The Words of Life comprises spiritual reflections and insights penned by Chiara Lubich, the esteemed founder of the Focolare Movement. Recognized as an Italian Catholic activist and a prominent figure within the Catholic Church (1920–2008), Lubich dedicated herself to fostering unity and dialogue among individuals from diverse backgrounds and beliefs.
Established in 1943, the Focolare Movement is an international organization striving to cultivate unity and universal brotherhood based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Emphasizing the spirituality of unity, its members, known as Focolarini, aspire to lead lives characterized by love, mutual understanding, and solidarity with others.
The book Words of Life is a unique compilation of Chiara Lubich’s written reflections on Scriptural passages. These commentaries, constituting a distinct body of work within her extensive literary output, were originally distributed as leaflets to a broad audience. Written in an accessible style for people of all social classes, they go beyond traditional Gospel commentaries, offering charismatic readings, intuitions, and moments of unexpected joy. Chiara Lubich’s direct and incisive style gave rise to a new literary genre. The Words of Life initiative, spanning over 60 years (from 1943 to 2006), has contributed significantly to the rediscovery of the ‘word of God’ in the Catholic world and beyond, with translations into 96 languages. The book, edited by Fabio Ciardi, brings together around 350 of these reflections, providing a comprehensive collection of Lubich’s insights.
In November 2023, a collection of 100 reflections from The Words of Life was published in Maltese in the book named Ngħixu l-Kelma.
