Are You Ready to Receive God's Blessing and Grace? If so, Take a Leap of Faith

Photo by Loci B. Lenar

 

Christian-Miracles.com is growing and helping to lead the way in evangelization by reaching a global community with visitors coming from the USA, Canada, United Kingdom (UK), India, Australia, Philippines, Singapore, Germany, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, and many other countries.

Please consider answering the call by taking a leap of faith and opening the door for God to enter your life, and witness His divine love and mercy through news of life-changing miracles.

In a world which appears to be out of synchronization with gospel teachings, let Jesus change your life and make it better by attending Holy Mass or weekly church services. Make a personal effort and return to the sacraments of the church.

Regardless of your religious denomination, start reading the gospels and let Our Lord bless you, and set you free with His divine favor and peace!

If you're ready to step forward -- than allow Our Lord to guide you with words of wisdom:  "Do not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

 

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Pope Francis: To Evangelize, We Must Be Open to the Action of the Spirit of God

News Excerpt from Catholic Online

VATICAN CITY (Vatican Radio) - The Vatican Radio translation of Pope Francis' General Audience catechesis on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 is offered below.

To evangelize, we must be open to the action of the Spirit of God, without fear of what He asks us or where He leads us. Let us entrust ourselves to Him! He enables us to live and bear witness to our faith, and enlighten the hearts of those we meet. This was the Pentecost experience of the Apostles gathered with Mary in the Upper Room, " Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim"(Acts 2:3-4).

The Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles, compels them to leave the room in which they had locked themselves in fear, makes them come out of themselves, and turns them into heralds and witnesses of the "mighty works of God" (v. 11). And this transformation wrought by the Holy Spirit is reflected in the crowd that rushed to the scene and which came "from every nation under heaven" (v. 5), so that everyone hears the words of the Apostles as if they were spoken in their own language (v. 6 ).

We should all ask ourselves: how do I let myself be guided by the Holy Spirit so that my witness of faith is one of unity and communion? Do I bring the message of reconciliation and love that is the Gospel to the places where I live? Sometimes it seems that what happened at Babel is repeated today; divisions, the inability to understand each other, rivalry, envy, selfishness. What do I do with my life? Do I bring unity? Or do I divide with gossip and envy? Let us ask ourselves this. Bringing the Gospel means we in the first place must live reconciliation, forgiveness, peace, unity, love that the Holy Spirit gives us. Let us remember the words of Jesus: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).

Pope urges laity to share Gospel with a world in darkness

The following excerpt is from the Catholic News Agency (CNA):

Pope Benedict XVI told a group of lay people this week that the world needs their courageous and credible testimony to bring the hope of the Gospel to all areas of society.

In a message sent to the International Forum of Catholic Action in Iasi, Romania, the Pope reflected on the laity's responsibility to the Church and society, reported Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano.

“Co-responsibility demands a change in mentality, in particularly, about the role of the laity in the Church, who are considered not as ‘collaborators’ with the clergy, but as persons truly ‘co-responsible’ for being and acting of the Church,” he said.

The world needs a “a mature and committed laity,” which “can make its own specific contribution to the ecclesial mission with respect for the ministries and tasks that each one has in the life of the Church and always in cordial communion with the bishops.”

The laity's role is of fundamental importance, especially “in this phase of history,” the Pope stressed, to be interpreted “in the light of the Church’s social Magisterium.”

Lay men and women should also aim to “grow, with the whole Church,” he noted, “in the co-responsibility of offering humanity a future of hope and with the courage to formulate demanding proposals.”

Read more: Share Gospels

Rock and Roll Priests get ready to perform in Latin America

Rock and Roll Priests

From RomeReports.com: After taking part in several World Youth Day concerts in Madrid, now a group of priests is getting ready to perform in Latin America. The group is called “La Voz del Desierto” which translates to “The Voice of the Desert.”

This coming August the group will perform in the Rock' n Rieles Festival in Costa Rica and Guatemala. The group was formed in Madrid, Spain. It consists of three priests and four lay people whose main purpose is to evangelize through music.

