Jubilee of Entrepeneurs

 Immediately following the Jubilee of Workers, the Jubilee of Entrepreneurs is due to take place in the days 4th-5th May 2025. The close association of these two events does make sense, as it is the entrepreneur who can create opportunities for workers; and it is workers who can in many situations make things possible for an entrepreneur. In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope St John Paul II drew attention to the human person who is the subject of the activity of work, and this is an aspect of commercial life that the entrepreneur is also called to respect.

....the primary basis of the value of work is man himself, who is its subject. This leads immediately to a very important conclusion of an ethical nature: however true it may be that man is destined for work and called to it, in the first place work is "for man" and not man "for work". Through this conclusion one rightly comes to recognize the pre-eminence of the subjective meaning of work over the objective one. Given this way of understanding things, and presupposing that different sorts of work that people do can have greater or lesser objective value, let us try nevertheless to show that each sort is judged above all by the measure of the dignity of the subject of work, that is to say the person, the individual who carries it out. On the other hand: independently of the work that every man does, and presupposing that this work constitutes a purpose-at times a very demanding one-of his activity, this purpose does not possess a definitive meaning in itself. In fact, in the final analysis it is always man who is the purpose of the work, whatever work it is that is done by man-even if the common scale of values rates it as the merest "service", as the most monotonous even the most alienating work.

A project of the Focolare Movement demonstrates how business owners can run companies in a way that respects both those who are employed in the company and the wider community within which the company might be inserted. It is called Economy of Communion in Freedom. The article The Economy of Communion takes flight gives an account of how the project began - note that the "little town" or "little city" referred to describes a small town in which members and collaborators of the Focolare Movement live together to foster communion: 

The fundamental nucleus of the Economy of Communion in Freedom (EoC) can be summarized in three concepts: there was to be an industrial park with productive businesses located close to the movement’s little town; economic resources must be entrusted to competent individuals; the profits must be shared: one part for persons in need, one part to be invested in the industry itself to ensure its growth, one part for the formation of a new generation for a new society. 

The main website  Economy of Communion in Freedom gives an idea of the life of the project today. Through the recognition that the human person is made for communion, central to the charism of the Focolare Movement, this project puts the human person at the centre of the commercial enterprise. The subject (in St John Paul II's sense) of entrepreneurship is the person of the entrepreneur; the subject of work is the person who is employed in the enterprise.

A politics of self interest?..Or a politics worth living? [UPDATED]

A few days before the General Election, a then Parliamentary candidate, now the duly re-elected member, delivered his election letter through my letter box (emphases in the original).

As your M.P., I have dedicated myself to standing up for [constituency name], fighting for our community and looking after the interests of local people....

Parliament also needs M.P.s who are not afraid to speak up for what is right for Britain and for England too, which is something I have always done.....

Let me give you this clear commitment now:

As your M.P., I shall only support a Government that gives the British people a referendum on the European Union and promises to put Britain first!

And from his "top 10 pledges" on the reverse of his letter (again, the emphases are in the original]:

1. Keep working hard for [constituency name] all year round - always putting[constituency name] first!

2. Continue to stand up for Britain as our voice in Parliament.

3. Let the British people vote in a referendum to get OUT of political union with the E.U. - free trade and co-operation is the only relationship we need with Europe.

4. Control immigration, protect our UK Borders and end welfare benefits to foreign nationals who have not contributed to our country.

Now in a political structure which allies membership of the House of Commons to representation of a specific geographical area, there is both a political and moral legitimacy in an MP working in favour of the interests of his constituents. However, the Honourable Member's electoral missive appears to me to do two things that go beyond this legitimate activity. I think it first of all articulates on his own part a politics of interest only in his own town and country, a politics of self-interest in his own community. And secondly, and rather more sadly, it promotes such a politics of self-interest among his constituents as something worthy of electoral support; it encourages them to see political engagement as an activity of self-interest.

