Tonight on Perspectives we highlight the Holy Father’s message for the 49th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and the Catholic-Methodist Dialogue issues a statement on the connection between the Eucharist and environmental stewardship.
World Day of Prayer for Vocations
April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Sunday, April 29 is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Pope Benedict XVI wrote this letter about this year’s day of prayer.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The 49th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which will be celebrated on 29 April 2012, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, prompts us to meditate on the theme: Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God.
The source of every perfect gift is God who is Love – Deus caritas est: “Whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1Jn 4:16). Sacred Scripture tells the story of this original bond between God and man, which precedes creation itself. Writing to the Christians of the city of Ephesus, Saint Paul raises a hymn of gratitude and praise to the Father who, with infinite benevolence, in the course of the centuries accomplishes his universal plan of salvation, which is a plan of love. In his Son Jesus – Paul states – “he chose us, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him in love” (Eph 1:4). We are loved by God even “before” we come into existence! Moved solely by his unconditional love, he created us “not … out of existing things” (cf. 2Macc 7:28), to bring us into full communion with Him.
How can we be in the world and not of the world?
April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Focolare comes from the Italian word meaning “hearth” or “family fireside”. This is a concept whose absence has been sorely felt in our times. People don’t gather around warmth communally anymore. Since the time of the fireside gatherings we have scrambled and sought ways to replicate this unique and necessary source of fellowship and solidarity that the hearth used to unfailingly provide.
These are the thoughts that struck me during the filming of this week’s Perspectives Weekly. As I listened to Tim King and Jeroen Van Der Biezen, both members of the Focolare movement, I understood that their work was fulfilling a definite need not only in the Church but in our society that is: community-building in an increasingly fragmented world.
Focolare was founded in 1943 during the Second World War when the movement’s founder, Chiara Lubich, and her companions began to work among the poor and those in the bomb shelters of Trentin, Italy. Today, Focolare is made up of over 100,000 members stationed in over 182 nations.
Once Focolare members are warmed at the hearth of community, they seek to bring that warmth to others. This to me is the definition of community. All of us are called to be out “in the cold” in order to bring our “warmth” to others.
Tim King, who is a Central council member of the Focolare Movement, says that evangelizing is “first and foremost something you do to yourself…it is not what you say, it’s who you are.”
This is liberating. We have no power “unless it is given from above” (John 19:11) and we “cannot boast but in the Cross of Christ” (Gal. 6:14). If we are not first converted and our lives do not reflect the inward turning of our hearts to Christ, then the work of evangelizing is in vain.
In the words of Blessed John Henry Newman in his prayer “Radiating Christ”:
“Let me preach You without preaching, not by words, but by my example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You…”
It is no wonder that Mother Teresa and her sisters said this prayer everyday.
Join us for this discussion, Friday on Perspectives: The Weekly Edition at 7 and 11pm ET / 8pm PT. In the meantime, take part in the discussion on Facebook.
Perspectives Daily – Wednesday, April 25
April 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tonight on Perspectives: Pope Benedict explains why prayer must go along with all pastoral work. More than 22,000 people were baptized in China, and we tell you how you can register for WYD Rio 2013
Time for God: working Catholic spirituality into my schedule
April 25, 2012 By 1 Comment
Below follows Fr. Rosica’s address at De Paul University, Chicago during World Catholicism Week 2012.
Dear Friends,
I am very grateful for the opportunity to address you during DePaul University’s “World Catholicism Week.” It is a real pleasure to finally visit America’s largest Catholic university! I have given much thought to the topic of “Making Time for God.” The necessity of having time for God – time to step back and slow down for spiritual reflection – is becoming more complex and more necessary than ever before. Our current fast-paced, plugged-in information age, which leads us to believe that we can do many things simultaneously, quickly and efficiently without critical reflection, contemplation and the requisite silence is beginning to wear on us. We are rushing everywhere, with wires in our ears, decked out with bluetooth apparatus, laden with smart phones, iPads, and soon-to-be outmoded laptops. Every day we ask ourselves, “Do I have time to attend this meeting, go to that volunteer activity, finish this paper, eat dinner, etc.?” “When is the last time I had a significant, one-on-one, face-to-face conversation with another human being?” “When have I sent a paper greeting card or written a letter to a friend with a good old pen and paper?” “How, when and where will I ever find time for God?” [Read more...]
Registration for Rio 2013
April 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
With more than a year to go before World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro we’re starting to see logistical information being rolled out. Specifically registration information.
The Rio organization advised would be pilgrims that registration will open in July 2012. Groups of up to 50 people can register through the on-line registration portal that is expected to be up and running in a couple of months. Groups with more than 50 people will have to split themselves into groups of 50 for registration purposes.
As always, your registration with WYD includes accommodation and meals. WYD host cities always provide two different types of accommodation options: host families, and group housing venues. Group accommodation venues are usually parishes or schools that convert their public spaces into dormitory style accommodation.
The WYD Rio Accommodation Department has already launched a campaign to get host families on board. Host families offer pilgrims a safe haven, a family home in which to spend the week of WYD and a chance to get to know the local culture and the local church…and learn some Brazilian Portuguese.
If you can already read Brazilian Portuguese, visit the WYD Rio website for more information on registration and housing.
Photo courtesy of Catholic News Service