FOCUS - Fellowship of Catholic University Students --- Jim Caviezel surprised attendees, encouraging them to be warriors animated by faith.

FOCUS - Fellowship of Catholic University Students
click the the column VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/user/FOCUSNational/videos

https://www.facebook.com/focuscatholic/


Hold fast to the FAITH, no matter to what dangers you are faced ...

... "There were a lot of suffering and pain before the Resurrection"...

Published on 5 Jan 2018

Jim Caviezel surprised #sls18 attendees, encouraging them to be warriors animated by faith.

“Paul, Apostle of Christ.” MOVIE

ALSO:-

 

Filmat: Id-diskors qawwi tal-attur Jim Caviezel lill-adolexxenti u żgħażagħ

http://thechurchinmalta.org/mt/posts/75138/filmat-id-diskors-qawwi-tal-attur-jim-caviezel-lill-adolexxenti-u-zghazagh-

Jim Caviezel made an appearance at SLS18 in Chicago this week—promoting his new movie about the life of St Paul and delivering a rousing speech about faith, conversion and courage.

James Faulkner, Jim Caviezel, Olivier Martinez, Joanne Whalley, and John Lynch are starring in historical drama “Paul, Apostle of Christ” mainly shot in Malta.

Sony Pictures is producing “Paul, Apostle of Christ” through its faith-based Affirm Films label. The movie is directed by Andrew Hyatt (“Full of Grace”) from his own screenplay. Producers are David Zelon (“Soul Surfer”) and T.J. Berden (“Full of Grace”).

The story covers Paul, portrayed by Faulkner, going from the most infamous persecutor of Christians to Jesus Christ’s most influential apostle. The movie will follow his last days awaiting execution by Emperor Nero in Rome under the watchful eye of Mauritius, Mamertine Prison’s ambitious prefect, who seeks to understand how this broken old man can pose such a threat.

Martinez is portraying the prefect. As his days grow shorter, Paul works from prison to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and embolden his followers to stand strong in their faith against Roman persecution.

“Next to Jesus, no one played a more central role in the growth of early church than the Apostle Paul,” said Affirm Films executive vice president Rich Peluso. “He wrote a vast swath of the New Testament and traveled more than 10,000 miles by foot to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Source: Aleteia

Paul, Apostle of Christ: The Heart of the Story








.

Pope sends message of encouragement to young people at Taizé Meeting

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/pope-taize-meeting-young-people.html

Pope Francis has sent a message to young people from across Europe who are attending the annual Taizé Community Meeting for Young Adults taking place in Basel. He focussed on the need to promote a culture of encounter and to pursue the path of Christian unity.

By Linda Bordoni


Pope Francis has sent a message of blessing and encouragement to the thousands of young people gathered in the Swiss city of Basel for the Taizé Community’s annual European Meeting of Young Adults.
In the message, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro , the Pope exhorts participants to spread the joy of the gospel and to stay connected to the Lord by praying and listening to his Word so that he may help them develop their talents in order to promote a culture of encounter.
The Pope also recalled the marking, in 2017, of the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation and invited the young people to continue to be enriched by the diversity of the gifts given to all disciples of Christ and to show the world that the Gospel unites all Christians beyond the wounds of their divisions.      
Please find below the working translation of the Pope’s message:
Dear young people,
You have come from all over Europe to Basel which is at the crossroads of Switzerland, France and Germany, to participate in the 40th European Meeting organized and animated by the Community of Taizé.


Theme of Meeting
You are driven by the desire to deepen, together, the true sources of joy. And ‘joy’ is the theme that will guide your reflections and enlighten your prayer.
In this perspective, Pope Francis wants to assure you of his great spiritual closeness. Indeed, as he wrote in the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’:  “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of those who meet Jesus. Those who let themselves be saved by him are free from sin, sadness, inner emptiness, isolation. With Jesus Christ joy is born and reborn forever”.
The Holy Father is delighted to know that you have chosen to participate in this meeting to welcome and deepen the message of Jesus which is a source of joy for all those who open their hearts to him. And he thanks you for responding to the call of the Lord who brings you together in the joy of his love.


Culture of mercy
The Pope encourages you to live in this joy that comes from your friendship with Jesus that never closes us to others or to the suffering of this world. And he invites you to stay connected with the Lord, by praying and listening to his Word, so that he may help you develop your talents in order to “promote a culture of mercy based on the rediscovery of encounter with others, a culture in which no one looks at another with indifference or turns away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters.”(Apostolic Letter Misericordia et misera, n.20).


Culture of encounter
The 500th anniversary of the Reformation was marked during the course of the just-ended year, and the Pope asks the Holy Spirit to help you, young Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, to rejoice and to enrich each other with the diversity of the gifts given to all disciples of Christ, and to show that the joy of the Gospel unites us beyond the wounds of our divisions. He also encourages you not to be afraid to walk the paths of brotherhood so that your meeting in Basel will make visible the joyful communion that springs from the source of the overflowing heart of the Lord.
By entrusting yourselves to the Lord, so that you can sing with the Virgin Mary the marvels of his love which is the source of joy, the Holy Father bestows his heartfelt blessing upon you, young people participating in this meeting, upon  the Brothers of Taizé as well as upon all those in Switzerland, France and Germany who welcome you.


The Taizè Community
The Taizé Community is an ecumenical Christian monastic order founded in 1940 by Brother Roger Schutz, a Reformed Protestant, who wrote the guidelines for the community’s life. The community has become one of the world's most important sites of Christian  pilgrimage, with a focus on youth. Owing to the founder's commitment, since its inception the community has evolved into an important site for Catholic-Lutheran ecumenism. Brother Alois succeeded as prior after his predecessor's death in 2005.

