We all know that the primary choice of the Focolare and personally, of each one of us, has been the choice of God. In the vanity of all things, God shone out as a certainty. We adored him present in tabernacles, we loved him in our brothers and sisters, and we contemplated him beyond the stars in the immensity of the universe.

But one day, we were surprised by the thought that God, who was so close to us with his love but so far from us with his majesty, had come down among us when we were united, establishing his dwelling place among us.

Eusebius of Caesarea [a scholar of the Biblical canon in the 4th century] confirms this, saying: “O Lord, I love and prefer your dwelling place because you yourself have deigned to live here among men and to set here your dwelling place; for you said: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Mt 18:20).”

The prerequisites

But what conditions must be met to merit the presence of Jesus in the midst?

We know that we can have Jesus in our midst if we are united in his name. But what does that mean? It means if we are united in him: in his will; in love, which is his will; in mutual love, which is the supreme will of Jesus; his commandment, where there is unity of heart, will and mind; if possible in all things, but certainly in matters of faith.

The early Fathers of the Church also asked themselves what conditions were necessary to have Jesus in the midst.

John Chrysostom lays down as the condition for having Jesus in the midst, that of loving our brother out of love for Jesus, and loving him as Christ did, who gave his life even for his enemies…
Origen holds that the condition for having Jesus in the midst is being in “accord” with several people in thought and in sentiment, so as to reach — as he says — “concord” (oneness of heart) …

The effects

Now I will speak of some effects. What does Jesus in our midst bring?

We, who have had the grace to be able to live with his presence, can testify to the following: Jesus in the midst gives light. Who enlightened us regarding the phrases of the Gospel, such that we saw them as something completely new, revolutionary and full of life? Jesus in our midst.

And who, then, throughout the entire history of the Focolare, traced those lines of light for the organization of the Movement? Jesus in the midst was behind every step we have taken.

And when we don’t know what to do, who else do we turn to but to him, saying: “Come, let’s keep Jesus in our midst so that we can understand the will of God”?

He is the light of our life, the answer to our every problem.

Origen, too, realized this when he wrote: “If, at any time, we are unable to explain or resolve a problem, let us go with utmost unanimity… to Jesus, who is present where two or three are gathered together in his name… and is ready with his presence to illuminate the hearts of those who truly desire to understand his doctrines.”

Jesus in the midst is the saving grace… in those places where external conditions hinder the practice of faith, either because of other religions’ intolerance toward ours, or due to an environment that has been de-Christianized by a materialistic mentality and way of life, or for the complete absence (as in non-Christian countries) of any knowledge of Jesus. In those places, our homes become our meeting places, and Jesus in the midst transforms them into churches. Circumstances of this kind bring us back to the situation of the early Church.

In the Apostolic Constitutions (Book 8, n. 34), which is the most important juridical-liturgical collection of early Christianity, we find written: “If it is not possible to assemble either in the church or in a house, let everyone sing, read and pray, especially in two’s or three’s together. For ‘where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ ”

St. Athanasius applies Matthew 18:20 to those who are far from one another but spiritually united. This is a great joy to those of us who are scattered all over the world.

“Although distance divides us,” he says, “the Lord… unites us spiritually in harmony and in the bond of peace. When we have these sentiments (that we love one another even when far from each other) … no distance can separate us, because the Lord unites us and binds us closely together.”

Alone vs. together

But what is the difference between being alone and being together?

I remember that especially in the beginning when we began to live this spirit, each one of us felt very strongly the difference between being united and being alone, without the help of unity.

When we were alone, detached from the community and a little downhearted, we became aware of all our personal fragility; we felt confused; our will was weak and unable to carry out what we had planned. We could no longer see why we had left everything to follow Jesus. The light was missing.

When we were united, on the other hand, we felt all the strength of Jesus among us. It was as if we were armed with the power and blessing of heaven… Before this new life began, we were convinced that it was impossible to live the Gospel in our times because we hadn’t really understood it.

We used to ask ourselves: “How can we live the Gospel in order to become saints; how can we do it? St. Catherine is said to have engaged in acts of penance like self-flagellation; St. Francis threw himself in the snow in moments of great temptation; other saints fasted. What would be our way?”
And then Jesus in the midst enlightened us on the simplest words: those which spoke about love. And love leads us to the light because love opens the way to understanding all the rest of the Gospel.

Before this new life began, we were convinced that it was impossible to live the Gospel in our times because by ourselves we were unable to do so. Afterwards in unity, we realized it was possible because Jesus himself, present in our midst, explained it to us and gave us the strength to put it into practice…

The value of Jesus in the midst

I will share with you a personal experience. In a warm, filial talk that I had with the then-Msgr. Giovanni Montini, who later became Pope Paul VI, we spoke about the way we Christians often fall into misplacing our values when we consider the various riches of the Church.

That brief conversation, I remember, had to do precisely with the value of Jesus in the midst, and the ideas touched on during that conversation could be summed up like this: “If we are united, Jesus is among us. This is something precious — more precious than any other treasure that our hearts may possess: more than mother, father, brothers, sisters, and children. It is worth more than our house, our work or our property; more than the works of art in a great city like Rome.

“Jesus in the midst is worth more than magnificent monuments, more than lavish mausoleums, more than works of art, more than the splendor of the Vatican: more than our own souls!”

It is Jesus.

Chiara Lubich
(Living City, USA)

Originally published in Italian in Città Nuova, 20 (1978), no. 19-21.