May They All Be One

Origins and Life of the Focolare Movement

By: Chiara Lubich

Narrated by: Geraldine Guadagno

Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

The Focolare Movement is a Gospel-based ecclesial movement of spiritual and social renewal, which aims at spreading the message of unity worldwide. Inspired by Jesus’ prayer to the Father, “May they all be one” (Jn 17:21), its goal is to promote brotherhood and to achieve a more united world. This is the story of how everything began: an extraordinary story of young people with a strong belief in God's love. The story begins during the Second World War and it is told by its principal protagonist: Chiara Lubich, the foundress of the Focolare Movement.

©2016 New City Press (P)2019 New City Press

Inspirational specially for WOMEN

This book of Chiara Lubich and the Focolare Movement is a real gem for to guide our lives in the world to live with solidarity, generosity, unity, in one word; live with LOVE!!! Love is Lovesnd always win ❤️🌈1️⃣

A clear and concise way to live unity.

This book shows us a clear path to God but building unity through love of neighbor. Hope for a fractured world.

Introduction to the Focolare Movment

A friend recommended this short audiobook/kindle book to me a couple of days ago. I have been broadly aware of the Focolare movement, but I have not explored them previously.

May They All Be One is not a new book; it was initially published in 1977. But it was only last month that an audiobook version was only released last month. Both the Kindle and audiobook versions are under $5 and are short. The audiobook is just over 2 hours, and the kindle edition is the equivalent of under 100 pages.

This is a very brief overview. I appreciate the introduction and the idealism and devotion that was communicated here. The book is simple, the writing clear and unvarnished. Chiara Lubich has written several books, 30 different ones if Goodreads is accurate. So I probably need to read more.

The Focolare Movement was started by young women in Italy during World War II. They knew they could die at any time. Lubich convinced her friends that if they died, they would want their gravestone inscriptions to say, "And we have believed in love”. Their goal was to serve all around them by seeking unity. Focolare was a peace movement, but it was not only a peace movement. They advocated for human rights and the poor. They desired international institutions of peace as well as local institutions that worked for the common good.

Part of what has made the movement different from other Catholic institutions was the ecumenical focus. Focolare was not only Catholic; its vision was for a campaign that sought peace throughout Christianity.

There is a real idealism of Christianity here. Focolare is taking seriously not just John 17, but also many other of the idealistic passages about love, justice, righteousness, and peace. The corrective of the Focolare seems to be the counter to the Realpolitik and pragmatism that took hold in the post-WII cold war. Focolare is not pragmatic. It is not pragmatic to pay attention to the human rights of the weak and powerless, but it is Christian.

I wanted more from May They All Be One. But it is meant as a brief introduction, not a more robust exploration. And it was written only about 20 years after the start of the movement, but about 30 years before Chiara Lubich passed away. So there is much more to the story.

The narration was not my favorite. It felt a little to light and childlike. At times it almost felt a bit condescending. But it is short and I had no problem just listening.