Cradle Catholics haven't done enough to evangelize, pope says

CNS NEWS BRIEFS Aug-29-2011

The following excerpt is from Catholic News Service:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Cradle Catholics haven't done enough to show people that God exists and can bring true fulfillment to everyone, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of his former students. "We, who have been able to know (Christ) since our youth, may we ask forgiveness because we bring so little of the light of his face to people; so little certainty comes from us that he exists, he's present and he is the greatness that everyone is waiting for," the pope said. The pope presided at a Mass Aug. 28 in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, during his annual meeting with students who did their doctorates with him when he was a professor in Germany. Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, a regular participant in the Ratzinger Schulerkreis (Ratzinger student circle), gave the homily at the Mass, but the pope made remarks at the beginning of the liturgy. The Vatican released the text of the pope's remarks August 29.

Read more: CNS

Reconnecting with God by Using the Web

Breaking religious ground by using the web

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

(Romereports.com) - The internet is used for pretty much everything nowadays. Now these nuns are getting ready to use the web for something they're not all accustomed to.

For years now, Sister de Witt has used the internet to connect with a younger crowd. The idea came, when she realized that less and less youths were going to Church. She decided to go online to chat with them, so they could re-connect with religion.

Sister Elvira Maria de Witt
Divine Heart of Jesus (Netherlands)

“You're not going to convent to ring the bell and say 'can I speak with a sister?' It's so easy to chat with a sister in your own room and ask questions and then think bye, and out it is.”

She's been so successful, she flew down to Rome to teach other nuns from different parts of Europe, about ways to use the internet to promote their work, help people and also to connect with those who may have a religious vocation.

Sister Elvira Maria de Witt
Divine Heart of Jesus (Netherlands)

“Do you know where to find them? On the internet. They said, on the internet? I got all my candidates on the internet. So now they have this theme and I think, oh that's great. I want to be there for every young one who is coming. I want to help them where they fit. They can be with us, they can be with other sisters and also with marriage.”

On the web, she connects with people from the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany and the U.S. It's a way for her to spread the Gospel, but it's also a way to stay in touch with the digital age. The possibilities are endless she says and it's something that simply can't be ignored.

For some, welcoming the digital age is a challenge, but the potential benefits, she says, by far outweigh the obstacles.

Read More: Reconnecting with God

Pope Benedict XVI proposes leap of faith to overcome all difficulties

Benedict XVI proposes leap of faith to overcome all difficulties

The video and following excerpt is posted on RomeReports.com:

RomeReports.com - While praying the Regina Coeli, Benedict XVI highlighted the presence of God in the world and asked for others not feel like “Orphans of God” and to overcome the difficulties by renewing their faith every day.

Benedict XVI
“I invite everyone to joyfully renew the Christian hope which is born from the mystery of Easter, to face difficulties, ward off discouragement and efforts to build a world worthy of man , following God's wishes.”

The pope stressed that everyone is responsible for helping others come closer to God. He said this could be done by introducing the Gospel to others and to help rejuvenate the “ancient Christian roots.”

Benedict XVI
“Today the vocation of the Church is the evangelization of the people who are not familiar with the Gospel, as those with ancient Christian roots that need new blood to rediscover the beauty and joy of faith.”

Read more: A Leap of Faith

Pope Benedict XVI: "We need Christians convinced and convincing"

Gloria.tv: Benedict XVI: "We need Christians convinced and convincing"

The following excerpt is from Gloria.TV:

The Church of today needs "disciples of Christ who are brave and faithful, devoted only to him, and who are convinced and convincing." These were the words of Pope Benedict when he arrived Saturday afternoon in Aquileia, an ancient Roman port city containing what is considered the mother-church of the region. It was the first leg of his two-day trip to northeastern Italy. He welcomed public authorities, bishops and faithful from the region, and those from areas evangelized from the Mother Church of Aquileia in Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and Bavaria. In the city's historic Chapter Square, the Pope underlined that the Church of that city was the ninth of the Roman Empire and the Fourth of Italy.

Gospel is a Gift to be Shared, Pope says



Pope Benedict - CNA Photo


Gospel must not be an elite message, Pope says : Catholic News Agency (CNA)

The photograph and following excerpt is from the Catholic News Agency:

Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News) Pope Benedict said in a message on missionary efforts that the Gospel is not an “exclusive” message to an elite few but rather a gift to be shared and “a piece of good news to be passed on.”

On Jan. 25, the Vatican released the Pope's official statement for the 85th annual World Mission Sunday which will be held on Oct. 23. The event is organized by the Propagation of the Faith and is set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer.

The theme of this year's celebration is, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Pope Benedict opened his remarks by emphasizing that the “announcement of the Gospel is destined for everyone.”

