For Blessed Chiara Luce Badano Jesus was the centre of her life. Striving to be a witness of faith to those around her, she tried, by her example, to inspire others to draw closer to God.

With a solid Christian education, at the age of nine Chiara attended a meeting of the Focolare Movement, where she met the Ideal of Unity. The Gospel became something dynamic in her life.

One day, while playing tennis at the age of 17, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. The diagnosis was devastating: osteogenic sarcoma with metastasis, one of the most serious and painful types of tumour. Chiara welcomed the news with courage: “I will win! I’m young.”

She faced two operations and before each stage of suffering she would repeat: “For you, Jesus!” She never rebelled and accepted everything, saying: “If you want it, I want it too, Jesus!”

On Sunday, October 7, 1990, he died in the company of his parents. He was 19 years old.

In a society that so often seems far from God or in which God is considered secondary, Chiara showed the absolute primacy of God and the need we all have to give God his place in our lives.