The Holy Spirit: Renewing the Face of the Earth

This book aims to reveal to the reader the Spirit's incomparable gifts, his joy, his strength, his consolation and to ignite the ardor of being united with this "unknown God" in renewing the face of the earth. On numerous occasions leaders of the Catholic Church have acknowledged the action of the Holy Spirit in the Focolare Movement. In 1946 the archbishop of Trent, Carlo de Ferrari, recognized the action of the Holy Spirit with these now famous word: "Here there is the finger of God." This expression echoes the Gospel of Luke 2 and the ninth century hymn, "Come Holy Spirit," and therefore refers to the presence of the Holy Spirit. "Here there is the finger of God!" exclaimed the Bishop of Trent when he first encountered and understood Chiara and her young companions. Prophetic words, which bore abundant fruit through Chiara's life and legacy, and which shine through this selection of her writings. These luminous pages invite us to a greater awareness of the transforming power of the "finger of God" at work in our world and in each of us. Frank Santucci OMI Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio TX The power of pessimism can "convince" us that we are incapable to rebuild our fractured and hurting society. That same pessimistic mind set goes so far as to persuade us that is not even worthy trying. As an antidote to that pessimistic spirit, I welcome the profound and fresh insights of Chiara Lubich found in this book. It gives hope and encouragement not to ignore the situation, but to look beyond, towards the infinite. It calls us to come out of ourselves in order to love and to dare to strive for an Ideal that is God himself who is Love and who has the power to make all things new. Bishop Michael Mulvey Bishop of Corpus Christ