"All of us are called by and to grace, but few of us choose to listen to the call."

From The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck: 

<<Christ's  assertion  "Many  are  called, but  few  are  chosen"  I  would  trans-late  to  mean  "All  of  us are  called  by  and  to  grace,  but  few  of  us  choose  to  listen to  the  call.">>

così ieri 25 dicembre

Sono stati giorni difficili e le difficoltà non spariscono unite al dispiacere, ma io affronto tutto col sorriso. 

Ieri come stavo? 

Ma poi , grazie a Dio ho ascoltato Yuja Wang suonare il Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra n 3 di Rachmaninov e ho scritto questo in inglese nei miei social network. 

"These days aren't easy for me. Thank God Jesus is always with us and bring comfort.
Radio3 couldn't have given to me a better present... I am listening #YujaWang
God cone first  Family, health, solidarity,etc.. But Yes!  I love #ClassicalMusic and I'm not straight and I would like to marry #YujaWang. At the moment I watched #PopeFrancis on YouTube and the radio is on radio3 with Yuja Wang playing #Rachmaninov n3 #piano #concerto . Thank you Radio3  and Thank you Yuja" 

Presepe - Nativity - Christmas Time

Father Arturo Sosa SJ Jesuit General: Merry Christmas to all the Society of Jesus,the whole Church and to all good's Will People

Father Pedro Arrupe SJ is now Servant of God

The Jesuit Superior General has announced today that the "cause" for the beatification of Pedro Arrupe, SJ (Jesuit General 1965-83 and founder of Jesuit Refugee Service) has been opened by the Vicariate of Rome. He is now "Servant of God Pedro Arrupe." Taken from https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1062722252763025408?s=19
Today is the birthday of Pedro Arrupe SJ. And today is also the 38th Jesuit Refugees Service founded by the beloved father Pedro Arrupe SJ. 
Go to Servant of God Pedro Arrupe website https://arrupe.jesuitgeneral.org/en/

In The Service of Peace

In The Service of Peace

https://youtu.be/2mi2IHVFlWs

2018 joint statement on climate justice by Bishops’ Conferences

2018 joint statement on climate justice by Bishops’ Conferences

The following appeal is issued by the Church leaders of the continental groupings of episcopal conferences. It is addressed to government leaders and representatives and it calls on them to work towards an ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement for the people and the planet. In particular, we ask for a COP24 Summit (Katowice, Poland, December 2018) able to prove a milestone on the path set out in 2015 in Paris.

Faced with the growing urgency of the current ecological and social crisis, building on and inspired by the work done on the ground over the past three years by so many courageous actors around the world - within the Catholic Church and beyond - to promote and “live” the messages carried by the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, we call for ambitious and immediate action to be taken in order to tackle and overcome the devastating effects of the climate crisis. These actions need to be taken by the international community at all levels: by persons, communities, cities, regions, nations.

We have heard “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”. We have listened to the call of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and we stand in solidarity with our Brother Bishops who have already taken stances against the limitless and dangerous use and exploitation of our Mother Earth’s resources, as well as our current models of development, supported by financial institutions and systems that put life, community, solidarity, and well-being on earth after profit, wealth and unbridled growth. We must be prepared to make rapid and radical changes (LS171) and resist the temptation to look for solutions to our current situation in short-term technological fixes without addressing the root causes and the long-term consequences.

Our call is based on the following principles:

Urgency: “Time is a luxury we do not have”. There is a growing awareness in the public opinion, also thanks to scientific research and data, that there is no time to waste and we want to bring that urgency into concrete plans aiming to move towards a fair share of resources and responsibilities, where the big emitters take political accountability and meet their climate finance commitments. “We can see signs that things are now reaching a breaking point, due to the rapid pace of change and degradation” (LS 61).

Intergenerational justice: “Young people demand change” (LS, 13). Their future is in grave danger and our generation is not doing enough to leave them a healthy planet. Being so short-sighted is an unacceptable injustice. “Consequently, intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us” (LS 159).

Human dignity and rights, in particular of the most vulnerable, must always be at the center of the climate agenda. In implementing the Paris Agreement, human rights must be effectively protected, respected and upheld both in national policies and on the ground. Governments should show their efforts in this sense in their Nationally Determined Contributions and in their funding choices for adaptation and resilience.

And therefore we demand policies that include and acknowledge the following calls and elements:

1.5°C to stay alive: We have a moral duty to keep global warming to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”, as agreed by governments in the Paris Agreement. Pope Francis: As we know, everyone is affected by the climate crisis. Yet the effects of climate change are not evenly distributed. It is the poor who suffer most from the ravages of global warming [...] Many of those who can least afford it are already being forced to leave their homes and migrate to other places that may or may not prove welcoming. Many millions of migrants will follow. A fair and just ecological transition, as required by the Paris Agreement, is a matter of life or death for vulnerable countries and people living in coastal areas.

