Editorial

Silvano Cola

For some time we have been waiting for a small magazine that would reflect the experiences and ideas developing internationally in the sector of the ecclesial world dealing with priestly formation and life in its various expressions. There have been English-speaking subscribers to the Italian magazine GEN'S (New Generation of Priests), which circulates in over eighty countries. The fact that it was written in Italian meant it was of limited use despite the real interest in its contents. This specialised magazine started over 20 years ago during the period of student revolts which took place not only in state universties but also in the seminaries. It has kept its balance in the contrasting events of the post-conciliar period because it has something to offer.

The magazine reflects the spirituality and life of the Focolare Movement, a movement which John Paul II has called 'providential'. This movement is centred on the gospel radicalism of charity and aims at contributing towards the uniting of what is dispersed and divided, in order to respond to Jesus' desire and testament 'that all may be one' (Jh 17:21). In this movement there is a divine pedagogy that brings about firstly an inner transformation of individual persons, focusing them on God, chosen as the only Ideal of their life. Yet this Ideal is extremely concrete and social, since one goes to God through the neighbour, thus effecting the transition from an individual to a collective spirituality, or rather, to a spirituality of communion.

One of the consequences of this spirituality is that one first lives and only then preaches. And the importance - especially for those whose duty it is to preach - of this approach, which goes back to Jesus' own experience, can be seen by its fruits. Today, confronted by secularisation, we cannot remain passive, wearily carrying on a kind of evangelisation which has all the signs of having no effect. Chiara Lubich was saying only recently that, "For many people, there is still an acceptance of Jesus, but not the Church. Why? Because they find that Jesus and the Church are not the same thing ... But when they see that the structures of the Church are of the very stuff of Christ because it is Christ who lives in the presbyteries, in the seminaries, in the parish communities - when they find that they are idential with Christ - then they will be reconciled also with the Church". Who then, if not the seminarians, can make the seminaries become the living presence of Christ, thanks to his promise that if they live in a trinitarian communion, he is present (cf. Mt 18:20)? And vocations will flourish. Who, if not the priests, can transform the presbyteries, the pastoral and priests' councils, the parishes and dioceses from more or less bureaucratic organisations to being the living presence of Christ thanks to the "before everything" (cf. 1 Pt 4:8) of mutual love?

Chiara Lubich was basing what she said on an observation. In a conversation held during a meeting with bishops she was able to say that the structures of the movement itself (focolares, mariapolis', small towns), are themselves evangelising, because "we have and we wish to have Jesus in our midst". We want to make this approach to a new evangelisation our own, helping each other with this little magazine that will, from time to time, communicate experiences and suggestions from the other 180 countries of the world where the members of our movement live.