There is, of course, another possibility in politics. That is to build one's politics, not on the interest of self or my own group, but on the interests of the other. This is what is meant when the Second Vatican Council taught (Gaudium et Spes n.74):

The political community exists, consequently, for the sake of the common good, in which it finds its full justification and significance, and the source of its inherent legitimacy. Indeed, the common good embraces the sum of those conditions of the social life whereby men, families and associations more adequately and readily may attain their own perfection.

One of the most widespread attempts to live out a politics "for the other" is that of the Movement for Unity in Politics, a work of the Focolare movement. When she visited Britain in June 2004, Chiara Lubich spoke of this movement to a meeting of Parliamentarians at the Palace of Westminster.

What this movement proposes and gives witness to, is a lifestyle that allows politics to reach its goal in the best possible way, that is, the common good in the unity of the social body.

In fact, one would wish to invite all those involved in politics to commit themselves to this lifestyle by making a pact of fraternity for their country, one that puts the country’s good above all partial interests, whether that of individuals, groups, classes or parties.

Fraternity offers surprising possibilities. It helps to give cohesion and value to human demands which otherwise could develop into insoluble conflicts. It harmonizes the experiences of local authorities with the sense of a shared history. It strengthens our awareness of the importance of those international organizations and systems which attempt to overcome all barriers, taking important steps towards the unity of the human family.

And in a section of her address sub-headed "Beyond the Party Divide", Chiara said (my italics added for emphasis):

The politicians of unity become aware of the fact that politics is rooted in love. They understand that others, too, sometimes called political opponents, might have made their choices out of love. They realize that every political group, every political option can be the answer to a social need and therefore necessary to building up the common good. Therefore, they are as interested in all that concerns the other – including his or her cause - as they are in their own cause, and criticism becomes constructive. They seek to live out the apparent paradox of loving the other’s party as their own because the good of the nation needs everyone’s cooperation.

This, summarizing the main points, is the ideal of the "Movement for Unity in Politics", and this is – it seems to me – politics worth living, politics capable of recognising and serving the plan for one’s community, one’s town and nation, indeed that of all humanity, because fraternity is God’s plan for the whole human family.

This is the genuine, authoritative politics which every country needs. In fact, strength comes with power, but only love gives authority.

This is a politics that does not oppose the interests of an MPs constituency to national or international interests, but sees them in unity each with the other. Its implications for my re-elected Parliamentary representative and for the new Conservative government are:

Will immigration policy be rooted in the need of the refugee and asylum seeker, or the self interest of the British people?

Will the debate about Europe be one about how Britain can contribute to the needs of the other nations, or will it be about the self interest of the British people?

Will the debate about savings in the welfare budget be about the needs of the other who is less well off in our society or about the self interest of the ill-defined "hard working family"?

UPDATE: Auntie Joanna (here) has reminded me of David Cameron's farewell speech at the end of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to our country, in which he expressed something of the theme of this post:

...people do not have to share a religious faith or agree with religion on everything to see the benefit of asking the searching questions that you, your Holiness, have posed to us about our society and how we treat ourselves and each other.

You have really challenged the whole country to sit up and think, and that can only be a good thing.

Because I believe we can all share in your message of working for the common good and that we all have a social obligation to each other, to our families and our communities.

And, of course, our obligations to each other – and our care for each other – must extend beyond these shores too. 

Chiara Lubich: Why Christmas Never Grows Old

This meditation by Chiara Lubich appeared in the December 2010 edition of New City.

I think Christmas never grows old,

because it is a deeply human,

as well as a divine mystery.

God, in becoming a human being, raised humanity

to the dizzy heights of the divine,

but at the same time he made it manifest

disclosing its mystery to people in ecstacy.

Christmas means the warmth of the family,

the amazing phenomenon of motherhood,

the continuity of life through fatherhood.

Christmas means, for the Christian and for humanity -

besides the dawn of Redemption -

the day in which humanity rediscovers itself, its true self,

because it is grafted into God.

As in the Family, so in Society

This is the title of an article in the current issue of New City, the UK edition of Focolare's magazine. The article reproduces a talk given by Chiara Lubich in June 1993.

The article raises three questions.