“The Church exists to evangelize,” he said. “Her activity, in conformity with the word of Christ and under the influence of His grace and charity, becomes fully and truly present in all individuals and all peoples in order to lead them to faith in Christ.”

The task of spreading the Gospel, then, “has lost none of its urgency,” the Pope said. The Church cannot “rest easy” at the thought that “there are people who still do not know Christ, who have not yet heard His message of salvation.”

Pope Benedict also addressed the growing number of individuals who've heard the Gospel but have forgotten it, abandoned it, or no longer identify themselves with the Church. He said that in modern times, even traditionally Christian societies are “reluctant to open themselves to the word of faith.”

He cited a cultural shift – influenced by globalization and increasing relativism – as leading to mentalities and lifestyles “that ignore the Evangelical message as if God did not exist, and which exalt the search for well-being, easy earnings, career and success as the goals of life, even at the expense of moral values.”

To those who hear and believe, the Pope said, the Gospel “is not the exclusive prerogative of those who received it, but a gift to be shared, a piece of good news to be passed on.”

“This gift-commitment is entrusted not just to the few, but to all baptized people,” he underscored.

Read more: Gospel must not be an elite message

John Paul the Great Catholic University Launches Program in New Evangelization

The following press release is from John Paul the Great University:

Answering John Paul the II's Call

JP Catholic Launches program in New Evangelization
 

SAN DIEGO, CA - John Paul the Great Catholic University is pleased to announce the launch of its major in New Evangelization starting in 2010. At the turn of the new millennium, Pope John Paul II exhorted young people to spread the Gospel to all nations. The third millennium has ushered in an explosion of new media channels through which to spread the Good News. John Paul the Great called us to embrace these new means of communications to impact the culture for Christ. The New Evangelization major embraces John Paul's exhortation to bring the light of the Gospel to all nations by passionately articulating the faith using new forms of communication.

The New Evangelization major is the next step in forwarding the university's mission to impact culture for Christ. "It not only answers the call of Jesus, but also that of John Paul II, to use the media to evangelize the world" says JP Catholic President Derry Connolly. "We're leveraging the strengths that we have in other areas to create a program which we feel is a direct call of both Jesus and John Paul II." The core focus of the program is the melding of theology and new media. The New Evangelization major gives students a well-rounded education in both these disciplines, thus empowering them to create cutting-edge media and build sustainable apostolates.

Each JP Catholic student, regardless of his or her major, is given a firm grounding in Catholic thought. New Evangelization students obtain a particularly rigorous formation in Scripture, theology, and philosophy. They take classes with both their fellow undergraduates and with Masters in Theology students. These include courses in the Old and New Testaments, the Sacraments, and Catholic social teachings. Students are equipped to defend the teachings of Holy Mother Church. Each professor in this program is joyfully loyal to the Magisterium. The theological formation is bolstered by courses in philosophy. "Bad theology," says Michael Barber, Professor of Theology, Scripture and Catholic Thought, "often emanates from a bad philosophical foundation." The philosophical formation offered in the New Evangelization major anchors students in the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, an invaluable foundation for those seeking to study Scripture and theology.

On the practical side, the New Evangelization major focuses on three areas: creating new media, teaching others, and building apostolates. Students take a comprehensive mix of classes in media production, including screen writing, editing, and directing. New Evangelization majors take these classes alongside the Entertainment Media majors. Both receive a foundational education in the world of media; the chief difference between the two majors is the emphasis on theology. While Media majors become more specialized in a particular field in the entertainment industry, Evangelization majors delve deeper into Catholic thought. "With the New Evangelization major," says Dr. Connolly, "we're producing a generalist, not a specialist."

Through the Apostolate Launch Pad, students take the skills they have learned and apply them to an evangelization project. Entertainment Media majors are encouraged to focus more on reaching a secular audience with a solid moral message. "Evangelization majors," say Provost Dominic Iocco, "will do media projects that focus more on the Christian message." They will use new media to spread the Gospel. "We want our Evangelization majors to be the Saint Pauls of the twenty-first century," says Dr. Connolly.

By integrating the theology and Scripture education with the practical tools of media, JP Catholic hopes the New Evangelization program will further its mission to impact culture for Christ. To request a brochure for the New Evangelization, click here. For further information on the program, please visit our academic page. - click here