What we in the Focolare Movement, and I think others too, know as
“Paradise ’49” is a mystical experience that was, in some way, unprecedented and unique, because God never repeats himself. It was new and unique in both form and content.

It all started with a pact of unity between Chiara Lubich and Igino Giordani: a woman and a man; a girl to whom a charism had been given by God and a politician actively involved in society; a virgin and a married man. That already tells us much. Furthermore, the context preceding the event must be kept in mind and is quite important.

The background of this experience was a very deep life of the Word – the human logos* united to the divine logos; Jesus crucified and forsaken who unites heaven and earth and therefore fills every void; and Eucharistic communion as a symbol of universal fraternity, of universal communion and fellowship.

Those who study this experience tell us that everything started there; everything arose out of that context. It is understandable that, if that is how things were, what came of it was a wide-ranging ecclesial and social movement, with a methodology based on a 360° dialogue: dialogue within the Catholic Church, ecumenical dialogue, interreligious dialogue and dialogue with contemporary culture.

It is a movement that, in turn, was able to initiate important social movements such as the Economy of Communion and the Movement for Unity in Politics, and also important cultural realities such as the Città Nuova (New City) publishing house or the Sophia University Institute.

What we are celebrating is this particular event that occurred in a marvelous context where nature blends with culture, where the divine shines out in what is human and the human shines out in the divine and in social relationships. Certainly, in a world like ours, which is so fragmented and marked by extreme polarization, I believe that this experience is extremely relevant and can make a significant contribution to humanity’s journey today.

Jesús Moràn

* Logos: the Word of God, identified in the Gospel of John with the second person of the Trinity incarnate in Jesus Christ