We are very happy to recall during this meeting the
unforgettable moments when Chiara brought to life the school of inculturation.
We remember her joy in Nairobi when she announced it at the end of her visit in
may 1992.
Chiara has talked about it in many instances. When
she was received by the Apostolic Nuncio of Nairobi, an aspect that touched
very much in their “private talk” was the Nuncio’s interest for inculturation,
while looking forward to the African synod that was going to take place in a
very short period of time. The Nuncio was enumerated some examples bringing out
beneficial effects not only of inculturation but also of the new evangelization
and in theology. Here comes the light that Chiara had, an inspiration.
Chiara confided:´´ In that moment I had like a
light…from the holy spirit ``. She explained to the internal delegation that
came together at Nairobi from all of Africa, that from our spirituality ``a
doctrine will be born that is not link to a particular cultural environment…but
will be link to the charisma, which is from God, therefore a doctrine link to
paradise, which comes down like a white light, that´s to say without colour…it
has the colour of paradise´´ ´´this doctrine, she added could be beneficial to
all theologians in the world. According to the environment of the cultural
diversity, it has to assume the diverse cultures in the unique truth that will
be taught and transmitted.
Here comes the birth of the focolarina
inculturartion; in this way Chiara entrusted to the ´´newly
born´´MariapoliPiero not only to develop as other little towns, but she
specified to Bruna and Lucio that: ´´Here a school has to be born for our
inculturation´´ she added ´´like Araceli-that which is today the Mariapoli
Genetta.it is the pilot city for the economy of communion,
As such Africa in a particular way has a little
town- the MariapoliPiero-it has to be a model of these schools that will be
repeated after in all the nations, according to the various cultures. Chiara
came to a conclusion saying to these internal members on that historical day in
1992 ´´the novelty is that….here in Nairobi this Mariapoli will come to life
immediately, because tomorrow we will lay the first stone…a school of
inculturation! So that little by little everyone, starting from the responsible
of the volunteers, gen units, responsible of the secretariat of priests,
religious and sisters. Can spend some time to see, enriched themselves with
this new theology, also with all the studies that will result from
it.
The following day, when Chiara was moving around
the land of the ´´to be MariapoliPiero´´, she also deposited a medal where the
centre for the school of inculturation was to be constructed. she gave the
responsibility of the director of this school to father Valentino
Vadagini and asked Bishop Antonio Scoppellitti to be the guarantee. Everything
was then entrusted to Bruna and Lucio. Chiara indicated above all the way in which
the work was going to be done: to face a point and study it well in the African
tradition, like a cultural research to collect and bring to life
´´the seeds of the word´´ present in the African culture, with a great
contribution of the commission in the various zones and nations. Then to
understand them in the light of the old and new testament and in the church
documents. At the end to understand how it is seen with the white light, the
light of the ideal.
A short while after she had put up her first work,
father Valentino Vadagini left for paradise. This commission later was enriched
with new members and the inculturation schools have taken place with intervals
of two or three years, at the pan-African level with regularity. The
responsible for the African zones were always present with qualified groups of
internal members and most of the time Bishops were present.
The response of the internal members to Chiara’s
request to collect proverbs was immediate. The local commissions are very
active in the research work of oral tradition, costumes and also the writings
of experts. They have gone further in the specialization of producing competent
studies and effective experiences.
The themes chosen with Jesus in the midst with the
commission have always been seen with the indigo of the opera and handed to
Chiara and Father Foresi. The themes dealt with up to date are:
1) Inculturation
and the concept of God in the African tradition. 2) The person 3)The community.
4) Property and work in the prospective of inculturation. 5) Suffering.
6) sickness and death in sub- Sahara Africa. 7) Resolving conflicts and
reconciliation in sub- Sahara Africa 7) Challenges for inculturation.8)
Education in traditional Africa. 9) Communication. There are ongoing preparations
for the 2010, 9th edition.
There are videos of the lessons since this school
began, which have been duplicated. This is to facilitate the repetition of
these lessons at the zonal level. These writings have been published in
Italian, English and French languages, which have been so much appreciated in
the universities, Embassies and development organs. There is a permanent
secretariat which has been put up at MariapoliPiero.