We need a deep and durable shift towards sustainable lifestyles and bold political choices that could back those efforts to address overconsumption and drastically cut ecological footprints at individual and community levels. “All these actions presuppose a transformation on a deeper level, namely a change of hearts and minds”.

Special traditions and knowledge of Indigenous communities must be listened to, effectively protected and preserved: they offer valuable solutions for the care and sustainable management of natural resources. “It grieves us to see the lands of indigenous peoples expropriated and their cultures trampled on by predatory schemes and by new forms of colonialism, fueled by the culture of waste and consumerism“. False solutions which use natural resources as production commodities (such as large hydro, agrofuel or cash crops) at the expense of indigenous communities’ rights cannot be defended.  

A financial paradigm shift is necessary. “Financial institutions have an important role to play, as part both of the problem and its solution”.It is nowadays necessary and urgent to establish a system of transparency, efficiency and evaluation in conformity with – among others – the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Paris Agreement, and that financial markets be regulated according to these global frameworks. We call for a finance which serves society, builds communities and promotes integrity, equality and justice.  

The energy sector must be transformed: We reiterate our urgent call to “put an end the fossil fuel era” through a rapid transition to an economy powered by renewable energy, as we know from scientists that most fossil fuel reserves need to remain underground. That requires phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and shifting investments away from corporations that continue to explore for new fossil fuel reserves in a way that is incompatible with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting temperature rise. In parallel, ambitious efforts are needed to ensure a just transition in which workers from affected industries are supported and investments are directed towards supporting renewable energy systems. Building safe, affordable, reliable, and efficient energy systems based on renewable sources, which meet communities’ development needs, can help tackle poverty, inequality and environmental degradation.

We must rethink the agriculture sector. Agriculture should pursue its fundamental function of providing healthy and nutritious food and making it available and accessible to all, thus contributing to eliminating hunger worldwide. Agriculture should not be solely used for its potential to capture carbon, nor to favour the interests of large businesses at the expenses of poor farmers and the health of people. Agroecology should be especially promoted as a particularly adaptive and resilient practice, especially for smallholder farmers, and as a model ensuring human well-being, stronger communities, and care for the environment.

The above mentioned points are also at the heart of the several actions the wide Catholic community is carrying out to turn the vision of Laudato Si’ and the Paris Agreement into practice. We renew our commitment to take bold steps to live the change we call for within our institutions. We firmly believe that this ecological conversion is also a spiritual challenge. We encourage all the initiatives within and beyond the Catholic Church that already witness that living more sustainably is possible, achievable and fairer. Ultimately, this is key to the survival of human kind.

BISHOP SIGNATORIES TO THIS DECLARATION:

Angelo Cardinal Bagnasco               
President, CCEE, Archbishop of Genoa           

Oswald Cardinal Gracias
President, FABC, Archbishop of Mumbai

Rubén Cardinal Salazar Gómez
President, CELAM, Archbishop of Bogota

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong
President, FCBCO, Archbishop of Suva

Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich
President, COMECE, Archbishop of Luxembourg

Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi
President, SECAM, Archbishop of Lubango

Written in collaboration with the Catholic networks Caritas Internationalis, CIDSE and the Global Catholic Climate Movement

Happy birthday St Ignatius of Loyola

"Happy 527th birthday to St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the #Jesuits, who was born on this day (we think) in 1491! "
https://twitter.com/jesuitnews/status/1054716621707771904?s=19

http://jesuits.org/spirituality?PAGE=DTN-20130520125033

Happy birthday to my beloved #StIgnatiusofLoyola 💙💙💙I love you, pray for me, pray for the Church and against Devil attacks.

God bless the Church, Pope Francis and the Jesuits !

#PrayfortheChurch - The Mission of Religious

While we continue to pray everyday for the Church and against Devil attacks praying  the Holy Rosary ending it with Sub Tuum Praesidium and St Michael Archangel prayers, another Pope Video has been released yesterday: "The Mission of Religious"

 

Don't miss the Pope Video already released this month,#PrayfortheChurch

 

Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela

From September 30th to October 6th we pray for Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle/colombia-ecuador-venezuela

The Most Holy Virgin Mary Our Lady of Sorrow

The Most Holy Virgin Mary Our Lady of Sorrow

The Exaltation of The Holy Cross

Prayer for unity

Prayer for unity

We invoke you, Spirit of Unity,
Transform our divisions and reshape our vision.
All of creation, all living beings, cry in the midst of injustice and brokenness.
Spirit of Unity, reconcile your people.
We invoke you, Spirit of Unity,
Heal the wounds of our history,
Remove from us all that sustains our present divisions.
Unstop our ears to hear your call for unity.

