More than just having to do with "doing," the New Evangelization depends firstly on prayer - a lesson that monasticism teaches well. When we discuss the "New Evangelization," we tend to think of the many active ways in which the Church seeks to engage the world and to share the Gospel with it.
Joseph Mitchell is sleeping rough. He had been made redundant from his job which came with accommodation and his life spiralled downwards very quickly. The fact that he had lost not only his livelihood but also his home in one go meant that he simply hadn’t had the chance to think about applying for jobs before he was sleeping on the streets.
Having unbelieving friends who challenge us to live our professed ideals and who point out with sometimes cringe-inducing accuracy our failures, hypocrisies and betrayals is a blessing. It is too easy for us believers to create a world of our own where science, wisdom and even common sense get short shrift.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has told those in Religious Life to “wake up the world”, according to an article appearing in La Civiltà Cattolica, the Rome-based Jesuit weekly. Editor Antonio Spadaro, SJ, has written an article recounting the private meeting last November between Pope Francis and the Union of Superiors General of religious men at the end of their 82nd General Assembly.
Pope Francis’ comments on the need for the Church to develop non-Western expressions of the faith are a breath of fresh air. In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium he reaffirmed the spirit of the Second Vatican Council that had been obscured in the past decades by a militant restorationism.
My dear friends, our wish for all of you is that, out of all the many seemingly powerful yet fleeting lights, the quiet light of Christ may shine and that we may all work together with him for the whole world. Merry Christmas.
I have witnessed the trauma our supposedly pro-marriage government is inflicting on thousands of families and their children. The people I met are all victims of the new regulations regarding foreign spouses of British nationals coming to live in the United Kingdom.
In this exclusive interview, Pope Francis speaks about Christmas, hunger in the world, the suffering of children, the reform of the Roman Curia, women cardinals, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), and the upcoming visit to the Holy Land.
It is a curious state of affairs in which supposedly 'secular' educational institutions permit Muslim speakers to impose their interpretation of sharia upon an audience, while Christian speakers – who simply wish to expound a moral worldview and impose nothing upon no one – are increasingly not even allowed through the door
So powerful is the appeal of Lupita on a popular as well as theological level that it has been said, “Mexico is 90 percent Catholic and 100 percent guadalupano.” What is it that makes La Morenita so enduring, as much a representation of the Mother of God as a deeply rooted cultural symbol for the Mexican people – and indeed, for all Hispanics?
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception honours the doctrine that Mary was conceived without original sin. Philip Endean SJ delves into the mystery at the heart of this feast. What questions does it pose about sin and the human condition, and can we answer these questions with theology?
The world's largest statue is inextricably linked to Indian politics. The pristine sky and man’s yearning to explore the galaxies and planets that embellish it make an unlikely backdrop for a very murky controversy back on Earth. Here, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Congress Party are in a death-lock struggle for power in the 2014 general election.
Anyone who believes that God is at work in the Church should be aware of it are the very early days of a phenomenon that will reshape Christianity forever, the coming of what theologians call the "Third Church."
John Henry Newman wrote the greatest spiritual autobiography in English, his Apologia. In it, he recalls that, when young, he lived under the ''detestable doctrine’’ of predestination. He believed he was saved, which made him ignore everyone else and ''rest in the thought of two and two only absolute and luminously self-evident beings, myself and my Creator’’.
On this day each year, we observe All Souls’ Day and pray for all the faithful departed. Jesuit theologian, Jose Giménez discusses concepts of heaven, hell and purgatory, which are often brought to mind on this occasion but can be so difficult to talk about meaningfully.
Many of us, I suspect, have heard snippets of an interview that Pope Francis did for a series of Jesuit publications, including the USA magazine, America, where, among other things, he suggested that we might be wise to not always emphasize the moral issues around abortion, gay marriage, and contraception in our conversations. That's, of course, the phrase that most caught the attention of the media, but the whole interview is remarkable for its candor
The trail taught me something else, deeper, more needed, and more humbling: What I learned from walking the road in the company of three close friends was how spoiled and immature I’d become.The Camino taught me that I need to address other issues in my life.The Camino taught me that in a number of important ways, I need to grow up!
Pope Francis says that “the structural and organizational reforms are secondary—that is, they come afterwards. The first reform must be the attitude.” Structural change to the government of the church is vital, but it must follow from a new way of being church, in which we get out of the sacristy, engage with people, know their suffering and their puzzlement from within.
Addressing unbelievers, the Holy Father’s letter in the Italian daily newspaper ‘La Reppublica’ addresses themes of faith and secularism. Pope Francis has pulled off yet another surprise, by taking the unprecedented step of writing a long letter to the founder of an Italian daily newspaper, explaining the faith to nonbelievers.
The famed and feisty psychologist, Fritz Pearls, was once asked by a well-meaning Christian if he was saved. He responded by saying, I am still trying to figure out how to be spent! His retort echoes a line from Theresa of Avila who states that once we reach the highest mansion of maturity we are left with only one question: How can I be helpful?
