This month's Word is taken from a series of final recommendations that the Apostle Paul gives to the community of the Thessalonians: "Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise the prophecies; test all things and hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every kind of evil" (1 Thess 5, 19-22). Prophecy and discernment, dialogue and listening. These are Paul's instructions to a community that had recently embarked on the path of faith.

Among the various gifts of the Spirit, Paul highly esteemed that of prophecy.^[1]A prophet is not someone who foresees the future, but rather someone who has the gift of seeing and understanding personal and collective history from God's perspective.

But all the gifts are guided by the greatest gift, charity, brotherly love (cf. 1 Co 13). Augustine of Hippo states that only charity allows us to discern what attitude to take in each situation.^[2].

"Examine everything and keep what is good."».

We need to be able to look not only at our personal gifts, but also at the great potential and complexity of visions and opinions that open up before us, in those around us and with whom we confront each other, even in people we meet by chance. It's important to maintain an authentic heart with everyone and also to be aware of our limited perspective.

We could adopt this Word of Life as a motto in any situation of dialogue and confrontation. Listening to others, not necessarily to accept everything, but knowing that it's possible to find something good in what they say, fosters an open mind and heart. It means emptying ourselves out of love and thus having the possibility of building something together.

"Examine everything and keep what is good."».

Father Timothy Radcliffe, one of the theologians participating in the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, stated that "the most courageous thing we can do at this synod is to be honest with each other about our doubts and questions, those for which we have no clear answers. Then we will come together as fellow seekers and beggars for the truth."^[3].

In a talk with focolarini, Margaret Karram commented on this reflection: "Reflecting on this, I have realized that many times I have not had the courage to truly say what I thought: perhaps for fear of not being understood, or perhaps to avoid saying something completely different from the majority opinion. I have understood that being 'beggars of truth' means having that attitude of closeness toward one another in which we all want what God wants, in which we all seek the good together."^[4].

"Examine everything and keep what is good."».

This is the experience of Antía, who participates in the performing arts group Mosaico, born in Spain in 2017 as Gen Rosso Local ProjectIt's made up of young people who offer their experience of fraternity through their art and workshops. Antía tells us: "It's the connection with my values: a fraternal world, with each person (whether very young, inexperienced, vulnerable, etc.) contributing to this project." Mosaico It gives me faith that a more united world isn't a utopia, despite the difficulties and hard work it entails. I've grown up working as a team, with intense dialogue, and abandoning those ideas I considered the best. "Good things" are built piece by piece by everyone."^[5].

Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life team

[1] Cf. John Paul II, General Audience, 24-6-1992, n. 7.
[2] Augustine of Hippo, Ep. Jo., 7, 8.
[3] T. Radcliffe, Meditazione no. 3, Friendship, Sinodo dei Vescovi, Sacrofano 2-10-2023
[4] M. Karram (President of the Focolare Movement), Talk with the focolarini, Rocca di Papa 3-2-2024.
[5] GRPL Mosaic is part of the project Strong without violence, which organizes multidisciplinary workshops with young people over three days, seeking to transmit values such as non-violence, peace, and dialogue through art. See magazine LAR, no. 1, Spring 2024, p. 11.