Last July, at the conclusion of the general
assembly, Emmaus chose Bruna and Lucio to remain as the responsible of the
school of inculturation to continue the work they started.
We have seen as Chiara did-prophetically –we
received at Nairobi the importance of inculturation for the church in Africa.
Speaking about inculturation it might be useful to
say a few words about it significance in the church domain. It is a theological
term, coined after the second Vatican council, which indicates the meeting of
the evangelical message with the culture, the integral part of the process of evangelization.
In the final document published in 1995 at the
conclusion of the African Synod, entitle Ecclesia in Africa; the inculturation
is seen by Pope John Paul the second as ´´a way of sanctity´´ and it founded it
roots in the same event of incarnation. The announcement of the good news with
the word and the work that opens the heart of people to the desire of sanctity
´´ the Pope wrote: Inculturation constitute also a way of sanctity,
through which faith penetrates into the lives of people and their original
community like in the incarnation Christ assumed the human flesh except in sin,
analogically through inculturation the Christian message is putting together
the values of the society in which it has been proclaimed, brings out what has
been destroyed by sin. The measure, in which the Ecclesia community knows how
to integrate the positive values of a determined culture, has therefore become
the instrument of its openness to the dimension of Christian sanctity,
(EA87).In the same document, going back to the recommendation of the African
Bishops, it was underlined and taken into account that inculturation includes
all the areas of the life of the church and the inculturation (EA 62) but this
is not a simple process to update.
Chiara, in the act of this foundation of the
Focolarina School of inculturation, brings out one of our methodology and more
to that she indicated to us how to live the inculturation. We can remember very
well that at end of her visit to Nairobi, she handed to us a memorable link-up,
that of ´´making ourselves one in a profound way´´
She confided: ´´one of the graces that our lady has
given us in this month of may during our stay in Africa, has been the
understanding of the new dimension of making ourselves one with our brother… and
we have also seen in a new way this brother too´´
Recalling to mind saint Vincenzo of Poali who
defined the poor as his masters, Chiara continued: we have understood that we
should not only look at the poor as our master, but also all our neighbours, in
fact, if Jesus said he did not come to be served but to serve, we are then the
servants, and the masters are the others. The same as he is, it is the brother
who is supposed to have the first word, to be honored, obeyed because he is the
one who commands´´
Lucio wrote, presenting this text of Chiara during
the first school of inculturation, ´´Here we have understood that we have to
make ourselves one –forgetting ourselves by entering into the other as the only
thing that counts.
Chiara continued, laying emphases on how much we
have to put our brother in a condition in which he can open up…how we have to
put ourselves aside and approach the brother ´´completely empty of ourselves ´´
to be nothing in front of him as Jesus forsaken and Mary desolate ´´ ´´in this
way our brother can manifest himself because he has found someone who welcomes
him, he can therefore give what is in him. It continues: but this is because
the nothingness here is a nothingness of love and not synonymous of
in-existence, the Holy Spirit present in us illuminates and permits us to guide
in a particular way the conversation so that the brother can open up
completely. This is not all; he gives us a way in which we can gather that
living thing found in the heart of the brother that is living in the spiritual
sense of it. The flame of the divine life in him, or the simple living in the
human sense, is an expression of those values that the lord in his creation
sowed in the soul of each and every human being.
Lucio commented again: ´´what struck me in this
putting ourselves aside to make ourselves one is the measure… Jesus forsaken
and Mary desolate. On the other hand it is the unique and true way to keep
Jesus in the midst with that brother and consequently the Holy Spirit and his
light´´ …it is the first phase of the action of the Holy Spirit: the
manifestation of the neighbor in everything that is positive and the wisdom in
him. ´´the active part of love in us …is that of guiding, if it can be said in
this way, the conversation so that our neighbor can be able to open up
completely ´´ it is only after this that the second phase of the action of the
Holy Spirit can start with the understanding on our part of what is positive,
what is alive in the other person.
At this point Chiara says: on that living thing we
can in serving graft with gentleness, with love, with an unlimited discretion,
these true aspects of evangelical message we are carrying, should give the
fullness and be complete to what our neighbor believes already which is what is
being awaited in him, almost coveted, aspects that takes along itself the whole
truth. In this way the brother has given, and we have done the same. So the
flame of our ideal goes to the benefit of many´´
We can sense chiara’s joy from her words for the
fact that she succeeded to discover- in this process of love to make ourselves
one in a profound way-from that something which is alive, which is
precious in the other, that concise with recognizing the seeds of the
word, spread in every culture.
