Biography of Chiara Luce Badano
Chiara Badano (in Spanish Clara Luz), was born on October 29, 1971 in the Sassello region, Italy. his parents, Ruggero Y Maria Theresa Badano, received it as a gift, after long years of waiting. She was a young woman who, according to María Teresa’s words, stood out for her generosity from a very young age. For example, when she was four years old, she gave away her new toys to poor children.
In 1981, within the framework of the Festival Family FestClara discovered the Focolari Movement, also know as Maria’s work. This event marked her religious path for the rest of her life, as Chiara or Clara ended up joining the generation 3, the teen branch of this movement, thereby committing themselves to living fully in light of the Gospel. He also established a relationship with the founder of the Focolari, Chiara Lubich, with whom he kept in touch through letters. It is said that Chiara was an impressive young woman who dedicated herself to listening carefully to everyone: her school friends, her Focolari companions, the elderly, the homeless, etc… On the other hand, speaking of her secular life, she You can say that his days passed normally, with the ups and downs of adolescence.
Years later, with much regret, her family had to move to Savone, where Clara was able to continue her secondary education, and regarding education, Clara had to repeat a school year, which represented a difficult period in her short life. However, despite the adverse circumstances she managed to retain her optimism, and persevere in her commitment to the Focolari movement, always having her Jesus on your side.
Chiara was a great reader and a passionate athlete: she felt fulfilled walking between the sea and the mountains, skating, cycling and playing tennis. However, in 1988, everything suddenly changed: during a tennis match, she felt severe pain in her shoulder, for which she was taken to the hospital. After having carried out a series of tests, she was told a terrible diagnosis: Chiara had an aggressive cancer in the bone tissue, and her condition was quite advanced. For this reason, her doctor performed her first operation in the city of Turin, and later announced the seriousness of her illness. Upon returning to her house, the young girl succumbed to a deep torment that, according to her mother, would last about 25 minutes: during that time, Chiara struggled to maintain her faith and her joy despite this devastating news. However, she managed to emerge victorious from that internal battle, and from that moment on, she began to show unwavering optimism and unshakable faith. The most beautiful thing about her difficult medical history is that Chiara offered his pain to Jesus, and despite the fact that medical science had “handed over its weapons”, the young woman remained animated and full of hope until the end: for example, it is said that from her room she continued to donate to a mission in Benin, and that one day she welcomed his friends and young members of the Focolari movement with the same enthusiasm he had when he committed to spreading the Gospel with them.
Seeing that her end was near, Chiara refused treatment with morphine, and although her suffering worsened, she did not want to lose the lucidity that she managed to get out of her pain, which she decided to offer to Jesus Christ, since it was the only thing she had left to give him. . The young Chiara was very brave, since when she felt that her time was coming, instead of feeling afraid, she organized her own gifts with the help of her family, and decided to die completely dressed in white to receive Jesus, whom she considered as “her first husband”. Chiara passed away on October 7, 1990 at dawn. Before leaving definitively, he gave the authorization to donate his corneas, the only part of his body that was not affected by his illness, I feel this is his last act of generosity. The day they were going to bury her, a crowd of people gathered to say goodbye to Chiara Luce, since the young woman had impacted many with her example of life. Even today, Chiara continues to impact the world with her legacy: For example, the mission in Benin took her name, as Chiara had asked that her donations be sent there. In addition, her story transcended to the Vatican, so on September 25, 2010 it was proclaimed blessed in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love, in Rome.
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Phrases of Blessed Chiara Luce
“It’s back to you, Gesù, I voglio anch’io”
(“If you want it, Jesus, I want it too”)
Chiara Luce either clear light (in Spanish) received a medical diagnosis at a very young age that could easily overwhelm more than one; however, she remained very optimistic and devoted throughout his illness, and even to the end of his days. In fact, Chiara Lubrich decided to call her “Chiara Luce” (Clara Light) thanks to her absolute trust and his love for Christ, thus becoming a light that constantly illuminates his loved ones and the other members of the Focolari.
Who can say what Clara really thought of her situation? No one. But thanks to her letters, her notes in her private diary and the testimonies of her relatives, we can collect her words, and get a better idea of the beautiful mentality of this young lady.
In a letter to Chiara Luby The young girl confessed to him that she had received the Gospel as a gift of her communion, and that as she read them, a passionate love for the holy scriptures was awakened in her:
“I do not want and cannot remain illiterate from such an extraordinary message. Just as it is easy for me to learn the alphabet, I must also learn to live the Gospel.” (1985)
It is said that Clara often went to Sasello, to meet her friends at Bar Gina. One day, when her mother asked her if she spoke about God to her friends, the sweet young woman replied: “No, I do not speak of God” and went on to say: “Talking about God is not so important, I must give it to others”.
It is known that the news of her cancer affected her deeply, however, as her mother María Teresa Badano said, just after her profound torment, Clara knew how to say “yes” to Jesus. Since then, in each painful stage that she had to face, for example, the loss of functionality of her legs, Clara Badano He repeated his famous phrase:
“For you Jesus, if you want it, I want it too”
On the other hand, in an original recording, Clara recounted a miracle that happened to her and filled her with courage again: while receiving medical care in the Turin hospital, more precisely while undergoing a surgical intervention, the girl saw a beautiful and smiling woman arrive who took her hand and disappeared as quickly as she had arrived. It seemed like no one knew her… This fact also made him express deep gratitude to the Lord, which he demonstrated with the following words:
“ There, at that moment I understood: If we were always ready for everything, how many signs the Lord would send us! I also understood how many times God passes by our side without us noticing.”
Finally, Clara is an example for all of us, and despite the fact that she was not able to fully enjoy her youth, after her death she left us a message for her contemporaries:
“Young people are the future. I can’t run but I would like to pass the flame to them like in the Olympic Games. They have but one life and for this, it is completely worth living.”
In fact, on the day of his death his life went out as he said his last goodbye to his mother:
“Bye, be happy, because I am.”
Books and documentaries to get to know her a little more
Find out more about the vChiara Luce’s departure either clear light reading the works: “Between Heaven and Earth: Everyday Chiara Luce Badano” by Franz Coriasco, and “From Light to Light: Life of Blessed Clara Badano” by Mariagrazia Magrini. You can also watch the documentary by María Amato Calò: “Chiara Luce Badano, a splendid design”.