.

LITANY OF TRUST - by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, SV --- & --- The Sisters of Life Community

This beautifully written prayer by a Sister of Life will cast away so many anxieties. 

 



https://aleteia.org/2017/07/13/praying-this-litany-will-give-you-peace-about-the-past-and-future/

Litany of Trust

From the belief that I have to earn Your love
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that I am unlovable
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the false security that I have what it takes
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute
Deliver me, Jesus.
From all suspicion of Your words and promises
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You
Deliver me, Jesus.
From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will
Deliver me, Jesus.
From anxiety about the future
Deliver me, Jesus.
From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past
Deliver me, Jesus.
From restless self-seeking in the present moment
Deliver me, Jesus.
From disbelief in Your love and presence
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being asked to give more than I have
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of what love demands
Deliver me, Jesus.
From discouragement
Deliver me, Jesus.

That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me
Jesus, I trust in you.
That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, and transforms me
Jesus, I trust in you.
That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You
Jesus, I trust in you.
That you are with me in my suffering
Jesus, I trust in you.
That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church
Jesus, I trust in you.
That Your plan is better than anything else
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked
Jesus, I trust in you.
That my life is a gift
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You will teach me to trust You
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You are my Lord and my God
Jesus, I trust in you.
That I am Your beloved one
Jesus, I trust in you.


[Provided by the Sisters of Life.]

 

Read more: 3 pages ---  

Sisters of Life Throw a Block Party To Celebrate 25 Years of Pro-Life Ministry    

 

 

Litany of Trust featuring author of the prayer Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, SV.

Redeemed Online in YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZrluGUD_ly5LPTcu0kI8QA


https://www.facebook.com/redeemedonline


http://redeemedonline.com/

... Going above and beyond the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Sisters of Life take a fourth vow: to protect and embrace the sacredness of human life. The sisters assist women in crisis pregnancies by inviting them to live with the community in their convents, and they also provide healing retreats for those suffering from post-abortion grief. In the past 25 years, they have witnessed many “miracles of courage and love, miracles of healing,” said Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, the superior general of the order, in her remarks at the end of the anniversary Mass ...







.

ALETEIA - Jesús Colina | Dec 07, 2017 --- Official pilgrimages to Medjugorje are being authorized, confirms Pope Francis’ envoy

26 Jun 2024 

What has the Church said about Medjugorje? Can priests lead pilgrimages there and can Catholics have a devotion to it? Hear Fr. Chris Alar read a letter from Fr. Jason Lewis explaining what the Church has said about this Marian apparition and what you need to know before you go. 

Can Catholics Go to Medjugorje? Fr. Chris Alar Explains Pilgrimages and Church Approval

********************

********************

https://aleteia.org/2017/12/07/official-pilgrimages-to-medjugorje-are-being-authorized-confirms-pope-francis-envoy/

Archbishop Henryk Hoser tells Aleteia that it still falls to the pope to make final decision on commission's report about veracity of reported apparitions.

The devotion of Medjugorje is allowed. It’s not prohibited, and need not be done in secret,” confirmed Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warsaw-Praga, Poland, now some months after being sent to Medjugorje by Pope Francis to evaluate not the veracity of the apparitions, but the state of the pastoral care being provided to the thousands of pilgrims who flock to the site every year.

Formerly, pilgrimages to the site were not to be organized by official Church groups, though the faithful could make them privately or through other organizations. Now, the stance on officially-organized pilgrimages will open.

“My mission is precisely to analyze the pastoral situation and propose improvements,” the archbishop told Aleteia, about his assignment at the shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has attracted millions of people since Marian apparitions reportedly began there in 1981.

“Today, dioceses and other institutions can organize official pilgrimages. It’s no longer a problem,” explained the archbishop, speaking to us from his residence in a Warsaw neighborhood. “Pope Francis recently asked an Albanian cardinal to give his blessing to the faithful present in Medjugorje,” he added.

“I am full of admiration for the work the Franciscans are doing there,” the Polish prelate reported. “With a relatively small team—there is only a dozen of them—they do a huge job of welcoming pilgrims. Every summer they organize a youth festival. This year, there were 50,000 young people from around the world, with more than 700 priests.”

“There is a massive number of confessions. They have about 50 confessionals, which are not enough. These are very deep confessions,” he said.

“This is a phenomenon. And what confirms the authenticity of the place is the large amount of charitable institutions that exist around the sanctuary. And another aspect as well: the great effort that is being made at the level of Christian formation. Each year, they organize conferences at different levels, for various audiences (priests, doctors, parents, young people, couples …)”

“The decree of the former episcopal conference of what used to be Yugoslavia, which, before the Balkan war, advised against pilgrimages in Medjugorje organized by bishops, is no longer relevant,” he said.

There are other cases of locations of apparitions, like Kibeho, in Rwanda, where the diocesan bishop agreed to allow the devotion, and then continued the analysis for the recognition of the apparitions.

The archbishop revealed that the conclusion of the Commission for the analysis of the apparitions of Medjugorje, which Benedict XVI had entrusted to Cardinal Camillo Ruini, appears to be favorable.

“What I find touching is that all the seers have turned to family life,” Archbishop Hoser reflected. “In our day and age, the family is of enormous importance. All of them have a family. Those who were teenagers at the time, are already grandmothers; 37 years have passed!”

“But this decision will have to be made by the pope. The file is now at the Secretariat of State. I believe the final decision will be made,” concluded Archbishop Hoser.


Read more: Pope’s investigator in Medjugorje: First 7 apparitions might be recognized