon catching sight of me, she came down the stairs to open the door. She unlocked the door, gave me a welcoming smile, closed the door behind me, went up the stairs straight to the kitchen, fixed my dinner, and served it to me—silently. I was expecting a flood of the usual nagging, scolding and scalding words. But I heard nothing of the sort—just plain silence. Peaceful. Unobtrusive. When I finished, she cleared the table and caught me as I was entering our room just in time to whisper “good night.” That night I slept very little. A lot of thoughts were swirling in my mind. What drove her to act that way? Is it part of this way of love? I intended to find out. It happened again the next night; and the night after that. Remembering that she had a heart condition and was losing sleep because of me, finally I gave up coming home late to save her from further heart complications. Later, she would confess to me that she had no other intentions. “I simply wanted to love you.” Having been orphaned early, I was hearing those words for the first time. I felt like they were being seared into my heart.

This is the love which Chiara through the life of unity brought into our family—plain, simple, pure and unconditional. Since I could not find this love anywhere else, I decided to commit myself to this way of life. I am still a long way from being able to share this kind of love. But I am trying. I have shared it with security guards, garbage scavengers, street vendors, sampaguita vendors, and other dregs of society. These acts of love never fail to give me unimaginable joy. This selfless love which we learned from Chiara is one of those lasting gifts we have received from her. No other treasure comes close.

Eddy Co Chua

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