1. Chiara Lubich presents what some will see as a very rosy view of what family life is like, and want to argue that this view is now so unusual that it cannot be considered as relevant to most families today. What is an appropriate response to this view?

2. If one accepts Chiara's view of family life as legitimate, it still suggests a practice of family life that many Catholics will not find familiar. What can Catholic families learn from Chiara's talk?

3. Now, more so than in 1993, a Catholic vision of family life needs to respond to questions of inter-religious dialogue. In particular, is the vision of family life that Chiara presents one that can be shared to any extent by Muslims, for whom one husband can have several wives and therefore, in the Western sense, several families?

This is the text of Chiara's article (I have not been able to find an electronic version to link to).

We are on the threshold of the third millennium. The family, every family can take a lead in shaping this era. Devised by God as a masterpiece of love, the family is able to inspire the guidelines that can con­tribute to changing tomorrow's world.
In fact, if we look at the family, if we were to take an x-ray of it, we would discover enormous and precious val­ues, which if projected and applied to all of humanity have the potential to transform it into one big family.
The family is founded on love, a bond that has many dimensions: love between spouses, among parents and their children, between grandparents, uncles and aunts with nieces and nephews, among brothers and sisters. It is a love that grows continuously, always going beyond itself. In the same way, the love among spouses generates new life and the relation among brothers and sisters becomes friendship. And because authority and the various roles are expressions of love, they are accepted naturally.
In the family it comes sponta­neously to put everything in com­mon, to share everything and to have a single economy. Savings are not hoarding but rather prudent foresight. It is normal to provide for the needs of those who are not yet productive or of those who no longer are.
In the family people of all ages live together. It is natural to live for the other, to love one another.
Even education occurs in a sponta­neous way: it is enough to think of a baby's first steps or his or her first words. Punishment and forgiveness are given only for the good of the person.
The sense of justice is normal in the family just as it is normal to feel the other's guilt and shame. It is natu­ral to suffer and to sacrifice oneself for the family, to carry one another's burdens. Solidarity and faithfulness to one's family are spontaneous.
In the family the other's life is just as precious as one's own, at times even more so; one feels concerned about everyone's health and takes care of those that are not well.
The family is the place where life naturally begins and ends and where the handicapped, the elderly and the terminally ill find acceptance, affec­tion and care.
In the family each member is clothed and nourished according to his or her needs.
The home is built and taken care of together with everyone's participation.
In the family everyone teaches and everyone learns: everything serves for the maturation of its members. Its members may have different cultural values but all these diversities become enrichment for all.
In the family communication is also spontaneous; everyone participates in everything and shares everything.
And so the task of every family is to live its vocation with such perfec­tion that it becomes a model for the entire human family and passes on to it all of its values by example.
In this way the family will become ... a seed of communion for the world of the third millennium.
Is it natural for a family to put everything in common? This could be the seed from which an economic sys­tem at the service of humankind can spring forth, a seed of a culture of giv­ing, of an economy of communion.
Is it spontaneous in the family to live one for the other, to live the other? This is the seed of acceptance among groups, peoples, traditions, races and societies that opens the door to reciprocal inculturation.
Does the passing on of values from generation to generation come sponta­neously in the family? It could then be an incentive for placing new emphasis on education in society. What is more, the example of correction and forgive­ness in the life of the family can be a model for the justice system.
Is another member's life valued as one's own in the family? This is the seed of the culture of life that must enlighten the laws and the structures of society.
Does the family take care of its home and try to make it reflect the harmony among its members? This is the seed of a renewed awareness of the environment and of ecology.
In the family, are studies aimed at the development of the person? This is the seed that can lead to cultural, scien­tific and technological research aimed at discovering little by little the myste­rious design of God for humanity and to working for the common good.
In the family, is communication impartial and constructive? This is the seed for a social communication system at the service of humankind; one that highlights and transmits the positive and that seeks to be an instrument of world peace and unity.
Is love the natural bond among the members of the family? This is the seed of structures and institutions that work for the good of the commu­nity and of individuals that aspire to universal brotherhood, giving value to each individual nation .... God created the family as a model for every other human coexistence. This therefore is the task of families: always to keep the fire of love burn­ing in every home and to reawaken those values that God entrusted to the family in order to bring them gener­ously and without rest to every sector of society.

