Maria Voce, an angel of unity and hope is here

Maria Voce, the new president of the Focolare Movement who succeeded the late Chiara Lubich, arrived last Sunday and she brings with her the essence of unity and hope which the movement has already shared with over 180 countries in five continents.

Also known as Emmaus, the name given to her by Chiara Lubich, Miss Maria Voce was accompanied by Focolare co-president Giancarlo Faletti, and she will start today a series of meetings with local Focolare communities. She will be here until January 31 and is scheduled to address on January 28 the second National Congress of the Clergy organized by the Episcopal Commission on Clergy of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) which runs from January 25 to 29 at the World Trade Center.

Maria Voce’s Asian visit includes meetings with different lay and ecumenical groups in Asia: Jan 8 — a group of politicians from the Korean parliament in Seoul, Korea; Jan. 15 — 5,000 adherents of the Rissho Kosei-kai, a Buddhist lay Movement in Tokyo, Japan; Feb. 3 — the 4th Christian-Buddhist symposium on the theme, “Christian Agape in Contemporary Times” in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Feb 5 — A meeting with Buddhist Monks at the Mahachulalongkorn University in Chiang Mai, Thailand.   

The importance of her Asian journey is underscored by the blessing given by Pope Benedict XVI which was conveyed in a letter signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Cardinal Ber-tone’s letter said that it is with the blessing of Pope Benedict XVI, as a sign of abundant graces, blessings that are extended to the communities of the countries to be visited, which are particularly dear to the heart of the Pope, which will begin the first trip to Asia of Maria Voce.

Other than the ideal of unity (the Focolare is also known as the Movement for Unity), Chiara Lubich initiatives — The Economy of Communion (EoC) and the Movement for Unity in Politics (MUP) — provide vital solutions to our country’s most serious problems such as the grinding poverty resulting from the Wealth Gap, a deeply divided society which is still basically tribal and our failed democracy.

The EoC has been endorsed as a new economic paradigm by Pope Benedict XVI in his recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate. The EoC promotes a shift from the current world culture of having to one of sharing and giving. For the Philippines — long walking on the edge of the precipice, threatening to fall into the abyss of a violent social explosion — EoC offers the solution for the Haves and the Have-nots to unite in diffusing that tension.

From history, we’ve learned how the elites of France (their aristocrats), Russia and China suffered the backlash of revolutions that their indifference to the plight of the poor had spawned. The wise and enlightened elite will go down to their poorest communities and bring them up before they bring the entire upper class down. The EoC offers the elite the initiative to remove the threat to their wealth and their lives.

The Focolare’s Movement for Unity in Politics has been gaining adherents from many continents — national as well as local public officials — for its ability to promote the crossing of political party lines in order to serve the greater good. MUP takes off from the position that politics, if done in the ideal manner, is one of the noblest undertakings a person can get into. MUP believes that the ideal politician can earn sainthood.

In a country where we’ve often felt that we are usually relegated to choosing between lesser evils for our leaders, the Focolare’s MUP offers the mode for transforming self seeking public officials into genuine servant leaders.

The way we receive those who can potentially harm us and those who can actually help improve our lives is a good indicator of how far the Filipino is from attaining economic and political emancipation. Compare how we reacted to the visit last year of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and how we react to visits by persons like Maria Voce.

The visit of Sec. Clinton was all about the big, US hidden agenda in Mindanao which was foiled when the MOA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on the Bangsamoro Ancestral Domain) was aborted due to violations of the Constitution.

Although the US will not admit it, their agenda will result in the Balkanization of Mindanao. The US desperately needs Mindanao to prepare for what they fear is an eventual confrontation with China and to gain access to and control of the energy sources in the South China Sea.  

But look at how we celebrated the arrival of Sec. Clinton. It was as if she was a conquering hero and not one who was promoting the dismemberment of Philippine territory and the placing of our country at risk as Ground Zero in the event of a US-China War.

We are a people who are desperately seeking salvation, but our mindset is the biggest impediment to our salvation, and not the lack of persons who can and are willing to help save us. We fete those who would enslave us and overlook those who could emancipate us.

*      *      *

Chair Wrecker e-mail and website: [email protected] and www.chairwrecker.com