This is the way that we have also taken in working
for the school of inculturation, in which we were very much supported in all
these years by Bruna and Lucio,´´ our old people´´
It was a gradual experience of sensibilization and
of growing interest in this exercise of squeezing, articulating values and
limits of one’s real culture, the field to say the new truth to all of us. It
was very useful getting to know ourselves, giving esteems and establish the
spirit of dialogue and love between the various African people. This was also
to get to know this common patrimony and to help each other to make known the
voice of Africa to the rest of the world in view of a universal brotherhood.
This work is still at the beginning, to know more about the themes and contents
involve, consult the proceedings that have been published.
I can just say a few words in what comes into
evidence in the African tradition, the values that are centered on the human
person, which are expressed like Muntu in the bantu languages. This word is
composed from the prefix Mu= the thinking being, and Ntu= the force of life
therefore the Muntu, in relation to life with his community, with the natural
world, with the spiritual world and God. These three dimensions are very
constitutive for his existence and none should be lacking so that it can
develop in receiving and giving life. The African traditional spirituality is
witness in this way, which can give a significant contribution to our global
world.
The tsunami of consumerism has also reached Africa
which is threatening the social and the authentic religious life. This is why
inculturation is very important to throw more light on the divine- human roots
of the African life for a harmonious development of his social and Ecclesial
life.
We can hereby say that the work during these years
has always been new and enriching. It has been a continuous learning, taking
great care of our methods of research, and progressing in the preparations and
receiving the contributions with Jesus in the midst. I remember that it was
also the same thing for me in the study of various themes in the light of the
scriptures.
The experience of the focolarina inculturation has
been done, based on making ourselves one in a profound way, an experience of
inculturation at the discovery of the other person and also of a profound
inter-inculturation. As Chiara named it- within the
African cultures due to the specificity of the various ethnic groups. It was a
true ´´exchange of gifts ´´ that made things to grow in love and life that
satisfied the soul and mind, giving it a new knowledge of one’s real roots and
the opening up of new horizons.
I remember a beautiful step made by Chiara that
Bruna made mention during the last school of inculturation at Nairobi. Bruna
recall how much Chiara had explained at Guadalupe when she was describing the
‘’morenita’’ the way she made herself one that emerged from each particularity
of her dress and of her image. In this occasion Chiara concluded. What I
have signal to you, I think it is enough to make us understand the most
important thing. Inculturation is only making ourselves one with other people
in a spiritual way, discovering yourselves, bringing out the seeds of the word
present in this culture, but we should also assumed with humility and
acknowledgment that valuable something that is offered by the culture of our
brothers. Inculturation demands an exchange of gifts. This is what our lady of
Guadalupe wants to tell us.
It is love that has to guide us in inculturation,
this is how the Holy Spirit reacts, Chiara repeated this at Fontem in the year
2000.
Cardinals, Bishops and theologians during these
years have expressed the highest appreciation for this work, we can’t quote all
of them, but just a few phases of professor Maviiri in one of the books of the
proceedings, and he is the Rector of the East African Catholic University. He
wrote ´´ in the actual phase that we are living … what an appropriate
coincidence that this type of work is published, not only to underline the
necessary need of inculturation, but also to testify the joy of discovering the
gift of each one in response to the love of God for all of us. This is the
practice of the school of inculturation of the focolare movement ´´
Struck by a step made by Chiara which has been
published in her spiritual writings, I can conclude saying: According to
Chiara all being have to be seen as God’s gift. Form here, who is next to
me is created as a gift for me and I am also created as a gift for the this
person too. Here on earth everything is in relationship of love with
everything. Each with the other. What is needed is to live love in order to
fine the golden thread between all being.
We can therefore in a joyful way conclude that
inculturation- this baby that came from the heart of Chiara and from her
prophetic love has been born, being very conscious that this baby still needs
our special care to grow and produce a hundred folds in fruits, not only in the
life of the work of Mary but in all of Africa.
Thanks
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