To offer an answer to my three questions:

1. An adequate phenomenology of the family, which gives full account of the situation of the family in the past as much as of the situation of the family today, will recognise that some manifestations under the title of family represent a deviation or corruption of what is genuinely intended by the phenomenon of the family. Similarly, as Pope Benedict XVI suggested in the address that he had prepared to deliver at La Sapienza, what we receive from previous generations - in this case a more stable and unified vision of marriage and family life - has something genuine to offer to today's understanding.

2. One of the striking aspects of Chiara's talk is the number of points at which it suggests practical implementations of the unity of life that underlies marriage and family life. This should not be a surprise given the particular charism of unity that is a feature of the Focolare movement. One example of this is the suggestion that "it comes spontaneously to put everything in common, to share everything and to have a single economy". There is much here that might inform marriage preparation. As a single person, I am very conscious of the need for unity in a friendship, and am sometimes quite amazed at the lack of unity that I sometimes glimpse among those who are, to use the customary phrase, "in a relationship", or are married.

3. I think Chiara's vision does represent a challenge to Islam. Chiara's vision is implicitly monogamous, and so can only in part be lived out in a polygamous situation.

This moving post by Deacon Pat Kearns offers an insight into one family's attempt to live the unity that Chiara presents in her talk. It also gives an idea of the inter-relation of family and wider society today - and the dangers of the influence being from society to your family rather than the other way round.

A challenging Word of Life

“Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.” (Lk 12:33)

This is the Scripture text chosen by the Focolare for the Word of Life for July 2009. The reflection on it was first written by Chiara Lubich for the Word of Life in March 1979. Our group meets each month to read through the reflection on the text, and to share our experiences of it.

The first interesting thing about our discussion last evening was that, only very indirectly, did we refer to the religious life. We read the text, and its reflection, as being addressed to lay people, and to lay people at different stages in their lives. This made it a very challenging Word of Life - it was addressed to us.

The other interesting thing was that, in sharing examples of life experiences relating to this word of life, we listened to stories of lay people known to us who had actually "sold everything" and now lived lives dedicated to serving the Lord (stories from amazingly different backgrounds, by the way).

This made the Word of Life even more challenging - not only is it addressed to lay people like ourselves, but the examples we shared made it clear that it is possible for it to be lived out by lay people in its literal and decisive sense.

New City Magazine - May 2008

The May 2008 issue of New City is the first since the death of Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement who publish the magazine. It is therefore dedicated to her, and to some of the key events in her life and the life of Focolare. Particular attention is given to Chiara's visits to England and Ireland.

One article is entitled "The Work of Mary". This is the official, canonical title of the movement - Focolare is a kind of nick-name. According to the article, it was Chiara's understanding of God's plan for the movement that it was to live "like Mary"; or, in fact, more than that to "relive Mary" in a certain sense. New City reproduces a meditation in which Chiara gives an account of how this intuition for the movement came into being. It has a striking resonance with a thought of Alina Reyes included in the post I did yesterday on the April-May issue of Lourdes Magazine. One might also want to suggest that apparitions of the Virgin Mary such as those at Lourdes do in some way make a presence of Mary in the Church.

I went into church one day, and with my heart full of trust, I asked: "Why did you wish to remain on earth, on every point of the earth, in the most sweet Eucharist, and you, you who are God, have not found a way to bring here and to leave here Mary, the mother of all of us who journey?"

In the silence he seemed to reply: "I have not left her because I want to see her again in you. Even if you are not immaculate, my love will virginize you, and you, all of you, will open your arms and hearts as mothers of humanity, which, as in times past, thirsts for God and for his mother. It is you who now must soothe pains, soothe wounds, dry tears. Sing her litanies and strive to mirror yourself in them".

[Chiara Lubich Mary the Transparency of God]