You recently attended part of a spiritual retreat that kicked off the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement in Rome. Would you like to share your impressions?
Bishop Bonnier: It was fantastic in many ways. The General Assembly of the Focolare Movement is a three-week conference with 320 delegates. It’s very special with the Focolare Movement because the spirituality is a lived unity.
Most of the participants were Roman Catholic Focolare members, but there were also a few from other church traditions, such as the Anglican, Reformed, and Lutheran churches. In addition, there was a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim, and a non-religious participant. During the retreat itself, the feeling gradually emerged that the expression “God is not religious but generous” captured something important about the experience.
Part of the retreat was about closeness from a different angle: closeness according to the communion with people around you, as well as with people far away, and communion with God and also communion in other ways. After the retreat, we were divided into groups to discuss different subjects, and there were preparation documents. This assembly decided about some type of type of plan for five years ahead. There were 317 suggestions!
How did you first become involved with the Focolare Movement?
Bishop Bonnier: I met the movement in 1988—which is quite long ago now—for the first time at a concert in Stockholm. The Focolare Movement has a group of traveling male musicians called Gen Rosso, and a group of female traveling musicians called Gen Verde. On that day in 1988, I had never heard of them at all—but I was interested to hear more. So some days after the concert, we went to a meeting, and after that my wife and I, and our two daughters, went to family meetings. As you go further into the Focolare Movement, it becomes a personal vocation.
What was the next step that drew you more deeply into the Focolare community?
Bishop Bonnier: I was asked if I would like to be a “volunteer,” which is not normally what we think of when we hear about volunteers. It’s more of a contact person between society and Focolare. I then served for two years in a pre-volunteer group. It is always a process. You have to start and then first you are in a pre-group, then you go to a next step, and a next step. I was longing for something more but I didn’t say so much about that. One time I was asked by a regional responsible person to come to my local Focolare community, and I thought, “Well, he’s going to say, ‘You are not living this spirituality very well, please go home now.’ ” But instead he asked me if I’d ever thought of a being a “married” Focolare, which involves an eternal promise in which you are actually connected for the rest of your life. That is quite a big step! My heart said “oh yes!” but my brain said, “calm down.” A journey started that lasted at least 10 years during which I realized I can belong fully in this community and I don’t need to become someone else. They are happy because I am who I am. That is important, especially being a Lutheran priest belonging to a very Catholic movement.
Would you like to reflect on what the Focolare spirituality means to you?
Bishop Bonnier: It’s a spirituality of unity, a spirituality of love, a spirituality that finds a way to reach out to each other without trying to convert each other. There is something in the movement called “the art of loving,” and there are different aspects to loving. One of the aspects is that you should be the first to love—take the initiative. Love me most when I deserve it least. In this way, it is not only about those who love you—it is about everyone, without exception. I must admit, I’m not sure I do that every day! It is to see there must something good in every person. There must be something—and we need to concentrate on that something. Another point in the art of loving is to see from the other person’s point of view, for example, a colleague with whom you don’t share an opinion. If you try to see from his or her point of view—which means you have to formulate it—then someone can say “yes, you really understood me.”
What are some additional aspects related to the art of loving?
Bishop Bonnier: To love your neighbor as yourself. Do I love myself? How can you love another person if you don’t love yourself? In the same way that you love your self you should love your neighbor. Another aspect is to see that, when you meet another person, you meet Jesus himself. It is really interesting because you are called to see this, and called to love Jesus in the other person. So when you see a beggar on the corner, it is Jesus who is sitting there. When you meet someone who you don’t like, when you meet a problematic person, it’s Jesus whom you meet. That can challenge you in many ways.
Another aspect is to love your enemies. It goes back again to those people you don’t really like, to try to love them, to try to see the positive things. We have to start again and again with this. It is the art of loving.
You recently attended part of a spiritual retreat that kicked off the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement in Rome. Would you like to share your impressions? Bishop Bonnier: It was fantastic in many ways. The General Assembly of the Focolare Movement is a three-week conference with 320 delegates. It’s very special with the Focolare Movement because the spirituality is a lived unity. Most of the participants were Roman Catholic Focolare members, but there were also a few from other church traditions, such as the Anglican, Reformed, and Lutheran churches. In addition, there was a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim, and a non-religious participant. During the retreat itself, the feeling gradually emerged that the expression “God is not religious but generous” captured something important about the experience. Part of the retreat was about closeness from a different angle: closeness according to the communion with people around you, as well as with people far away, and communion with God and also communion in other ways. After the retreat, we were divided into groups to discuss different subjects, and there were preparation documents. This assembly decided about some type of type of plan for five years ahead. There were 317 suggestions! How did you first become involved with the Focolare Movement? Bishop Bonnier: I met the movement in 1988—which is quite long ago now—for the first time at a concert in Stockholm. The Focolare Movement has a group of traveling male musicians called Gen Rosso, and a group of female traveling musicians called Gen Verde. On that day in 1988, I had never heard of them at all—but I was interested to hear more. So some days after the concert, we went to a meeting, and after that my wife and I, and our two daughters, went to family meetings. As you go further into the Focolare Movement, it becomes a personal vocation. What was the next step that drew you more deeply into the Focolare community? Bishop Bonnier: I was asked if I would like to be a “volunteer,” which is not normally what we think of when we hear about volunteers. It’s more of a contact person between society and Focolare. I then served for two years in a pre-volunteer group. It is always a process. You have to start and then first you are in a pre-group, then you go to a next step, and a next step. I was longing for something more but I didn’t say so much about that. One time I was asked by a regional responsible person to come to my local Focolare community, and I thought, “Well, he’s going to say, ‘You are not living this spirituality very well, please go home now.’ ” But instead he asked me if I’d ever thought of a being a “married” Focolare, which involves an eternal promise in which you are actually connected for the rest of your life. That is quite a big step! My heart said “oh yes!” but my brain said, “calm down.” A journey started that lasted at least 10 years during which I realized I can belong fully in this community and I don’t need to become someone else. They are happy because I am who I am. That is important, especially being a Lutheran priest belonging to a very Catholic movement. Would you like to reflect on what the Focolare spirituality means to you? Bishop Bonnier: It’s a spirituality of unity, a spirituality of love, a spirituality that finds a way to reach out to each other without trying to convert each other. There is something in the movement called “the art of loving,” and there are different aspects to loving. One of the aspects is that you should be the first to love—take the initiative. Love me most when I deserve it least. In this way, it is not only about those who love you—it is about everyone, without exception. I must admit, I’m not sure I do that every day! It is to see there must something good in every person. There must be something—and we need to concentrate on that something. Another point in the art of loving is to see from the other person’s point of view, for example, a colleague with whom you don’t share an opinion. If you try to see from his or her point of view—which means you have to formulate it—then someone can say “yes, you really understood me.” What are some additional aspects related to the art of loving? Bishop Bonnier: To love your neighbor as yourself. Do I love myself? How can you love another person if you don’t love yourself? In the same way that you love your self you should love your neighbor. Another aspect is to see that, when you meet another person, you meet Jesus himself. It is really interesting because you are called to see this, and called to love Jesus in the other person. So when you see a beggar on the corner, it is Jesus who is sitting there. When you meet someone who you don’t like, when you meet a problematic person, it’s Jesus whom you meet. That can challenge you in many ways. Another aspect is to love your enemies. It goes back again to those people you don’t really like, to try to love them, to try to see the positive things. We have to start again and again with this. It is the art of loving. Learn more about the Focolare Movement here | 
