"Consummati in unum"

At the source of Chiara Lubich's original mystical interpretation

Abstract

Chiara Lubich, originator of the “spirituality of unity” and foundress of a Movement entirely dedicated to unity, expressed her ideal, particularly in her early letters and writings (1945-1949), with the words “consumare in uno”, going back to the words of the Gospel of John “consummati in unum” (Jn. 17,23). Yet, the verb as used by Lubich, especially when phrased in a reflexive voice, is not without ambiguity. It is to be understood as a conflated term, covering two concepts and two spiritual attitudes in one: “to bring to completion” (“consummate”) and “to use up” (“to consume”). Lubich’s highly original use of the verb “consume” can be explained taking into account that the statements of this contemporary mystic are the result of an exceptional collective experience of unity and at the same time of a new comprehension of Jesus’ words of forsakenness on the cross.