MIPSS Center For Christian Formation

Shorten the distance between saying and doing!

‘Through your patience you will gain possession of your souls.’ 1 (Lk 21:19)

“Doing things well is what counts in Christianity. Certainly, according to a proverb of human wisdom, ‘Well begun is half done’. This human wisdom is good, but it does not work for everyone. Instead, ‘The person who endures to the end will be saved’ 2 is divine wisdom. (…) This Word of Life helps us to remember that God is within us and that we should live with him. We do this directly when we pray or meditate on our own. We do it indirectly when we do the will of God that requires us to concentrate all our attention outside of ourselves, as when there is a neighbour to be loved or a job to be completed.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, January 1951

Love with the whole of yourself

‘When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done”!’ Lk 17:10)

“How then can we put this Word into practice? By loving in a genuine and selfless way; by loving without thinking that we have done all that we could and so have a right to a reward; by loving always, focusing only on God whom we love - God in himself and God in others; by loving him, not to be rewarded nor to gain paradise, but rather because we want to be similar to him who is Love.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, October 1983

Look after your interior life

“Do we notice that a particular person or an activity has become an obstacle between God and ourselves, spoiling our relationship with him? This is the moment to tell him: ‘You, Lord, are my only good.’ It will help us to purify our intentions and regain our inner freedom. Living the Word of God purifies us and sets us free because the Word is love. The fire of divine love purifies our intentions and the whole of our inner self, because, according to the Bible, the ‘heart’ is the deepest seat of our intelligence and our will.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, November 1999

Rejoice in the good of others

‘We had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’(Lk 15:32)

“These words are a personal invitation that God offers to you and to all believers. He invites you to rejoice with him, to celebrate and to share in his joy at the return of a sinner who was lost and has been found again. In the parable, a father says these words to his elder son who had always been with his father, but who, after a hard day’s work, refuses to go into the house where his brother’s return is being celebrated.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, March 2001

Make space for the unforeseen

It is precisely when we are unable to overcome certain trials that afflict our body or soul - and therefore cannot rely on our own strength – that we are in the perfect position to trust in God. He intervenes because he is drawn by our trust in him. And when God acts, he does great things, which seem even greater precisely because we are so small and incapable. So let us give thanks for our littleness and our weakness. Because of them, we can make room for God and receive from him the strength to continue believing, ‘hoping against hope.’

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, July 2000

Give generously of yourself

‘Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap’. (Lk 6:38)

“Have you experienced this too? If not, remember that the gift has to be given unselfishly and without any hope of return, to anyone who asks. Try it! But do not give in in order to see the results. Give only because you love God. You might say, ‘But I have nothing to give’. That is not true. If we want to give, we have inexhaustible treasures! We have our free time, our heart, our smile, our advice, our knowledge, our peace and our words to use to convince those who have, to give to those who have not.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, June 1978

Love with a mother’s heart

“Love is the most beautiful word, and yet is the most deformed […] But what is not understood is the greatest of all loves, that is, the love of God, who created us and then came to live among us in human form, remaining with us and allowing himself to be nailed to the cross in order to save us. It is too high, too beautiful, too divine, too little human, too bloody, too painful, too intense to be understood. Perhaps we can get an inkling of it by considering a mother’s love, because a mother’s love consists not only of hugs and kisses, but above all, of sacrifice.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, May 1957

Forgive sincerely

“Today there is a lot of discussion about denying pardon to those who have committed serious crimes. Often revenge is sought rather than justice. Instead, once we have done everything possible to compensate for the damage done, we have to leave room for forgiveness, because this is the only way to heal the personal and social trauma produced by evil. ‘Forgive and you will be forgiven’. So if we have been offended or treated unjustly in any way, let us forgive and we will be forgiven. Let us be the first to express kindness and compassion!”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, November 2000

Seek agreement

“Jesus said that whatever we ask the Father in his name he will give us. So let us try asking the Father for what is closest to our hearts, firmly believing that nothing is impossible with him. It might be the solution to a desperate situation, peace in the world, the healing of a serious illness or resolving conflicts in our family or in society. And then if there are several of us who ask for the same thing, in full agreement because of our mutual love, then Jesus himself will be present in our midst. He will be the one asking the Father for us and, according to his promise, we will obtain what we ask for.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, December 1999

Maintain a sense of wonder

“Let us try to put into practice the words of Jesus, exactly as they are, without minimizing them or changing them to suit our comfort level. Only in this way will we come to understand and appreciate the divine beauty and truth of the Word. Only in this way will we be able to experience its wonderful fruits in us and around us.”

Chiara Lubich, Servant of God
Word of Life, November 1991