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle/ghana-nigeria

WMOF2018 Dublin How to Show Welcoming and Respect in Our Parishes to the LGBT People and their families - Full text and video of the Lecture with Father James Martin SJ in Dublin on 23rd of August 2018

WMOF2018 Dublin
How to Show Welcoming and Respect in Our Parishes to the LGBT People and their families -
Full text and video of the Lecture with Father James Martin SJ in Dublin on 23rd of August 2018
(The topic and the title were chosen by the Vatican Dicaster that organised the WMOF2018) 

Full text
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/08/23/father-james-martin-how-parishes-can-welcome-lgbt-catholics

Full Video

This Jesuit could have left Syria. Instead Fr. Frans van der Lugt died a martyr

This Jesuit could have left Syria. Instead he died a martyr.

Fr. Frans van der Lugt

https://aleteia.org/2018/08/21/this-jesuit-could-have-left-syria-instead-he-died-a-martyr/?platform=hootsuite

WMOF2018 IN DUBLIN World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin from 21st to 26th of August

https://www.worldmeeting2018.ie/en/

Today the World Meeting of Families has started in Dublin. Pope Francis has invited to join with our prayers.
Aren't you in Dublin like me? Please participate praying from your home and your parish.
The Vatican invited Father James Martin SJ to give a lecture. On his Twitter account @JamesMartinSJ he has written
"Dear friends: Prayers welcome! God willing, I'll be leaving tonight for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, where I'll be giving a lecture, at the invitation of the Vatican, entitled, "Showing Welcome and Respect in Our Parishes to LGBT People and their Families" @WMOF2018 1 https://t.co/eiK9EGIaWb"
https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1031973880896868358?s=19

"I'm grateful for the invitation and for the opportunity to remind parishes that LGBT Catholics are as much a part of the church as anyone else. Thanks to the pastors, pastoral workers and parishioners who helped me craft this talk of insights and "best practices" for parishes 2"
https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1031974150703931399?s=19

"Now, more than ever, in the face of increased hatred, LGBT Catholics need to know that God loves them and that they are part of God's family. For those in Dublin, the talk is at 11:30 AM at the Hall 8A.  It will posted immediately afterwards on the @americamag website. 3"
https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1031974496901713922?s=19

"More info about the talk is here: https://t.co/ZQLSeldX7S 
I ask for your prayers for an increase in respect, compassion and sensitivity in our church. Many thanks!  4/4"
https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1031974911584231424?s=19

#WMOF2018 .@WMOF2018 #WorldMeetingofFamilies
https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1031976145456181248?s=19

"To all the LGBT Catholics, and their families and friends, who shared your stories with me, wept with me, laughed with me, asked me questions about our faith, and challenged me with your insights: I'm carrying you in my heart to the World Meeting of Families in Dublin. #WMOF2018"
https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1031995504907956225?s=19

https://www.worldmeeting2018.ie/en/Programme/Congress/Thursday-Programme/Session-2-Presentation-3

May God bless World Meeting of Families. May God bless all the families of the world. May God bless Father James Martin SJ. May all the parishes of the world be LGBT welcoming. May God bless all his children and LGBT Catholics are Catholic like all the others Catholic people. May God bless everybody.
Amen and Alleluia,  Jesus Christ Our Lord come!

Pray > Prayers on poverty > Lord, I come to do your will (Father Michael Fitzsimmons/CAFOD)

Pray > Prayers on poverty > Lord, I come to do your will
Father Michael Fitzsimmons/CAFOD
https://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Prayer-resources/Lord-I-come-to-do-your-will

Prayer: Lord, I come to do your will

Lord, allow my ears to listen to the cry of the earth,

the voices of my sisters and brothers,

those who face the hash reality of climate change.

Lord, I come do your will.

 

Lord, allow my eyes to see the beauty of creation.

In flowers, creatures, forests, and cities alike.

Lord, I come do your will.

 

Lord, allow my voice to speak out for justice,

and ensure people living in poverty are heard.

Lord, I come do your will.

 

Lord, allow my hands to care for the earth,

To toil, to recap, to celebrate.

Lord, I come do your will.

 

Lord, allow my feet to take the path less trod,

to walk the extra mile,

to take your message out to the world

Lord, I come do your will.

 

Father Michael Fitzsimmons/CAFOD

Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea

Prayer Week 5 - 11 August 2018

Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle/cameroon-central-african-republic-equatorial-guinea

Transfiguration

Jesus is transformed on the mountain. His friends look with awe, as his clothes shine as brightly as the sun.

May we be inspired to change and transform our ways, to support our global brothers and sisters on the feast of the #transfiguration

www.cafod.org.uk

please keep Zimbabwe in your prayers

please keep Zimbabwe in your prayers

Share this https://m.facebook.com/sharer.php?fs=0&sid=10156584710246779&refid=17&_ft_=top_level_post_id.10156584710246779%3Atl_objid.10156584710246779%3Athrowback_story_fbid.10156584710246779%3Aphoto_id.10156584673726779%3Athid.761161778%3A306061129499414%3A2%3A0%3A1535785199%3A6874089635886197731&__tn__=J%2AW-R

And this
https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/as-election-results-come-in-please-keep-zimbabwe-in-your-prayers